Jimmy Choo and Cameron have (already) stolen my heart.

Hello!!

Life has been treating me wonderfully since the last post- I made a "major life decision" that may affect my shoe budget.... I'm getting a puppy!!!!

Cream long hair miniature dachshunds are equal on my love list to shoes and I am finally in the position to be able to own one.  The puppies are due in August and I will be getting a male in October.  I'm going to name him Cameron because my favorite movie is Ferris Bueller's Day Off and my last dog's name was Bueller.  Now I will have Bueller's best friend! (and mine too!) Here are pics of me and the mom, who is pregnant now.  I am so excited!!

Now for shoes-  I need to talk about two pairs of fabulous shoes that I am blessed to own.  It may sound silly but I am so glad to have these shoes in my life- if I didn't have them I don't know WHAT I would wear to work most days.

I'm talking about my Jimmy Choo Mary Jane's.  Simply put,  I adore them.  Take a peek:

Brand New-  Here they are from Saks, where I got them.  The nude are no longer available, but I'm sure similar styles will come out soon.

I apologize for them being a little worn in, but I wear the nude ones on average 3 times a week.  I love these shoes for multiple reasons- reasons that go far behind the name.  The design of these shoes are perfect for work- they're attractive and fabulous but not too sexy.  (I don't want that at work.)  They are also extraordinarily comfortable.  I can wear the shoes for 8 hours and although my arch will be sore (what heels won't do that?) there are no areas that rub.  Surprisingly enough they didn't rub when brand new either.

When thinking about why these shoes are comfortable I am drawn first to the heel height.  The heel is 4 1/4 inches on both pairs - a height I define as perfect.  They are just high enough to be beautiful but the arch isn't painful and hard to walk in.

Comfortability also has a lot to do with the material a shoe is made of - which to many people is a "duh" statement but I find when people are complaining about their shoes a lot of it comes down to the material that is rubbing against their feet.  The Jimmy Choo's that I own are made out of leather- the lining and the sole.  The leather is wonderful- it is comfortable and conforms to the foot after a few wears like a baseball glove.  If you look at the above pictures you will notice two pairs, slightly different.  The nude pair is patent which is a leather given a a permanent polish finish.  While patent looks amazing it is a bit less comfortable than leather without the polish finish.

All in all the heels are fabulous and I'll be looking for more pairs similar to these.  For now, here are some pairs that I believe would feel/fit similarly.

Vince Camuto- These are a bit different because they have the chunky heel, however it is still a 4 inch height.  The material is a leather outer, but a synthetic lining, which is alright, but leather is always more comfortable.  (However there is a price tag that comes with it!)

Valentino- I am salivating over these.  I need these!!!!! Found them for this post and now I've found my next purchase.  (I wish.)  4 3/4 height heel and made out of leather.  YUM!


I'll look for a few more when I have more time and post some in the comments section.  

Next week I'm going on vacation to Miami and can't wait to see fabulous pairs of shoes on everyone and to debut a pair of my own...Brian Atwood!  When I get back I will analyze them... Hope they don't murder my feet!

The First Step

Hello!  


I'm about to begin a new adventure- writing about my love (and sometimes hate) of shoes! I'm new to blogging so bear with me as I figure this out.  

I'll introduce myself first because if there is a right time to do it I guess it would be the first post.  My name is Amanda.  Currently I am a senior in college at the University of Wisconsin- Whitewater majoring in marketing and will graduate in December.  This summer I am interning in the financial services industry (my second summer doing this!) and work in marketing segmentation.  I travel quite a bit because I live in a couple of cities- I am from Appleton, WI, go to school in Whitewater, WI, and currently live in San Antonio, TX .  I am hoping to move to San Antonio after graduation.  My boyfriend, Erik, is from San Antonio and works at the same company as I do.  I enjoy going out to eat, experimenting in Erik's kitchen, wine tasting, working, traveling, and shopping for shoes.  (Lots of other stuff too, I just don't want to bore you.) 


I'm starting a blog because someone once told me that if I love something enough to try to make a career out of it then I should start by blogging about it.  Well, my number one hobby/passion/obsession is shoes.  I prefer stilettos because of the elegance and sex appeal that they immediately bring to the foot and leg when worn.   I don't know any woman who can say they DON'T feel fabulous in a pair of heels, and I can't think of anything better than feeling fabulous.  


Although I know that women might not disagree with wanting to feel fabulous I do know that woman can say  "Sure, I feel beautiful in heels, but my feet hurt like hell!" 


 What do we make of this?  


Is it "ok" that the article of clothing that makes us feel the sexiest also has the capability to make us feel the worst?  I don't think so.  


I also don't think that it is "ok" that women collectively accept that shoes will hurt.  Really?! I'm going to buy a $100 pair of shoes (at least!) and EXPECT them to hurt?! 


When it is said like that you might think "Oh, I wouldn't buy a pair of shoes that hurt." but be honest with yourself... how many pairs of brand new or gently used shoes do you have in your closet that you love but hurt too badly to wear? 


 I have 6 pairs.  Frustrating.  


Read this article... Christian Louboutin on painful shoes 


 "I have been misquoted," he told us. "People say I am the king of painful shoes. I don't want to create painful shoes, but it is not my job to create something comfortable. I try to make high heels as comfortable as they can be, but my priority is design, beauty and sexiness. I'm not against them, but comfort is not my focus." - Christian Louboutin from the article above.  


What?! It's not your job to create something comfortable?!  Well my job is to work in a corporate office that is .5 miles long and look amazing while do it.  Guess what?  I WANT COMFORTABLE SHOES! So if it's not your job to do that then I will (someday) pick up the slack and do it for every woman who wants this done.  


 I  have a huge issue with the way designers create shoes like this.  I also have an issue with the fact that many of these designers are men- and have never had to work an 8 hour day in stilettos.  Don't get me wrong, I don't mind that men are making my shoes (in my mind a man who loves shoes is the perfect man) but I wish they understood how painful their shoes can be. Why can't I have sexy heels that are comfortable at the same time?  Don't they know I want to have my cake and eat it too??  


 I want to do research to see if any designers have women walk in their shoes before they distribute them (like a sample).  Wouldn't that make sense?  I would highly respect a designer who did this.  


The purpose of this blog is to look at shoes and look at how they are designed.  Are they comfy? Why?  Do they rub your feet raw? Where?  I will write about the shoes I own, and shoes I want to own.  I want to learn all about shoes and writing this blog will help me.  If one of my readers (you) want me to write about a pair of your shoes and feature you- I will.  If you want me to research something about a shoe- I will.  If you want me to research a designer- I will.  I want to hear from everyone about their shoes and what they think of them.  


Comment below and I'll start a conversation with you.