Author Archives: Shoe Queen

Wedges . . .the shoes men don’t like!

I read this article in various forms a bunch of times.  Here’s a link to the article:  Wedges Kill Sex Drive.  The article, of course isn’t titled this way, but I think it’s better and this is my blog, so I get to call it what I want.  The basic tenet is that men don’t think wedges are sexy.  They aren’t.  They are the most comfortable form of the heel, though.  For women who are oIMG_3492n their feet all day, the wedge is going to be better for your feet and back overall.  This is,
of course, only my opinion from my personal experience and discussion with my friends at the Starbucks counter.  You know I like my comfort, and I like my heels.  While this seems like a win/win, I do have to admit that knowing that the boys look upon my wedges with a fair amount of disdain may make me pause when purchasing new shoes.

That being said, I wore these on a very sad occasion, so I’m happy to leave them off my feet for the fear that they may remind me of that time.

Love the Peep Toe!

Peep toes are great, but if you have been reading, you know that I am having a pedicure crisis.  This shoes’ beauty is not done justice when combined with the bright blue polish.  And it’s all my fault.  Johnny OC, pedicurist extraordinaire, tried his best to go with my standard go-to OPI Nail Color:  Big Apple Red.  Or even the back up, Dutch Tulips.  I fought it, though.  Had to go outside the box, get crafty.  I’m sorry now, aren’t I?  The internet never forgets.IMG_3488

And either will these gorgeous Paul Green Peep Toe Pumps from Nordstrom.  I’ve had these for two years now – and have two that are virtually the same from a visual standpoint, but the heel is different, so, you know, the shoe is different.  I did mention that I may have a slight problem right?

Paul Green makes a very comfortable shoe.  And many of his styles are very sexy – as are these.  The price is on the higher side (around $300 +/-), but the quality of the shoe is worth it.  Just remember, folks, the toe nail polish is a three week commitment.  Don’t take it lightly.  And listen to the pedicurist.  They know better!

Shoes for the movies . . . .

The movies are great this time of year.  Hollywood isn’t trying to force some poor excuse for entertainment down my throat as they do doing ‘AWARDS SEASON’ which is just code for “Stay home and rent movies from last summer.”  I mean, I enjoyed how innovative it was for director Richard Linklater to film a movie over the course of eleven or so years, but I can’t help but react to Boyhood as my daughter did once it was over. . . .Two hours of my life

Don’t even get me started on Birdman.  Who doesn’t love Michael Keaton?  Clearly the person who tried to get him Oscar buzz.  I got through ten minutes of that movie.  Just couldn’t do it.

What does this have to do with shoes?  Not much, except I went to the movies the day I wore these questionable pumps from Bernie Mev.  IMG_3471From my viewpoint, these looked great.  But when I look back on them, I can’t help but think that my foot just doesn’t look good.  Plus, the platform was so slender that my foot kept falling off of it.  That’s a recipe for a sprained ankle from those of us who may be, ahem, less than coordinated.  Still for $60 +/- a few bucks, Bernie Mevs are a comfortable shoe.

IMG_3467And Thor is hot.  Plus, how entertaining was the Avengers: Age of Ultron??  Way better than watching an angst filled teen work through his awkward years in real life.  I have enough of that here at home with two teenagers.  Why do I have to pay $10 to see another??

Summer movies!  YAY!

Sometimes you’ve gotta go comfortable . . .

Here’s the thing.  I love myself some high heeled shoes.  I’ve really never been one to be able to bust out the six inch stilettos, and because I’m 5’7″, I never really felt I needed to because I felt tall.  Then I married a 6 foot 2 inch dude who tells me I’m short all the time.  I wish he was around when I was in 7th grade looking for one boy tall enough to dance with me . . . .Sperry1

But here’s the thing, as I make my way through my shoe closet, it’s important that I mix it up a bit.  The 40+ set (sigh, yes, that’s me) need to take care of our feet.  And these Sperrys do the trick.  Ultra comfortable, and the angelfish style (shorter rise) is the best design they have.  Their standard style (with the higher rise) doesn’t look good on anyone who has a size 8 or larger.  Sperry has done some good stuff lately – in the 80’s I wouldn’t have been caught dead in them, and when my friend’s daughter was forced to wear them in her new private school, I told her she should stay in the public school.  These ugly babies are teen abuse, especially when paired with plaid skirts.  Yikes!  cdr4hgkevThe best thing about these Sperrys is the comfort, but don’t dismiss the bling – gotta love silver shoes – even if they are {gasp!} loafers.

Back to the high heel issue – you’ve gotta mix it up to keep your feet healthy.  Or else you could end up like this:

Morton's Neuroma

Mom’s foot after her surgery for Morton’s Neuroma.

This is my mother’s foot after years of satisfying her latent hooker tendencies in four inch heels.  She had to have surgery for a condition called Morton’ s Neuroma.   I’m not a doctor, but poor mom was in pain (a condition my dad did not appropriately sympathize with, earning him a spot on the infamous list that the women in our family use, and it’s not a good list to be on!)  After surgery, she’s going to be fine, but I think the 4 inch heels are permanently tabled.   Along with the latent hooker tendencies.  She is 73, so it’s probably appropriate.

So the lesson here is this:  As with everything, heels should be used in moderation.  And if you feel foot pain, take care of it right away.  If you are a husband, stay away from the list.  It’s not a good place to me.  Ciao!

 

I like money, no doubt.  And I love what I do in my grown up job as a marketing consultant.  But the best part of working?  The fact that I have an excuse to wear sexy shoes.  Let’s face it, my life is filled with soccer, field hockey, softball, lacrosse and figure skating (none that I do, thank you very much) because, despite what my children say about me, I am a very dedicated mother.  However, none of those sports (even as a completely dedicated fan) make wearing these . . . . acceptable.  Who wears lace peep toe pumps to a lacrosse game??  Uh, well, okay, there was that one time.  And we won big, so that works.

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Anyway, these Anyi Lu lace pumps are my favorite work shoe.  I admit that they are a bit over the top, and they are unforgettable.  Not sure my blue pedicure was the appropriate look – does sort of scream ‘NOT AT ALL SEXY!’  My very conservative chemist clients could appreciate them from their sneaker comfort, but they are me, and worth the ridiculous price.  The saddest part of these is that I can’t wear them for a long time – too many shoes to go . . .


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I went through a Tory Burch obsession about four years ago.  These lovely espadrilles were my first pair of the style (I’ve since bought a luscious pair of Chanel semi-conversion espadrille . . . mmm, mmm, mmm . . .cute as pie), and I took some heat because they aren’t, well, let’s face it, the most SEXY SHOE IMG_3451Blog1available, right??  One of the things you will quickly learn from me is that I am willing to sacrifice sex appeal for comfort, every once in a while  . . . . as long as my face doesn’t become synonymous with ‘sensible shoes.’  I’m old, but not that old.   These Tory’s are super comfortable and worth the sacrifice, but with her shoes, don’t expect too much comfort.  Tory makes beauties, she does, but if you have a wider foot you won’t be as comfortable in these shoes as you would in others.  I size up to 9.5 – I’m typically a 9, and that doesn’t help much.  Tory must have a thin foot and no bunion bone.

Bunion

This is how my foot feels in Tory’s flats!

I have no sign of a bunion at all, but I feel like I do when I wear her flats.  Still, I wear them.  They are just too cute to leave in the closet!

These Tory Burch Espadrilles are comfortable Tory Burch, though.  She hasn’t made them in two years, but I’d love to get another pair.  Of course, only when I’ve worn all the others . . . .