To Heel or Not to Heel?
Friday, July 27, 2007
I was recently interviewed by The Hill’s Betsy Rothstein for an article published yesterday on women’s footwear options. The question: heels or flats?
Read the article here.
As I said in the article, I love and hate heels all at once. I’ve found a happy medium to be a wedge shoe, which provides height without sacrificing comfort. I find curvy, more feminine styles as opposed to chunky ones most flattering—there’s already a lot of shoe going on. You wouldn’t want to look like you have a brick attached to your foot.
For a while there, I swore off heels completely. However, once I realized that height wasn’t really the problem but rather the construction of the heel, I was a believer once again. Well-made shoes can really be an epiphany for heels, and well-made does not necessarily have to mean expensive. I love stacked heels and conical shapes have a retro vibe. They’re all over the retail stores, but you could easily look in vintage and consignment shops. Skinny heels often look too dainty for everyday outfits, and if you’re like me, you wear out the heel tips in less than five wearings and sound like a tap-dancer until you can get them replaced….only to start the process all over again.
Hillrats needn’t be afraid of color or of showing toes, says an anonymous PB spy, who saw Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-Minn.) wearing “the cutest open-toe green heels the other day…lime and kelly-green, maybe two-inch heels.” They should just steer clear of what the anonymous Hillgoer called stripper heels: “never okay.”
So without further ado, some summer & fall options that provide height and support while staying Hill-appropriate:
Coclico “Funky Dip Side” Suede Pump, $260, shopbop.com
Cynthia Vincent “safari Pump,” $408, Wild Women Wear Red **
Steven “Vykie” peep-toe pump, $99, macy*s
Beatrix Ong “Ammi” wedge, $420, shopbop.com
…and a local splurgey pair from Stella McCartney, $595, at Hu’s Shoes
**THIS SUNDAY, 11-2: Nana and Wild Women Wear Red are hosting a Savvy Shopper Brunch:
The first 15 “Savvy Shoppers” to arrive will receive a free compilation CD of legendary jazz standards, featuring Nina Simone, Amy Winehouse, Etta James, Betty Carter & Alice Coltrane. Enjoy food, cocktails & heavy discounts at both shops. To top it all off, one lucky lady will win a treasure chest filled with accessories and clothing from both stores. What’s another name for pirate treasure?…..booty yall!
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Um are you deliberately ripping off A Serious Job Is No Excuse and hoping no one will notice? Or is this an homage?
Because this is a new thing for you and it\’s her old thing and it makes me wonder.
I guess next you\’ll be taking pictures of hipsters like BYT. Oh wait, too late.
Wow, someone had the same thought as I did when I saw this post. Not that Johanna has a monopoly on fashion blog posting or whatever but it was sort of conspicuous when you didn’t give her a link when you posted her picture a few weeks back. It’s weird how you can be the most shameless promoter out there but not when it comes to http://www.aseriousjobisnoexcuse.com. Threatened perhaps?
…SERiously guys?!
Also A Fan, the picture I took of Johanna several weeks back WAS linked. I’m not really sure how I’m a “shameless promoter.” AAF, you seem to be saying that I do this by providing links to other sites (but excluding Johanna, which I actually didn’t…). If this was your point, wouldn’t that, in fact, be generous of me? And if you mean that I toot my own horn, well why *wouldn’t* I post links to articles that have quoted me on my own blog?
I wasn’t aware that anyone had exclusive rights to grabbing product images from the internet and talking about them. If so, then you both have beef with like, a zillion fashion/style bloggers. You’re right, I don’t typically pull images from the internet because I try to keep this blog as local as possible, and most (though not all, as in the case of Wild Women Wear Red and Hu’s Shoes) of the boutiques & designers here don’t have either the money/time or kind of inventory to warrant placing their products online. My reason for listing shoe options in the manner I did was to provide some style guidance to the readers of the Hill article. I find articles that stress appropriateness to an exhaustive degree without providing any sort of guidance to be frustrating; it seemed like an obvious step to take and a fun way to expand on the piece.
Because, you know, fashion and style is fun. Remember FUN?
So, no, I wasn’t trying to rip off Johanna. Nor was I hoping to steal her boyfriend, copy her outfit, or leave her out of the senior prom decorating committee. I know it may be hard to understand, but I too am a fan of Johanna and A Serious Job is No Excuse. There’s no need for catty competition, and I’m bummed that you assume that to be the only possibility. I’m sure she and I will have a lively discussion about this topic the next time we grab lunch, which we’ve done several times.
As I said here, the site’s focus is in flux and I plan on changing things as I go. I can understand how that might be frustrating, but I’ve never been the kind of person who “has it all figured out” from the beginning. This is a creative outlet concerning a creative topic, so maybe that’ll mean writing the occasional “fashiony” post like the one that drew FBR’s attention. Maybe not.
I don’t know what it is about clothes that gets people so riled up. And why the need to compartmentalize, fashion blog reader? Only one Web site per city is allowed to take pictures of “hipsters” (or preppy people, black people, socialites, insert label here…)? Life doesn’t work that way, fashion doesn’t work that way, and I certainly don’t work that way….so this blog isn’t going to work that way.
I think I’ve always been pretty clear about the fact that this site is inclusive of all kinds of styles. I wasn’t part of what was called the “prep squad” in my high school, nor was I a “hippie” or a “jock” or a “redneck.” I was friends with a bunch of different people. When it comes to fashion, I’m inspired by different looks, so yeah–you’ll see hipsters, K-Streeters, preps, punks, church ladies, tourists. I don’t feel any sort of urge or need to compartmentalize or limit this blog, and if you were really and truly interested in fashion, I don’t think you would either, FBR.
Rachel you do a great job and I couldn’t agree more with what you said. I also love Jo’s site as well and I think the blog world can handle a few fashion sites with no problem………
Some of us are merely clutzy and would prefer to wear shoes that allow us to be closer to ground level. I’ve sprained my ankles twice now in tippy-tall heels. As lovely as heels are, I’m a flats convert.
I’m too stumpy for round-toes and too klutzy for heels — wedges are perfect. I just bought a pair in black patent with pointy toes and a stacked leather wedge that looks kind of like wood.
Rachel — please disregard the haters. Those girls are so catty!
Good job on this…the shoes you picked out are awesome too. and, p.s. so much better than that other blog.
Hey Pretty,
Ohhhh yeah don’t get me wrong–I do actually wear flats most of the time. I walk to and from work, am tough on shoes in general, and honestly just hate having to think about my shoes while I’m walking (avoiding grates, balancing on those bumps on wheelchair ramps, & cracks in sidewalks are all problematic in heels…).
I have a friend who’s convinced that purses and uncomfortable shoes are keeping women down. Especially on those rare occasions that I step out without a bag (which is usually oversize and heavy), I definitely see her point!
DC is full of smart & influential women, and smart women should wear shoes that allow them to be powerful, fashionable and comfortable all at once! Can I get a witness?! ( :
Anyone have favorite heels/wedges-that-are-comfortable brands to share? I don’t hear of many men sacrificing comfort in the name of footwear, but guys feel free to pitch in about your favorite stylish-and-comfortable brands.
I have a pair of Enzo Angiolini stacked-heel sandals that are ridiculously comfortable. I could walk miles in these things, and the heels are easily 3-4 inches.
I really like both Naturalizer and Aerosoles. Although they both have a reputation for being a little dowdy, I think they’ve each come out with really cute designs in the past few years. My biggest problem with heels in DC is cobblestones and bricks, as well as those stupid sidewalk grates. I can keep up with guys when I’m walking around usually but not in heels on cobblestones, bricks or grates!
Kitten Heels are not and were not EVER in fashion. You idiots were duped. Please just stop the madness.