Manolo Blahnik Says Shoes Save Marriages

If you are reading this blog, you are probably a shoe lover.   So I’m sure you need not additional reasons to purchase more shoes except this particular excuse should go over well with your significant other.

According to Manolo Blahnik,  “The male reaction to heels is half normal and half perversion, but some men tell me I’ve saved their marriage. The first thing men look at are a woman’s legs, and there is nothing more flattering than high heels.”

I’m sure that a number of couple arguments have been over shoes.  I figure they could range from “we can’t afford more shoes” to “couldn’t you leave me more room in the closet?”  So what do you think of the great Manolo’s comment.   Women who purchase Manolo’s aren’t exactly middle class ladies so perhaps the budget/affordability argument doesn’t apply here or maybe you just need to wear the right type of shoe.

For me, I feel that looking good could never hurt a relationship, particularly since men are visually driven.  But a nice pair of legs with high heels isn’t the cure all to a marriage that does not have a solid foundation.

Source: Vogue

An Ethics Question

The other day I went shopping with R5Friend and R5Daughter.  We were all goofing around, doing some window shopping and some serious shopping.  R5Friend spent about an hour and half trying on shoes, only to tell the salesclerk, “Thanks, but no thanks.”  She told us, as we were walking out of the store,  that she was going to go to Amazon and save about $20 per pair.

R5Daughter didn’t say anything at the time, but when we were alone, she went ballistic.  Daughter felt the time my friend took trying on shoes, then not purchasing anything was the equivalent of stealing $50 from the salesclerk’s purse.  She thought the hour and half spent on my friend could have been spent helping someone who WOULD purchase something or finishing other necessary tasks.

My friend, a teacher has never worked a commission job, regards shopping as a thing to do when she wants to waste time.  My daughter on the other hand,  HAS worked commission sales and sees what we – as business owner s- do for our customers and how we regard customers who ask for a special item then ultimately go somewhere else because the price is $2 cheaper on a $25 purchase.   Don’t get me started on comparison shoppers who don’t compare the weight or size of the item, because that sends me off on my own tirade.

So the question I pose is: Is it right to try on shoes in a full service store such as Saks or Nordstroms, then order online because it is cheaper?  The second question I pose is:  How much cheaper does it have to be for you to go elsewhere, and do you include shipping costs when you start comparing?

Now, this is not an anti-online post.  Both Galligator and I are regular online shoppers.  That is not the issue.

I would like to know what you all think.  Was my friend in the right or in the wrong?

Heels for the Expecting Mom?

My husband and I are expecting our first child – we are 29 weeks along, super happy, excited, and nervous all at the same time!   Now since this is a shoe blog but motherhood is foremost on my mind these days, I thought I’d combine the two and talk about yummy mommies wearing high heels.

I was surprised to learn from my ob/gyn and online articles that it’s fine to wear heels while you are pregnant as long as you are careful (your center of gravity changes so much with the growing belly that you risk falling) and feel comfortable wearing the heels (i.e. no back pain, etc).  In fact,  I’ve observed several expecting celebrity moms do it. Of course this is to special events and not every day wear, but I still am in awe and also disbelieve at how they do it.

Here’s Nicole Richie in 4 1/2 inch Givenchy cutout heel,

Heidi Klum in 5 inch Guiseppi Zanotti platforms,

and Sarah Michelle Gellar in nude peep-toe Louboutins.

Now, I for one, wore heels throughout my first trimester.  My belly wasn’t even showing and I didn’t feel any pain.  But near the second trimester, I didn’t trust my sense of balance anymore – my belly seemed to pop out overnight.  Towards month 6,  I even started to waddle a bit like a penguin!   Yet I still wasn’t willing to sacrifice height, especially when it came time to attend my cousin’s wedding.  My solution?  I wore these nude Stuart Weitzman wedges ($128 at 6pm but mine didn’t have the doggy print) which gave me the vertical lift I desired but were still relatively stable.  Of course, they weren’t exactly as comfortable as they were before I was pregnant, but I spent most of the reception and wedding sitting down so the shoes were fine given the occasion.

Now that I’m in my third trimester, all my heels have been relegated to the back of the closet.  It hurts to walk in most shoes, much less heels, for extended periods of time.  Yet, I haven’t gone from one extreme – heels – to the opposite end – flats – like Gwen or Halle.

Instead, I still wear wedges (more on that and other maternity shoe topics in subsequent posts).  But that’s mainly because I need the arch support and the wedges I wear are now only 1.5 inch tall or less.

It’ll be interesting to see how my feet and body continue to evolve over the remaining weeks. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on my choice of footwear.

So what about you?  Did you or will you wear heels during your pregnancy?  And what will or were your shoes of choice?

Counterfeit Christian Louboutins

Lately, all over the internet, on sites that strive for a good, honest reputation (Luxist and ShoeBlog included) banner ads for shoe sites such as LouboutinMall, LouboutinBox, and other Louboutin url derivatives have been popping up advertising “genuine Christian Louboutin pumps for only $150″. There has been a fair amount of discussion about these sites, including why the advertisements are showing up (for ShoeBlog, we rely on an advertisement network to serve up ads to pay for our costs and have little control on that gets added. We try to take down spammy ads but sometimes, to our chagrin, they pop up faster than we can remove them). The main question all of us have wondered is, are these sites selling authentic Louboutins?

Christian Louboutin as a company is not a publicly traded. So, Mr. Louboutin has full control over the product, marketing, and quality.He graciously turns down investors on a regular basis instead, focusing on sustainable profit, design, craftsmanship and his customer of which he has many loyal. He does not want to answer to investors; he has the luxury of serving his loyal customers, employees and complete design control.

Now, if he has turned investors down regularly because he wants quality control, WHY in the world would he flood the market, charging wholesalers $75, or even $100 for handcrafted high quality shoes? (Remember, wholesalers typically double their cost). We all know these are fakes. Pure and simple. I am not going to go into the moral aspects of the conditions in which these fakes are manufactured.  My issue is quality of your purchase.

Twenty four years ago my husband purchased a Louis Vuitton handbag after the birth of one of my boys.

It cost about $600. It seemed like a fortune to a young mother.  I have used the hell out of that bag.  It was a diaper bag for 3 children, it was a weekender bag, it is now a carry-on bag when I travel.  It has aged reasonably well.  Why?  It was made with real leather and superior craftmanship and it still looks wonderful.    Ten years ago I bought a Louis Vuitton fake for $40.  It looked good for about 2 weeks.  My granddaughter now plays with it in her dress-up box. When I buy something I always figure, “It takes me X days to pay for this, is it worth it?” So, is it worth 3 or 4 days worth of work to pay for something that will last six months at best? Will you have this fake 20 years later?  You will have the real deal 40 years later

Do you want a platform pump for about $150?

Dolce Vida Madison Steve Madden Slique

A maryjane?

Carlos Infinity Harajuku Lovers Infinity

Triple platform?

Steve Madden Triplet Enzo Angiolini

Are these exactly like Louboutin shoes.  Of course not.  Are they quality shoes?  I think so.  Are they counterfeit?  No.  I think the most touching posts I have read is by Islingback in ShoeBlog’s forums.  After hard financial times, she was able to buy a pair of desinger shoes.  Would she be as thrilled with a fake?  I don’t think so.

We want Louboutins because he has spent time, energy and money to make a shoe and a reputation as the best.  With a fake you will get neither, except pictures which have clearly been stolen from Neiman Marcus, Saks, and Ebay of authentic Louboutins.  As consumers, let’s be responsible with whom and how our money is spent.  I learned my lesson ten years ago.  It cost me $40.

Update:  From NYMag, here’s more confirmation from a Louboutin spokeswoman that the shoes are fake and also responses from the counterfeit sites confirming as well.

Put Your Best Foot Forward

I have ranted about how women pose on the red carpet so often my daughter won’t even look at runway photos with me anymore,  It is amazing to me that SOMEONE doesn’t grab these women by the hair and show them how to stand.  These are some of the poses that make me crazy.

First: “I am wearing my mother’s high heels and I can’t keep my balance.”

Second:  “I shouldn’t have had that beer in the limo.  Now I gotta pee.”

Third: My cousin told me if I lock one knee back, and bend the other, I will look sexay.

Fourth:  Stud Muffin Tough Girl Stance.

Fifth: Hands on hip. Check.  Hips out.  Check.  Arch the back.  Check.   Boy, my Barbizon tuition sure paid off.

Look at the difference between a good pose and a bad pose.

I have never seen Dita Von Teese in a pigeon toe, knock knee or have to pee pose.  She seems to always have great  body awareness when cameras are around.  I think these are Louboutins on Dita.

Kerry Washington usually has great body awareness too, but sometimes the shoes seem just too high for her and she goes pigeon toed.

Isabella Huppert is standing to maximize stability.  She doesn’t seem to be weaving or catching her balance as she stands on super high platforms.  These three women are something else.

Doesn’t Queen Latifah look wonderful?

OK.  What does this have to do with anything?  If you are going to wear fabulous shoes, then look fabulous wearing them.  When you are standing in line to see a movie, pose properly, and look not awkward, but amazing.  You can look stunning in your Havaianas if you are aware of your body.  Conversely, you can wear a pair of Louis Vuitton runway shoes and look silly because you don’t know how to stand - see the first photo.   You don’t have to be young – look at Sharmila, Isabelle and Robin.  You don’t have to be thin - look at Queen Latifah.  Just present yourself well, and you will be beautiful.