The Bridal Shoe dilemma

Posted by shoesense in Delman Shoes, Flats, Giuseppe Zanotti Shoes, Kate Spade Shoes, Pedro Garcia Shoes, Roger Vivier Shoes, Vera Wang Shoes

I was a very casual bride, one indeed not in the least preoccupied by the trifles and accoutrements that form the fodder of so many a young girl with sparkles in her eyes and a dream in her heart, a dream of happily-every-after, rose-strewn paths toward eternal bliss, with only the occasional unicorn or chubby-cheeked Cupid crashing that perfect day which marks the beginning of a perfect life.

I am, or at least was, kinda levelheaded about all that. We had a small ceremony presided over by a judge and two witnesses at the townhall; I wore a simple short white dress from a discount store (possibly TJ Maxx?) (I know) (no, really, trust me, I know) and some very comfy open-toed striped espadrille slides. I had no choice but to wear them because the day before I had stumbled over a perfectly innocent piece of furniture that separated me from my mail and bruised (blackened, rather) my left foot so severely I was certain I broke a toe. As a result,I had to limp for several days, so any other choice of footwear would have been laughable, if by laughable you mean, ‘would have made me double over in pain’.

Later that summer when we decided to have a ceremony back in my home country so that my parents could rest assured we were, indeed, married, I left all the details to my family; after all, I could only spend two weeks there, and I wasn’t going to be driven nuts by the legendary slackitude of my fellow-countrymen while trying to arrange a proper reception from 7000 miles away. I arrived sans a wedding dress, but with a very comfy pair of white-leather woven slides (Sesto Meucci). In just about every respect I was sort of a bridal bonehead. However, the importance of comfortable shoes has not been lost on me ever since: I was able to dance the night away in my shoes, while many of my (female) guests were, well, severely impeded in their mobility and agility by their crippling stilettos.

But enough about me! This post is occasioned by the impending nuptial of a lovely friend and member of this forum, who starts off on the right foot (really!) by wishing for comfortable shoes for her wedding day. Apart from the fact that, duh, it’s a pretty big day and you don’t want to be wincing in pain five minutes into it (hint: there is a lot of standing, walking around, and dancing involved), her sensible resolve is strengthened by their choice of venue–it’s an outdoor wedding, so the bride has to be able to walk comfortably on grass, which rules out any kind of heels, and even kitten heels. To further complicate matters, she got the idea of ’something blue’ stuck into her head, and why not put some blue into those shoes, right?

See, I did not have this all-consuming shoe passion back when I got married (in retrospect, that’s probably a good thing; not sure it would have been a strong selling point with my husband!), but now I kinda wish I did. Because I did not exactly splurge on a wedding dress for my reception, I could have splurged instead on shoes, right? Fabulous, out of these world shoes like these:

The silver and gold lame ‘Belle Vivier’ flats (from Roger Vivier, of course!) with the rhinestone buckle. A thing of wonder! Even at 20% off, they’re $876, a small fortune, of course, but fit for a goddess, no doubt.

I could have also probably settled for the silver croc-embossed version, at ‘only’ about half the price:

Or something equally fabulous from the master of bling, Giuseppe Zanotti?

These flats are covered in Swarovski crystals and cost $600 a pop, but my god. Shiny! Fantastic! And fantastically shiny!

Or perhaps I would have gone with something ruffled, off-the-beaten-path, but equally gorgeous, something like these Pedro Garcia Albany flats in ‘frappe satin’:

Or these Kate Spade bejeweled beauties in hematite metallic nappa:

But–I’m done and spoken for; time for other brides to shine, and not only hypothetically. Going back to my friend, let me say that I share her disgust of the ubiquitous ivory-satin-jeweled shoes with the teensy-weensy heel, a dime a dozen in every bridal shop. Brrr! Why not try to be unique and resplendent rather than trite and blah on your all-important day? Finally, let’s remember that my friend not only wanted something flat, classy, and sophisticated, but something blue, too! That was tough. Try as I might, I could only come up with the likes of these:

- Vera Wang soft blue gathered leather flats ($170, down from $430), which I would have further embellished with a little bit of shoe jewelry (from here or here), or maybe these Delman flats:

–with a caveat, though: get them only if you have relatively narrow feet–otherwise, forget it!. Still, these did not seem bridal enough!

And here is when my friend made the wise and totally appropriate bridal purchase, which I can only heartily condone should you be in need of a footwear idea for your own special day: This half d’Orsay pointy-toe skimmer from Shannon Britt, the ‘Olivia’, with a light blue embroidered satin upper:

Beautiful, no? If there is one message I want you to take is this: Brides to be, do not fear being comfortable. There are super-elegant, super-dressy options out there that will not kill your feet and will compliment any dress. Dare to dream!

KD Says: My cousin Kim's getting married this coming Saturday and these would be a nice comfy alternative to skyrocket heels!

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Give me Birkenstocks without the “stocky” part

Posted by shoesense in Comfort Shoes, Donald J. Pliner Shoes, Marc Jacobs Shoes, Mephisto Shoes, Pedro Garcia Shoes, Sandals

For those of us with high arches, or sensitive feet, wearing flimsy-soled shoes in the heat of summer can often prove to be a painful experience. You may end up to feel every grind and bump in the road, and your arches may ache by the end of your trip. Fashion designers don’t really seem to care about these issues, as they know their target-market pretty well. Thus, as long as their footwear looks dainty and pretty, they know that the alternative is often Birkenstock, and Birkenstock wearers tend to (somewhat wisely) put comfort ahead of fashion–thus, they’re not their target clientele. Problem solved!

As you all know, I love my comfort as much as I love my fashion, and so I couldn’t help but wonder: isn’t there some compromise in between? Can’t I have my molded, anatomical footbed, and my fashion, too?

Turns that why, yes, I can! There are a variety of anatomically friendly sandals out there, which in addition to offering arch support, metatarsal support, and plenty of cushioning, are also quite easy on the eyes. Just let’s get one thing clear: dainty delicate things, they’re not, and they’re not meant to be. That doesn’t mean they’re not beautiful, though, and that they won’tt keep you comfy during the hot summer days.

Without further ado, here are some of my top choices:

Also available in a natural cork color, these Pedro Garcia thongs with crystal-encrusted suede uppers and molded footbed lined in metallic leather are on the pricey side ($375 at Neiman’s), but they will make you feel like a barefoot princess.

Alternately, these Donald J. Pliner toe-loop sandals will unleash the wild woman in you:

They are lined in the softest suede and are supremely comfortable. Neiman Marcus has them for $165, but you wanna know a secret? Endless has them currently on sale for $55, plus they give you free overnight shipping and pay YOU $5 if you order from them–so really, they would only be $50. Not only that, but they’re also available in a variety of attractive patent uppers (red, blue, and black) in addition to the Congo print (pictured). God, I love a good sale when I see one! I almost need to smoke a cigarette now, this one was so good.

I was of split mind about these Mephisto ‘Violette’ sandals, but on closer inspection, I think they pass the comfort-cum-style inspection:

….They’re also available in red or black, although red is my favorite, and they’re 140 at Shoes.com.

I’ve heard a lot of praise for Naot, though I can’t say I’ve tried them myself. However, I would wear these in a heartbeat:

They’re $118 at Shoes.com.

Finally, anything by Think! will be both well made and reasonably stylish. The footbed is molded and supportive and the upper sturdy and funky:

This ‘Mizzi with face’ style is available in a variety of colors is $155 at Nordstrom’s (and 10% at Zappos in certain colors).

I’m also favorably inclined towards these Marc Jacobs cute-and-comfy patchwork slides ($204 at Zappos):

So, if you want to give your feet a break (and you should, they’ve served you well all these years), wear a comfortable sandal several times a week, or whenever you get a chance, really. You don’t really have to compromise on style–and the only downside is that you’re going to get so used to the comfort you’ll never want to go back to the flimsy, delicate, strappy things that fashion dictated you to wear.

KD Says: I've worn 'em good old Birks since High School.. time to update my wardrobe with these sparkly finds!

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