Liesl, 7N

It will shortly be 2007, a time of renewal, of promise, of rebirth and throwing away of the old. What better opportunity is there to renounce the one thing that we could have all done without in 2006? CROCS. It is time, ladies, to say buhbye to the monstrosities of foam.

You've had your fun, you've dressed up your shoes with charms. You've worn the foam ickies everywhere from the opera to the gym. Now, let go. It's ok, you can do it. There is no shame in admitting that you wore them at one time; forgiveness is a beautiful thing. I will forgive you; Suz will forgive you. Throw them away. Now.

Don't you feel better? Yes, I knew you would.

Today's favorite shoe:

Lambertson Truex "Carlota"

Liesl, 7N

"Sex is in the heel."

I just watched the most wonderful movie, Kinky Boots. Yes, it is about shoes. The truly inspired story is set in Northampton, England in an old men's shoe factory that is about to go out of business. Instead of letting that happen the owner decides to find a new niche market to corner. Which niche? why, the fabulous drag queen market, of course! This got me to thinking: can men be fabulous in so called women's shoes?

Honey, if you can wear it, you can work it. If we tell women that no matter what size their feet they will look fabulous in fabulous shoes, why not men? Now, do I think MFP would look fabulous in a pair of Dolce's? No. Why? because he doesn't appreciate them for what they are: little pieces of fabulous. A drag queen, however, would probably appreciate the shoes, love them, and do right by them. It must take a lot of effort to find your true identity in a bit of glam, a bit of chiffon, a bit of leather, and a bit of lace. And what a fabulous identity that is to find! So I say, hell yes! men can be fabulous in fabulous shoes. The right men. The chosen men. The lovely men.

I wonder if this shoe comes in extra large?

Jimmy Choo

Liesl, 7N

Suz and I highlight fabulous shoes in this blog; often shoes that very few people can afford. While we do love these shoes and will continue to highlight them, it is often nice to stop and point out that there are some shoes that are fabulous because of what they do for the world. I would like to highlight just such a shoe company today: Toms Shoes.

For every pair of shoes you buy from Toms Shoes, he gives a pair to a child in need. It's that simple. It's as if you were to go out and buy two pairs of shoes and give one to a child, it is really that direct. I love shoes, this we all know; however, I love the spirit of generosity and giving even more. It seems like such a simple idea: buy one, buy a pair for a child. Why don't more companies do this? Can you imagine? Buy one turkey for your holiday meal, one turkey goes to a family in need.
Buy one toy, a toy goes to a child who does not have toys. It's such a simple, elegant idea. I know it is impractical for most businesses to operate this way and we look to the Blake Mycoskies ("chief shoe giver for Toms") of the world to do it for us; it's just a beautiful dream.

In this holiday season, may you give more than you receive and may you feel the benefit of a light heart, made so by the knowledge that you have eased another's suffering. Happy holidays, everyone!

I'm going to start a campaign to get Christian Louboutin to donate a pair of shoes for every pair bought.... to me.

Today's favorite shoe:

Carlos by Carlos Santana "Reckless"

Liesl, 7N

My friend Jen and I frequently shop together and we always laugh over the fact that we have such completely different taste in fashion and style. I was at her house the other night she happened upon the picture of the Louboutin shoe I featured last post and she told me that she didn't care for it. My first reaction is always shock since I can't understand how anyone could not care for the shoes I love, but then I remembered that it is Jen and we have very different taste. I teased her recently by telling her that I liked a very tacky shoe that cost over $1000. She believed me because she hated it. Well, even she gets it right every now and then.

I actually like the fact that Suz and I have different taste in shoes. It gives life a richer texture when there are such variations in beauty. I don't happen to like Monet but I do love Pollock. And you know what? that's perfectly fine. There is a philosophical school of thought that believes that tastes cannot be disputed. I think that may be taking things too far. If that were the case, then a child's hand print in purple paint would be as worthy of the Met as a color splashed Kandinsky. That is unfair, isn't it? So, the question remains: how do we decide who gets to decide what is good and what is not good?

I have a simple solution: let's do it by love and passion. If you love and admire velvet paintings, you get to decide which ones are good. If you love and admire shoes and your name is either Liesl or Suz, you get to decide which ones are good. When Suz and I disagree we can call it the difference between preferring Picasso to Renoir; they are both masters, both worthy of adoration, but they don't appeal to the same people. That's a good solution. So, are you a Lieslist or a Suzist?

How much do you want to bet Jen doesn't like these shoes:


Dolce and Gabbana

Liesl, 7N

I was at Northpark, yet again, yesterday and as I was noticing the shoes women were wearing to shop in, a question occurred to me: should we wear nice shoes to buy nice shoes? The majority of the women you see at Northpark Mall are dressed very well and have on nice shoes that compliment their nice outfits; every 10th woman, however, will be wearing tennies or flip flops or some other "comfortable" shoe. Do we expect to try on fabulous shoes with sweat pants?

I am of two minds on this issue: I want to be comfortable when I am shopping so that I can devote all of my attention to the important and life renewing task at hand: choosing shoes. However, I also want to be dressed well enough to be able to see those shoes in their natural environment, on me looking fabulous, before I take them home. How can this be accomplished in sweats and gym socks? There seems to be some sort of odd mingling of sweat and fashion when you combine tennies with a trip to Better Shoes at Neiman's. Dare we walk among the couture with our feet stuffed into heavy, white socks and sensible running shoes? I think perhaps the Manolos and Choos and Louboutins would shudder just slightly at the sight of their bastard cousins of foam and rubber.

Besides, you don't want the shoe salesman (yes, man) to touch your sweaty socks, do you? You do? Perv!

Today's favorite shoe:


Christian Louboutin