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Carol Hannah, Althea or Irina – who will be the winner? Can’t wait to find out. Check back for live updates (and opinions). Spoilers included, so watch out!

• How tremendously awful would it be to be Carol Hannah right now? And are those fingerless-glove-armwarmers she’s wearing?
• Just caught a glimpse of the “helmets” that Irina’s featuring in her collection – not so sure how we feel about these. Do not feel much better about Althea’s oversize stocking cap/beanie (although at least that’s not appearing in her runway show!).
• Oooh, I love Irina’s 13th look (added on as an extra challenge at the last minute). The dress is chic and simple but intricate at the same time. I hope she heeds Tim’s advice on the danger of the helmets being too costumey.
• I love how Tim is staying conspiculously far away from sick/contagious Carol Hannah. Am also enjoying her drapey blue gown as the 13th look.
• I know over-the-knee boots are all the rage, and I’m a big fan, but when paired with Irina’s all-black collection, the whole look comes off a bit dominatrix-esque, to my eyes.
• The designers are wearing some interesting choices in footwear for runway day. I’m digging Carol Hannah’s sky-high, open-toe metallic booties – but are those the most practical for backstage business? On the otherside of the spectrum is Althea in super-casual boots with a shearling cuff. My shoe vote goes to Irina – basic black boots.
• Miss Mojito’s Verdict on Althea’s Collection: Mixed. I love a bunch of the pieces – the coats with great shoulders are fantastic, and I’m a fan of the dresses in general – but some of the more casual pieces feel proportionally “off” (super-long sleeves on the cardigans) and a tad bit dull.
• Miss Mojito’s Verdict on Carol Hannah’s Collection: Fun! The pieces are so playful, and I love her color palette. The first dress out was a very cool combo of geometry and draping. Two thumbs up.
• Miss Mojito’s Verdict on Irina’s Collection: Chic. That gray funnel-neck coat is phenomenal. And the black, full-length finale gown is a show-stopper. I’m guessing that some of the other all-black ensembles might be even more impressive in person.
• The guest judge is Suzy Menkes, fashion critic for the International Herald Tribune. Her hairdo is something else! But I’m surprised they don’t have a celebrity critic for the finale.
• Irina earns praise for the coherency of her collection, but not necessarily for originality of concept. And Michael loves the hats!
• Nina calls Carol Hannah’s gold dress “spirited,” and Heidi is very impressed with her 13th dress. The judges praise her structured draping, but they don’t see the connective thread of her collection.
• Michael Kors loves the sportswear-focus of Althea’s collection, but like Carol Hannah, her collection isn’t entirely cohesive.

BIG SPOILER WARNING

Congratulations to . . . Irina! I’m a bit surprised, honestly, that a color-free collection is the winner. I was more impressed with all of the collections than I expected to be.

And guess what – season seven premieres in just a couple of months!

Posted by Miss Mojito.

In case there are S&C readers out there, who are on the up-and-up in regards to social media, blogging, advertising, and the like, Shoes & Cocktails would like you to know that we are not paid to blog. The FTC recently released new guidelines related to bloggers and advertisers, so we wanted to let you know that no products, brands or stores mentioned in our content are advertisements or paid promotions. We are (unfortunately) not paid to drink cocktails. We are (sadly) not paid to buy shoes online. And, therefore, we are certainly not paid to write glowing reviews of crappy drinks and ugly shoes. Nor, will we ever (write things that are misleading).

In full disclosure, we have, however, received free booze. In further disclosure, we’ve received a lot more booze than we’ve ever written about (much of the stuff they send us isn’t that good, and we’ve got standards, people). There have been two occasions in which we highlighted a specific brand of liquor that we received for free. One of those instances we disclosed (more or less); one we did not (but, in that instance, the booze was vodka, so it hardly counts).

There may be one glorious day when our shoes and cocktails budgets will be financed by advertisers, but we can promise you that we’ll never be at their mercy. If we are, we’ll tell you. Until then, please know that Ms. S&C and Miss Mojito do what we do because we love shoes, we love cocktails, and we think blogging is fun. Thanks for reading!

posted by Ms. S&C and Miss Mojito

So, I’ve been in a bit of a blogging slump lately. Lacking inspiration. I’ve given up on the return of Project Runway. I still have an unopened bottle of Pisco at home. And, has time stopped? It seems like the transition to spring will never happen. I’m so tired of my winter clothes and shoes. I want spring and warmth. And, open-toe shoes and cocktails al fresco. Too much for a girl to ask?

You can  read more of Ms. S&C’s random and slightly inane thoughts over on Twitter, where one can share a little bit of this, and a little bit of that.

1. survived day one of two day liquid-only cleanse diet. but i would really like an eggroll.less than 20 seconds ago from web
2. still has a lot to do this week and sadly most of it doesn’t involve shoes or cocktailsabout 4 hours ago from TwitterBerry
3. Flight of the Conchords makes me want a glass of New Zealand sauvignon blanc9:22 PM Mar 23rd from web
4. Thai food tonite and a drink called the Tom Yum Cocktail6:57 PM Mar 21st from TwitterBerry
5. and how about a bees knees to go with that fringe? http://tinyurl.com/c33c5n12:40 PM Mar 20th from web
6. our own Miss Mojito says fringe is in: http://tinyurl.com/c33c5n12:39 PM Mar 20th from web
7. cherry blossom cocktails courtesy of @washingtonian9:17 AM Mar 20th from web
8. maybe later, a cherry blossom cocktail to brighten my mood? http://www.washingtonian.co…9:17 AM Mar 20th from web
9. this day is starting off exactly how I didn’t want it to. good grief.9:05 AM Mar 20th from web
10. I know I’m desperate for spring attire, but this BR cape is only $100: http://tinyurl.com/dlwyrs4:55 PM Mar 19th from web
11. first time on twitter today. and only been on facebook once. seems like I should have more work to show for it.4:16 PM Mar 19th from web
12. having my first iced coffee of the year. thank you sun and 60 degree weather.2:07 PM Mar 18th from web
13. is drinking a glass of prosecco. yes, on a tuesday. and yes, on st. patrick’s day.8:39 PM Mar 17th from web
14. Is it cocktail hour yet? What a day.3:10 PM Mar 17th from TwitterBerry
15. is green with envy: http://tinyurl.com/d9ea6m8:47 AM Mar 17th from web
16. gossip girl does edith wharton. yes to the gilded age.7:41 PM Mar 16th from web
17. never been to the District Sample Sale: http://www.districtsamplesa… — worth it?9:58 AM Mar 16th from web
18. for crying out loud, Ms. S&C wants to wear Spring clothes!9:15 AM Mar 16th from web
19. impromptu party with friends at my place until 2am. sometimes those are the best. and the worst.2:28 PM Mar 15th from web

posted by Ms. S&C

Ms. S&C has not adjusted well to the bitter cold climate afflicting the Washington, DC area.  Thus, she has been moaning and groaning (and sniffling) her way through this week.  She has not had a cocktail in several days.  Instead, she’s consumed buckets and buckets of hot tea.  And, her only thought of shoes has been what can carry her from point A to point B with as little effort as possible.

But, she’s a glass half full kind-of a girl, so things are looking up.  She’s got a new episode of Top Chef and some black patent leather boots on the horizon.  And yes, she’s broken out those leg warmers, kids.