Liesl, 7N

I had dinner last night with my mom and her friend Chantal. Chantal is French and always looks fabulous because she appreciates fashion as all of us should. Anyway, we were talking about her brother in law, the wonderful Carlos Falchi. She told me that he had designed shoes years ago but stopped because they were more trouble than they were worth. I lost my appetite at that thought.

Making shoes is expensive, I realize that. There is a good reason behind the lack of narrow and wide and extra large and extra small shoes: the cost is not defrayed by the consumer. This is why I am personally endorsing a product that has saved my feet more than once: Shoe Stretcher Spray. I tend to buy shoes a size or half a size smaller and stretch them to fit my dainty feet. The only problem is when I am out of the spray and just received my new Kenneth Cole boots and can't wait to wear them. I had to take them off at Bed, Bath and Beyond the other day because I couldn't feel my feet. My life is so hard.

Still, wouldn't it be wonderful to go into Neiman's or Nordstrom's and be able to put on a pair of couture heels and have them fit perfectly? I wonder who the people are who can do such a thing. Who are these "average" sized women? Or, average foot sized, anyway. I really think someone needs to put up the capital so that Suz and I can start a shoe line. Fabulous shoes for all foot types. Can you imagine? Oh, we would rule the world because you can do anything if your feet are in fabulous shoes and they fit correctly.

The Equal Rights Movement had it all wrong; if they had only focused on shoes women would be running the world by now.

Today's favorite shoe:

Isabella Fiore "Marina"

Liesl, 7N

Baby did a bad, bad thing. I was looking at old shoe pictures on the blog and feeling sadder than sad that I had missed these boots. When I went to buy them last year they were already gone. Imagine my surprise when I found them a year later on ebay. Still, I had no business spending the money for the water bill on fabulous shoes.

Actually, that's not entirely true; water isn't as necessary as a fabulous pair of Kenneth Cole boots. I don't think my husband will agree, but he will learn to live without water for a few days when he sees how fabulous those boots truly are and will be on me. I wonder, though, whether he will feel that way when I sacrifice the gas bill money for a pair of Charles Davids? We could always huddle under a gigantic pile of my shoes and bask in the warmth of their genius. Natural gas versus tanned and processed leather? No contest.

I'll never sacrifice the mortgage payment for a pair of Louboutins; after all, the house houses and protects my shoes.

Today's favorite shoe:

Casadei "4036"

Liesl, 7N

Something amazing happened in class yesterday: one of my students told me that he had heard that if you are stranded in the wilderness and you're wearing Crocs you can boil them and eat them. I think my head may just have spun around. Let's examine all that is wrong with this statement:

1. You're wearing Crocs? Nothing else needs to be said about this one.
2. Why on earth are you in the wilderness wearing Crocs? They have holes in them for twigs to poke through and scratch your feet. Not to mention the fact that they would undoubtedly scare away the wildlife you might be hoping to see. Have you ever seen a bunny run in fear? You would if you wore Crocs into the wilderness.
3. You would even consider eating Crocs? Wearing them is bad enough, but putting them in your mouth? God help us all.
4. Crocs are important enough to have their own urban legend? I think we should start a new one: Did you hear about the new gang ritual victimizing women in malls? Croc wearers are stomping on fabulous shoes with their so not fabulous Crocs to gain entrance to the Ugly No Good Kicks Evilly Making People Tinkle gang. Unkempt, for short. *shiver*

Did you hear about the woman who was thrown out of Neiman's for fondling shoes? Oh wait, that one isn't an urban legend...

Today's favorite shoe:

Delman

Liesl, 7N

I still haven't been shoe shopping since my last post. I'm starting to get shaky and it seems like I keep seeing this white light appear in the distance. I've been too weak to blog at the lack of shoey goodness and the smell of new leather. Perhaps if I can just make it to Nordstrom's I'll be able to recover my strength.

Woe, woe is me. Cursed am I who cannot afford to indulge in the life sustaining activity of buying shoes. I suppose I will have to go to Nordstrom's and lovingly stroke the shoes just to get a contact high. I am just afraid that the sight of all of the fabulousness after so long of an absence might be too much for me. I wonder if I should put the paramedics on alert? Do they do that?

I've been sniffing the pages of the latest Vogue in an attempt to at least hang on to life for a bit longer. Somehow, the smell of ink on paper just doesn't do it for me. I need the real thing and pictures of them aren't going to keep me alive for much longer. Perhaps one of our faithful readers should organize a 5k saunter for my benefit. We could call it the Saunter for the Shoes. How long is a 5k and can it be done in a mall?

Some people power walk in malls; I power saunter.

Today's favorite shoe:

Angeleigh Anastasio "Aurora"

Liesl, 7N

I haven't been shoe shopping in weeks. I am feeling a little weak and pale from the lack of time under shoe store lighting. Some people need sunshine; I need bad overhead spotlights.

I have to report a crime against humanity. This makes me sad to report because it involves one of my dearest friends, Shelley. Shelley is fortunate enough to have a mother in law who gives her truly fabulous shoes. The latest shoes she gave Shelley were some Prada thigh high python boots. Can you imagine? I think I just teeteed a little at the thought. All I get from my mother in law are pajama bottoms from Target. But I'm not bitter. Much.

OK, back to the crime: Shelley's MIL has given her Dior and Chanel and Prada. While Shelley and I were shopping a few weeks ago she told me that, and here is the crime, she never wears them. I'm queasy.

What other more horrific crime is there? Having those fabulous pieces of art and letting them get dusty in your closet?? And the worst part? She's considering selling the python boots on ebay! Tears where streaming down my face when she told me that last fact. I had to gently place the Pliners I was holding down and run screaming from the store. The store owner called the police who wanted to arrest Shelley for her crime, but she managed to convince them to let her remain at large. Something about borrowing something starting with an M and ending with an O. Who knew the police were so corrupt in Dallas?

I'm not sure my friendship with Shelley will survive this blow. I think I might have to take a xanax before I see her next in case she decides to tell me she pawned some Louboutins. Or, some Weitzmans were shoved in between her Candys and Keds. oops, here comes the queasiness again.

A crime against fabulous shoes is a crime against humanity.

Today's favorite shoe:

Charles, by Charles David "Mini"

Liesl, 7N

I would like to point something out. Over the last few months I've noticed a certain type of shoe in the local department stores. I would like for you all to scroll down to my entry for November 16, 2006. This is the shoe so many didn't like and the one I am seeing everywhere. I called it. You all really should listen to me.

I had a horrible experience the other day. I was with my friend Jen and she pointed out a pair of flip flops and said she didn't hate them. I agreed and said, as utilitarian flip flops go, they weren't awful. I mean, they weren't appropriate for wearing wherever we were (Target?), but they weren't offensive. That's when Jen informed me that they were, dare I say it? Crocs.

I debated with myself over admitting this horror and possibly losing my friendship with Suz forever. In the end, I knew that I couldn't allow the shame to eat away at my soul so I decided to admit it for all to see. I'm a giver.

I'm such a giver I'll even allow people to wear the flip flops of doom to the pool.

Today's favorite shoe:

Steve Madden "Giddie"

Liesl, 7N

It is a tragic time in the McQ household. My shoes are feeling the tragedy acutely and I am suffering in such a huge way. Woe, woe is me. What is causing this tragedy in our home, you ask? My mother has stopped paying for my pedicures. Alas, I must acknowledge that pedicures will now be few and far between. Cry.... cry for me.

As any self respecting woman knows, if my feet don't look their best then I must refrain from wearing sandals. I've thought about digging out my husband's dremel to work on my feet but I think he has hidden it from me. For some reason, he doesn't want dead skin stuck to his dremel.

So, here I sit, in pedicure-less hell. My feet are rough, my toenails are painted but not perfectly, and my heels have the dreaded dead skin cliff that I abhor so much. Oh, what did I do to deserve this?! I curse my fate and the person who transferred my mother's pedicurist to their other store. I cannot change my pedicurist as she is the only one who knows how to correctly cut my toenails. I am in closed toe shoe purgatory. It's so not fair.

Eat, sleep, pedicures. Not necessarily in that order.

Today's favorite shoe:

Luciano Padovan "6029-Dec"

Liesl, 7N

Yes, we've both been neglecting the blog lately. Life gets in the way, though it should never, ever supersede shoes. evereverevereverevereverever.

Have you noticed the prevalence of stripper shoes in mainstream shoe stores lately? What's that about? You know the ones I mean: the ridiculously high heels and the inch platform under the vamp. Not to mention the shiny factor. Are women truly supposed to wear those things shopping? I want to know who started this trend. I suspect it was a designer who either hates women or wants them all to be sluts. (not that strippers are all sluts, this is just a perception thing and I am not getting into any further because I don't have to) When did those pieces of ick become popular? Where was I... distracted by the Croc hate?

Stripper shoes are not fabulous. They are made a certain way because many men think they make women look sexy and they highlight a woman's upturned tush. Why, in the name of all the cheap lace at Fredericks of Hollywood, are women wearing these things to the mall? Have we learned nothing in the past thirty years? Did the ERA movement not teach us that we can demand to be fabulous unapologetically and unequivocally? Fabulous shoes can be about many things, to be sure. They can be about looking sexy, looking classic, feeling wonderful. But they should never be about someone's mistaken idea that women should buy into the notion that they are nothing more than a hooha on heels. No, ladies. Take those shoes back and demand something truly fabulous in return.

I'm a hooha with a brain in heels.

Today's favorite shoe:

Jimmy Choo "Hardy"

Liesl, 7N

As you all know, we just moved into a new home. I knew this home was the perfect home for us when we walked in the first time we saw it. I had no idea that we were buying the house from a visionary, an angel and a true fabulosa.

The couple who owned our home before us are a bit younger than us, but not by much. We liked them as soon as we met them and I knew I would like her after seeing her shoes when we toured the house. When we took possession of the house and walked around the empty rooms we were amazed at how well the home had been taken care of and how clean it was; the couple who lived here had cleaned it after they moved out. How nice is that? But wait, there is more; there is a reason I am calling the lady of the house a visionary, an angel, a true fabulosa.

She left the shoe racks in the closet. This young woman understood on a basic level the most important and sacred part of the house and she left me the gift of that sacredness in all its white metal goodness. Not only that, she left two shoe racks. I think she may just be my new best friend, my friend in shoes, my friend who just gets me. She had me at shoes.

I love my husband but Christian Louboutin completes me.

Today's favorite shoe:

BCBGirls "Popiul"

Liesl, 7N

We moved this week into a lovely new home that suits us so perfectly I am starting to believe I imagined it and made it real. Now, if I could just do the same with my own shoe line. Anyway, as we removed the guest bed from the guest bedroom we discovered an under the bed box we had forgotten we had. After I stopped freaking out about one more box that needed to be gone through and moved I opened it; it revealed something sublime. I think we all have this object of sublimity, either packed away or in our closets, perhaps not in our main closet, but somewhere out of the way, like an old memory you fleetingly grasp when a color reminds you of something.

I am talking about a pair of special shoes you wore only on the most special of occasions. The shoes I found are just those shoes for me. They are a pearly off white peau de soie with a small bow on the top of the vamp. I wore these shoes to two proms and to my debutante ball. They are so special that I almost can't find the words to describe them or how they made me feel to wear them. After I unpacked them and oohed and aahed over them, I put them on and wore them around the house, showing MFP just how important they were and are. I delicately walked around the boxes explaining all the while that sometimes there are shoes that transcend all we know of utility and money and the ground we walk on; some shoes allow us to float through our days or night.

When I was a teenager going to proms and later to my debutante ball these shoes took me through those times with a feeling of specialness, sublimity, and beauty. I have saved these shoes all these years, wrapped in tissue and preserved to remind me of a time when I wore the most special shoes I have ever known. I hope everyone else has a pair of shoes that they can put on and remember a time of excitement, newness and special occasions. Every day can't be a special occasion and it's nice to have tangible reminders of times when we felt beautiful and loved and the center of the universe. If you don't have a pair of shoes like that, get them. Wear them somewhere special and take someone special with you. Then, wrap them in tissue and put them away to be discovered some other time when you most need a reminder that there was, at least once, something ultimately special on your feet.

Special is as special does and there will never be anything special about dayglo shoes made of foam.

Today's favorite shoe:

Guiseppe Zanotti "I6325"

Liesl, 7N

We just received this in email from "Peter Haskins" who appeared to want us to learn about a newspaper in Iowa from the subject line (not quoted here, obviously):

"to learn how those

Hello. What's up? Email me at ork@linkmailmessage.info only. I am girlie. I would like to share some of my pics.
"In the current environment where is not obliged to discover discretion in relation"

Well Peter, I hate to tell you this, but we're not interested in "girlies" or your "pics." Also, we wonder what your discretion is in relation to as you seemed to be interrupted mid-sentence. Did you need to go place an ad in that Iowa newspaper? did you need to take more pictures? Or did someone walk by wearing some fabulous shoes? I hope it is the latter; if it is indeed the latter, maybe we''ll be a little more interested in your pictures. But only from the ankles down. Mmmm'kay, pumpkin?

Also: Beckie, Melissa, and Roslyn? We're sorry you're bored. Have you considered shoe shopping as a way to pass your time and alleviate your boredom? We think that if you have time to take all of the pictures you mentioned you might have enough time to find that perfect pair of 4-inch peep toes. It's a win/win situation: you get some fabulous shoes and you alleviate that awful boredom that seems to be a huge affliction for young internet users. We're here to help.

Now on to something far more important: I am calling for a boycott of BMW. I saw a commercial yesterday that showed a woman bringing home a new pair of heels with red soles; you know who that is supposed to represent. Anyway, she takes the right shoe and cuts the heel most of the way off so that she can drive her BMW with more room.

I ask you now to stand with me against something that horrible. I ask you to pledge not to buy a BMW until they issue an apology for such a gross misrepresentation of humanity. I ask you to destroy the BMWs you already own and send their scarred and damaged carcasses directly back to the people with black little souls who made that car. I ask you to send the makers of the evil car an email and express your outrage over their heinous 30 second ad for all that is base and evil in humanity. Write them. Tell them how wrong they are and demand a public apology, as I have. Make them feel your wrath in the tips of their toes that are probably shoved into very bad shoes. We must stand together against the tyranny of the base and priorityless.

I'd feel sorry for their bad shoe state at BMW if they hadn't encouraged people to desecrate all that is good in life.

Today's favorite shoe:

Via Spiga "Woo"

Liesl, 7N

We all do it. We do it when we're out in public; we do it when we're home watching TV or playing online; we do it when we're at work; we do it when we're in school. We do it with impunity, we do it without guilt, we do it because we can and because it is simply our nature. What is it? We judge others.

They say that women dress for other women, not men. It's true. You can usually tell the difference in women who dress for men and those who dress for women; we have a tendency to call the women who dress for men slutty dressers. Don't deny it, you've at least thought it. Last night we saw a woman in a pair of tight jeans and a tank top who looked like she had balloons in her shirt. I've never seen someone push their breasts up and out THAT much. My husband even said, "she has to be a stripper." Were we wrong? Would you have tut tutted us for taking a second look and thinking that she looked ridiculous and tarty?

We write this blog in critique and adulation of shoes. I admit, the love of shoes can be seen to be shallow if that is all you love. But there is nothing wrong with loving pretty things and stating that love for everyone to see. There is also nothing wrong with pointing out fashion dos and don'ts to try and spread beauty around you. No one is making a character judgment on people who practice fashion don'ts. OK, maybe we are on Crocs wearers. But aside from them, if you get caught going to the store in your PJs and people judge you as sloppily dressed, we're not saying you're a bad person or in need of personal violence. We are only saying that you are a fashion don't and you don't look your best. So, if you ever get caught in a fashion don't, don't take it personally, just correct your ways and it will all be ok. We're here to help, not harm.

Of course, if I judge you, you should get down on your knees and thank me for bestowing my fashion knowledge on you and helping you to become a better person.

Today's favorite shoe:

Dolce and Gabbana

Liesl, 7N

I was reading a relatively old People magazine today and came across an interview with Sarah Jessica Parker. As we all know, SJP is a fashion icon, especially when it comes to shoes. I love her ideas for her new line of clothes and I love that nothing is over $20. I do believe that fashion should be affordable and I also believe that you can look fabulous on a limited budget if you have some creativity. But that all strays from the point; I was devastated to find that SJP herself has fallen off of her pedestal made of shoe boxes and is now residing in the land of easy comfort over style. She lets her son wear Crocs.

Et tu, Brute? Why? Why would she betray us so? She knows the value of wearable art in shoes! She knows! Oh, cruel SJP, you have wounded me forever. No longer will I watch my beloved Sex and The City complete set DVDs in the pink case with the knowledge that you understand, both professionally and personally, the importance of fabulous shoes. Henceforth, I will replace you in my mind's eye with someone more worthy of my esteem, like Heidi Klum, who clearly doesn't count because she's a model and therefore has to know these things and live them, unlike the rest of us, even actresses, who know these things because we are just that smart and fabulous. Maybe I will replace you with Oprah. I know she has a bajillion dollars and probably doesn't do a lick of shopping herself, but damn it! I'm desperate!

Fate, tragedy, comedy, philosophy, shoes, the whole crazy thing called life. What is it for? I ask you! Is it worth living when the icons of all that is good and fabulous in this world betray our trust and allow the very unfabulous into their lives? Shall we all throw ourselves onto our divans and mourn the loss of style and class in the world? No, I say we fight it. Fight for the shoes and fabulosity of women everywhere. In fact, let's start a shoerrism movement. Some people might throw red paint on fur coats; we'll throw bunion remedies on people who wear Crocs. They might as well announce to the world that they have them, right? Instead of stocking a bunker with canned goods and survivalist knives that do everything from skin a frog to plunge a toilet, we'll stock up on the latest in fabulous shoes. Oh yes! we will fight you! And we will win! Why? Because we're fabulous. Duh.

I can get down with a fringe movement that focuses on shoes.

Today's favorite shoe:

Salvatore Ferragamo

Liesl, 7N

I was sitting on the balcony of my mother's condo tonight watching the fireworks and talking to her friend Chantal when they topic inevitably turned to shoes. We were talking about the lack of closet space in older homes and lamenting the fact that if you want a home with character you need one that has an extra bedroom for a closet for shoes. I have to wonder if women in earlier eras didn't have the access to fabulous shoes that we have today.

Anthropologists and archaeologists will tell you that you can often discern the history of a person by their shoes. I think that is true today. For example, if you see a woman walking down the street who is dressed to kill except she has on tennies, you can know she is going to work. After all, she wouldn't be wearing tennies into a restaurant or store or museum when she's dressed well. You can't change your shoes just outside, so she's clearly going to work. She isn't wealthy enough to have a driver, so she's working class. See how easy it is?

If you see a woman walking around in Crocs and she is not on her own property gardening, you can be sure that her history involves some sort of final defeat between her pride and her willingness to put comfort over all else. There's nothing wrong with being comfortable, but do we wear our PJs to the opera? Do we wear them to the upscale mall? No. Wearing Crocs is the same thing and shouldn't be done.

One more? when you see a woman strutting herself like she knows she's fabulous in 4-inch Manolos, you can be sure she knows the value of beautiful, well made shoes. While this can't tell us anything about her social status, it does tell us about her intelligence. She must have above average intelligence to be able to recognize true art in its wearable form. She clearly cares about how she looks but doesn't shove it down your throat with branding laid bare; only those in the know will know which label she is wearing. This woman is the woman we should all aspire to be: chic, intelligent, sophisticated and fabulous. In other words, she listened to Suz and I and benefited from it forever.

There is nothing wrong with judging a person by the shoes they wear; how else will you know if they are someone you wish to allow into your life?

Today's favorite shoe:

Roberto Cavalli "J6708"

Liesl, 7N

My mother was at it again today. She told me she had been to Nordstrom's and seen the most beautiful shoes she had ever seen. That isn't the problem, of course. The problem was that she told me this while I had a mouth full of crispy beef taco and she didn't want to go straight there once I swallowed.

Who is this woman? Little girls often fantasize that they are secret princesses and that someday our true family will come and get us and restore us to our throne and crown. Well, I fantasized about that until I left for college; by then I had to admit that my secret royal blood was going to have to remain a secret since my secret family was allowing me to go off into the world without their acknowledgment. Cold bastards!

The point remains, I think I was on to something all those years ago; I cannot believe the woman who claims to be my mother would not see the wisdom in immediately putting down our forks and heading straight to Nordstrom's to see these beautiful of all beautiful shoes. Clearly, she was the wet nurse who somehow got saddled with my blue blooded fabulousness. It's not unlike a fairy tale with a more realistic ending: the fairy princess is forced to suffer the slings and arrows of fate in Dallas with a limited budget and the misunderstanding of the people who are supposed to love and understand her. Let's face it, fabulosas: the only royalty in my life are men who have a fondness for interior design and fabulous hair.

If you think you might be my royal family, send me shoes. I've suffered long enough.

Today's favorite shoe:

Valentino

Liesl, 7N

I am the professor you wish you had in college. I use shoes to illustrate my points in class many times and I have found they almost always apply. Just yesterday I used the example of couture shoes to express the difference in the Dasein and in synthetic judgments. I realize that I am mixing my philosophers, but it still works for me. German for German, value for value.

It went something like this: the fact that we exist in space cannot be changed and is something we know, but all the things we know about a thing are added, a posteriori, synthetic. It pained me to say it, but, the value we put on Manolo Blahnik shoes is absolutely made up by a certain group of people. Why should we allow them to attach what is utterly synthetic to a thing itself and call it valuable over all else?

Because they can and should. We are human and we define ourselves by our art and culture and there is nothing wrong with declaring one thing prettier and better than other things. Otherwise, I'd have a so called masterpiece in the museum and a Kandinsky on my wall because it would not have value beyond the value I chose for it at that moment. That's the other thing about the desire to take away value: it forces value to be something unattainable, transitory and utterly beyond our grasp. Part of the reason we value things is to be able to achieve them. After all, we strive to achieve and count it one of our nobler qualities because we value things or ideas. That's a good thing.

Shoes embody value and all that is right and noble in our species.

Today's favorite shoe:

Manolo Blahnik

Suz 10N

And people wonder why the rest of the world laughs at us

From The Manolo's Shoe Blog:

http://shoeblogs.com/wordpress/2007/06/12/impeach-him/#comments

I don't know what to say. I really don't. Not only is he wearing crocs, but he's wearing them with Presidential Seal socks.

Fellow Americans I plead with you to wear good shoes. The photo clearly illustrates how wrong crocs are. Worse yet, with socks. Also, don't wear socks with pictures on them. Even if you are the President and the picture is the Presidential Seal. Just. Don't.

Speaking of being international and all, I just returned from a whirlwind trip to London. I looked at lots of shoes. Sadly, I did not buy. The exchange rate is TERRIBLE. I was relieved to see only one person wearing crocs while I was there, and I suspect they were American.

It's been a long, long time since I traveled overseas. Imagine my surprise when I cleared security at Heathrow only to be thrust into a giant duty-free shopping mall! There were shoe stores everywhere. Including one my favorites - Ferragamo. I went in to look around. The salesperson was lovely. I explained I could not buy, but oh, how I loved the shoes. She very kindly allowed me to peruse the offerings at my leisure, and politely ignored my little gasps and moans as I caressed a particularly fine pair. It was such a pleasurable end to my trip.

I can guarantee you she would not have been so accommodating had I been wearing crocs.


Today's Shoe:

Salvatore Ferragamo Salut 1 Python Pump

Liesl, 7N

Lookie, lookie, two days in a row. I just couldn't pass up sharing these amazing deals:


For the lovely and chic lady who might have some ass kicking to do.


A previously highlighted pump perfect for a day of shopping in the city.


A nice pair of shoes for a first date with that scrumptious new man.


A sturdy pair of pumps for your day in court. How could just not prevail in these?


For a ladies lunch by the sea. Have a crab cake for me, darlings.


For that night of S&M fun and games.


For the stoll through the Victoria and Albert museum.


For a night at the opera. Just don't see anything new, it might be too a-tonal for these fabulous shoes.


Another previously featured shoe. This would be good for a day of flea market shopping.


Lastly, a pair that is so cheap you would be a fool to pass it up.

Remember: endless.com gives you $5 off every pair of shoes and free overnight shipping. Really, you can't pass up these deals.

Today's favorite shoe:

Costanca Basto "Majda"

Liesl, 7N

I had breakfast with my mother today and she told me an interesting little tidbit of a story: when I was three years old we were having Thanksgiving dinner with some friends. As we went around the table and said what we were thankful for we got the usual responses of good health, happy family, Scotch, those sorts of things. When it was my turn I said the thing I was most thankful for was Elizabeth Taylor. I was born to love style.

My mother also said something unbelievably cruel to me today. In fact, I get weepy just thinking about it all these hours later; when I asked her if she wanted to hit the Nordstrom's shoe sale she said: "You don't need any more shoes." I know, I know, ice water runs through her veins. I, of course, told her that need had nothing to do with it. I am now even more convinced that I sprung from the oyster colored 4-inch heels of life rather than from my mother. Clearly. Otherwise, how could she think such a thing and be even slightly related to me?

Shoes are like food: delicious and and utterly necessary for continued existence.

Today's favorite shoe:

Magnolia "Arcadia"

Liesl, 7N

My mother recently reminded me of a trip we took to Paris about 15 years ago. I had forgotten one interesting little tidbit about the trip: I was utterly obsessed with buying two pairs of shoes. I don't remember this because it was a micro example of a macro obsession; however, my mom has never forgotten it.

The part my mom can't remember is if it was two particular pairs of shoes or if I just wanted two new pairs of shoes from Paris. Clearly, if you are in Paris you should buy shoes, right? It's Paris, for heaven's sake! It's not as if you are in Cincinnati. My mom remembers this because I was so adamant about it and she was probably really annoyed at my single minded devotion to the idea buying shoes. You'd think she would have gotten used to it by then. Now? she just rolls her eyes and goes along with it, knowing there is nothing she can do short of distracting me with... yeah, I can't think of anything that would distract me from buying shoes.

I honestly can't imagine going to Paris or New York and not buying shoes. I was once in an elevator in a hotel in New York with all of my shopping bags when two older women got on and struck up a conversation. It went something like this:

Them: I see you've been shopping!
Me: Oh yes! I can't come to New York and not take advantage of the shoe selection.
Them: Oh. Well, we are here to see museums, not do something like shopping, something you can do anywhere.
Me: Sucks to be you, I guess.

Some people have a screwed up idea of good priorities.

Today's favorite shoe:

Jimmy Choo "Margo"

Liesl, 7N

I saw something today that made me do a double take and therefore crash into a wall. A brisk paced walk and a double take do not a good idea make. So, after I crashed into the wall and went on my way I started to get a little peeved. Was I peeved to have "mall beige" paint chips in my hair? No. Was I peeved to have looked like an ass in public? No. I was peeved because I had seen a tween wearing brand new for spring Tory Burch ballet flats.

I am not an envious or even jealous person by nature. However, when I see a kid who can't possibly know the true value of fabulous shoes wearing shoes I can't afford, something just seems wrong in the world. The world is upside down, as it were. Yes, I know it isn't the tween who can afford them since we are in Dallas, not L.A., where many teens make more than their parents, but still! I was wearing my, albeit fabulous, black mules of the moment and I felt somehow less.

Am I saying that only those who can appreciate fabulous shoes should have them? Yes, yes I am. Would you hang a Pizarro in pool hall? OK, maybe you would, but I would not. There are too many things that harm art in pool halls, bad taste being one of them. Oh, was that out loud? Anyway, I think there might be a need for a test before being able to buy fabulous shoes. My test would have one question: how do the shoes make you feel? A true shoe lover will be able to give a dissertation on how the shoe makes them feel and will therefore deserve the shoes. I suspect if I had asked the tween why she liked the shoes she was wearing she would have told me, if she were honest, that they were in style. That is simply not good enough. After all, jellies are in style.

I am not advocating a class system for shoes. I, like many fine people, believe that art belongs to the masses. That does mean that we should sell off the Guggenheim's collection of Warhol at basement prices. We put these things in museums for a reason. While there is a shoe museum, it isn't practical to force us all to go to a museum to see shoes; after all, they are meant to be worn. I just think that the people who love shoes for the little pieces of fabulous that they are (me) should have them and everyone else should wait until they understand the true meaning of fabulous shoes. In other words, fabulous shoes always deserve appreciative feet.

Fabulous shoes should not be wasted on the young.

Today's favorite shoe:

Christian Louboutin

Suz 10N


I was watching the news this morning, luxuriating in my newly laid-off status. Oh, to loll around with my coffee in the morning, instead of getting up at 4:30 AM to maintain my girlish figure! It's fabulous! Well, not really. I can't afford to buy any shoes at this time. I must wait until I am gainfully employed once more.

I have had to refrain from even looking at the Nordstrom and Zappos sites. I must pinch pennies. I must not buy more shoes. I must not think bad thoughts.

This poses a dilemma, of course. I was just getting ready to purchase my spring/summer footwear when I was rudely ejected from my place of employment. Ok, they weren't rude, they were very nice and gave me a good package, so I really can't bitch too much.

But my spring/summer footwear is...last years! The HORROR. Thank God Liesl gifted me with a lovely pair of pink patent leather peeptoes with a kitten heel as an early birthday present or I would be sunk.

Did I mention I was watching the news this morning? Yes I did. I failed, however, to tell you about the story that caught my eye. Dear friends, it is an amazing tale. It's almost too good to be true. If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it.

Are you ready? Are you really ready? Are you sitting down? Better yet, are you posing in a pair of sassy Manolos? You are? Good.

Saks is opening a new shoe floor. With 10,000 pairs of shoes. The size of an entire New York City block. In fact, faithful readers, this floor will have it's own zip code. 10022-SHOE. Yes! Our government has finally done something right! A zip code dedicated to shoes! It's no coincidence that the Democrats have taken over the House and the Senate, and now we have a zip code dedicated to shoes. They know what they're doing.

Today's Shoe

Dior Point Toe Pumps

Liesl, 7N

I was walking through Northpark the other day and I was thinking about how much fun it would be to do a shoe tour of Dallas. That gave me the idea for this post: Liesl's Extra Special Dallas Shoe Tour. Join me, fabulosas!

I pick you up in my Lexus at 10:00 A.M. I chose that time because it is a civilized time and it gives you enough time to get up, have your scones and coffee and get ready for our fabulous day. Please be advised: fabulous shoes only in my presence. Off we go! Shall we open the sun roof? Let's! Can you feel the wind in your hair and sun on your face as I whiz down the freeway? Aaah, refreshing!

Our first stop will be at Fossee's where we will spend two hours meticulously looking through the racks and on the floor for some fabulous shoes. It takes two hours because they often have shoes in other sizes that are mismarked and fit us. Sometimes the staff can hover, in a nice way, but we will take our time. Savor the dream of finding a perfect pair of kitten heeled pumps. As we search and search we will find at least three pairs of shoes we cannot live without. Time to pay! Isn't it lovely when our total is less than we expected because the prices are so good?

We leave Fossee's and head to Northpark. We park on the north side of the mall so that we can stop for lunch at Kona Grill. The Macadamia Nut Chicken is to die for. After we have sated our appetite for food, we head off to try to sate our appetite for shoes. We head west in the mall toward Nordstrom's. At Nordstrom's we spend two more hours delicately stroking the shoes and trying on as many pairs of fabulous shoes as possible. The salespeople at Nordstrom's are wonderful and they will treat us wonderfully. I will choose three pairs of shoes that I simply must have and I will pick our four for you. If you are smart, and I know you are, you will buy them. It's time to move on.

We now head south in the mall toward Neiman's. Before we hit the shoe floor we stop and take some refreshment at The Mermaid Bar n the ground floor. We will have an assortment of cakes and sweet tea. We will also be able to see some early examples of art by Bjorn Wiinblad who used this particular shoe girl as the model for his angels when she was a baby. Little known fact, don't you know.

After we have refreshed ourselves we head upstairs to the shoe department. By now you've probably spent a fair amount of money so I will only pick out one pair of shoes for you. As we reverently gaze at the gorgeous pieces of art in the shoe department we happen upon that perfect pair of Ferragamos that you simply must buy. You cannot leave the store without them in your bag. Oh, heaven!

It is finally time to leave Northpark and head to DSW. Now, I realize we are going from the sublime to the just plain pretty, but that's OK; we need to bring ourselves down a bit before we go back to our normal lives. As we head into the store we will immediately find two or three pairs of casual shoes we can't live without. We limit ourselves to five pairs since it is getting late and we are close to exhaustion. We manage to make it through the whole story and find six pairs, which we think we will go ahead and get since the prices are too good to pass up.

As we make our way back to your house with a trunk full of shoes we will know that we had a remarkably successful shoe tour. As I drop you at your house and you collect all of your packages, savor the moment as I must dash off into the night, never to return, to help other fabulosas with their shoe needs. I am as the wind, gone in an instant, leaving behind the smell of fabulous shoes.

My tour should be in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most fabulous.

Today's favorite shoe:

Salvatore Ferragamo

Liesl, 7N

Oh, News 8.... what have you done? I was driving home from shoe shopping today and happened to hear a teaser for a story on our local news. What could this teaser promise that would cause me to DVR the news, you ask? A story about Crocs. I thought, surely! Dallas news, the place of pure news fluff and high fashion would have on a true story of foam gone mad. But no. It was all about how wonderful and comfortable the little pieces of pure ugly were and how popular they remain.

The medical claims that the manufacturers of Crocs make are bogus. A shoe cannot cure diseases or conditions; shoes can only make you happy. With that in mind, can you see how Crocs have absolutely no value? There is no way madness made real in foam can make a person happy. No one is made happy by garish Minnie Mouse shoes with holes in them. Any happiness you think you feel is akin to the feeling you get when you think your true love is Brad Pitt and you happen to meet a man who kind of resembles him and who tells you that he wants you to climb his big ol' Himalaya.

Come on people, let yourself be happy for once. I know we all grow up and acquire baggage (ugly Samsonite baggage) that makes us think we don't deserve happiness. Is this where the Croc fad comes from? Are you all wearing your insecurity on your feet? The truth is, we all deserve happiness and we can only get that happiness from fabulous shoes. Trade in your Crocs and your ugly Samsonite baggage for some Louboutins and Diane Von Furstenberg luggage. Why not have Brad Pitt instead of the cheap knock off? Don't you see? as long as you wear those hideous shoes you will believe that you do not deserve better in life. But you do.

If love is a great beautifier, can you imagine how much love you would feel in fabulous shoes.

Today's favorite shoe:

Luciano Padovan "7011"

Brief addendum to my last post: I cannot multitask. Between my haste to get out the door to drive by more houses that might someday have the pleasure of housing my fabulous shoes, trying to email Manolo about Proust (a writer more self absorbed than me? nuh uh!), and singing along to Cole Porter songs at the top of my voice I managed to publish a post with numerous grammatic errors. Should it be grammatical? Anyway, I do humbly apologize.

Liesl, 7N

I've noticed a trend that seems interesting to me: African American women tend to wear really fabulous shoes. If I look at a group of women and there is just one pair of fabulous shoes among them, nine times out of ten they will be worn by a fabulous African American woman.

Do I think this has anything to do with the amount of melanin a person has in their skin? of course not. I do think this fabulous shoe trend has everything to do with culture. This thought inevitably led me to wonder about the role culture plays in a true love of shoes.

Is there a shoe culture? As I have stated previously, you can tell when a woman truly loves shoes when you compliment her on her shoes. I compliment women on their shoes all the time and I am always amazed by the women who don't really care about their little pieces of fabulous. Then there are the ones who clearly do love them. I complimented a woman yesterday who launched into an expository speech about why she can now wear heels since she is dating a tall man. She also told me she wished she were short so that heels would do even more for her. That's my kind of woman: a woman who sees value in herself and her attributes through her shoes. That woman was definitely part of the shoe culture. I am part of the shoe culture. Are you?

Like all good cultures, we need an icon. I nominate Manolo.

Today's favorite shoe:

Gunmetal "1606"

Liesl, 7N

We have been casually looking at houses lately and I have found myself assessing the fitness of a house based on the closet space. The front runner is a 4 bedroom in need of some love that has given me visions of making one of the bedrooms into a closet. That way, I might have a proper place for all of my shoes. The challenge will be in convincing my husband to buy a fixer upper in a neighborhood that is surrounded by some not so good neighborhoods.

The house that I love, as I mentioned, is in need of some serious love. It was built in 1968 and hasn't had any updating nor has it been maintained. It is architecturally designed (so important) and needs someone like me to love it back into fabulousness. Here's the thing: the master bedroom has a bathroom attached which is also attached to another bedroom. Clearly, that other bedroom is meant to be my closet. I have decided that I will have spot lighting in that closet to highlight my shoes. Can you picture it? Warm light bathing my fabulous shoes in a room designed just for them; the thought is too delicious to contemplate.

I need help convincing my husband that this fixer upper is the way to go. Email him with your excellent arguments here: mr_gonzo at hotmail dot com. Come on fabulosas! do it for the shoes!

Today's favorite shoe:

Donna Karan "864824"

Liesl, 7N

I had a small crisis on Tuesday. I've been so upset about it since then that I haven't even talked about it to Suz. I went shoe shopping with my friend Jen and found a gorgeous pair of ribbon sandals. They fit well and they were just so luxurious and pretty. I carried them around the store with me as we looked at the rest of the shoes. As we were getting ready to pay and leave I decided that the ribbon sandals were impractical and I put them back. After I had put the shoes back I realized what I had done and had a small break down. It was the first time I had chosen not to buy shoes because they were impractical. It was then that I reached for the Xanax.

Let me make this very clear: there is nothing wrong with buying impractical shoes. In fact, I encourage it. Impractical shoes remind us that life isn't about utility and has some unexpected, beautiful, impractical yet fabulous elements to it. Isn't that wonderful? What's practical about music? What's practical about the Mona Lisa? What's practical about 4-inch heels? But it doesn't matter because they are all fabulous. If we all wore only practical shoes we'd be wearing tennies everywhere. *shiver*

I ended up searching for another pair of shoes to make up for the ribbon sandals. I found a very cute pair of leopard print slides that are by the same designer who made the black slides I found a month ago. I am slowly replacing all of the Madden slides the dogs chewed up. I felt much better after finding another pair of fabulous slides and avoided the Xanax coma I would have induced to get over the horror of utility I had enacted. To hell with practicality!

Darling fabulosas, there is nothing practical about a leopard print.

Today's favorite shoe:

Manolo Blahnik

Liesl, 7N

I had another shoe dream a few nights ago. I was at some market type place with lots of booths of different things to buy, sort of like the antique fairs I love so much. I found a booth that was selling Louboutins at cut rate prices. I think I teeteed myself a little bit in the dream with excitement.

Here's the odd part: my mom was there and she bought a pair of neon pink cowboy boots for $105. While it's odd that my mother would buy a pair of pink cowboy boots, the truly odd part is the idea that Christian Louboutin would make pink cowboy boots. I have nothing against cowboy boots, they have their place. If you are going to a John Travolta retrospective that is featuring Urban Cowboy, for example. Or, if you are going off to find yourself on a "dude" ranch for a week of brushing horses and severe indigestion from camp food. I will never understand how dirty horses and beans can lead to some sort of soulful epiphany, but then, I don't venture off the pavement onto the unbeaten path where you could get bitten by horse flies.

Anyway, after my mom left with her ridiculous boots I tried on a pair of 2-inch pumps that not only fit perfectly (think Cinderella made real) but were more comfortable than any shoe has ever been or will ever be. Now for the injustice of the dream: they were $400. I was furious, I mean, furious that the stupid cowboy boots were affordable and the ones that I needed were the ones I couldn't afford. I was so distraught I momentarily considered buying the pink boots, but then realized that that wouldn't do me any good since I wouldn't ever be on that dude ranch or sitting in the audience at a John Travolta retrospective.

I honestly believed that not being able to afford the perfect Louboutins was a great injustice. I even woke up crying. I suspect the shoes in my dream were a metaphor for another injustice I suffered recently and to be perfectly honest, the thought of not being able to afford the perfect Louboutins was far more traumatic. Shoes trump everything else. Clearly. I want those damn shoes!

The greatest injustice I have suffered in my life is not being able to afford an entire closet full of Louboutins. Life can be so unfair.

Today's favorite shoe:

Christian Louboutin, of course.

Liesl, 7N

This weekend is the weekend of hats. You know what I'm talking about! it's Kentucky Derby weekend. I love seeing the coverage of the ladies in their fabulous hats every year at the races; they are always so colorful, bodacious, glamorous, and good old fashioned fun. All of the coverage of the hats got me to thinking: why isn't there an event that is all about shoes?

I've decided to designate an event as the event where women wear fabulous shoes and we all take notice. Not that I think we shouldn't do that everyday, but you know what I mean. I've thought long and hard about the perfect event; I considered opening night at the Met, opening night of fashion week, Burning Man, and the Sag awards. None of those events truly could do justice to shoes, though. I finally decided that the perfect day for a national shoe event is April 26th.

Follow along. Did you know that there is a patron saint of shoemakers? There is! saint Crispin. Now, as some of you may know I am a big fan of Shakespeare. Some people say that you can find whatever you need in life in the Bible; I feel that is equally or more true of Shakespeare. If you've ever read Henry V then you know where I am going with this:

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

I think we can all agree that this speech is a fine example of what it is to be human, to be good and to recognize all that is dear in life. Shakespeare (Edward de Vere, ahem!) recognized all of those things and made them real and fine in words. Who better to celebrate in our celebration of shoes? The master of fine art and the ultimate creation in art!

I propose an international Shakespeare/Shoe event every April 26th; Shakespeare will be performed in fabulous shoes and the women in the audience will attend in fabulous shoes. Oh, I think I just had a small stroke at the thought of it! Think of it: all that is good in life in one place! Shoes, art, Shakespeare, me. Oh, it is too delicious to contemplate.

All that glistens may not be gold but all that is fabulous belongs to shoes.

Today's favorite shoe:

Charles David "Forecast"

Liesl, 7N

I was at Northpark again today and had the opportunity to sit and watch women shopping in J. Jill. I noticed a woman walking around who was probably around 60. Keep in mind that I live in Dallas where plastic surgery is queen so you never really can guess a person's age. Anyway, this woman was carrying a black patent leather oversized bag with bling and studs on it, wearing a pink top with khaki capris, pink floral high heeled slides with a big ass bow and she had bright red polish on her toes. Does the woman own a mirror?

I know this woman thought she looked put together and even cute, but ladies! mixing seasons and clashing colors and too young for you styles is so wrong. It's spring! leave the black patent leather anything packed away in tissue for next winter. Then again, oversized and blingy patent leather purses should probably be lovingly packed away in the garbage can. But the shoes! Christ on a bike, step away from shoes that have both a gaudy floral pattern AND a bow. Step away, now! Step away especially if you are over the age of fifteen.

Fabulosas, please! It isn't hard to take a quick look in the mirror to see how the total package comes together. If you can acknowledge that any part of your anatomy is hosting something you might have seen in Seventeen magazine, take it off. Unless you are, in fact, seventeen. The capris this woman was wearing were cute; all she needed was a new purse and new shoes to look fabulous. How hard is it to compliment yourself with the right shoes? Not hard at all. If you can't figure out how to do it, email me and I'll help.

Act your age, mama, not the shoes you wore in high school.

Today's favorite shoe:

Isaac Mizrahi "Ariane"
Very much on sale, by the way.

Liesl, 7N

How much shoe talk is too much? Or to be more exact: is there ever a time when shoe talk is inappropriate? I have a feeling many of you know where I am going with this; yes, fabulosas, I am talking about noticing the shoes in the stall next to you in the restroom.

Here's the deal: I was, you know, the other day at Target and I happened to notice the thongs the lady next to me was wearing and I really, really wanted a pair. I sat there for a moment (because, you know, where was I going to go?) and decided against asking her through the stall walls. The conversation in my head went something like this:

Shoe Whore Liesl: Well, those shoes ARE really cute and they look new! If I ask her where she got them I might be able to get some, too.
Tactful Liesl: Yeah, but you'd have to first get her attention. What are you going to say? hey lady! the one next to me with the fabulous thongs and the interesting sounding bathroom experience?
Shoe Whore Liesl: Yeah, but once I got her attention she'd be happy to share the information with a fellow bathroom goer.
Tactful Liesl: Dude! no one wants to talk to you when they're in the bathroom praying to Jesus for relief!
Shoe Whore Liesl: Shoes trump all. ALL, I tell you! a quick question won't be weird.
Tactful Liesl: Yes, it will. Suck it up and realize you can't have every pair of fabulous shoes you see. Besides, do you really want to walk around in shoes that remind you of stinky tee tee? No, you do not.

At this point in the conversation I realized that in sitting there debating with myself my legs had fallen asleep. I had to sit there stomping my feet and trying to get the blood back into my legs. I noticed that in doing the stomping everyone in the bathroom curiously left in a bit of a hurry. I had missed my opportunity. Curse propriety!

If I had to choose between taking toilet paper to a deserted island and Jimmy Choos, I'd choose the Choos.

Today's favorite shoe:

Jimmy Choo

Liesl, 7N

Would you wear used shoes if they were fabulous? I ask this because I have been going back and forth on this issue over the past few days. I was looking around on Manolo's blog and I came across a section of links for the latest fabulous ebay listings for fabulous shoes. I lost my head a little bit and bid on a pair of used Louboutin flats. Now, y'all know that I love Louboutin more than all others and that I also do not own a pair. The idea of owning a pair went to my head and I almost had them. So close. I was outbid and that turned out to be OK. Though, I really must have these. Oh, there I go again! Bad, Liesl! Bad!

Here's the thing, though: I wouldn't even consider buying a pair of shoes from a thrift store. Why? because the thought of wearing shoes someone else has worn and then cast off is squicky. It seems different when you cast them off to the Goodwill and when you sell them on ebay because they are still worth wearing. Right?

I think the real issue is that I want the shoes all to myself. If I am going to own and wear couture I want it to be all mine, as if it was made specifically for me. I can clearly imagine the entire process my Ferragamos went through to get to my feet. I don't even think anyone else tried them on before they fabulously found their fabulous way onto my fabulous feet. They were made for me and they are my soulmates. No pun intended because I do not joke about shoes or love. They really are just that important. In the end, I've decided that since these shoes made me whimper and weep, I should get over it all and get them. No! Bad Liesl, Bad!

A pair of Louboutins of my very own? Good, Liesl! Good!

Today's favorite shoe:

Casadei "5240"

Liesl, 7N

My day was utterly ruined first thing this morning. I got dressed and went looking for the shoes I wanted to wear; trouble is, I couldn't find them anywhere. I still can't find them. I ended up settling for some ballet flats but they didn't feel right after I had decided to wear my fabulous black slides. As I was walking across campus and feeling not quite right and a little grumpy I realized that it was my bad shoe luck this morning that ruined the rest of my day.

Some people might consider that silly but shoes are our daily foundation. We use them to do everything else during our day so having a bad shoe day is far worse than having a bad hair day or an I got dressed in the dark, clearly, day. Your shoes hold you up; they are the wind beneath your pencil skirt (unless you're Suz); they are the rock and the island and all the fish in the sea. A bad shoe day makes for a very bad day, indeed.

I'll find my shoes tomorrow; after all, tomorrow is another day.

Today's favorite shoe:

Rene Caovilla "C3917A"

Suz, 10N

I am feeling pissed off and bitter today. I hate that feeling. I end up with such a knot of rage in my gut, that I want to scream. Primal scream. OK band, weird psycho babble trend in the 70's.

Anyway, back to why I'm pissed off and bitter. As those of you with hard to fit feet know, it's not easy to find pretty shoes. So it's particularly insulting when a company who likes to brag that they have shoes available in your size, ends up only having ugly shoes in your size. What up with that?

The company I take issue with is Naturalizer. I just received the latest catalog in the mail. Full of lovely, pretty shoes that I can afford. One glaring problem - their lovely, pretty shoes are available only up to size 9N. Why would they not take that one extra step and stock them in size 10N? Do they think that 9 is the cutoff and that women with size 10N (or larger) feet don't want to look fabulous? Seriously. What the hell is up with that?

So I wrote a letter. I encourage all of you who share my predicament to do the same. I know there are lots of you out there.

I am writing to express my extreme frustration with your sizing. I just received my latest catalog, and yet again, I see that all your cute and pretty new shoes are size either in M or W only, or worse yet for me, N to size 9. I wear a size 10N. I prefer to wear pretty shoes. I would shop from you far more if you just took that one extra step and carried your most attractive styles in my size. Frankly, I don't want to buy much of what you offer in size 10N. To put it mildly, they are ugly. I wouldn't be caught dead in them.

So, until such time as you decide to offer your pretty shoes in my size, I'll continue to do the bulk of my shoe shopping at Nordstrom and Zappos.

PS: I buy at least one pair of shoes a month.

Today's shoe:


Manolo Blahnik Toe Ring Flat

Liesl, 7N

I was shopping for shoes the other day at Fossee's, one of my favorite shoe stores, when I overheard a woman telling another woman that a shoe salesman at Saks had told her that designers were no longer making narrow shoes and she had to just get used to it. I found that to be utterly reprehensible. How could that ass expect anyone to just get over being able to wear anything but tennies because fabulous shoes no longer fit?

This was brought to mind tonight when I was watching one of my all time favorite movies, Once Upon A Time In The West. In a particularly brutal scene Henry Fonda asks Claudia Cardinale if there was anything she wouldn't do to save her skin. She replies: nothing. There is another character who desires nothing more than to see the Pacific ocean before he dies; he is willing to anything to get there. The Charles Bronson character will sacrifice himself just to get revenge for the murder of his brother. And the last major character, played by Jason Robards will do almost anything for money.

All of this exposition on OUTITW is just to ask this one question: what wouldn't I do for fabulous shoes? Oh, you know what? maybe I shouldn't write that down where people can read it. Um... never mind.

I wonder if Christian Louboutin takes souls in payment for his shoes?

Today's favorite shoe:

Christian Louboutin, "Yo Yo Zeppa 3"

Liesl, 7N

I recently bought a pair of Jessica Simpson shoes that miraculously fit well and were quite fabulous. After I bought those shoes I went to the jewelry counter and bought a pair of Jennifer Lopez earrings. I was a bit embarrassed about these purchases because of the pop culture connection and it got me to thinking about celebrity products; should the puritans of fashion indulge in them?

I've been fairly impressed with the Jessica Simpson line of shoes. I assume she doesn't design them but does make the final decision on which ones to make. Many of her shoes are cute and stylish. Jennifer Lopez always looks fabulous so why wouldn't we assume that her products will also be fabulous? yet, I really was embarrassed and even told the salesman that I couldn't tell anyone I had purchased Jessica Simpson shoes.

I've decided that that is silly. After all, no one has proprietary control over fabulousness. I am not particularly brand conscious, I just like what I like. What I like generally happens to be Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo and the master, Manolo. However, that does not mean that I won't be the first to point out fug in any of those designer's lines. Remember the Burberry ugliest shoe on the planet? I like Burberry, as a rule. In the end all that matters is whether the product contains its requisite amount of fabulousness. Who cares whose name is on it if it looks fabulous on your fancy feet or perfectly proportioned ear lobes.

If I were a celebrity my line of shoes would be worshipped like a child worships Barney: with abandon, passion and the knowledge that you are more right than right in your love of something purple and fabulous.

Today's favorite shoe:

Christian Lacroix "973985"

Liesl, 7N

Yay! Suz is back! I believe this blog lacks something when she is not able to post as often. We often disagree on shoes which makes for a richer blog experience. Now if I can just get her to say no to Led Zeppelin...

Spring is here! I have been walking around in my new sandals for several days and feeling like I have been set free. As much as I love boots I miss the carefree days of summer and spring and the freedom of the air on my tootsies. With spring I feel the need to remind everyone that it is imperative to start getting pedicures. I get them all year round but I don't expect everyone else to be as vigilant. I would like to do a refresher of the pedicure/sandals rules.

1. A french manicure on your toes looks ridiculous. It is made to mimic the way our idealized fingernails would look if they were perpetually clean and young and long. Who wants to mimic long nails on your toes? That's just gross.
2. Don't wear pink shoes with red nail polish on your toes. They clash and cause the rest of us to have momentary confusion over who you are... scintillating seductress or immaculate innocent. the combination of the two is disturbing and results in an immaculate seductress who confuses everyone.
3. If thy nail polish chips, thou shalt repaint. Always.
4. Smelly feet do not belong in sandals. Ever.
5. If the sandals you are wearing have a huge flower on it, it is way out of fashion. Way, way, way out.
6. Flip flops are for the pool or beach, not lunch with the ladies.
7. After wearing sandals all day remember that your feet will get dirty. It's best to wash them before you get into bed.
8. Slides that flip up when you walk should make minimal sound. Otherwise, it sounds like you are walking along gently farting with each step.
9. Band aids and sandals do not go together. No one wants to see a loose band aid flapping around underneath your sandal or hanging off the side of your foot. Ew.
10. The most important rule: No Crocs, ever. I realize they have flip flops and you might be tempted to wear them to the pool or beach, but they should not be worn. Can you imagine all of that sand in the holes? Crunchy!

I hope this refresher has been informative. Remember to tip your pedicurist and to treat her well; she deals with the most important part of your body, the part that gets to wear the portable art that we call shoes.

If you walk into a pedicure salon wearing Crocs and the women who work there are predominantly "foreign," assume they're laughing at you in their native language.

Today's favorite shoe:

Anne Klein