Colleen's Weekly Feet Treat

I don't know about the rest of you—but the heat this summer is nearly killing me! I can barely be outside for 15 minutes before my feet start to swell and I get completely drenched in my own sweat. For this reason, I searched for a shoe with a lower heel this week. The last thing I want to do in the morning is squeeze my poor, tired, swollen feet into a five-inch heel!

For anyone who's never tried on a Cole Haan shoe, let me assure you, they are some of the most comfortable shoes you can invest in. Even the high-heeled Cole Haan's I own never blistered my feet. So, while I will always recommend the brand as a whole, I suppose I still have to narrow it down to one this week.

Cole Haan's Mara Thong is my weekly winner. These chic thong sandals, pictured in blush satin (they also come in black), will give your feet a much needed rest with their measly two inch heel. Both the insole and the upper shoe are made of buttery leather and that oh so glorious leather-wrapped sock lining is what makes these shoes so gosh-darn comfortable! With an adorable metal logo ornamentation on the side of the shoe, these can be worn casually with jeans or dressed up for a night out!

Available at http://www.colehaan.com/colehaan/home.jsp and www.zappos.com

Flats or Heels?

Just like most women, my mother loves to get on my case about things. And by "things," I really mean everything. The color of my hair, that it's too long, too short, I'm gaining a little weight, but then when I tell her I'm working out, she makes a point to mention that I could be "bulking up." After only a short weekend visit, I am close to going to her perfectly clean oven and sticking my not so perfect head into it.

But, I digress. The other day, she nagged about my shoe choice (D&G slingback heels), stating that it was masochistic to wear such high heels when we didn't even have plans to go anywhere. And for the first time in my 25 years on this Earth, I thought that she may be right. My arches ached, my calves were cramped and my toes felt pinched. Why was I wearing these sadistic (albeit beautiful) shoes?

The next morning, I awoke feeling liberated. I didn't need to wear my heels all the time! What a silly girl I'd been! I put on a soft gray jersey dress and slipped into my ballet flats that had been collecting dust. The cloth at the heel was stiff and felt more like the plastic that came in a child's toy than material meant for foot wear. I pushed the thought from my head and remembered that like any shoe, even ballet flats need to be broken in.

For two hours I walked funny, compensating for the stiff material and the lack of support. Three hours later, I felt a rawness at the back of my ankle which I hadn't felt in years. After half a day, I ripped the shoes from my feet, determined to never again wear ballet flats. Blood stained the inside of the evil blister-creating shoe, my arches were throbbing and open sores oozed all over my feet. Never before had they experienced such a deadly assault. I totally blamed this pain on my mother.

Plagued by curiosity, I bandaged my feet and chose another pair of flats. Within 30 minutes, my feet ached all over again. Only this time, the area right below my big toe felt compacted. I threw this pair behind me and grabbed the next. I conducted the experiment with five different flats, yielding the same results each time. Finally, I grabbed my trusty D&G slingback heels and with a rush of relief, slid them onto my feet. All pain disappeared.

The only thing I can think of is that I must have high arches…arches that need heels to offer support and to be comfortable. How twisted is that? Does anyone else have this problem? Is there a specific type of ballet flat I need to buy…? I have a feeling there is an investigative report coming soon to Modo Facile regarding the best ballet flats for high arches!

~ Colleen Katana

The Sneaker Wedge

I admit, on the weekends, I tend to be a pretty casual girl. I do jeans, but I like to dress them up with some cool shoes. Problem is, I have three little kids to keep up with, so I like to have something comfy like a sneaker…still sneakers feel so, I don’t know….not dressed up. I refuse to be one of those people running around in jeans and blinding white running shoes…just something wrong with that. It just looks so, you know…….wrong!

Plus, I am short; I need a little height. So I have been known to wear a pretty high heel. Still, it really isn’t practical to be making dinner in 3 inch heels (not that I haven’t done that, it just isn’t comfortable). Besides, high heeled shoes only work for awhile for me, eventually I need to be comfortable. So I find myself switching to flats, which are okay, but I miss that little extra oomph an outfit gets from heels. To that end, I am always looking for a compromise.

As you can imagine, I love summer because of all the awesome sandal choices. With sandals you can get a nice amount of height and still be pretty comfortable. Yep, I pretty much spend summer in sandals.

Yet, there are times when you need a little extra protection on your foot, say going out to a fair or festival where you don’t want your toes squashed. This is when you need a good, non-athletic type sneaker. There are a lot of cute sneakers from Steve Madden, even Keds, but they are mostly flats, leaving you flat-footed.

In comes the sneaker wedge to save the day! How much cuter can you get? Flexibility and comfort of a sneaker and the height and coolness of a dressier shoe. I am in total shoe heaven. They work especially nice with shorts - giving your legs a little bit of that extra length (which always flatters the leg). Plus, I can even pair them with a cute little skirt. I can’t imagine anything better.

~ Jennifer Flaten

Colleen's Weekly Feet Treat

Vamp it up in the cutting-edge contemporary Veil dress pumps from Kors by Michael Kors! These sexy eye-catchers will trounce the competition with the innovative combination of the wedge-stiletto heel.

The upper half is red, shiny patent leather (also available in black patent leather) with a round peep toe and slingback heel strap with adjustable buckle. The leather lining and lightly padded insole help ease that four and a half-inch heel (three inch midsole) and the flat traction outsole helps minimize slipping on hard surfaces.

These are a really good shoe for you if you have trouble walking in stilettos. The platform base and wedge help balance those of us who are gracefully challenged!

They can be found at www.MichaelKors.com and my favorite internet shoe store (with free shipping) www.zappos.com

Valentino Grosgain Booties

Life is constantly handing us obstacles that can seem impossible.
Faith gets us through the hardest of days. A majority of people turn
to religion. Since my life is so unpredictable, retail therapy is my
tangible saving grace. And here is my sacred belief: a great pair of
shoes can go a long way.Trust me, people will be singing your praises
in this pair of Valentino grosgrain booties. They may be as expensive
as a Gutenberg bible, but it contains more spirituality in each stride
than any single verse or passage. Thou shalt not believe in any other
gods, but I do believe in these booties.
So classic, so gorgeous, so perfect. A gift from God? Maybe...or maybe
just the perfect accessory for an important occasion. Can I get an
Amen?

~ Allie Bashuk

What's Your REAL Opinion on Exotic Skins?

Alligator, sooner than later.

Exotic skins and special leathers certainly aren't new to the footwear and accessories industries. Even "non-trendy" manufacturers have been known to house the likes of ostrich, lizards, various snakes and even kangaroo as choices for their selection of cowboy boots and mens' dress shoes. Brings back memories of my (private) high school, where the head of the math department was popularly famous for sporting pointy-toed crocodile September through

June.. Let's move on to city style. Manolo, Christian Louboutin and Lincoln's New York (www.lincolnsny.com) have graced Fall 2008 with their work in pretty, simple python; eclectic frog mixed with burlap; platforms and pumps in metallic-plated leathers. The natural gloss and fun textures are enough to turn any shoe into an artisanal treasure.

My recent review of an up-an-coming footwear line, handmade from various exotics, is what inspired this topic. Specialty skins are enjoyed by couture wearers everywhere, business districts to a MePa lounge, but how do the materials fare in the eyes of a less targeted group? In an age of PETA and wildlife conservation it seems as though this category would be shunned by much of the twenties-thirties set, for the sake of political correctness. Not to the point of tripping models on the runway, but a light disdain. Perhaps many indulge in embossed-look goodies found in the mass market as a way of avoiding animal-cruelty guilt-- most likely, though, it's just an affordable way to imitate the items you really wish you had.

I'm interested to hear everyone's take on this, guys as well as the ladies. Do you house a soft spot for the creatures used for this merchandise, be it fashion-forward or functional? Is is something you love or refuse to wear? For non-wearers, do ethics or price keep exotic footwear out of your grip? Personally I think the latter to be less of an issue, since a fashion maven will afford all a Saks charge allows. Either way, keep me informed. What is your opinion?

~ Kelly Farley

Check My Foot Work!

I LOVE SHOES!! I think I may be totally obsessed with shoes. I REPEAT, I LOVE SHOES!! I really don’t know how many pair I currently have, but trust me it’s a LOT! But what young woman doesn’t like shoes? All sorts of shoes. Shoes give me that tingly feeling on the inside; you know, that ooooohhhhhh, aaaaaahhhh, feeling. Let me stop. Everyone has something. A food fetish, a banana fetish, well I (and many of you) have SHOE fetishes. If I don’t have enough money to buy that “me” outfit, I will settle investing a great pair of manolo’s, pump’s, boots or hills. Anyday…..

I recently saw Sex and the City, the movie with Sarah Jessica Parker and oh baby the Shoe!!!!!! See, that’s what I love about chick flicks, though I don’t like all. But at least chick flicks cater to us, women. A great flick will display great style and fashion, something most of us respect and draw from. The main type of shoes displayed in the movie is the Jimmy Choo shoe. Jimmy Choo started around 10 years ago in a small town in England. Bet he never guessed his company would be so international and famous. A very smart, let me repeat, a VERY smart woman by the name of Tamara Mellon, knew of Mr. Choo’s tremendous success in her native England and proposed a business gesture for him. Thankfully, he accepted and that propelled the Jimmy Choo company that we all know of today, WHOOPEE.

I would have to say, right about now, Jimmy Choo has to be my favorite shoe designer. I know the price is a bit steep (sorry, very steep) for us average folk, but if you can afford 1 or two pair, trust me, it’s a great investment and oh so comfortable.

If you’re wanting to find Jimmy Choo shoe’s at a reasonable price, check the online market, where you can just about find any and everything reasonably cheaper than original price. Try this site: www.squidoo.com/jimmy_choo_shoes. They have great Jimmy Choo shoes at reasonable fees.

Happy Shopping!!!

~ Nekiwa Smith

Are Wedges Slimming?

I always love wedges.  I have been wearing them since I was in junior high
school and that was many moons ago.   No matter what new shoe may come
out, these hot shoes seem to stay in the loop with fashion. They are
cute and come in all different styles.  You can wear them in the summer
or in the winter. They are just the round the way shoes. Wedges are
the shoes that every girl should have in their closet just behind
stilettos and flats. I though I knew everything about these shoes, but
what I didn't know was that they could make you look slimmer.
 
Ya'll are thinking this girl is making this stuff up. No mama. Not me.
I was flipping thru an old magazine this weekend and I ran across an
article about Celebrity diet secrets.   It seems that Sarah Jessica
Parker wear wedges to make her look slim.

Now I had to go back home and see if this little trick actually
worked. I mean, I have been wearing these shoes and never noticed. Maybe this
is why some days I felt a little slimmer.  So I tried on a few of my
wedges and to my surprise, it didn't work. But my legs did look quite
nice in them. I think this trick it only works if you are already
skinny.  Oh, well, I guess back to the dieting game and dressing slim.

Wedges may not make you slim, but they are a must have for this
summer. Everyone from Michael Kors to Christian Loubtain has designed
a chic line of wedges.   So if you want to look slimmer, eat right.
But if you want to look hip and stylish in your cute summer dress,
slap on some wedges and work it girl.

~ Yolanda Evans

Colleen's Weekly Feet Treat

This pair of patent leather pumps is so business sexy, your after work drink with your hot male coworker from marketing may turn into an after work dinner. Then into an after work dessert. And then into after work dessert…back at his place.

Versace's "Patent Logo Plaque Pump," as it has been named, towers tall with its 3.75-inch patent-covered stiletto heel. It's not a gigantic heel, but if you prefer lower, more comfortable shoes, this pump probably isn't for you. I, however, haven't felt my feet in years and a four-inch heel means nothing to me. I just have to stop walking every few blocks to empty the blood out of my shoe.

The patent band over the toe threads through the engraved gunmetal plaque that has Versace's logo engraved into the front. The metallic grained leather lining, rubber heel pad and padded insole help make this shoe comfortable enough for everyday use…well, once a week use, perhaps is more accurate.

These shoes are simple, elegant and understated with just enough "va-va-voom" to vamp up your look a bit for the office!

They can be found at a few of my favorite stores, including Lord and Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, or if you prefer to shop online: www.eluxury.com.