Well-Heeled

A small shoe-disaster befell me earlier this week. We've gone from summer to (mid) fall very quickly. Sandals are so done. Y'all know that I revamped my summer shoe collection in light of foot miseries that have befallen me in the last year or two.* Well, apparently I haven't updated my fall shoe collection. Because, till Tuesday, I had but one pair of shoes that fits and doesn't cause me pain when walking long distances, and those are ancient Diesel leather sneakers.

Now that I cannot walk distances in shoes with hard bottoms (need padding for my collagen-diminished feet) and heels that are higher than the most conservative of one-inch, I don't even have a pair of fall boots that fit the bill.

This is a problem cuz I go to fancy meetings that require professional attire. And I can't wear sneakers to walk to work with said professional outfits. (That's just wrong.) Sure, I can put on work shoes when I arrive, but I spend half my time walking and I'm not going to do it looking comfortable.

If you think it's bad finding comfortable summer sandals, those which provide chic support, let me assure you that fall shoe-shopping is infinitely worse. Once you can't wear those 2 inch T straps or tall boots with a stacked heel, the options are dreadful. Dreadful. Actually, the options are basically variations on leather runners.

I went to no less than 30 shoe stores on Monday and Tuesday with the aim of finding a truly comfortable, elegant shoe with a bit of elevation (for shape) that will work with pants, skirts and dresses. I don't like black shoes. They're monolithic and they bring everything down. So some sort of neutral (that doesn't jump out) was also one of my requirements. Um, if you're prepared to spend 600 bucks (and I am not inflating this price), my list is achievable. In the 150 - 200 dollar range, I found one pair.

Please allow this to sink in. I found one pair amongst thousands of shoes available in my huge city with 8 shoe stores (of every description) on any given block.

So I bought it.

The brand is German: Remonte. The company makes a bunch of truly hideous shoes, and a few nice ones. This was by far the nicest, if my online research is anything to go by. I got this pair at a store that's so old-school, it doesn't even have a name. As my daughter would say, it's a bit sketch.

I will tell you that they could be slightly softer in the sole (though I am breaking in and I have added a padded insert), and I do wish the small heel didn't propel my foot forward onto my (decreasingly plump and gorgeous) toe base region. But the upper is soft, the line is gorgeous (for pants or skirts) and these shoes produce no chafing of any sort. For a serious walker, these qualities are key. Oh, and given that they're made of leather in 3 neutral colours, this shoe goes with absolutely everything.

So, what do you think? How do you manage to look great while you walk long distances (and I don't think that accepting runners as great-looking footwear counts, sorry :-))? What are the best shoes you've ever had from a style-meets-function perspective? I want to know.

* For what it's worth, the pain I'm experiencing is related to unhappy nerve clusters at the base of my toes. After years of taking my young feet for granted, and walking miles a day in moderate heels, now I must be able to spread my foot wide in every shoe or I experience a dreadful, searing pain. The attainment of natural foot-width is not easily accomplished in a shoe with any height because the nature of a heel is to propel the toes towards the front of the shoe. Furthermore, any shoe with an attractive narrow line at the toe is likely to produce an ergonomic scenario in which the foot has very little room to spread.

On the One Foot...

OK, my new shoes arrived and they are all that.

If possible, they look better in real life than in the photo. I love them, but given that they're AAA narrow (not that my foot is wide), I need to go an extra step. (Ha!)

I should tell you, before purchase, I carefully measured these against my foot so I expected them to fit exactly as they do. In future, on the basis of the 2 pairs of vintage Ferragamos I now own, I'm likely to go to a 39.5 vs my usual Euro size 39. (Note: For new Ferragamos, not sure that would be necessary...) Anyway, these are the slightest bit too narrow. But I have a trick up my sleeve.

TOers, y'all know about Novelty Shoe Repair? They're on Yonge St., in the heart of the central business district, and they've been there for 80 freakin' years. The service is excellent and the workmanship is unsurpassed. Robert is going to stretch them by about half a size - more in width than length (though we all know how one is linked to the other) and I sense then they'll be perfect.

Man, the leather is fine. I'm oddly captivated by these twee little shoes. They're strangely empowering... And just to clarify, I now have my own pair of Ferragamo bow flats (in perfect condition) which, after stretching, shipping, tax and exchange rate (yeah, we've got to start thinking of that again) will have cost me $75.00. They retail at Holt's for about 500 bucks - before tax.

But let's move on to the next shoe-ish thing I have to tell you. And it's not pretty.

I mean, seriously. It's not pretty.

You know how I'm this woman of a certain age and practically everything is, um, out of sorts. Well, apparently, that applies to my feet too. In the last year said feet have lost some of their plumpness (collagen, I suspect) and, given that I walk miles a day, the impact is considerable. I've had a some nerve pain. Nerve pain ain't gonna fly.

People, I've got to start walking in sensible shoes. Lord. Have you ever tried to glance flirtatiously at an attractive guy while wearing ugly footwear? Is it even possible?

So I went to a store with a sensible shoe name and tried on everything. The assistance was laudable. The shoes were depressing.

Eventually I found myself at Cole Haan...

Mercifully, this pair fit and they are reinforced with Nike technology:

Cole Haan Trillby Driver shoes

They feel like runners but they look like rich lady shoes! OK, rich, older lady shoes but you can't have fucking everything... I know they'll look good with trouser jeans and, sock free, with skirts or shorts. I'm choosing to see them as "California-esque".

Sadly, I'm not ruling out the Merrells. And I sense there's a pair of Birkenstocks in my summer. The cute ones. (There are cute ones, right?)

Walking Chic

I was trying to shake off my child-at-camp-parent-free anxiety moment (the one that precedes the irresponsibly fantastic two weeks I'm about to have) so I bought myself a new pair of shoes:

Camper Peu Nara in orange

Though they seem vaguely granola in the photos, let me assure you, they are very sexy and IMMEDIATELY comfortable. The soles are like fluffy clouds! Um, how often do I say this??

I've been looking at Campers for years, but I've never found a pair that was truly comfortable. And, you know, they are too expensive to buy them on a whim. I can tell they will look as great with shorts and dresses/skirts as they do with jeans. The small heel provides a tall illusion and the structure of the sole (and soft leather) make them walkable for hours. The colour is a warm neutral (that's how I see orange) and the shape is strong and modern.

I am totally packing them up for QC - a tremendous endorsement because, if I think I can walk in new shoes on cobblestones for hours a day, then you know they are pleasant.

Does anyone own these? Do tell about your experience...

PS: Yes, I bought them on Canada Day. Balisi on College was open?! And they were on sale from $200.00 to $160.00.

Sss-sassy

This is an utterly mediocre photo of a very sexy shoe:

Geox Roxy Sandal

In fact, though the colour scheme is the same, this may not be the shoe I just bought. (The one I bought is more delicate-seeming, though not slinky.)

You have to trust me when I tell you that it is the perfect neutral - and (I suspect) will be comfortable for 5 mile a day walks. It's got that Respira technology working for it. And the shallow wedge means I get some height without incline - key when you hike in heels.

Though I've bought Geox shoes for my daughter, I've never purchased any for myself. I'd love to know your experiences, if you own this brand. Are they comfy? Do they work well for distance walking?

PS: In case you're wondering how I've managed to buy a new hat and sandals in the last couple of days, given the ban, pls. note that I consider these core purchases. I actually need both!

If only I could say the same for sexy undies :-)

Oh, These Are Good...

Photo taken by Craig at Altamira

And Then I Bought Some Hot Shoes...

...which somehow manage to be even more comfortable than the "comfortable" ones.

Behold: They're this chic metallic colour (thanks Mardel for corrupting me!). They're the perfect height for walking up and down and up and down etc. Mont Royal. No "back" of the shoe means no achilles blisters. But they stay on because of the velcro ankle strap. Also, they allow my foot to be as wide and stretched as it wants to be. Good sandals. PS They were on sale at B2 for $120.00 plus tax.

PPS: According to my phone-cum-camera-cum-pedometer, I walked 23000 steps on Saturday (egad!) and at least 10000 happened in this sandal - 2nd wearing. It's outrageous, I know.

Has It Really Come to This?

So, if my biggest problem in life is that I so want to look hot in shoes but for my mental health I need to walk 5 miles daily (or something gives), then you can cry for me and we'll leave it at that.

Thing is, when something gives, it can't be my arches - ok? Which is where these come in:
Admittedly, they look more pedestrian here (ha!) than they do on my feet - which they fit perfectly. The leather is super soft and the sole flexible and the strap easy-on/easy-off and when it's 35 celsius in about 2 months and my feet grow a size while walking, I'm going to be so glad I got these instead of the sexy, chic ecru heels that look kind of architectural and go with everything in my entire wardrobe.

But right now I feel kind of like a sell out.

PS: Imagine them with short shorts and short skirts.

PPS: If you can find some way to make me feel like these are actually hip and happening, I will send you a gift.

Designer Jellies

In case you're looking to buy some of those Vivienne Westwood plastic shoes, it looks like Balisi on College is selling the whole collection. I'm intrigued to note how affordable they are for Westwood shoes (the ones shown here are about $150.00 and the flats, not shown, are $69.00).

Intriguingly, in the space of 5 minutes, no fewer than 3 stylish women walked in the store, excitedly picked them up, and then opined loudly to anyone within earshot, "Wow, these would really make your feet sweat, don't you think?"

In truth, that's the only reason I won't chance them. Well, that, and the fact that I'm secretly afraid they are a perfect environment for causing the worst friction blisters ever. Not that jellies are high on my list of must-haves. These are just so elegant.

Do let me know if you take the risk.

Just A Little Something from Brasil!

Remember Sal's fabulous Shoe Swap? (I know, it was a while ago.) Well, I was fortunate to be partnered up with a delightful illustrator from Brazil, of all exotic locales! Now, in the interests of protecting her privacy, I won't disclose her name. (Update: Janaina says I can tell you who she is and how to find out more about her: janainatokitaka.carbonmade.com.) But when she gets famous for her amazing work, I will have the signed sketch to show for it:


(I suppose it would be a good time to disclose that I've shot these photos myself - usually my husband does the artwork - so I apologize to everyone for their relative crappiness. They don't do these illustrations justice...)

Now, hold on, I am getting to shoes. First though, please view photo from a book illustrated by J (my illustrious swapee), which she also sent to me:


Of course it came with the most adorable card:


(Which reminds me of Snow White, for some reason.)

And, finalement, the reveal:


Are these not the cutest spring shoes for walking hither and yon? I cannot wait until the seasons switch around and I can style these with some spring/summer outfits!

Thanks, J, for all of your lovely gifts!

You Can Actually Walk in These...

That day when M and I went to get the Webkinz, I just happened upon these. Which is to say, I was walking by the Aldo in Dufferin Mall (hardly the choicest location - but definitely the cheapest) and they called to me from the window. These shoes are a really lovely, soft rich leather and the style is just retro enough, just modern enough to work with practically everything. Turns out I got the last size 9 in this colour. Rather strangely, while I was trying them, 3 other women asked for the very same size and shade. They all gave me hate looks as I said I'd take 'em. The best: They were $70.00. Very well-priced for such a wearable shoe.

As I'm Not Getting Any Younger

I'd better work this look now. Like tonight.

(In skin tight, plastic-y leggings, shadow is your friend...)

Maybe If I Dress Like This...

Someone will take me out for a special birthday dinner...

Dilemma of the Modern Professional

And if I can tear myself from admiring those, soft-as-butter mesmerising chausseurs, maybe I'll actually make it to work for that 9:00 a.m. briefing...

OK, You Know A Shoe Is Good...

When you are compelled to bend down, a la Rumi from Fashion Toast, and pet it:

It's "OMG, I Love these Shoes" Theme Week

Ed. Note: How strange and fitting that I wrote this week of posts about a pair of new YSL shoes that blow my mind. M. St. Laurent: Thanks for your gorgeous canon of work! Rest easy in that Rive Gauche in the sky...

So...

Welcome to K does the same pair of shoes in 83 (or so) gratuitous poses. (But thankfully - or painfully, depending on how much you like this idea - it'll all be spread out over the course of the week.)

First, meet our star, the shoes:

In case you're not looking at the goldy, special inside: they are YSL. Vintage. Taupe suede - including the heel. Which is 3 inches and stacked. But like no other stacked heel I've ever seen. I got them at Apt. 909. They cost $80.00. Yes, I know, a fortune for someone else's antique footwear, but they are scarcely worn and they're YSL, man.

Then meet the shoes on the feet attached to the girl:

Do they not scream, "I'm sorry, I'd love to chat more but the car's out front and I do need to get to the opening before insert name of preferred NY philanthropist socialite here starts serving dinner. My boyfriend (subtext: filthy rich, adventuresome, well-dressed and even more well-endowed) will been so worried about me by now."?

Don't you want to see them paired with everything from shorts to tight skirts to short skirts to latex leggings and lady shifts? Good. It's settled then. Meet me back here tomorrow for the next installment.

Love, Tastefully Shod in Toronto* xo

(*Doesn't that sound kinda dirty?)

Here's Something I've Never Done Before...

A couple of weeks ago I saw these vintage shoes on the Headquarters Galerie + Boutique blog:




They were instantaneously appealing in their kitteny / cutout goodness. So I emailed to learn about their size - imagining they'd be too small. Um, hello, they were an 8.5 (just right on paper!) and they were $20.00. So I called them, bought them over the phone and I'll pick them up in July when I visit Mtl!

Kind of crazy I realize. Like I need another pair of shoes. Like I, a person who's only ever bought bags online (for others, I might add), should buy something as finicky as shoes, all but sight unseen.

Call it research. Having read Susie's post about the fantasticness of Angie's handmade dress (she's co-owner of this Mtl. boutique), I was all the more motivated to give this grand experiment a go. Can't wait to show you what they look like on my feet...

On the Other Foot

In the event that you either just started reading this blog or you really don't pick up on nuance, allow me to disclose that I am rather vain. In particular, I am vain about my legs. But legs, as you know, end up at feet, and I (former yoga teacher and long-time practitioner) have worked very consciously with these feet, lo these many years, to forge a relationship based on balance and proportion. Not to mention that lovely feet are a thing that runs in my family.

Indeed, I'm not simply telling you this to highlight the fact that I am high on myself. What, I ask, would be the fun in that? And y'all are smart enough to sense that, ahem, the other shoe's about to drop.

Why Fashion Goddess, is vanity rewarded with zits and bad hair days and, yikes, a potentially emerging bunion? You heard it here first, peeps. I appear to have developed an (albeit very small), bony protruberance that shoots numbness and pain sparks at the slightest, lightest touch. It's on the top of my large toe metatarsal joint. Now, admittedly, I'm one of those "internet medical site surfers" that doctors seem to treat with such derision. But, it's not the first time I've ever seen something like this and the sites do tell it like it is, non? (Note to reader: I have a doctor's appointment scheduled for next week to look into this further.)

Can you believe I'm discussing this in polite company? I so hope that no gorgeous guys are reading this right now.

Let's be honest: Whatever it is, it's been a long time coming. Between my recently sporadic practice of standing poses (the ones that are so good for your feet), advancing age - egads!!! - and a walking habit that borders on compulsive (look, it keeps me sane), I am apparently a candidate.

So, having taught many a gorgeous yogini with less-than-perfect feet, I'm going to start applying the tricks of the trade to my own little tootsies. And, not that my footwear was ever ridiculous for walking, but I'm wearing Nikes to get to work for the next week or so. (They're the walking shoes with the velcro - not hideous, I swear). And I'm going to start getting biweekly acupuncture on the area - I am a staunch believer in acupuncture, which I get regularly anyway. Oh, and I'm going to buy those little toe separators to realign the bone. And yesterday I went out and got - have I no shame? - bunion bandaids, just to shield the area from friction.

Why am I telling you this, aside from the fact that I'm an intrepid reporter who doesn't sugar coat the bad stuff? In light of the fact that I imagine your average twentysomething reader with still-perfect feet couldn't ever even vaguely find this interesting? (She's moved on, I realize.) Well it's cuz I need your input.

Has anybody got bony, podiac protruberances of their own? And, if yes, what have you done about them? How do you continue to walk 5 miles a day (because that's not going to stop) and wear cute shoes (not crazy heels with narrow toe boxes, just fashionable reasonably flat shoes) while catering to "the issue"?

Any and all feedback would be so appreciated. Or pity would work too.

Ed. Update: Went to a chiropodist for a consult today and was told that it is not a bunion, but perhaps a preliminary manifestation of osteoarthritis. The bone protrusion is not in my mind. Neither is my intuition that this is something to take seriously. Xrays and, potentially, orthotics to follow. I'll keep you posted...

Animal, Vegetable, Mineral

For a few good years in my 20s, I was a card-carrying vegetarian.

Then I got pregnant and started eating 20 ounces of rare steak every evening.

And chicken. And lambchops. And bacon.

Oh, and I wear fur.

Nonetheless, some of my best friends are vegetarian. (Well, really, I know some people who used to be vegetarians who have since succumbed to hot dogs, but they feel a bit conflicted.) And for this subset of my social group, I offer up Cri de Coeur an "ethically produced" line of footwear "made by hand as much as possible in Europe". (Ah, when iffy grammar happens to do-good designers.)

All very clean and wearable, by the looks of it, if somewhat derivative. But are they, in all of their leather-free glory, worth $200.00-odd a pair?

Something's Afoot

And, for once, I didn't buy it...

During Spring Shoe theme week, a while back, I alluded to a fun shopping moment I had with my friend Jennifer. She is a most delicate creature - petite with fine bones and tiny little feet. You might imagine that such podalic refinedness would be desirable. However, you wouldn't be the gal who searches high and low for walkable, wearable, office appropriate and or other shoe styles that come in your size.

Take it from her - and I've shoe shopped many times with J over the years - it is no fun having feet that are smaller than a 6. Especially since a size 6 today is more like a size 7 was 10 - 15 years ago. You know, it's vanity sizing?!

Cut to two, post-lunch window shoppers who drop into 9West, just to look at a red gladiator one ordered in on a whim the week before. While said gladiatress was admiring a sandal she was destined to purchase, Jennifer spied - of all great things - 9West Kids. This was comprised of about 6 pairs of shoes in "child sizing", the largest of which was considerably bigger than a women's 5 and a half. Guess who walked out with two adorable styles (btw, not childlike enough for actual children, IMO): one plum mary jane and one black patent wedge sandle with a peekaboo toe.

The moral of the story? If you are a delicate flower, get thee to a 9West and see if you get lucky.

It's the Last Shoe For A While (I Promise)

Jobilyn sandal, 9West
So?