I am in NEED of shoes. Why, you ask? Well, let’s just suffice to say that one should never take all their flats to be resoled by a cobbler who does not speak English. The results are so bad that there is no word in English that approximates my feelings about this. And one cannot live in Roger Vivier red shoes alone.
Yesterday I met the gorgeous, smart, and six-pack abs goddess that is ENC at South Coast Plaza and we did a little shopping( and we also had a D-list celebratory sighting, we saw Alexis Bellino, one of the Real Housewives of the O.C.( she is my LEAST favorite of the housewives) and her Ed Hardy wanna-be husband who drives me cookaloo). I picked up a new mascara( Lancome’s Definicils), a Trish McEvoy eye brightening pencil, Laura Mercier’s Tinted Moisturizer and I added a few pairs of flats to my wardrobe. This is where I need your help.
Shoe #1 is the Elie Tahari Janine Driver in black. These are part ballet flat and has the heel and structure of a driving shoe, the combination equals comfort. I love the feminine and boldness of this shoe so much that I felt the need for another colour.
Shoe #2. Meet Elie Tahari shoe #2. It is the exact same shoe in saffron. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Yellow is big for spring and I look terrible in yellow and I thought this would be a safe and fun way to bring in some sunshine to my closet. But then when I came home to face my closet I was reminded that most of my wardrobe is black. Black and yellow equals bee. I don’t want to look like a bee this spring.
I am thinking that my yellow shoes need to buzz off and go back to Bloomingdale’s. What do you think, bees knees or buzz off? Please vote in the comments. I promise not to sting, no matter how you vote.
In thanks for your vote I thought I would bee nice and share some bee jokes with you that I found here and here.
Q:What is the clumsiest insect?
A:The Bumbling Bee.
Q:What did the Bee say when he returned to the hive?
A:”Honey, I’m Home!”
Q: What did the spider say to the bee?
A: Your honey or your life!
Q: Who is a bee’s favorite painter?
A: Pablo Beecasso!
Q: What did the bee say to the other bee in summer?
A: Swarm here isn’t it!
Q: What is a bee’s favorite classical music composer?
A: Bee-thoven!
Q: Who writes books for little bees?
A: Bee-trix Potter!
Q: Where do bees go on holiday?
A: Stingapore!
Q: What do you call a bee who’s had a spell put on him?
A: He’s bee-witched!
The yellow shoes are cute, but I know myself well enough to know that I would never wear them out. I'd love them, but I'm not a yellow shoe person when it comes to actually wearing them. And I hate that about myself.
Love the yellow shoes, they are sparkly and ideal for spring/summer. As much as I love black, we all need a bit of colour every now and then to brighten our lives, n'est-ce pas? Ciao. A.
Keep them. Unless you wear them with a yellow and black striped shirt, you won't look like a bee.
I like yellow shoes with jeans, and you won't look like a bee (or a Cordoba taxi, for that matter
unless you wear the combination on a T-shirt. It's just a pop of color. And maybe it's sign that you should add more color to your wardrobe! 
And I have been using Definicils for 15 years!
I don't wear yellow either, it makes me look very ill. The shoes are sweet – as someone else said, you wont look like a bee unless you are wearing black and yellow stripes so, if you like them, keep them and as long as you don't have any other yellow on you won't be mistaken for a bee.
I love the yellow shoes! Marcela is right, they would look great with jeans! Keep them, Belette…
You made me want flats… And I never wear flats!!!
XXX
Those are cute shoes, but I think unless you have some lighter-colored dresses or skirts to wear with them, they probably won't see much daylight. They'd look great with white slacks or jeans, though…
Every time I think of bee jokes, the old SNL skit comes to mind with John Belushi in a bee suit talking about "buzzing off." Comedy gold!
They are cute and with tanned legs they will look even cuter….but I am always going to vote for the black ones. xv
My wardrobe leans mostly toward black as well but last year in a fit of exuberant compulsion I too bought a pair of yellow shoes.. which have never been worn. At least they make me laugh the odd time I come across them in the closet but in truth I wish I'd returned them and saved the money for something else. There will always be another pair you'll love.
I'm sure you could make the yellow work with the warmer colors in your wardrobe, but the black is probably more practical.
If you can afford to keep both the black and the yellow, I'd do it — and try to live up to what they made you feel when you grabbed them. As other commenters say, with no stripes or other yellows in your outfit, they will just be a pop of lively colour, not a sign of an apiary nearby. And they'll be great with summer whites, right? and jeans?
I love the yellow LBR. I think you need the yellow for summer, surely you do a lot of whites, right? The black needs no comments of course, you need that for other times.
I vote to keep, and if you decide to send off after collecting the votes, then you must see/buy Kate Spade hot pink flats. They are so cute.
xx
ps- I am so drooling
A couple of practical considerations:
1. How many clothes in your closet would these shoes go with? If not many is your answer, back they go…especially if you really wouldn't wear them.
2. Can you afford them? Was this an impulse buy? And on a different day, you would have passed them by altogether? If it was an impulse buy, take them back.
All that said, here's my full and fair disclosure: I am sooooooooo not a shoe person. I have fat calves and overall ugly legs. I own the necessary colors, navy, black, brown, (wow, probably NOT ecru at this very moment!) and summer sandels…tennis shoes…lots of comfy loungy sneaks…. I hate spending money on them and only do so when absolutely needed. On the other hand? Yellow is my secondest favoritest color, only behind orange, and those shoes look quite cute. I am sure you can wear them well!
If you don't wear bright yellow because it's unflattering, those shoes won't be flattering when you pair them with bare legs, either.
If you don't wear bright yellow because you don't find it bee-aut-i-ful with black or it's just too damn cheerful, agree it's a case of evaluating your capacity for change.
If you have to have a bright shoe in a hot color, I vote for some "Pantone Spring 10" shades: Turquoise, Amparo Blue, or Violet…all of which will play up your red hair and paler skin.
I am a shoe person, and I LOVE the black flats…and like the yellow. It's not the bee thing that makes me wonder if you should take them back, as I don't equate them as bee-ish, even worn with black (avoid the aforementioned stripes). However, I am concerned that they just sit in your closet, lonely.
If you aren't feeling that color, return them for another bright, cheerful color: red, pink, aqua, lavender, or maybe a metallic.
The black ones are to-die-for. Sweet purchase.
Hugs,
Lola
Would your really wear the yellow? Or would you just look at them, want to, and then put them back in the closet?
No matter how much you like them, if you aren't going to wear them then return them.
Q: What did the doubting bee say ?
A: To bee or not to bee?
Q: Who is the bees’ favourite singer?
A: Sting.
Q: What is the bees’ favourite flower?
A: A bee-gonia.
Q: Which is the bees’s favourite pop group?
A: Hesitating between the Bee-gees and the Bee-tles.
Q: Where does a bee go on holiday?
A: To Bee-jing. etc. etc…
Unfortunately not possible to do the same thing in French. “Abeille”…
I think you must keep the yellow ones and buy the black ones as well! You deserve it!
Keep them!
They are sweet and would be adorable with a black and white ensamble.
I've found Nordstrom (mission viejo, but I'm certain south coast is just as fab) to have the best shoe and handbag repair service ever. And they are so reasonably priced. I know they send them out to somewhere in the valley, but I've been taking shoes to them for years and not one complaint (and I tend to be a complainer, haha!)
Love the black…yellow says fun and sun to me…but if YOU do not LOVE them take them back…if there is a shadow of doubt…get a different color…red ?
I think every woman should feel happy and color and our clothing does have an impact on how we feel…
I thank you for the laughter…bee jokes…read by myself but LOL!
Yellow! Cute with jeans and a flowy top/dress for spring. Be canary happy, Ruby!
I´d rely on my instinct. When at home, you started to think about the yellow shoes; would they, could they.. I´d return the yellow shoes.
I can see where you tried to be optimistic about them. They are cute. And I too, love shoes! But I would never wear them and that would be a shame. Maybe pick up a navy or brown pair instead?
Keep them and get some navy trousers or wear with jeans. Also will be great with skirts/dresses white shirt and white linen trousers.
Nothing wrong with the bee look Wear a yellow top, black trousers and add an orange belt. In fact to anything black add an orange belt, with the yellow shoes it will divert any bee connotations!
Hmmm…while I love a dash of color (flips chiffon scarf over shoulder with sassy head-toss), I'm not a big lemon-yellow fan.
This is just me, but I'd return the bananas and scour the Internet for other color choices in the same model shoe.
A shoe jihad, if you will.
well, if it was me, and this will come as no surprise, it would be the yellow–and i don't think it would make anyone think 'bee' —
xoxo
love the yellow, but you know you'll wear the black more. sometimes you have to watch yellow against pale skin, even if on the feet.
but the yellow is super cute.
Hey You!
Well, Yellow is my least favorite color to WEAR. I love yellow, I just look like a mutt in it. I would go with RED personally, ha ha, but, honestly, I would probably return them, and get the same shoe in "Sweet Lilac". (They have it in a delicious lavender shade that is to die for! It just seems more "you" to me! If it was an impulse buy and you were not second guessing it what-so-ever- then you know that they are for you! You are questioning it, which makes me think they are not the ones meant to be at this time. YES….SHOES really can bring that much deep thought into my life, even if it is on behalf of someone else I care about! LOL!!! xxoo )
Yellow shoes are great! Like people said, jeans and white and such all work well. And even with black it would not say bee unless there were other bee-ish aspects to the look. I have a yellow/brown/black patterned dress I wear with yellow flats, super summery, less serious than black flats.
Also, the word "cookaloo" made me laugh out loud, not sure why, but I love that you used it.
Oops….PS. What a horrific cobbler story. I will continue to be HORRIFIED by that story all day long. I think to restore your faith in COBBLER'S, you need to make some for dessert tonight!
Here' an easy peasy how:
Heat oven to 375 F. Stir together 1 cup of Bisquick, 1 cup of milk and 1/2 tsp nutmeg in ungreased square baking dish, 8x8x2 inches. Stir in 1/2 c. melted butter until blended. Stir together 1/2 c. white and 1/2 cup of brown sugars and 1 can of drained (29 oz.) peaches; spoon over batter. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until golden.
Serve with vanilla ice cream and restore your faith in some type of cobblers anyway. xo lol!
Yellow, definitely. They are a perfect pop of color for spring and look great with neutrals.
Love the shoes – but if you don't do yellow then take them back:). Might free up some space and budget for, say, a hunter green. Equally springy but plays better with black…
I think that they are cute but no, don't think that you will wear them enough so I am afraid BACK they go… the black ones are fab. though…Oh and what did the Mama Bee say to her little bee? "Just Bee-hive yourself!"
The yellow shoes are for skirts only, and no black, denim skirts or other lighter colours (whatever you have in your wardrobe. If you don't have at least 4 things they could go with, send them back.
I love the yellow shoes. But if your don't have anything to go with them they should go back. Otherwise they will just sit there and mock you. Unused yellow shoes will drive you crazy, yellow is just that way.
You are so lucky to live close to Enc and to go shopping together. That's lovely.
Gat another color. I heart Zappos.
Haha Belette, you crack me up!! I love the yellow! They are so cute and bubbly, but I'd go with the black. I wear mostly black too and don't think I've ever owned a pair of yellow shoes. Hugs to you and love to you, whatever you decide!
Girl, rock your bad ass yellow bee shoes. I can't pull it off, as I am the whitest girl you know and yellow does not look so pretty on me. Even on my feet. Serious. I will live vicariously through your bee feet.
Be brave. Wear the yellow shoes. Think of them as a neutral.
Funny jokes
Love the yellow ones — but in the 80's I had every color of flat shoe imaginable… even robin egg blue. I think the yellow ones just make me nostalgic!
I could never do yellow shoes….let's be honest, I only own black shoes…you are brave for getting into colors!
I love the style (and love the yellow)…they look very comfortable.
I am looking for a pair of chic flats for my upcoming trip to Paris but have had no luck. For me the search continues…
Miss you,
Mervat
xo
Haha love the bee jokes, classic.
While I think the yellow flats are cute, if your wardrobe is predominantly black you are probably better off going with the first pair…
Romany
xx
I love the colour of those shoes but could not where them here, yet some how they seem so much more appropriate for LA.
Can you not wear them with jeans and a jaunty striped top, or navy perhaps?
This could be your ticket out of black….
hahaha…
Well I'm Singapore at the moment!
Busy-bee indeed~~~
Buzz Off !
Oh, I can't just say that.
Sounds terribly rude.
But yellow is such a difficult colour, and for me involves a childhood clothing choice made by my mother (too painful to discuss)
xxx
You have probably made your decision by now, but when in doubt go for black, black goes with everything, even in Summer. They are awfully cute though, shame they didn't have them in other colours.
XX
Didn't go with the sneakers, huh. Doug Henning would be so sad.
I cannot imagine you EVER needing more shoes. It's all you seem to buy
So for that reason I would stick with just the black pair and buy a fabulous handbag. But I'm a bag girl. xx
love love love these bee jokes! specially the one 'swarm in here.' love it! cause i likes to bee warm:).
the shoes, what a wonderful dilemma. what to do, what to do?
logically i would say return the yellow shoes based on what you have shared about the colour of your wardrobe.
but…
i never ever buy yellow, and a few weeks ago i bought a yellow hand bag. it was something about it that i was drawn to, i have no idea what or why.
but i'm thinking the fashion gods will clue me in sometime soon, by spring i hope:)
do you have a feeling, maybe you like them but are not sure why… yet.
You are too funny Miss LBR, the bee jokes are a hoot. Personally we like the saffron color more, they're just zippier and zippier might be a good thing right now. Or not.
Hugs at you and Lily love from Silly Tilly,
tp
I'm with a previous commenter….these yellow shoes with a black tee and jeans? Perfection!
And if you find a pair of the black in a size 10, let me know…..they are gorgeous!
so what did you decide??
I love those yellow shoes. I think you should go for it. I think bright shoes are so cheerful and fun to wear.
I love the bee jokes, and I'm going to print them out to share with Ada and Esme. They love jokes these days, and they are in need of some new material!
Alas. Miss J cannot wear yellow either. But it was a good try. Miss J votes for taking them back. And exchanging them for something fabulous, of course.
I missed you my La Bel…
but its spring, why shouldn't you look like a bee?
Swap them for red. You can do with more than one pair of red shoes.
And I love your bee jokes.
Am long term lover of Lancome. xx
I love the yellow shoes. I love yellow, though. Wearing yellow with black can be tricky, but on your feet I think you can totally get away with it. What about grays, even dark grays – do you have those colors? Gray and yellow is one of my fav combos!
http://www.Chasingdavies.blogspot.com
Perhaps you have some white or khaki for summer? I could see these with khaki/stone-colored shorts . . .
They are so cute, keep them! And I'm with Make Do, get some pants to go with!
My daughter once had a pair of sandals in that yellow color, and they seemed to go with everything. She was, however, three at the time. Nor did she wear any black.