Our closet got a little cramped so we had to find new digs ..
Click on the picture below to skip on over:
.. recently someone asked me if I had gotten a Shoe Cake for my birthday.
Considering that my own MOTHER didn’t get me a cake for my birthday, the answer was sadly no.
So.. seriously.. this was the cake she was referring to:
Is this not a cake befitting of a shoe whore??
When I first saw this picture over at CakeWrecks.Com, I couldn’t stop staring at it. I called for everyone who was ANYWHERE NEAR my general vicinity to come and fawn over this confection of awesomeness.
I said that that if anyone wanted to present this cake to me on my birthday, I would die in eternal happiness.
Nobody did.
So I’m just going to guess that nobody wanted me to die!!
Maybe.
Anyway.. having a husband who is in this field and has the ABILITY although not the CREATIVITY to do something like this is like the fish that fell in love with the bird.
Ok.
I’m rambling.
See what looking at shit like this does to me!!!
I did a little finger walking and found a few other’s that I liked ..
Not so crazy about the actual shoe.. in fact, I even want to say that it isn’t a Manolo Blahnik shoe but one, I’m not 100% sure ( I KNOW!!! Right!!! ME??? ) and two, that’s just splitting fondant and it isn’t fair to the person who created this.
I will say that I absolutely adore the tissue paper and bow.
And I would DEFINITELY NOT turn this cake away if it just so happened to grace my table on my next birthday.
In June.
The 26th.
Just in case you wanted to know!!
This is another cake I went gaga over.
Love the colors.. LOVE THE SHOE!!
In fact, I have a pair of Gucci’s that are soooo similiar I am going to convince myself that someone actually commissioned this cake for me but somewhere between there and here, they hit one of the major pot holes littering the highway that the poor thing just toppled over and became a heap of sugar and fondant mess!!
Because they couldn’t give me a messed up cake, right??
And kudos for them for keeping it a secret!!
LOL!!
I only kidding around folks.. but really, I am blown away by the creativity of these cakes and if you ever watched the Food Network Cake Challenges.. you know just how hard something like this is to pull off.
Now.. if you want to see some NOT so good renditions, check out cakewrecks.com … you’ll be peeing yourself!
For the LIFE of me.. I can’t figure this trend out.
Unless you’re Russell Crowe and wearing a leather strapped Roman kilt.. I can’t see ANY reason why you’d want to put these things on your feet and wear them out in public.
Unless maybe you’re a post-apocolyptic punk rocker… or into the whole alternate lifestyle, I’m just not getting it.
Are you suppose to wear them with jeans? Shorts? Skirts?
Am I just too old and set in my ways to see their value?
Mind you.. I never thought twice about buying a pair of shoes because someone else would think they’re ugly.
I just don’t see the appeal in this type of shoe.
I will say this though..
There are some types of shoes that don’t look like much on display but have a completely different appeal once they’re being worn.
There are some young girls that I’ve seen wearing Gladiators and they looked cute.
Of course, they were all around 15 with mile high legs no wider then a pencil so maybe that’s what it takes.
So is it me?
How do you feel about Gladiators?
Trend or soon to be staple?
But yknow.. yknow.. stick a heel on these suckers and you won’t be able to hold me back. Check these out from Bebe..
Now.. THAT’s what I’m talking about!!
If I had this pair in front of me, I’d be cradling them like a baby and oooh and aaahh over them.
Maybe even drooling a little but I’d be sure to not get any on the leather!!
These 5″ heels have a half inch platform and while I’m not a fan of platforms in general, I think I’d be able to live with this one.
Anniversary is in 7 days..
Guess what I’m asking for!!
I know you’re probably wondering why I didn’t start with Manolo Blahnik or Jimmy Choo or one of the other uber-kids that are mentioned all over the place but I thought I would bring home old school for my first introduction.
Although really, I don’t think Ferragamo is “old school” necessarily but his were the first major pair of shoes I bought with my very first paycheck. A plum-suede pump.
Go head. Laugh. It was the 80’s dammit!
The 11th of 14 kids ( Italians know how to take advantage of “down” time ) Salvatore Ferragamo was born in Bonito, Naples, Italy in 1898.
He made his first pair of shoes 9 years later for his sister’s confirmation and knew he found his passion. Guess my 12 year old step son is a little late in the passion finding, huh? Note to self: Get on his ass!!
Anyway, Ferragamo studied shoe making in Naples.. opened a store in his parents home but then decided to move to Boston in 1914 where some of his brother’s worked in a cowboy boot factory.
Cowboy boots in Boston. Go figure.
He stayed for a while but convinced his brother’s that California was the place to be.. so they loaded up the truck and moved to Bev-er-ly!!
Sorry.. wrong story.
Ferragamo's famous "VERA" design, created by his daughter in 1978.. 18 years after Salvatore's death
Anyway.. the Ferragamo boys made it to California and eventually to Hollywood where Salvatore opened a shoe repair shop and also “Made To Measure” shoes.. which sent the Hollywood Stars gaga.
Because of that, he spent a long period of time designing shoes for movies but he still wasn’t as satisfied being the “Shoemakers To The Stars” as I probably would be.
Which is probably why he’s an iconic shoe designer and I’m.. well.. not.
He studied anatomy at USC because he wanted to know why his shoes were a pleasure to the eye but painful to the feet.
Yes, Salvatore!! More important that the Chicken / Egg question.
In 1927, he returned to Italy.. to Florence where he opened a shop on the Via Mannelli in 1929. There, not only did he create shoes for the hub-bubs he also started experimenting with design and patented ornamental and utility models.
Although he filed bankruptcy in 1933.. he stuck to what he knew and by 1950’s, he had expanded his operations to include 700 artisans that produced something ridiculous like 350 pairs of hand made shoes a day.
Think about it. 350 PAIRS a day. HAND MADE.
Salvatore Ferragamo died in 1960 at the age of 62.
Fortunately his wife and six :: I think it’s six :: children carried on with the brand and expanded it internationally to include handbags, sunglasses, watches, perfume and even a ready wear line.
Personally, I find Ferragamo’s story fascinating but maybe it’s because his was similar to my grandfather’s.
My grandfather wasn’t an iconic shoe designer either ( dammit! ) but the drive.. determination.. passion and willingness to leave everything you know behind to follow your passion is a parallel.
If you have the opportunity to try on a pair of Ferragamo’s then do so.
They won’t feel like any shoe you ever put on your feet before.. but you just might want to go with a friend and have them hold your credit cards and check book just in case the price tag is a little out of your league.
Honestly .. they are that comfortable.
Sometimes.. just sometimes.. it isn’t feasible to be wearing heels all day.
Or maybe.. you’re a bridesmaid and you’re required to wear a pair of heels that your hatred for is ONLY surpassed by their mission to pinch and bind and rub the balls of your feet raw.
OR maybe your at a holiday party and the shoes your wearing are SO bad ass but require you to be carried from the car into the event and then back to the car.
If you have to go to the bathroom.. you’re screwed.
Possibly you’re a model going on “go-sees” and have to run all over town .. up stairs.. down stairs.. in the subway.. across 6 Â lane streets…
You get the idea, right?
Well.. FootzyRolls will save the day.
For thirty bucks you’ll get a pair of ballerina flats that fold up so you can carry them in really inconspicuous places.
They come in a wide variety of colors :: mine are sparkly silver because I love making a spectacle of myself!! :: and have a non-skid sole. They come with a pouch for the flats and a larger pouch to hold your heels. Granted, you may not be able to tuck your heels into a clutch.. but I’m positive you’ll be able to find someplace for them until your ready to head back to the comforts of your pig fuzzy slippers.
The photo on the right here shows you just how simple and convenient FoostyRolls are.
Check out their website HERE to see all their colors and styles.
If you take the plunge… let me know how you like them!
I love.. Love.. LOVE shoes that have belts and buckles and stones and feathers and bows and ribbons and anything and everything that make a statement.
These boots just don’t make a statement, they yell DON’T FUCK WITH ME, BITCH!
I wasn’t even looking for shoes or at shoes when these suckers pointed a loaded gun to my back.
How could I say no?
They also come in Camo but.. yea.. even I think that that’s a little much. With my luck, I get picked up as some kind of high fashionista terrorist or something.. especially because I’m always at Dunkin’ Donuts at weird hours of the morning!
The boots are made by Funtasma and ShoeBuy.Com has them listed at 63.95.
Not a bad price.. especially if you’re not going to wear them all the time.
How many times have you been in department store.. or at the mall.. and saw a gorgeous pair of heels?
You may have been seduced by the style of the shoe or fell into it’s pool of color and texture but one look at the long, thin heel made you gently put them back and sigh.
” .. I could never walk in them” you say to the girlfriend you’re with. “I’d fall and break my neck”
Sound familiar??
Now.. if I was the girlfriend you were shopping with I’d shove those heels back in your hands and say OH YES YOU CAN and OH NO YOU WON’T!!
Because believe me.. if I can do it.. so can you!
The first time I wore a pair of heels :: Candie’s circa 1979 with a brown mock clog front and ankle strap :: was at my 8th grade graduation and I think my mother was just so damn happy that her tomboy daughter would even consider wearing heels that she had a momentary lapse of parental judgement.
I started out that night walking like a freakin’ Frankenstein-ian truck driver and ended it gliding around like I was born with them on my feet.
What changed in those few hours is my determination .. and as long as you are determined, you’ve won half the battle.
So here are a few tips to help you join the ranks of the Stiletto Army:
Before dropping a paycheck on a bad ass pair of heels, try picking up a pair that only costs a couple of Jacksons first. Many of today’s discount shoe places are a great resource for beginners.
Always try them on before you buy them. Walk up and down the aisles a few times to get the feel of how they fit your foot. Don’t worry about what the sales people thing. Who cares.. they’re not going anywhere until their shift ends and I’m sure they could use the entertainment!
But remember.. walking on carpet is a lot different then walking on concrete or asphalt.
Look for a sole that is flexible. THIS IS KEY! The more the shoe bends.. the more comfortable and natural your stride will be.
If you are a newbie, then I suggest you find a shoe with a thicker heel. A thicker heel is going to give you more stability. Remember, just the added height is going to freak you out a bit and make you a little wobbly.
Most of all.. you need to practice. Where them around the house.. up and down the steps.. that kind of thing. You’re going to need to develop calf muscles and your foot will be in a position it’s not used to. If necessary, walk around on tip toes just to get your feet, legs and back used to being in that position.
Luckily for the balls of your feet, there are tons of different pads and gel pads and foam pads that adhere to the bottom of your to give your feet an added cushion and prevent your foot from sliding.
Pretty soon.. you’ll have the confidence and ability to wear stilettos like nobody’s business.
Just don’t tell them your secret!
There were no stilettos!!
So GLAD I wasn’t living back then!!
Anyway..
This site is still wearing it’s baby shoes but will soon be a filled with anything and everything relating to those glorious creations we wear on our feet!