Oh, The Horror

I involuntarily shuddered when I first saw this sock/sandal travesty. Usually when Kyle Mammarella sends me something it has to do with housewife trivia, Dolly Parton, or an old Senor Frog’s memory—but the fitness buff (he runs a mean marathon) sent me this mess collaboration with Grey Ant. Maybe he was researching what to wear in Nene’s next high heel race. The race essentially taught battered women to run away from abusive men in while wearing heels. This is a separate discussion all in itself.

Of course the photo above may cause you to question the world in which we live, not just because of the socks—those are just an added bonus. However, may I ask you to look at the photo below: If I HAD to do yard work, maybe this wouldn’t be the worst choice. I mean, first off you wouldn’t give a shit if you got these things muddy, but also that heel might just dig deep and give you more stability than a flat shoe would. Just call me the eternal optimist for finding a light at the end of this Teva travesty tunnel.

Taking a Tumble

I think I merely escaped a broken ankle today both caused by and due to the striped pony hair Manolo boots. They are a bit too high for me but I wear them anyway. I just didn’t expect the rain today so they got a little bit wet but thankfully there are no water stains. The rain however, didn’t quite cause the fall.

I actually don’t know how it happened. I just know one second I was at my desk saying goodbye the Genevieve from Factory PR who came to show me the new t-shirt line from Bambu, and the next minute my heel got caught on the back of my chair and I suffered a great tumble, in front of about six people. Like, a full to the ground fall where I couldn’t even catch myself. However, the boots are quite thick so when I think I could have completely rolled my ankle they actually acted as a brace and kept the bone from cracking. Fashion is dangerous—recall when dropping the September VOGUE cause a broken toe? I do.  

Anyhow, we are between seasons now as far as what we are shooting in the office so sadly I haven’t had any new shoes to play with. I can hear the fashion assistants calling in some Spring looks in the distance though so I expect by later this week I will have some new toys. In the meantime, this is the new Louis Vuitton ad that I am OBSESSED with. Saw it first in Miami in the new Ocean Drive and I think that these boots were made for me. They are at the top of my Christmas list, just in case I’ve been a good girl this year. 

Stuff It!

This Christmas stocking made me squeal with holiday joy! If there was anything that blasted me into the Christmas spirit, it was this stocking, compliments of Grandma Marie Horan. I now have a stiletto stocking to hang over my mantle—ok, we don’t have a mantle but we DO have a multi-colored fiber optic Christmas tree that we decorate with disco ball ornaments so it’s proped up against that right now. While most people run out to get a gigantic real pine tree for their homes, Kenny and I actually find great joy in this psychedelic light show and both agree that we are keeping it forever.

This pointy toe stiletto is just the best Christmas decoration I’ve ever seen and I am now fully prepared to Deck the Halls, Jingle Bells, and Wish You a Merry Christmas all month long! 

I LOVE Emily!

I think Emily loved shoes before I did. She is the first person I ever shopped with at Prada and watched pay retail for an amazing pair of shoes that are still one of the most fantastic pairs I’ve ever seen. Since then I’ve watched her buy more Prada shoes, and Prada bags, and many in other fabulous brands as well.

The last time we were in Las Vegas she made a spur of the moment purchase of Georgina Goodman hot pink and black platform sandals. Not everyone makes an expensive, spontaneous, hot pink purchase at night on the way to the club—but she is fabulously impulsive when it comes to shoe shopping and that is one of the many reasons we love her. Today she showed me this pair of LOVE shoes by the same designer as the Vegas pair. I love a shoe that actually spells a word, and how fun are the sparkles and the striped bottom on the sole? They are so lovable and make me happy! Perhaps when we go to Vegas for my bachelorette party this year we can go to the same store and she can pick them up (it was right outside of the entrance of the XS club at the Wynn Encore if anyone’s in the area and wants to buy them up for her.) LOVE! 

Larkin’s Louboutins

Look at these! These were the fabulous find by my girl Lauren Larkin who went to the Christian Louboutin sale! She got there at 7 a.m. and STILL had to wait three hours! But I’d say that getting these light grey suede sky-high booties at a very reduced price was WAY worth it! Best part about these is that she can wear them now, and into the spring, but if she wants to dye them and change up the color for next fall, it will be like a brand new pair of shoes all over again! Well done, my dear! I love a tall gal in tall shoes! When I get back I’ll wear my highest shoes and we’ll go out together and see what happens (hopefully no one falls).

I’m back to being rested after a relaxing day at the Mandarin Oriental in Brickell Key yesterday. Had some great wines and an amazing dinner at Azul, and during the day did a lot of writing and blogging and editing. Hitting a yoga class this morning, which I’m following up with a Thai Compress Herbal Ritual at the spa which is supposed to use oils and herbs to release all sorts of muscle tension. The arches of my feel need some serious attention. 

Clearly Delirious

Where am I? What time is it? Is it 10 a.m. or 10 p.m.? Overall, I’m not really sure. Sorry for my lack of Shoe of the Day posts, but Monday evening I flew to Spain for the Mango runway show, and did a lot of press interviews for it and honestly never once was near a computer. I also never changed my shoes and my Fendi boots that I’ve showed you before held up well on the way there (through security…yes I required the hand of a fine young TSA gentleman to steady my balance). They took me from daytime Mango business wear right into the evening with my new Mango dress, walking around the city, for a nice lunch, to the runway show and all through the night to the party where Madonna’s boy toy Jesus Luz DJ’ed. The shoes on the Mango runway show were full of color though and I’m excited for them to go on sale this spring. I put a few runway shots below.

So here I am now in Miami with these Lucite and silver beauties. I have a TON of work to get done for CITY (next issue is being shipped on Tuesday) and I thought of no better place to write, edit, and work from the beach. I’m staying at the Mandarin Oriental for the property’s 10^th anniversary party on Friday night, but other than the event, my schedule is light and I will be working in the sun, getting a tan, and enjoying a few cocktails. And while I do so, I will be wearing these adorable heels—another buy from the Stuart Weitzman sample sale a few weeks ago. I thought that I’d have to wait until summer to wear them, but Miami style and weather is like summer year-round so I brought them on the trip with me. Other than these, I hope my footwear is limited to spa flip-flops and hotel slippers for the weekend.

Walk a mile in Kari Keohane's shoes...

Below is a post from my dear friend Kari's blog, http://thisbird.tumblr.com.

My good friend Renee just started a blog about the Shoe of The Day. It’s amazing! You should probably read it if you have the same love of shoes as she does. She is an amazing writer and also super fashionable. Why she is friends with my bum self is still a mystery. Probably my bubbly upbeat personality. Anyway back to shoes. Maybe she can do a special shoe post for me about my kinda shoe of the day:

My total lack of fashion sense living in one of the fashion capitals came to fruition this past weekend when on a bachelorette party weekend in Atlantic City. Yup, we took a stretch limo to a club. A club? Yes, a club. Chucks are NOT acceptable attire at clubs. Needless to say, my clubbing outfit was amazing and went well with me sitting outside the club on the deck most of the night due to fear of having a strobe light induced seizure. 

Regularly Reflective

This is all I’ve got today, kids. A pair of navy blue KEDS propped up on my desk. Someone decided to be a hero last night at the Village Pourhouse Opening in Hoboken and do shots of Vision Vodka, which is likely the worse vodka on earth. I’m actually quite impressed that I was even able to make it to work. I was so excited to wear the new Manolo boots out that I had to celebrate them.

Today is actually the three-year anniversary of me leaving work at R. Couri Hay’s crazytown office and about to begin my new job at CITY. Couri was quite possibly the most difficult person to work for…yet however many tears I may have shed at that office and however many nights I went without sleep because I had to go right from an event to the office, it resulted in some of the most amazing friends I have. I can’t believe it’s been three years since we all worked together. But I’m happy to say that we all see each other all the time and talk daily and that makes me happy.

So no good shoes to show you today…just a regular Friday in regular clothes will be spent tying up some loose ends at work before leaving for Madrid on Monday for the MANGO runway show. Actually wait...a few awesome pairs just arrived on my desk. My ankles are sore so I'm not going to wear them, just look at them...These are from DKNY...kind of a cross between a black leather pump and a boot with lace detail. Ok...I can't resist...I'm putting these on...

Manolo Catharsis

I laughed. I cried. There was anger and fear. I made it through the Manolo Blahnik sample sale and it wasn’t without pain. One broken camera (the reason for the horrible photo today), a pair of ripped stockings, and a sore ankle later I emerged with the most beautiful pair of light brown pony hair/dark leather brown boots I have ever seen. They fit my legs, the have a beautifully skinny and high heel and side clasps, and the look amazing both with a skirt and over jeans. Mr. Andre Leon Talley himself lent me a hand as I slipped my foot into the boot and explained, “Ohhh you MUST buy those.” It was kind of like God showing me the way, if God were a large black bitchy, yet, fashionable man. It was a cash-only sale and I didn’t exactly plan on finding pony hair boots when I entered so I had to convince a really cute sales girl to hide them for me as I sprinted across Seventh Avenue to go back to the ATM. (I expect CHASE to be calling me any minute now letting me know that someone has stolen my ATM card and is withdrawling large sums of money from different ATM’s around the city. If they don’t call me, then I’m going to call them and tell them that they really need to provide better security.

Still, as I know that the retail price of these is in the thousands, I’m pretty sure I saved no less than 80 percents off the original cost…but I have no idea how to do percentages and only passed math in college because my teacher was old and I was nice to him…and I may or may not have cried to him after the final and BEGGED for a C-minus.

It was a hectic morning, and I am sore, hungry, and exhausted. But it was worth it, and I look forward to the next one. After the sale I visited fashion designer Christian Siriano in his studio where he screamed over the boots. I knew my decision was a good one. 

Next week is the Louboutin sale and will be in Madrid so I have nominated my dearest Lauren Larkin to go in my place and report back to me. I wish her luck, health, safety, and heels. 

Toe Pick

It’s rare that I go anywhere else in Manhattan but Soho anymore. It’s where my office is, where I meet up with friends, where I shop…everything. But once in a while you have to go explore other areas in the city and as most city-dwellers know, you are always pleasantly surprised. Despite the cooler weather I hadn’t realized that the holiday season is nearly upon us until I walked through Bryant Park today. To my delight and surprise I saw that the ice rink was up and some early birds were toe-looping and triple axeling and skating away! I was so happy I stopped to take some photos and although I didn’t get any up-close shots of ice skates, I thought that a perfect Shoe of The Day would be this silhouette of a skate that provides the artwork surrounding the rink this season. I had never skated in the city until last year for my fabulous friend Olivia’s birthday. I am still so happy that she decided to have a skating party because it was a reason to go and was such a lovely time! 

Shoe Wars!

There’s nothing quite like the rush of a shoe sample sale. And thanks to the fact that media often gets treated like gold in NYC, I get the pleasure of getting a lot of invites to explore the sales before everyone else. Today was Stuart Weitzman, who I think is hit or miss on a lot of his styles— but you can’t go wrong when pairs are going for $40 a pop. This morning I ventured to the company’s corporate offices on 57^th St. and picked up this pair of red and pink snakeskin platforms. Who doesn’t’ need a pair of colorful snakeskin shoes? No one I am friends with. I also snatched up a pair of silver and Lucite heels but we’ll want for summer before bringing those out.

Luckily the sale wasn’t too crowded when I went in so I was able to gently sift through the size nines with ease. Some precautions I take before heading into a sale is to be sure to wear flats that you can easily slip on and off so you can try on the maximum amount of pairs as quickly a possible. Don’t have a lot of things with you since these sales often take place in close quarters, and most of all, always be sure to bring checks, cash, and credit cards because the sales are often very limited in what kind of payment they will take.

So Stuart was a success! I was actually surprised that they were only $40 a pair. Most often the Louboutin,  Choo and Manolo Sales are still charging about $200 (but still a steal relatively). These shoes will come in just perfectly as the holidays approach because nothing dresses up an old black dress like a red festive pair of sky high pumps. 

Tom Cat

TOMS Shoes—the loving brand that gives one pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair they sell— unveiled their spring collection of canvas wears yesterday. I met with the company's creator and designer Blake Mycoskie in the afternoon and he told me all about the new line that was inspired but the life of Dan Eldon, a young man who was a Reuter's photographer who was tragically killed a few years ago in Africa. Eldon kept journals and took amazing photos of the African landscape and after he passed his parents published a book of his adventures. Blake came across the book in a store and contacted his family, who were happy to grant Mycoskie permission to use his travels and life as inspiration for the new collection. My particular favorites were these pair of darling elephants, which are as meaningful as they are cute. For those less daring with their footwear, some safari inspired prints on both the boot cut and TOMS Classics look go a long way too. 

Sweet Tooth

Always happy to be back in NYC! The highlight of my day was visiting my dear Susan Rutenberg who heads up the PR department at Furla. Over the past few months she has really helped introduce me to the brand, and the luxury details and color combinations on their leather bags have blown me away. For spring, the company is going wild with florescent bags its candy collection, which are as adorable as they are edgy. Not to brag, but I had quite the collection of jelly shoes when I was a young girl, and the shoes that are a part of this collection really remind me of those—though they are not made of plastic and are way more luxe. Look how fun! Already so excited for spring...

Below are a few more pairs from the Candy collection. Looking at these makes me want to finish up this leftover Halloween candy right away! 

Party Pumps

Were all been there—you finally debut your new Choo’s on a fun night out, and some over served fool spills a drink on the shoes that you spent your entire paycheck on. But as much as you want to freak out, you remember that these things happen, that it was likely an accident, and that gravity always wins. If you want to rock out in some hot shoes on a night where you know the club is going to be crowded, try out this inexpensive line Costa Blanca, which has colors to really dress up that little black dress. I saw these at the Red Light PR press preview last week and snapped a quick picture. Hoping to borrow a pair from them soon. Especially these pink ones. Save the Louboutins for New Years, cocktails parties and high priced ticket gala where the crowd is more aware of luxury shows, and bring these out for 1Oak on a Thursday. 

On The Fringe

I’m really not a fan of brown leather fringe—or any fringe for that matter. But being out west for nearly a week now, I’m kind of getting into that laid back cowboys and Indians vide. Usually it’s just not a trend that I really embrace whether it’s on shoes, bags or jackets. I think it’s too many years of dressing up for Halloween as Pocahontas which makes it feel too costume-y to me. However, these American Eagle fringe sandals aren’t that bad. If I’m going to try out these tassels on my toes they at better at least be low priced jut in case they only get a few wears. Cute for some summer days, or an outdoor festival, or chasing a tumbleweed in the wild, wild west…