Ask the Shoeblogger: Honeymoon Shoes Edition

Regular readers of ShoeBlog will remember that a very creative and modern bride had a dream. She dreamt that she would wear fuschia shoes to her wedding. Happily, we were able to give the bride peace of mind and found the shoes of her dreams. Being able to help out a fellow shoe lover was absolutely satisfying in itself, so I was totally floored when the newlywed, Wendyann, emailed me about her honeymoon. Here is her shoe-filled honeymoon story…

There have been posts about bridal shoes and bridesmaids shoes. I thought it would be nice to create one about honeymoon shoes as a “thank you” for helping me,Wendyann, find my wedding shoes.

Chris and I got married on June 7, 2008. I wore the fuchsia shoes ShoeBlog located for me and my groom wore a pair of Converse Chuck Taylor’s.

On June the 8th we left from Knoxville, Tennessee to go on our honeymoon in St. Augustine, Florida.

The first stop we made in Florida was to an eye doctor so I could pick up some contacts. Waiting for the doctor, I spotted an older lady who was dressed fabulously. I took a picture of her shoes and asked where she got them. She didn’t remember.

Chris wore a pair of green flip-flops from J. Crew. I wore fuchsia flip-flops from Delia’s that matched my wedding shoes. (We call flip-flops “flops”).

Then it was off to the beach! Part of the time I wore my Ralph Lauren fuchsia flops. Then I traded them in for some mary-janes made of sand.

That night we went to a seafood restaurant where Chris wore his new orange flops from J. Crew.

The next day we went shopping in the historic part of St. Augustine. The first store we went to was called “The Closet”. As soon as I walked in the door, I saw a huge shelf full of second-hand shoes!

The shelf held shoes for disco dancing,

shoes from India,

 

And a pair of Converse Chuck Taylor’s like Chris’ wedding shoes! They were my size, so I tried them on. They fit, so I bought them. They were only $10, twice as much as what I paid for the gold Target sandals pictured. I love a bargain!

 

While trying them on I noticed a pile of old heels. I think they were from the 1950s, but I’m not sure.

Chris wore his maroon Abercrombie and Fitch flops while shopping.

The next day Chris and I went outlet mall shopping! Yay! First, we went in J. Crew where I found this cool pair of flops for $5.

 

Chris found two pairs of Vans slip-ons for $30. Me, I couldn’t find any on sale. He’s so lucky.

We then went to Ralph Lauren where I saw my fuschia flops on sale! Chris bought some flops. They were black with little skulls on them – so cute!

We had a wonderful time and were happy with our purchases. I am so lucky to have a husband to go shoe shopping with!

Wendy, congratulations on the wedding and thank you so much for sharing your honeymoon adventure with us. Chris sounds like a really great guy (he certainly gets a few brownie points in my book for being a patient shoe shopper). And thank you for being so patient with this much belated post! You are too sweet!

Shoeless in Seattle

Okay, so the shoe situation is not entirely as the title of this post might indicate. However, this Seattle bride is currently wedding ceremony and reception dress shoeless, which you can imagine is a big deal for me.

You see, dear readers, I am getting married at the end of August. Though I have browsed through TONS of shoes on a daily basis, this little shoeblogger has been unsuccessful in finding the perfect pair of shoes for her wedding. My criteria is as follows:

1. Must be 4-5 inches tall: My fiance absolutely towers over me and just once, I’d like to be able to see his eyes straight on. Plus, at 4 inches, I don’t need to tailor my reception dress. I figure it’ll go into paying for those perfect pair of pumps.
2. Platform shoes: To offset the fact that I will have difficulty walking in 4 inch+ shoes, I need platforms.
3. Thicker heels preferred for easier walking
4. Color: Gold, Champagne, Nude. I would prefer to be able to wear it to other occasions and any of these colors would might my ivory colored wedding dress
5. Material: Flexible but should not be satin as it’ll probably stain
6. Style: Peep toe or round covered toe. Thin and strappy is so pretty, but I’m afraid it’ll dig into me plus I have a strange adversion to showing off my pinky toe.
7. Budget: $300 or less; Few things make me as happy as finding a deal on designer shoes so bonus points to anyone can
8. Size: 6.5 or 7 depending on the fit

In short, I am not that picky, right?

In dire times such as these, the help of your most trusted circle of friends and shoe experts must be enlisted. Our sharp shoebloggers have been on the prowl for me. Some of my options include:

Wedding Shoe Contestant #1: Michael Kors Disco Shoe is available at NM for $298 + there is an additional 20% off. These would be wonderful shoes except they are not in my size and the straps might cut into me (criteria #6).

Wedding Shoe Contestant #2: MBMJ Peeptoe which is available at Net-a-porter for $251. I can definitely see myself wearing these shoes for work so they will wear well on an assortment of occasions but I do fear these shoes might be too informal for my wedding. Fortunately, they are not in my size so I don’t have the option anyways.

Wedding Shoe Contestant #3 and #4: These Claudio Merrazi shoes did not fit a number of my criteria (material is satin, price, etc) but style CM309 (priced at $688) and CM317 (priced at $629) are too scrumptious to ignore. For the bride who is not afraid to take chances (i.e. not me) these would certainly be memorable shoes.

Wedding Shoe Contestant #5: Via Spiga Lulu at Overstock for a sale price of $80 or at Nordies for the non sale price of $198.

Now, I’ve actually picked up this shoe (I love the detail on the heel) just in case I can’t find any better alternatives but I’m still holding out for a shoe that really speaks to me.

Wedding Shoe Contestant #6: This is my second pair of backup shoes (yes, I have two backups!). They are called the BCBG Nadette, which I bought at a final sale price for a little over $100. The best picture I could find were these Nadettes in snakeskin but rest assured that the shoes I picked up are in nude color with matching heels.

Wedding Shoe Contestant #7: Badgley Mischka Piera on sale at SmartBargains for $199 (select sizes but not mine) or Zappos for $409.

Now I know these are satin and might stain if they got wet, but my heart simply went aflutter when Galligator sent me the link to shoes. They are beautiful, classy, and timeless. In short, they might just be perfect if a size 7 were to appear on SmartBargains at its current selling price. Perhaps the wedding gods will smile upon me on my special day. I am certainly keeping my eye out for the shoes and the link has already been bookmarked.

So shoe readers, what do you think of my options? Wish me luck and happy wedding shoe hunting!

Ask the Shoebloggers: Brooke Shields at the Tony’s

After this past Sunday’s Tony Awards ceremony, we got this question from a curious Shoeblog reader:

I’m hoping one of you shoe gurus can explain what Brooke Shields was wearing on her feet last night:

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/06/15/theater/20080616_CARPET_SLIDESHOW_6.html

Could it possibly be the Nike Air Rift–a k a the Ninja Shoe?

Thanks!

Here’s Brooke, looking glam and flat of foot at the Tony’s:

And since maybe that’s a bit hard to see in the toes there, here’s a better look:

Well, it doesn’t look like Brooke’s wearing Nike Air Rifts (much as I’d sort of love it if she had), but they’re definitely flat and definitely a lot more comfy looking than a lot of other footwear of the evening.

Unfortunately, the reason for this isn’t Brooke’s desire for comfort, but her status as a post-foot-surgery patient. A few months back, she was talking about her upcoming surgery for hammer toes on David Letterman. She says it’s from all her dancing on Broadway. That may be true, but ultimately, hammer toes come from wearing shoes that don’t fit right, especially ones that narrow at the toe and have heels that push all your weight to the front of your feet.

Here’s hoping Brooke recovers and (dare I wish it?) opts for some lower, comfier shoes going forward.

Ask the Shoebloggers: What Shoes Go With Trouser Jeans?

This issue of Ask the Shoebloggers comes from a friend of mine with a dilemma that’s got to do with a very of the moment trend.

What kind of (hopefully comfy) shoes look best with the now-trendy
wide-trouser-leg pants? I have a pair of nice wide jeans/slacks, and
I’m always worried I look a little Saturday Night Fever-ish if I wear
close-toed shoes or platforms–but I can’t wear flats because they’re
too long.

First off, I have to say that I support the trouser jean trend. Sure, you have to be careful about the high-waisted aspect, but it’s so much more flattering on so many more people than the horrible skinny jeans that are still unfortunately making the rounds on many more legs than they should be.

I, too, have bought a pair of trouser jeans, which I love, and I specifically had them tailored with a little extra length, so when I wear them, it’s got to be with heels or platforms of some sort.

Here are a few solutions I go for, illustrated with shoes that are close to (if not exactly) ones that are sitting in my closet.

First off, there’s the dainty look with a low wedge (which, for me, means 2″ or less). Or really any wedge, since if you want to go for more height, a wedge is a fairly comfy way to do it.

To avoid Saturday Night Fever, stick to something that doesn’t have a platform. Here are two pairs that have just been/are about to be added to my collection that I’m already planning on pairing with the trouser jeans.

Ecco Durango ($140), which is a good option to transition from one season to another.

or

Taryn Rose Kaelyn ($445), which is a more warm-weather choice, particularly if you opt for the leafy green color.

I’ve been pairing my trouser jeans with boots for the past few months while the weather’s still been cold. Everything from a 2″/2.5″ heel, sleek sort of boot like the Kenneth Cole Kiss Hello ($110)

to the classic cowboy boot (a good sturdy, comfy way to get a couple inches of height). Mine are Lucchese, similar to the N4540 pictured here, and on sale right now for $263 at Shoes.com.

Also fun would be sticking a pair of Camper Twins under your trouser jeans. Since just the toes will peek out from under the wide legs, I’m all in favor of those toes being interesting and different. I’m all about these Peacock heels ($165), which also come in another color combo that you can get directly from the Camper website.

Pretty much, I’d say almost anything goes. Just stay away from platforms, yes, because the 70s are over. Closed-toe shoes should be fine, as long as there’s something interesting going on with the toe (see above examples: stitching, buttons, open-toe, multi-color appliques). That should keep your inner disco diva confined to her proper place where she can keep you going all night on the dance floor instead of looking like you’re missing your John Travolta.

Ask the Shoebloggers: Bridesmaid Shoes

It’s time again for Ask the Shoebloggers, and this time it’s not shoes for the bride, but for her bridesmaids.

Here are the initial parameters for this, our newest mission (which, of course, we chose to accept):

My best friend is getting married in September and we’re trying to find the perfect bridesmaid shoes—please help! Our dresses will be black, and she’s hoping to find a black shoe with some red and/or yellow on it (the colors of the wedding and bouquets). Our dresses are knee-length, and very 50s style with a wider skirt and fitted top—not too fancy.  Our location is in the U.S., we’d love to keep the price below $75, but could go up to $100 if need be. A mid- to high heel would be great!

With that, our very own Shoesense went on the hunt and came up with a first round of suggestions. First up was the gorgeous, but too pricey (at $270, and that’s on sale at Piperlime down from a full price of over $400!) Sophie by Cynthia Vincent.

Piperlime also has the Nine West Drazly 2 pump in black and red for $80.

From Nordstrom comes the pretty red/black version of the Boutique Nordstrom Melina pump (also $80).

And finally, the all-black Bruno Premi Deja-Vu slingback ($85).

That was our first round of suggestions. Then our bridesmaid-to-be responded with this:

Thank you so much for your help! We took a look at what you suggested and our bride thinks she would prefer to do a solid yellow shoe, and then put a sash on our dresses or a headband in our hair or something. So now we have changed the focus to yellow. I liked the style of the Nine West one you sent, and we really like a few at J. Crew, but they are a bit out of our price range.

The J. Crew styles she particularly liked are the Gwendolyn satin t-straps ($225)

and the Cleo patent leather t-straps ($195) that are so juicily lemon colored I want to make them into footwear lemonade.

And so now I’ve taken up the call for a yellow shoe, the official Shoeblog favorite color of spring, and very hot right now.

The rsvp Daina is a pretty lemony yellow patent leather sandal ($70) with a swooping heel detail I pretty much love.

The Nine West Argent in yellow satin is a pretty good substitute for the J. Crew Gwendolyn’s, but it’s only $64 at Endless instead of over $200. This one also comes in a yellow leather, but the color doesn’t pop nearly so much as it does in satin.

In other Nine West yellow options (of which there are several), there’s the Doverly ($80), which isn’t solid yellow, but might work anyway.

And if you want to go the super-dainty feminine route, there’s the lovely, refined Solelyn ($64).

The Jessica Simpson Chasie slingback ($100) has that same dark heel/yellow combination as the J. Crew Cleo, though with a heel of 4.75″ I can’t imagine dancing the night away in these at the reception.

There’s a new batch of suggestions for our wedding planners. Let’s see if any of them work out.