Women on the Verge of Departure

I'm in France now, but before I start blogging about the lovely French countryside, clay courts, amazing garden fresh veggies, cheeses and wines and whatnot, I've got to write about the clog crisis I had a couple of days ago - the day before leaving on my summer vacation. I believe there is a common affliction from which a lot of women suffer because I get a lot of requests "for the bag to arrive before I leave" and we've gotten more than a few studio visits from Women on the Verge of Departure. It's that feeling before we go on a trip that we must get the thing we're missing in our wardrobe without which our trip will just not be the same - even though we've never owned this item before and have lived quite well without it 'til now. I think it's when we're reducing our sartorial lives into bite sized pieces which fit into a suitcase, that we realize too clearly what we've been missing. We must purchase the illusive thing that's going to pull our vacay wardrobe together. (And make life better ;) )
For me, it was the sudden Clog Crisis. I just couldn't leave the country sans sabots, if you will. Yes, like everyone else with a slight interest in fashion these days, I've been latently craving clogs for the past few months. The slip-on shoe to be worn with just about everything, from school drop off to stylish meeting and into the night! Comfort with a heel - the eternal quest. Often I could be found at the Hasbeens site, or Maguba (too many choices! Impossible to decide) occasionally I'd even look at online stores like Shopbop (I don't get out much) and each and everytime, in the model I decided upon, they would be out of my size. I swear. (What's up size 37 people of the world? Why'd you have to go and buy up all the clogs? And, where are you, by the way, because I never see you.) I've drooled over each one above: Chanel ($1200), Maguba ($189), No.6 ($230), Rachel Comey ($357) and Hasbeens ($233) - clockwise from top left.

So on the day before my departure, I drove around like a crazy person (Creatures of Comfort - nada, Am Rag - nil) even considered going to Venice (far!) to check some hippy dippy spot on Abbot Kinney which supposedly has crazy clog choice at just before 6 p.m. Luckily I had my wits about my - a tiny bit - and called first. The only ones they had in 37 were floral or gold "low" clogs. Yea, no thanks. I finally gave one last try on Larchmont at that shoe store where they sell comfortble shoes...my brain refuses to retain the name of the place. Well, they had these above - they're Dansko, which I kind of love for the old school - or OG aspect of it all, but I was NOT in love with them at the store, however they were comfortable and at 6 p.m. on a Wednesday evening the night before my departure, that may be as good as it gets AND they weren't anywhere near $1200.
They're a little "fashion-y" if Dansko were to make a "fashion" clog, if you know what I mean, but I have to say, paired with my new light grey cotton Marni duster, and a few CVivier bags in tow, it was a pretty good airport outift. My feet were comfortable through LAX with a connection at Heathrow to CDG, a taxi to Gare Montparnasse and a TGV train to Nantes where finally my family was there to meet me with a car ride to the Atlantic coast where we arrived a full 24 hours after my departure from LA. The clogs probably won't see the light outside my suitcase until I'm in Paris at the end of my trip (can't do heels in the countryside), but my clog itch is scratched!

(Except those silver Magubas are pretty cute...darn it!)