Cuts on the Bias

I dare you to wear these

I could write a book on shoes and how to wear them. With so many factors like, height, length of leg, comfort, practicality and age, finding the right shoe isn't as easy as it seems. They can totally vamp up an outfit but they can also take it down in flames. Here are some rules I follow and hopefully some can apply to your life as well.

1. Never wear mules or clogs. Orthopedic doesn't equal accessory. Those are work shoes for nurses and chefs-they have no other purpose, even if you think they do. Have you ever seen a spread in Vogue-"Top Mules for Fall!" No you haven't.

2. Wedges are tricky. I think if you wear them under wide leg pants or with a sundress in the summer than you might be ok. BUT they are essentially wood bricks. So if you have short legs, you could really shorten your appearance rather than elongate.

3. Kitten heels are for wusses. What's the point? Wear flats if you can't wear heels. A kitten heel is a rip off and a fraud, I detest.

4.Thigh high boots are for no one. I love them, I wish I could wear them but you end up looking like a hooker and unless you have skinny knees and legs, you actually look like you have a leather cast on.

5.USE cushions whenever possible. I feel empowered by heels, mostly because I can rise above others armpits-but running around in them hurts and carrying around sneakers is annoying. I found if I order my heels a half size bigger, then put in gel insoles or even custom made supports, I beat the system.

The best bit of advice I can give is to find a heel height that suits you and buy in a variety of colors and fabrics. If you're comfortable with the heel height you will be more open to wearing them often. You should buy open toe and close toe and pointy and ankle strap-go crazy. You don't need to change with the trends you just need to make sure you have enough variety in your closet so you don't stray and buy some god for saken clogs.

High Style

 

For the record I love high heels and I wear them every chance I get. I also love my feet--they've turned out to be quite valuable body parts that are holding up better than many others. As a result, I "listen" to them and do what they say. Right now they are saying not to buy heels that could be mistaken for a torture device, even if they are a gorgeous shade of red. Fortunately, I know Kelley will tell me these are not age-appropriate. Duly noted.

What I would highly value as I prepare to buy some new Fall/Winter stuff is expert fashion advice on what an adult woman should buy this season to update her wardrobe without a) needing a government bailout, and b) looking like a cast member on Cougars.  Kelley--please, post with links. Gracias.

No Style

I'm no rule freak. I'm never quite sure where the knife goes on a formal table setting and I don't recall the proper order to introduce people (older first? female first?). I wear white past Labor Day. I don't always look great when I go to the grocery store. But, I do know you don't call the President a liar during his speech to Congress no matter how much "passion" you feel, you don't swear at line judges no matter how "right" you are, and you don't interrupt an award winner's acceptance speech no matter how good the opponent's performance was.

Here's what I think: When people in the spotlight can't follow simple rules of decency in their public interactions with others, we should stop rewarding them. It's no use yelling at Kanye for his rude behavior at the MTV awards, just don't buy his music or attend his concerts until he gets the message. Ditto Serena Williams and Joe Wilson. Like it or not, celebrities are role models and others will follow their lead unless its obvious they are walking into oblivion.

It's Moschino (moe skeen oh) oh la la

Please note how hot Mrs. Biden looks as well...

Obama Rocks the House

 

Well alright then. If Kelley says we're going to mix it up, we'll mix it up. Let's start with President Obama's speech on health care reform. If you didn't think that was an awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping performance of subtly and surefooted power you are a moose-shooting, death panel promoting fool. I hit the replay button a dozen times and not only to see Senator Grassley and Congressman Boehner squirm. 

I am relieved. This man is not just a consummate politician (although that he surely is). He is also the "real deal": a person of honesty and integrity who does not fear compromise. After the speech, I promptly donated a pocketfull of cash to his coffers. That's Democracy. 

I can't leave this subject without also acknowledging the ever-influential Michelle Obama who wore a friggin' pink suit with a bow and looked fabulous. Nancy, Hillary, please for god's sake retire those fire engine red suits. It makes you seem one-dimensional while also making you look like a brick house and not the hot kind.

A Full Frontal Apology

I'm getting yelled at (mostly by my Grandmother and Heather) for not posting more. And I agree, what's the point of a blog if you don't keep it up? This may sound weird but this isn't my job. I am very lucky to actually have 2 jobs during this economy-and they keep me very busy.

One of my jobs is with my mother/blogging partner/IT Department, so unfortunately, when one of us doesn't blog it's because we're putting out fires over at Smocks (which by the way have you bought one lately?)

My other job is at Sundance Channel, working to launch their new fashion site, Full Frontal Fashion. When you go to the site you'll see this wasn't a small gig-fairly major. I'm very proud of what we put together and would love some feedback either here or there.

As for COTB, we're gonna mix it up a little and not just focus on fashion and technology anymore (frankly we're getting a little burnt out on both topics) but on all things of interest. Hopefully, that will get us back here writing and you won't get bored with our lack of innovation.

Real Americans

Brilliant. Truly brilliant. An organization called ColorofChange.org listened to Glenn Beck's hate-filled rants on Fox TV and instead of debating their legitimacy, they used democratic market forces to let him know how the country really feels about him. How'd they do this? By suggesting to Beck's advertisers that they might not want to associate their products with someone shouting over the air waves that the President of the United States is a racist who hates white people.

According to Eric Boelhert at MediaMatters, that simple tactic has caused dozens of high-profile advertisers including Bank of America, Procter & Gamble and WalMart to drop their sponsorship of Glenn Beck's show. Now if he wants to cry, exhort and bemoan the loss of "real Americans" he'll have to find companies who can survive on their earnings from the far right fringe. I can only assume the makers of assult weapons, survival gear and polyester leisure suits might find this audience attractive.