Liesl, 7N

The Oscars were once again on TV last night. I watch them every year and every year I feel cheated. This year was no exception; once again they left the shoes out of the fashion parade. So, so wrong.

Those fabulous dresses would be nothing without the fabulous shoes holding the fabulous beauties up! Come on, people! give the shoes a little love. They showed Jennifer Hudson's Manolos only because they showed her trying them on in her shopping for Oscar fashion segment. It was a tease and it was not enough and I am pissed about it. I don't care who had what done to their eyes or boobs! Show me the damn shoes! I am the female Cuba Gooding, Jr. bellowing about shoes instead of money.

They didn't even show the Stuart Weitzman Cinderella shoe. Really, that shoe cost $500,000 and they don't even show it? Who are these people? I'm not going to watch next year. Do you believe me?

They should hire Suz and I to comment on the shoes on the red carpet. We would be so fabulous.

Today's favorite shoe:

Stuart Weitzman "Give Me Fever"

Liesl, 7N

Oprah had Colin Cowie on her show the other day and he allowed her cameras into his home to see how and where he lives. I was struck by something he said as he was showing Oprah his kitchen: he always sets a beautiful table, even when he is dining alone. That struck me as a truly elegant way to live your life and it, of course, got me to thinking about how we think of shoes.

Let me backtrack a bit; in 1989 I lived in France for a summer and I spent my weekends in Paris. The thing I thought was so funny about the French was that if you were wearing tennies, especially white ones, you were stared at with disdain. Now, I am all for live and let live but I think the French were on to something. We live in a fast food, comfort driven society now. We have universal remotes that do everything but walk the dog for us so we expect a lot of comfort from the things we put on our bodies. That's fine; but why can't we also have style when we are being comfortable?

There isn't a fashion rule that stipulates that high style must be painful or uncomfortable. On the contrary, fashion is not just about looking good, but feeling good. The challenge seems to be in accepting the easy option rather than looking for comfort in a stylish or pretty product. There is no reason we need to wear tennies for anything other than exercise. (obviously I make exceptions for people who have medical issues) Flip flops? They're made of foam and you get them at Walgreens. What are you thinking, wearing those things anywhere but the pool or beach? The point is, there is no reason not to live as Mr Cowie suggested, with something beautiful always informing your life. Your shoes can be a direct example of this credo; they are your foundation, after all. If you choose your shoes based on comfort try to also introduce some snazz into the mix.

Honey, there is nothing sophisticated about shoes bought at a store named after a compartment built to hold sweaty gym shorts.

Today's favorite shoe:

Manolo Blahnik

Liesl, 7N

When you shop for shoes do you walk around the store or department and pick them out or do you allow the salesperson to show you what they think you might be looking for? As you all know, I enjoy browsing shoes, fondling them, and then walking away from them. Most of the time when I am doing this the salespeople don't approach me. However, when I walk in with the intention of purchasing shoes, they always seem to know and approach me.

I went to Neiman's yesterday to look at shoes. I didn't think I had the intention of buying but I must have since a very nice saleslady named Susan (fate!) approached me and offered to help me look. I told her I was looking for flats in a size 7 narrow. She immediately directed me toward the Ferragamos, a wise move. I love Ferragamos and they do come in narrow sizes. Here's what surprised me: I picked up a pair that I loved and she picked one up that she ostensibly loved for me and I tried them both on. Turns out, she had picked the better shoe. That made me wonder if perhaps we should accept help from people who know shoes and feet when we shop for those very important parts of our lives. And should we do this for all beautiful things? I wonder this, also, because I then went to Nordstrom's to look at jewelry and had the exact same experience: a saleslady convinced me to try on a necklace that I initially thought was too sparkly but turned out to be utterly fabulous. I think this all boils down to the fact that I happened upon two very competent salesladies from the old school of shopping.

Stanley Marcus made his salespeople go through training on how to treat people and how to be a conscientious salesperson. The people who worked in the different departments were supposed to know that particular product well enough to help people shop, not just to check them out when they were finished. This has become a rare thing in shopping now and I think we have suffered for it. When the only people we have to see for fashion advice are distant and unavailable to us personally (people in magazines) how else are we to learn about the products we buy and about what is right for us? Even I, the supreme lover of shoes and veteran shopper, needed help.

When was the last time you found a truly knowledgeable person in a store? Why would they be there when the pay can be so low? I worked in a bookstore 15 years ago and I was amazed to find that most of the people who worked there didn't actually read books. Can you imagine? It was just a job. This is my point (finally): we have lost much of the access to expertise and we have lost much of the pride that comes with that expertise in every day life. It's a shame. If you find a salesperson that really knows their stuff, tell them how much you appreciate them and then tell the rest of us so that we can go appreciate them for ourselves.

Unless they tell you to buy Crocs. Don't tell us about them, we don't want to know.

Today's favorite shoe:

Constanca Basto "Caradoc"

Liesl, 7N

Imagine my surprise as I was browsing salon shoes at Nordstrom.com when I came across this shoe. White pumps? Really? Not just white pumps, but patent leather white pumps?

There are not words strong enough to express my disapproval. White pumps do not look good on anyone. No one has feet that can pull off white pumps. White pumps are wrong. Morally wrong. Philosophically wrong. Fashionistically wrong. More wrong than wrong. Wrong in every way. Wrongest of the wrongest.

I, however, am never wrong.

Today's favorite shoe:

Bruno Frisoni

Liesl, 7N

As I was bending over to pick up my water bottle out of the vending machine at school the other day I noticed the shoes on a student standing next to me. First of all, she had on a short, short skirt and her fat feet were hanging over the back of her flower sandals. Now, I am not a fan of dressing in skintight clothes and short, short skirts and shorts if you do not have the body to support such clothing. But I am fairly live and let live about those things. Muffin tops? yeah, tacky but not the end of the world.

However! I draw the line at the shoes. If you are going to wear sandals, even really ugly sandals, don't wear ones that are two sizes too small. Her feet looked like ham hocks hanging off of a lily pad. Yeah, it looked really bad and really silly. The kicker? it was snowing. This young woman violated so many rules when it comes to shoes; I should have tackled her and forced her fat little feet into snow appropriate shoes. Ew, then I would have had to touch her feet. Ew, nevermind.

I should teach a class on shoes, don't you think?

Today's favorite shoe:

Giuseppe Zanotti

Liesl, 7N

Happy one year birthday, shoe blog! One year ago today Suz and I were IMing each other and we had the inspired idea to create this blog. A lot has changed for both of us in the past year but two things remain true: we are ever closer friends and the shoes we love are still fabulous.

Kick up your heels today in celebration of fabulous shoes. Superbowl? Superbowl of shoes, maybe! I think we should all go out and by blog birthday shoes.

Today's favorite shoe:

Manolo Blahnik, were it all began.

Liesl, 7N

Et tu, Oprah? When I see you with your fabulous Louboutins sitting in your studio I think, now there is a woman who appreciates true worth in shoes. I notice her shoes every time I watch her show and I am always happy to see her fabulous shoes.

WHY Oprah! WHY? Why would you showcase Crocs and Croc charms on your show? You know better. I must only assume that Gayle convinced you to do it because she seems to want to give everyone a chance, bless her heart. Remember this, Oprah, best friends don't always have the best taste in shoes.

Oprah, I still love you, girl.

Today's favorite shoe:

Luciano Padovan "3015"