Foray into F21

This will probably be the most laughable post to Americans who are VERY familiar with Forever 21, the supposed American equivalent of our Topshop.  They say the US $ has reached an all time low and as a result, I’d say the prices are more Primark, less Topshop and in terms of material usage, I ‘d say they’re right up there with ASOS with their man-made material shoe output.  I have to admit, whilst I’m hardly snobby about where I shop, I do have a thing against faux leather shoes.  It’s just a matter of worrying about the number of wears I’d get out of them.  However, when I saw these Amore Oxford Heels, their odd take on the Miu Miu AW08-9 brogue (I say odd because instead of a straight-forward copy, they incorporated a weirder mix of colours and a two tone heel...) and the $25 price tag (now reduced to $20 by the way.... a whole £2.50 off.... woohoo!) meant I couldn’t resist foraying into the world of Forever 21. 

I have MyUS.com set up so no need for the extortionate/nonsensical international shipping costs and yesterday, they arrived in a rather tasteful looking beige shoebox with ‘twenty one’ marked on it in a discreet font.  Hey, I’m a child of consumerism and surface and these things are very persuasive on my easy-to-sway brain.  I tried them on, walked about in them in the dreadful weather we’re having and so far nothing obviously shaming about them has come forth.  With a pair of cheap shoes like that, I see no point in wearing them discreetly and  but I’d rather go all out with the outfit and highlight the design which for a pair of $25 shoes has a lot  going on.  Peach, pink, white and navy patent perforated patent (faux!), lace-ups and a two tone heel....  it all gives me a lot to play with and so I can distract people from asking where I got the shoes from (I did spend a while explaining what Forever 21 was and why it had such a ridiculous name to my colleagues) and just prance about in the cheapie shoes and a whole lot of matching hosiery.... 

This won’t spell a Forever 21 obsession but hey, thank you £££ for being so strong.... 

   

Comments

[Cin]

Wow those shoes are a GREAT buy for $25 - I love the chunky heel! The laces look a bit strange - maybe you could replace with thick navy ribbon? I did that with my silvery/peachy Beatrix Ong Forever heels (£20 from ebay!) and they looked superb.

[www.dwukropekgwiazdka.blogspot.com]

One thing I don't like about these shoes is the black colour!
It should be dark brown, maybe cocoa :)))

I like the way you put them together with the kind of Chanel jacket on left :))

Kisses from POLAND
(if you ever are going to check out my blog and even if you think that it's the most ridiculous thing ever, leave a comment so that I know that you visited me :))

[Drusilla]

Not bad, really...though I'm not totally sold on them, you do make it work. I suspect it's a bit of the faux-leather snob coming out in me too :)

[susie_bubble]

Yes... I had to wince a bit with the faux leather....

It's actually navy, not black patent... though it's not really noticeable until up close...

[Mies]

They look nice on you, I was really exited about the overseas shopping for F21. Then Topshop also decided to ship to my country, so I will spend my money there (it might be a bit more expensive, but I like it a whole lot more!)

[Cily]

i love those shoes!!!! I saw them last week on the website and want them sooo quickly!! However the shiiping costs are really too much expensive! :)

[zoe]

I nearly bought those! but i'm never sure with american sizing and how they would fit my UK 8 feet!

[Laia]

Ugh, those are so cute and I fear they will make me break my Forever 21 shopping ban.

[Colleen]

Laughable indeed, when thinking about f21! Tho- when heading to MOA (Mall of America - Minnesota) i can't help but peek inside, and quickly run thru .. before getting dizzy spells!

-Lovely blog!

Minnesotan!

[iwantaluxlife]

Very much liking the first outfit - must check out forever 21 as in my heart I am "forever 21"

[Elli]

I'm a guilty English luster-after-F21, merely because of the prices... and I do actually like these. Are they comfy, Susie?

[Dianna]

i loved these at f21 too. hard to resist at the price & they look great. good for stuff you will only wear a few times & then tire of.

[The Stiletto Effect]

I never bought anything from F21 but I like those shoes very much!
Btw, the first outfit is, once again, a favourite! Love the coat and the ribbon :)
P.S.: The post is on :)

why does it have such a ridiculous name? forever 21, haha, it sounds like a judy blume book.

[sophie]

the dollar is indeed SO bad right now - i'm going to paris next week and just realized that i'm not going to be able to buy anything at all once i go to change money and a US$10 turns into 6.5 euros. how depressing.

[Kate]

they have a pretty similar court shoe version on the new look website...though I can't vouch for their comfiness (I'm basing this on previous new look shoe experience, they may look pretty but my toes were a little worse for wear!)

[Stella]

Oh, I've been lusting over a pair of oxfords for so long. But I can't find any for my size 11 feet. '.'

I've been eyeing those, but the website only comes up to size 9! Discrimination, I tell you!

That said, you rock them. :) And I dislike faux leather shoes too...bc I always get the feeling they won't last long.

[Maggie P.]

Have you seen how cheap Forever 21 accessories are?

[Chelsea Rae]

I go to Forever 21 all the time, half of the time I walk out empty handed. I've been looking at those shoes, but I'm concerned about their overall wearability. If I pay anything at all for shoes, I don't want to feel like my feet are being cut off mid-day. So how comfortable actually are they, or are they just cute?

[Suz]

Love the shoes Susie! How exactly does myus.com work? What do you use as your US mailing address-perhaps the humble abode of a kind friend?

[Stylish Thought]

Those are cute!!! But stateside F21 doesn't have that great of a rep... you can find cool things once in the blue... that's if you don't see 5 other girls wearing it within the hour!

Plus all of the copyright suits against them...

[Meggy]

I've been trying to stay away from F21 lately, as it is true that their quality is quite horrid -- but those shoes are indeed charming and are tickling at my oxford pump lust! Also, I have to tell you Susie that I've been feeling down in the dumps for the past week or so (graduate school admittance stress, I think), and one of the few things that gladdens my heart on a regular basis is Style Bubble. Thank you for that.

[selina]

uh ooooh we all know that internet shopping doesn't count when you're on a shopping ban! damn you susie! must. not. look. at. f21. website. argh these seem too cute to stay uninvestigated!

[Renée Sturme / FashionFillers]

I immediately wanted to buy them, after I saw them for the first time (10 times followed), but international shipping it that high!

[susie_bubble]

In god's honest truth... I'm having no problems walking in the shoes at all.... didn't take a pic of my night outfit yesterday but I walked all up and down my high street with tights on and it was fine.... in fact, I'd venture to say they're far more comfy than Topshop shoes of the same height. Perhaps it's the faux leather but they are very lightweight so I actually ran in them without struggling...
Of course, I can't really vouch for how long they last but say if they really fall apart in about 5 wears, I still think I've gotten my money's worth...it's a tenner we're talking about here...

Myus.com is basically renting out a mailbox in the States and so you can use that as your US mailing address and they ask Myus.com to forward you whatever mail you get....it's about $7 a month but worth it if you do buy a lot of stuff State-side.

[Scarlet]

Tee he I ordered these too a couple of days ago, I never could resist a bargin!

[Sonja]

Those shoes look great!

[Dee]

I lurve those shoes Susie. Just the right amount of quirk. And at that price, I couldn't care less that they're pleather. As long as they're comfy. My wardrobe is littered with uncomfortable mistakes. but sometimes I still take them out of their boxes to stroke them... okay, that's weird!

[Poochie]

I just braved f21 again recently but then had to flee because the store was a madhouse. I did glimpse some darling high top sneakers on the way out. Now, seeing these and remembering those, I'm going to have to place an order.

Darn you! I'm going to have to steal your shoe idea just to get back at you. New peachy oxfords on the way for me. I may have to find some cute peach socks too. They look great together.

Thanks, dahling.

Luv
Poochie

[WendyB]

I must say I've never been into an F21. I hadn't even heard of it till I started seeing it mentioned on fashion blogs!

[Shen-Shen]

Damn the weak American dollar :[

Must be awesome for you pound people though. Sighhh. I wish I could shop at topshop and ASOS! But I hardly have the money to binge on F21 heh.

[bronwyn]

We don't have Forever 21 or Topshop in SA. I'm always nervous of ordering shoes and clothes online from overseas in case they don't fit. By the time I managed an exchange whatever I bought would probably be out of fashion! Anyway, I love these oxfords and the outfits you teamed them up with, especially the first skirt and jacket.

[natalie]

I've been staring at these shoes neurotically for months - but even with the much-improved australian-american dollar exchange rate, shipping is still about $35 US. And $60 isn't an amount I want to pay for shoes from Forever 21 :( Oh well. They look great on you, though (so I'll just live vicariously through you!)

[belle]

;____; i want my dollar stronger, i can't even buy socks from a british shop now!

the f21 near me doesn't sell shoes, although it's quite big. =/ hmmm.

[Daphne]

as an american, forever 21 is known for the huge size of its stores, its very cheap and wearable jewelery, and overall crappy quality :)

it is pretty fashionable, but their clothes fall apart all the time. the jewelery is even worse; one time, i was in the jewelery section of forever 21, and a girl picked up a strand of pearls -- they broke right there and scattered all over the floor!

but it's cheap :) those shoes look great!

[Jill]

I was just gonna say....F21 now ships internationally! I excitedly bought so much from them last week, and again this week.

I definitely agree with you on the prices, quality and all else compared with other "higher" end high st chains.

Fabulous!

[The Devil Wears Marc Jacobs]

Wow those shoes are fantastic; the only thing to make them even more chic would be an open peep toe!!! I have had bad luck with F21 shoes, they never fit, they scuff to easy; you get what you pay for with them. Yes I agree that the clothes are cheap, and some straight knockoffs of big designers, lets not forget the DVF yellow and black mini. But I cannot lie, if the opportunity came up to own a VERY similar designer piece at 1/15 of the normal price, I would jump on that f21 bandwagon so fast, its not even funny.

[The Devil Wears Marc Jacobs]

Wow those shoes are fantastic; the only thing to make them even more chic would be an open peep toe!!! I have had bad luck with F21 shoes, they never fit, they scuff to easy; you get what you pay for with them. Yes I agree that the clothes are cheap, and some straight knockoffs of big designers, lets not forget the DVF yellow and black mini. But I cannot lie, if the opportunity to own a VERY similar designer piece at 1/15 of the price, I would jump on that f21 wagon so fast, its not even funny

[mlycameron]

F21 isn't all that popular in the states...I've only been there once and that was when I wasn't in my home state.

[Bianca]

As soon as i saw those i was like "ah i saw those at forever 21" .
ha, i am having a Danish student stay with me, and she will agree the american dollar is extremely low in europe, however, coming over here is very nice! She bought 11 pairs of shoes here!!! AH i dont know how she will fit it in her suitcase!
well i love all your outfits, and of course the shoes!!!

[michelle levine]

when forever 21 came to canada late last year it was so exciting-except that it's nothing like what i remember it to be in the states
so cheesy and cheap looking inside-really ruined it for me
except the newest location has an amazing accessory department so maybe i'll get a lucky find like you

[Jill]

I've been looking at those exact shoes for a while but was literally too lazy/busy to make good on that desire. Love them paired with the ruffly skirt.

[Lola]

just for future advice, faux leather shoes arent that bad. my clothing budget is teeny compared to yours so i tend to buy faux leather cuz its cheaper, and many of them are just as comfy as real leather. oh, and i think the grey jacket u have on looks great with the forever21 shoes by the way! i love your site

[super kawaii mama]

Yum! I love outfit number one Susie. Creative and chic all at the same time. I am also loving the US dollar to our AUS dollar at the moment and taking the opportunity to shop muchly. :)

[Fashion Tidbits]

they look lovely and i love your pink skirt!

[Deborah Jones]

I also really hate fake leather - it is very bad for your feet, makes them sweat loads and causes blisters. I have been vegetarian almost my whole life but I'm afraid I have to wear animal skin on my feet!

[enc]

Nice job with the integration of the shoes with the outfits.

[stacy]

It's crazy to me that Topshop is considered the same as Forever 21. I live in the US and aside from the fact that our dollar sucks, the prices at Topshop are 3 times what Forever 21 prices are. Now, I don't know what the quality is at Top Shop. but you are lucky if you can get 3 good wears out of Forever 21. But for a quick night out, or emergency last minute outfit, Forever 21 works.

[SpiegelEule]

great how you reflected the colour of the shoes in the drappings. these socks are perfect for this outfit.

i added you to my linklist. would you link me too?

http://stylesnapshots.blogspot.com

[stcolapop]

i have those same shoes. they are FABULOUS! I dunno about over f21's in other states. but in l.a is called Forever xxi (they wanted to make it seem more classier with roman numbers) and thats where u get all the hot shit! i've spotted thesessss:

http://www.forever21.com/images/side/47423248-01.jpg
F21 is churning them out like there is not tomorrow!