ByKat Hours Updated
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Coffee Break: Circa Joan & David Marietta

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Circa Joan & David - Marietta (Ivory Multi Leather) - Footwear Reader A wrote in to tip us off to this lovely heel, noting that it's the “most comfortable summer work heel I've had in a while.” Nice! We like the look of the woven leather, as well as the slight point to the toe. The ivory is on sale at Zappos for $83.76, while the black is on sale for $76.83 (both were originally $98). Circa Joan & David – Marietta (Ivory Multi Leather) – Footwear

85 Comments

  2. What would you wear the ivory shoes with? I’m having trouble with the styling options…

    1. I have a coworker who wears them with navy pants, and I really like the look.

      That said, these are not for me. I’ve never liked woven leather, but that’s just personal preference. The overall shape is lovely.

  3. They’re very much like some shoes my grandmother has, that she got in the 70s or 80s. I’m sure it is back, but it still feels too much like a granny look for me because of that association.

    1. That was the first thought I had as well, which is odd because I’ve always longed for a woven Bottega Venetta purse (yes, I’m sure that I mispelled that, but I doubt it matters since I’m not likely to ever spend several thousand dollars on a purse!)

    3. I don’t think it’s the weave that’s causing the granny association – it’s the color. I mostly see white pumps like this on much older women. In fact, I’m not a big fan of white sandals, either – they tend to look trashy, IMHO.

    4. Think I’m a little older than most of you ladies, but these shoes are too old for me. I think they look frumpy.

  4. oh.my.god. I love these. I can’t wear them (no heels besides ultra chunky ugly ones for me), but I love them.

  6. I love, love, love these but unfortunately just bought new shoes…darn it! Hopefully in a few weeks they’ll still have my size.

    A girl in my office wears white/cream shoes with her tan wool slacks and it’s a great look.

    1. Ugh. I can’t believe I used the word “slacks.” My grandmother must have temporarily taken over my brain from the great beyond. :)

    2. Home sick today watching daytime television. Someone used the word “dungarees”. When was the last time you heard that??!!

  7. Thread hijack. I’ve been searching for the perfect pair of nude heels and have been striking out. Everything I’m finding is too light, too tall (my preference is about 3 in) or $400 dollars. Any suggestions?

    1. I actually just bought this pair of Naturalizers a few weeks ago, I love them and they’re incredibly comfortable:

      http://www.naturalizer.com/Shopping/ProductDetails.aspx?p=EC0222069&pg=3006915

      They’re not listed as nude, but my legs are tan-ish (I use Jergen’s Natural Glow in tan a few times a week) with blue undertones and they’re the perfect shade of nude for me.

      Obviously, however, if your office is too conservative for peep-toes, this isn’t too helpful.

      1. Hah, just ordered these in black – ECW410 for $10 off, which turns them into a ridiculous bargain!

      2. Question on peep toes: I am the only intern in my department. The woman I work with, but not for (she is not an attorney) mentioned that I did not have to wear a suit everyday. Does not having to wear a suit mean that peeptoes are ok? There are a lot of different levels of dress in the building, I have seen sandals, but the male attorney I work for wears a suit everyday. Thoughts?

        1. For my office, which is suits only, peep toes are fine. Our written dress code (which I’ve never seen enforced and is regularly broken) actually specifically okays open-toed shoes, for what its worth.

          I wouldn’t wear a strappy sandal, but I don’t even have second thoughts about wearing a peep toe so long as my manicure is neat.

        2. Peep toes are almost always fine, even with a suit. You could ask an attorney to be sure, but I’d be surprised if they weren’t.

          1. Ok thank you both. I think I heard no peep toes for interviews so much that I forgot they were allowed

          2. @CFM – They’re not ok for formal occasions, like an interview, court, or most big meetings, but fine for every day. At most legal employers, even sandals are OK so long as they are not casual and not too strappy. I’d caution you to make sure your feet and toenails look nice before wearing anything that shows them.

          3. No, peep toes are not “almost always fine, even with a suit.” Ask. And if you aren’t comfortable asking your mentor/another senior person/waiting to see what others do before you wear them, then think about it — if the male attorney you are interning for almost always wears a suit, why would your bare feet be acceptable? Remember that in this economy (and really, probably any time) just because it’s ok in the dress code doesn’t mean it’s really ok if you have higher aspirations, etc. In my experience in law firms, dress codes are usually directed more at lifting the level of what people wear to an acceptable minimal standard — they don’t necessarily dictate what is culturally ok for interns or summer associates (or others looking for a reference/offer of employment) to wear.
            It depends more on the people and the office culture than what someone in HR wrote, possibly back when employers needed to make offices more casual to make employees stick around instead of heading to dot coms.

    3. This may not be helpful at all, but I just found three pairs of nude heels at Marshall’s, as did a co-worker with darker skin. If there’s one near you, it might be worth checking out (if you haven’t already).

      I also tried these on at Nordstrom: http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/31105220~2376778~2372808~2372940~2376188?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=2376188&P=1

      They were too dark for me, but they might work for you. Yes, they are Steve Madden and I know Steve Madden shoes aren’t the best quality, but I think they’re worth the (relatively low) $70 price.

    4. I found some at nine west that are dark enough (I’m tan) and an inch high. I went nine west because while I love the trend I’m not sure how long it will last.

    6. Ivory is “nude” for me. So I guess I could go with the featured shoes. Except that they’re Gran-tastic.

      1. I just ordered these DKNYC Lorelei pumps online and they arrived today:

        http://www.shoes.com/p-ec1196553.shtml

        I am wearing them now and love them. Color is perhaps more taupe than nude. They are super-comfortable with a cushy footbed. I wasn’t sure I’d like the perforated look, but they’re really nice-looking. The openings in the toe box don’t go all the way through, so it’s not too much skin for the office in my book.

      1. I bought the Franco Sarto Napoli and returned them. Color was OK but the shoe itself was poorly made and clunky. Disclaimer that I generally buy expensive shoes so I might be biased on quality.

    11. I recently bought a fabulous pair of Coach pumps in a very pale nude from Bloomingdales, but I can’t seem to find them online anywhere. They were about $180 and had a round-toe and 3″ heel.

    12. http://www.zappos.com/cole-haan-air-miranda-pump-90-beige

      my perfect pair. beige, 3″ (although other sites have them listed as 3.5″ or even 4″ — i own them in black and think they are 3.5″)
      not the most comfortable pumps but aren’t they gorgeous?

      just checking — at 3.5″, even if they were 4″, i’m only 5′ tall — they are appropriate in all office settings, yeah?

  8. Those are great. I didn’t look at Naturalizer; always associate it with grandma shoes.

    1. I did too until Kat featured a pair on here months ago. I had back surgery last fall and it’s hard to beat the price point and comfort on days when you just can’t bear to wear pointy-toe pumps.

  9. I’ve been on the hunt for months and just picked up a pair of Ellen Tracy peep toes – I think the style is “Vanna” – at Filene’s Basement. I found that I just had to go to places with lots of shoes and try them all on until I found a color that matched my skin tone. DSW had many, many variations of “nude” (ivory-ish to chocolate – I mean that term as expansively as possible), so that might be a good place to start.

  10. Not seeing it; it starts to go old-lady on me. But a Bottega Veneta bag doesn’t. Go figure. I think it’s the ivory.

    2. I really can’t stand nude heels and can’t imagine myself wearing them. My legs are a little bit on the pasty side and ivory tends to make them look more tan without me having to go into a tanning bed or do something else to make them look tan. For people who have dark skin, the ivory and nude wouldn’t look similar at all!

    3. I have a few dresses with prints or trim that have ivory in/on them and I often wear pearly/ivory shoes with these pieces. Nude shoes would look alright, but the ivory in the shoes picks up on the little bits of ivory in the outfit and really offers that tiny bit extra of coordination.

      Also, I find that ivory in general is a pretty neutral color (but maybe I think that way because the ivory shoes I have are a little darker/more bone colored than there ones here) and thus can be interchanged, in a lot of cases, with nude colored shoes, whether or not there is ivory in your outfit or not.

  12. I just bought a few cashmere sweaters from Talbots (really happy with them by the way) and was wondering, what do you ladies do to care for cashmere? I usually end up with holes at the end of the season in the two sweaters I have bought in previous years, but this time I am determined to “do it right” and keep them at least two years! Any tips really appreciated.

    1. Most importantly don’t wash them too much. I wear tees underneath to minimize skin contact. Dry cleaning makes cashmere rough. I prefer to handwash and dry flat.

    2. I wash in a super delicate cycle, on cold, in a mesh delicates bag, with woolite, & lay flat to dry.

    3. I assume you mean holes from moths. I found that leaving my sweaters “out” all the time (on a shelf) instead of packed away in a box or drawer kept the moths from eating them the last couple of years. If you do store them away, use mothballs or maybe cedar (though I’ve heard cedar doesn’t work very well).

      1. I wear cashmere sweaters EVERY day (have a whole closetful). The storage part is key–do not leave them out or the drawer/closet open or moths will get in. Even if you think “I’ve never seen a moth in my house.” Well, somehow, they find the cashmere.

        You can also get holes from rubbing–I tend to get them on my elbows after a few years.

        What makes cashmere last longest is to wear a t-shirt or button-down (if the style allows) underneath, so that you don’t have to dry-clean or hand-wash each wearing. I carefully de-lint after each wearing, and only wash every 6 or so wears. Sometimes I dry clean. The other thing is that ALL cashmere pills to varying degrees, so you need a sweater shaver to de-pill at some point. Better quality cashmere pills less, but I’ve even had variation in the “same” sweater in various colors, so suspect it has to do with the dye too.

        I have some cashmere sweaters from 10 years ago! Crazy. You just have to always, always put them away when you get home. Also, if I put any away for the season (because the color is too wintry or the weight too heavy for summer) I make sure to clean them BEFORE I store them. Sounds counter-intuitive, but apparently the oils from your skin cause the moths to be more attracted.

        FWIW, I have lived in CA, NY, New England and London in the past ten years, and have NEVER had moth problems, except for one unfortunate summer trip to Germany, when a few pieces got eaten in a hotel room!

        Enjoy your cashmere. It’s the best–especially if you’re allergic to wool like me!

  13. Thread hijack – I need some haircut/style advice. I have long (a couple inches below my bra strap) thick hair which I get straightened with the Keratin straightener. If I don’t blow dry/straighten, it is a little wavy. Right now I have side-swooped bangs, but I decided today to grow them out (since I am overdue for a trim anyway and they are already past my nose). But, I don’t know what to do with it besides the same haircut I’ve had forever – basically long and layered. I don’t really want to lose a whole lot of length. I have a round face, too, which I think makes it more limiting.

    Anyone know of any good cuts/styles? I’ll ask my hairdresser, too, of course, but figured I would see if anyone had any input.

    1. I also have a round face and long hair, and I think if you don’t want to lose a lot of length then keeping it layered is good. Since you’re growing your bangs out maybe you could try to have it angled towards your face, with your shortest angle and layer beginning around where your bangs are now, and the longest being an inch or two shorter than your current length? I think angled looks tend to be slimming for round faces.

    2. I have this exact issue and I recently botched a haircut. I got thick bangs around eye-level (I like the look of “raven’s wings” sweeping out into the rest of my hair). The bangs are ok but I told the stylist to cut the front hair into angles, which she didn’t. The botched part is that the longest angle (which is shoulder length) doesn’t reach the rest of my long hair (at my bra strap). Meh, it’s sort of a mullet-do but I’m going to wait a while before I have the front and back of my hair “connect”.

      1. Sorry, I meant that she *did* cut the front hair in angles.

        Looking back on this, I don’t know why she didn’t mention anything about the hair not connecting. She cuts hair for South Asians mostly and we’re pretty particular about hair length so I guess she assumed I didn’t want shorter hair. Bah.

  14. Thread hijack — I have pretty oily skin and often look shiny in pictures. I have very clear skin fortunately, but it’s definitely oily. I’m currently using MAC Studio fix and some translucent Almay powder on top. I also use those blotting papers throughout the day, but I still look oily. Any recommendations on products that do a good job of controlling oil?

    1. Have you tried an oil controlling primer? I think that a silicon-based one may help. I have extremely dry skin, so I can’t attest to any oil control products, but I’ve heard that MAC does an oil-controlling primer (or at least it used to).

    2. I use Neutrogena skin clearing foundation, but I’m interested to see what others recommend because I’m always completely greasy by 2pm or so.

    3. What skincare products are you using? I’m not saying this is the case with you, but I’ve often found that people try to cover up/fix skin problems with makeup when skincare might be the better route.

      Anyway, that being said, I also have oily skin (with only the very occasional blemish). For skincare, I’ve found that using a sulfur mask (both Peter Thomas Roth and DDF make good ones) once weekly really helps. I think one or both of these masks says it’s for acne control, but they’re really helpful for oily skin, as well. I also love the Caudalie Vinopure Matte Finish Fluid.

      For makeup, I mix my regular foundation with a matte foundation during the summer, when my skin is particularly oily and shiny. I love the Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet. Also, I don’t know if you’re already using a primer, but I switch to a matte primer, as well. I like the Make Up For Ever All Mat. I used a translucent powder (Make Up For Ever HD Finishing Powder) last summer and got pretty good results, but this year, I’ve started using Laura Mercier Smooth Focus Pressed Powder-Shine Control and I’m liking that even more. I know you said you already use a translucent powder, so these are just suggestions for different variations of something you already use, I guess!

      Hopefully something in that long comment will help you out. It’s so frustrating to feel like your skin is shiny all of the time!

      1. Second the skincare suggestion – make sure you’re moisturizing and not stripping your face of oils when you wash your face.

      2. I use Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser, and Aveeno Positively Radiant Moisturizer SPF 30 underneath my makeup. I almost never break out so my skin is in good condition otherwise, but the oiliness doesn’t seem to go away. But, I don’t really use any products specifically to combat oil so that’s probably what I should start doing, judging by the comments here.

        Thanks for the feedback so far!

        1. I love Cetaphil; it’s so inexpensive and I’ve gotten such better results with it than with anything else I’ve ever used!

        2. I used to use Cetaphil. I almost never broke out, so I thought all I needed was something gentle. After my first (!) facial about a year ago helped me understand the disservice my laziness was doing to my skin, I switched to the “combination skin” line from Paula’s Choice and noticed a big, big difference. Many drugstore and cosmetic counter products that purportedly “fight oil” actually make it worse, but something that’s too gentle isn’t much help either. I encourage you to order a sample pack of a Paula’s Choice line or two and see how you like it. I’ve been very satisfied.

          2. SF Bay Associate — what sort of difference did you notice when you switched to Paula’s line? Lot less oiliness or something else?

          3. My skin is never oily anymore, but never tight. It feels smooth and soft, with noticably fewer clogged pores in my t-zone. It also looks healthier somehow? Maybe because part of the regimen is a BHA serum which exfoliates off the dull, dead skin cells.

            I’d probably have close to completely clear pores if I was better about the 2x day regimen, with a weekly clay masque. Paula’s Choice sells a gift set that includes the whole product regimen which is a great value for when you decide to take the plunge. Frequent promotions/coupons, too.

          4. paula’s choice also sells sample sizes of a lot of their products for I think like 80 cents, so you can try them fairly easily.

        3. I also used to use the Aveeno Positively Radiant but I realized it was making me too shiny. Maybe that’s the culprit! I think they add too much mica in or something for the radiant part & shiny is the result.

          Anyway, I highly second the recommendation for the DDF sulfur mask (esp. if you do have occasional breakouts), it’s great at making your skin just look perfect. Clay masks generally help with oil production, but sulfur is lovely (and the DDF mask, while pricey, lasts forever). DDF also makes a great oil controlling gel that really makes skin nice and matte, without drying out.

          Sheseido makes a great one of these too that might be better if you skin is totally clear otherwise.

          But definitely try switching moisturisers. Radiant = shiny on some people.

    4. I also have oily skin and have shine problems. I used to use Studio Fix all the time, and loved it. But then I noticed I was having a lot of problems with oily patches on my forehead and chin by mid-day. So I went to the MAC store, and asked them about it. They said that as some women age, dry powders can actually exacerbate oiliness and it’s better to switch to something that has more moisture. I switched to Studio Tech and it made a big difference. I haven’t had any trouble with breakouts at all. Since the Studio Fix is powdery, and you’re using powder on top of that, it’s possible that your skin is overproducing oil to counter dryness. But I also second the suggestions about your skincare. I use Lancome White Lotus cleanser and I really like it – it cleans without stripping. And my go-to day moisturizer is either Eucerin Sensitive Skin SPF 30, or Biore Pore Minimizing Lightweight SPF 15. The Biore is REALLY good at preventing shine more or less all day, but I prefer SPF 30 for most days to prevent sun damage. I hope you find something that works for you.

    5. Origins just came out with some new oil control lotion – I can’t get hold of the exact name but if you visit the counter, they can help you. I got a sample and think it might work for you.

      I personally found Mac Studio Fix very heavy on my skin – could that be causing the extra oiliness? Any chance that you can skip foundation, but maybe just use concealer if needed?

      My $0.02: Living in hot & humid Singapore, I think I tried every foundation (drugstore/dept store) – I sweated it all off in the first 30mins so I just go with Bobbi brown loose powder over moisturiser+sunscreen combo.

    6. Thanks all for the very helpful comments, you ladies are wonderful! Based on comments here, I am going to try the DDF sulfur mask and get some samples of the Paula’s Choice line and see if that makes any difference.

      AIMS – I think you’re right about Aveeno SPF 30 being too shiny. I only recently switched over to that and I do notice that my face is a bit oilier than usual.

      As for the MAC studio fix, I have heard people say that it is very heavy but I don’t find that at all. Most people assume that I’m not even wearing makeup when I wear it.

      1. Another really great sulphur-based cleanser is lemon pernox. It’s really old-school (same packaging as the 80’s), you often have to order online (just google), but it’s the ONLY thing that makes my skin smooth and oil-controlled.

        I too am a Studio Fix girl. I think they changed their formulation in the last year or so though, because I’ve used it FOREVER (like since high school) and it seems to crack more easily in the compact than ever before. That’s my theory at least.

        The other thing that could be causing the oily feeling is your office’s air conditioning. Just like when you go on a plane, and air blows all over you, so your skin makes oil to compensate, same thing happens in offices. See if you can’t close a vent or two in your office (or cover with a piece of paper). That might help. Sounds weird, but it does wonders for my skin and for my contacts!

  15. Don’t like the ivory, although I think they might be OK with pants. I may have actually ordered the black, if it was normal leather, but I absolutely refuse to buy any more patent shoes.

    1. God, yes.
      I am so with you on the patent ban. Even when they’re cute. I just can’t.

  16. Re: shoes, I’m having a difficult time finding nice work shoes this summer. I’m either finding plain old pumps or shoes that would look more like stripper shoes. I can’t even find nice peep-toes per above discussion. Any suggestions? Thank you!

    1. If you are around a Dillard’s, the Antonio Melani line has a lot of work-friendly peep toes now both in flats and in heels. I have a lot of Antonio Melani/Gianni Bini shoes because the heel is a little narrower than most.

      1. Thank you -I’ll investigate. Following the link above, I surfed through Zappos. Wow! I had the misperception that Zappos was a discount-y site with links -I had no idea! BTW, the Zappos site showed the above shoes in brown. Multiple views revealed the shoes to be actually very attractive (at least in brown). Not for me, but nice for someone else!

  17. I always wondered what they did with the extra Easter baskets in stores once Easter was over… anyway, I really think the woven detail dates the shoes, as does the brighter ivory color. I think light colored/white/ivory shoes require the perfect balance between the right light shade, the right shape, the right heel height, etc. to avoid looking either too ‘Granny’s shoes for church’ or ‘Victoria Beckham wears white, extreme pointed toe pumps with shiny gold heels and a hot pink mini dress.’ Very few pairs these days seem to fall in the middle of those two extremes, and honestly it seems to me this pair falls heavily towards the former.

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