STLFW: Breakfast with Naturalizer

Necklace: Stella & Dot | Top: Bailey 44 (option) | Scuba Leggings: Express | Booties: Vince Camuto (option)

OK, this is officially my last St. Louis Fashion Week related post, and I've got to say, I'm a bit sad about it! It all went by so quickly, and although I was quite sleep deprived as a result of all the festivities, it's been the most fun I've had in my blogging career. (Aside from meeting my partner in crime, Gina, of course.)

This was Thursday morning, the day of the second runway show I featured in Monday's post. A group of bloggers gathered together to drink coffee, snack on scones, listen to a short presentation from the Naturalizer team, and then pick out any pair of shoes we wanted in the store. Yes, I'd say it was better than being in my cubicle that morning.

Naturalizer, St. Louis Galleria Mall

If you know anything about Naturalizer, you know that they're all about comfort first and foremost. What I did learn, however, was that Naturalizer falls under the umbrella of Brown Shoe Company, whose corporate offices are located in Clayton, a suburb of St. Louis. Sam Edelman, Franco Sarto, and Via Spiga are a few other Brown Shoe Company brands that may ring a bell with you, and are no strangers to this blog. 

But back to Naturalizer. Naturalizer was created in 1927 and was the first company to create shoes specifically for women. Up until then, shoes were created for a man's foot, and simply sized down for a woman to wear. I'm all for wearing boys sized sneakers, but for everything else, I want a woman's shoe! They picture their target audience to be a young, professional and stylish woman on the go that doesn't sacrifice comfort over style. The three brands you can find within the Naturalizer store are Naturalizer (duh), Naya (a bit more casual and trendy), and BZees (think Lululemon, but for your feet - a super lightweight shoe to complement your activewear!)

Angelica, Kristen, Angie

I've had a few pairs of Naturalizer shoes in the past, but my all time favorite are these boots pictured below. I've had them for 6 years. SIX. The folks at Naturalizer have a knack for designing well fitting boots that are classic enough to last season after season - and did I mention that they are comfortable?

Left: Original Post | Right: Original Post

Needless to say, when it came time for me to pick the *one* pair of boots to take home with me, the struggle was real. I wanted all of the boots!

Mid-Calf Suede Buckle boot | Cheetah print bootie | Knee high cognac boot | Fur lined back zip boot | Gold hardware buckle boot

Ultimately, I ended up ruling out the black knee high boots with gold buckles. As much as I loved them, they are a bit too similar to the exact boots I was wearing that day and I couldn't picture opportunities where the knee high pair would be any better than the booties I already owned. If I didn't have the booties already, these would have gone home with me stat. They have a hidden wedge!

The cheetah booties stole my heart immediately, but I need more animal print in my closet like I need a hole in my head, so just out of sheer quantity, I had to force myself to put these in the "no" pile.

I've been on a lookout for comfy boots I can throw on in the winter for my commute to Pilates, but well, let's be real - using my "free" shoes for that purpose would be silly. It was hard to part with these though - the back zip allow you to fold over the fur, making them look even cozier!

So that left me with my top two contenders. A classic cognac riding boot and the grey, mid-calf, suede buckle boot.

These are the Janelle riding boot, one of their best sellers, and I can certainly see why. As soon as I put them on, I thought for sure they would come home with me. I loved the clean look from the front, and the detailed seaming on the back - reminds me of the tights with the rear seam line running down the back of your leg - emphasizes the curves of your calves for an awesome feminine detail.

In the end, I chose the grey boots. They're different than anything I have in my closet, and the hidden wedge makes them special and harder to find elsewhere. I know the buckles aren't for everyone, but I love the extra edge and detail. Very happy with my decision, and it's been hard to take them off ever since!

Michelle, Julia, Lindsay (our Alive Magazine host), Tamera, Brittany, and Carmen

Photo Credit: Alive Magazine/Sarah Stallmann

Afterwards, to replace all the calories we burned trying on shoes, Alive Magazine treated us all to lunch at The Restaurant located at The Cheshire. Our server had us at "blood red mimosa" and the rest was history. I was bad and ended up getting fish and chips, which is my weakness.

I couldn't wait to wear the new boots - it was an easy decision to pull them out for work Friday morning. Mid-calf boots can be hard to style if the proportion isn't quite right, but with my skinniest of jeans, I thought they looked great. 

Scarf: J Crew (option) | Top: LOFT (option, option) | Jeans: Express (option) | Boots: c/o Naturalizer

If you haven't been to Naturalizer in awhile, I encourage you to check them out! And yes, while I did receive these boots in exchange for this post, all opinions expressed here are my own. I certainly see more Naturalizer shoes in my future! A big thank you from this shoe addict to Naturalizer, Brown Shoe Company, and Alive Magazine for such a fun event!

Bloglovin | Facebook | Instagram

SHOP THE LOOK:

Linking up for: Tremendous Tuesday, #AllAboutYou, Erin and Laura for Trend Spin Linkup, Thrift Sisters with Ayana and Keren, What I Wore Wednesday, Random Wednesday.