Interview With Carla – Part Two

Today is the second part of my interview with Carla…I hope you enjoyed yesterday’s post! It had some of the most amazing and exotic shoes I’ve ever seen. Today though, there are even moreshoes, along with a bunch of other delicious goodies. So without further ado – Carla, Part Two!

What do you think is the most comfortable brand, and which brand is your favorite? 

To be honest, ever since I started seriously collecting Louboutins in 2008, i haven’t really purchased another brand since then. I did buy a pair of YSL Tributes at one point but ended up selling them because they weren’t that comfortable, and didn’t look as sexy as my Loubies.  So of course I am biased with this, and I am a die-hard Louboutin collector.  For flats, I love Lanvin – and I live in Havaianas flip flops. Charlotte Olympia has piqued my interest recently though, so maybe i will give that a try soon.

Carla with one of her beautiful McQueen clutches

What is a luxury item that you really wanted for a long time – but it just didn’t work out for you? 

When i was in medical school, I was obsessed with the Marc Jacobs Venetia bag.  Finally I bought one,  and wouldn’t you know – that thing weighed a TON and didn’t fit as much as I wanted, and was just not a practical bag for me. I ended up selling it within months of owning it.

I’d love to hear about some of your favorite clothing items, and what a typical day to day (or night) outfit is for you! 

I live in dresses. To me they are so easy, you just throw it on and instantly look put together.  You don’t have to worry about mixing and matching the top to the bottom, etc.  So for me, a dress, and then accessories, is what makes an outfit.

I am also obsessed with my McQueen leopard skull pashmina scarf.  It is soooo soft and I love bringing it with me when I travel and wrapping myself in it when on the plane. Another McQueen obsession are my aviators. I can look like crap underneath them, but I look GLAM with them on.

A going out outfit!

One of my favorite pairs of Carla’s shoes – Peace of Shoe style

What is a holy grail item that you’d still love to get one day?

A Hermes Birkin violet lizard 25cm. Le sigh. And the Louboutin Isunami shoe.

A stunning McQueen clutch collection

I’d love to hear about some of the amazing sale scores you’ve gotten – I know you are good! 

I don’t have the patience or free time to scour and dig out the sales, so I depend a lot on my amazing sales associates to let me know what’s up. Based on my tight relationships with them at this point, I’ve managed to score some incredible buys- not because I search, but because they let me know what’s going on sale. One of them that comes to mind is my McQueen gold jewel Byzantine skull clutch. I think this originally retailed for $2400 and I got it on second cut for 70% off! It came out to less than $900!

Apart from that I’ve found some great Louboutin deals on eBay. And I also never like to pay full price for my clothes so I buy a lot from Gilt and Outnet. So my advice is to develop a really strong relationship with a sales associate for your favorite stores/brands. It will repay itself tenfold.

Beautiful Balenciaga colors

What else do you collect? 

My other serious collections (but not nearly as extensive as my Louboutin one) are Alexander McQueen – I am a sucker for his clutches and scarves. I think skulls, studs and spikes just do it for me!  I also collect Balenciaga.

Hermes CDC bracelets

Hermes is a new addiction. OMG. This is going to kill me and I will probably have to slow it down with the other brands for a while, so I can collect Hermes seriously.

I’d also love to hear some advice you have on shopping/style/budgeting that you’ve learned over the years that you’d like to share. What are some mistakes you made that you learned from? 

Four pieces of advice:

1. Don’t buy something just because it’s on sale. I learned that for me, if I didn’t love it enough to buy it at full price, I didn’t love it enough. And those items usually end in me selling them on eBay or Bonanza, and I end up losing money on them. If there’s a sale item I want, I think really long and hard whether I REALLY want it, or whether I want it just because it’s “on sale”.

2. Don’t buy something just because it’s a “holy grail”, impossible to find, etc – unless it’s YOUR holy grail. It may be beautiful, but if it’s not YOU, then it won’t last and you’ll end up selling it and losing money.

One of my favorite Carla photos – she looks adorable here!

3. I also very rarely buy anything on impulse. I am a planner, and I like to think (and obsess) and plot my purchases, usually months in advance (for example, some of the FW11 Loubies haven’t even arrived yet, but i already have my SS12 collection lined up). This helps me create my budget tremendously.

4. Invest in great accessories. They will last you a lifetime, and they can make ANY outfit.

A final shot of some gorgeous reds!

Finally – tell us something surprising about yourself!

As much as some people think that I’m such a NYC girl and a total girly fashionista, I am just as happy, if not more, when barefoot on the sand wearing nothing but a sarong and a bikini. I just love to scuba dive and travel. I feel at home with the ocean. Sometimes I have half a mind to give it all up and move to some tiny country and live in a shack on the beach… what would I do with all my luxury items then huh?  Someone will be really lucky if I decide to sell them all!

Don’t get any ideas, readers – I’m calling dibs on first in line if Carla ever decides to part with her collection! Isn’t her closet just amazing? I think it’s a feast of color! Thank you so much again Carla for sharing your photos and insights with us.