… Walk On Over To Our New Shoe Box!

Our closet got a little cramped so we had to find new digs ..

Click on the picture below to skip on over:

RoSa Cross Strap Sandal around 132.00 Euro

 

Shoe Cakes

.. 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:

.. be still my heart!

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!

Since We’re Talking Summer.. WTF Is Up With Gladiator Sandles?

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.

Tweet Lace from GoJane.Com. Priced around 25 bucks

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.

Wanted Tickles at Endless.Com for around 35usd

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..

BeBe Gladiatore 189.00

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!!

Summertime Tootsies

Here’s a secret..

As much as I love shoes.. I’m actually a bare foot person. There’s nothing I love more then kicking off my shoes when I get home and running around the house or the yard bare footed.

So as soon as the weather starts getting warm, my toes start their campaign to plead their case in front of the parole board and be set free.

There hasn’t been a denial yet!

But just because there’s less SHOE .. doesn’t mean you have to forgo the FABOOSH!

Casadei 2021 1260.00usd Endless.Com

Take, for example, these Casadei sandals on the left. In my world “Faboosh” doesn’t exactly mean expensive but these puppies here go for $1260.00

Yes.

You, read that right.

Now please get off the floor before the police come and tape around your body.

While I HAVE spent that much on a pair of shoes WAY before the responsibilities of step-parenthood.. I wouldn’t dream of spending that much on a sandal.

And those baubles? Yea.. not real.

Casadei 2097 for 188.10 ON SALE at Endless.com

So sorry, can’t justify these.. however, if you WANT to have a Casadie sandal, I did find these on the right at a much more reasonable price.

That is.. if you consider 188.10 on sale, a reasonable price. I personally don’t.. again, that’s a lot of money for not that much shoe but to each her own. If you love them, then go for it sunshine!!

Unless I’m going to a function, I like to keep my sandals at a reasonable price. I tend to wear the hell out of them daily so for me, it doesn’t seem prudent to spend a lot of money on them. Under $25 seems reasonable to me.

I went a head and found some really cool sandals at BareFeetShoes.Com that won’t break your bank.

Anna Almeira on sale for 9.99

Although I’m not really a “jelly” person .. I tend to think they make your feet sweat more then wearing two pairs of socks and thermal boots in the winter .. I like the multi color beading on top.

These will go with just about anything in your closet and would make a great shoe for walking on hot sand or even into the ocean.

And for $9.99, you can’t really beat it.

J. Loren for 24.99

I think I already mentioned that I love anything with stones on them and this pair of J. Loren black slides gives a casual shoe a little of the ‘omph’ factor.

I think these would look cute paired with a short skirt or capris.

I don’t necessarily like wearing these types of shoes with long pants but again, to each her own!

By Melody for 24.99

These Melody slides are right up my alley and would fit perfectly with my wardrobe. A little more casual then the black pair but with a little more interesting embellishment.

Don’t know about you, but I tend to lean more towards earth tones when I want something casual and black for something dressier.

But never red.

For some reason, no matter how expensive red shoes are they always look cheap.

Call me quirky.. I accept that sash with pride!!

And alas.. I have no sure fire tips for wearing the thong between your toes. I get just as irritated by them as the next gal so if YOU have a way to beat the blisters or callouses.. give me a holler! I’d love to know about it!

And remember… you’re feet will be out on display so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make sure they don’t look busted up. Not saying that you should have a professional pedicure every other day, but it doesn’t take much to sand blast the ash off or clip the nails for that matter. Ain’t nothing like looking at some one’s busted up feet to ruin a day!! LOL!!

Meet The Masters: Salvatore Ferragamo

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 Famous "Caged Heel" .. God, I want these so bad!!

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.

Silver Pump from current line

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.

Bootie from current line at 950usd

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.

Foot Savers: FootsyRolls

$30 at FootsyRolls.Com

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  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.

Instructions? Like..m.. you couldn't figure it out?

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!

These Have My Name Written ALL OVER THEM!!

Funtasma's Militant 128

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.

The Ultimate Surviving-Pointy-Toe-Shoe Tip

RoSa Cross Strap Sandal around 132.00 Euro

I absolutely LOVED me some pointy toed shoes.

EXTREME pointy toes!!

They can be pretty painful to wear, especially if you’re like me and don’t have the narrowest of feet.

Hell..

I think their painful for ANY women, narrow feet or not.

Unless of course, your into the whole Chinese Foot Binding thing then personally, I think you have bigger worries.

At any rate.. Pointy Toe shoes are really fashionably diverse. You can kick them with a dress.. slacks.. OR jeans.

Personally, I like wearing mine casually. Usually in an earth tone with jeans.

Thankfully, my husband is tall enough for me not to surpass his height even wearing 4″ heels.

My first husband was short.. so we kind of looked ridiculous but he had a major shoe fetish so if there was one GOOD thing to say about him it’s that he indulged my passion. But that’s about it.

For some reason, shoe trends have moved more towards either a rounded toe or a squared toe. I don’t like either, personally. Give me drama.. give me a statement.. give me damn extreme pointy toe shoes!!

Here are two personal pairs that I wear all the time:

These are a pair of my Enzo Angiolini’s. They have a tan suede front and a chocolate brown ankle strap that criss-crosses across the front of my foot and secures through a ring and holds with a simple peg.

I’ve had these shoes for about.. um.. six years? Seven maybe? and they are my ABSOLUTE favorite.

Their sole is really flexible and honestly, there were days when I had them on for 8 or 9 hours straight and it felt like I was wearing nothing.

Definitely the GO-TO shoe!

I think I paid around 80.00 for them then at Macy’s.

The picture of the black pair really doesn’t do them justice. By any means.

These are black suede ankle straps with a silver buckle on the toe and a silver medal here by Miss Me.

I think I picked them up for something ridiculous like 15.00 at BareFeet.

NOTE: BareFeet is a great place to get shoes. Not only are they on the inexpensive end but when it’s time to update their stock, they’re sales are RIDICULOUS!!

These pair also have a really flexible sole but the heel is about half the width of the Enzo’s.

Still faboosh, though! I call them my Shiver Your Timbers heels!!

Anyway.. I think I kept you in suspense long enough.

The secret is really very simple. Buy them either a half size or full size bigger then what you normally wear. This seats the balls of your feet differently and allows ample room for the piggies.

Fear Has No Place In Your Shoe Closet

Manolo Blahnik 2008 Collection

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:

Christian Louboutin.. *sigh*

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!

In The Beginnng…

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!