Nordstrom is having a big shoe clearance, so we swung by to see what, if anything, struck our fancy. We lurrve this interesting take on the classic slingback — the yellow accents really make the navy pop. We like that Bruno Magli was judicious with the use of yellow — it’ll peek out a bit from beneath your toes, be visible on the strap and footbed at the back of the shoe — but not the heel itself. Lovely. These were $390, now $257 in sizes 36-40. Bruno Magli ‘Cartosio’ Pump
(N.B.: The peep-toe pump is not appropriate for all offices; know your own environment well.)
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6pm.com has one of the perennial reader favorites in today’s sale: Stuart Weitzman.* We’re liking this interesting pair of flats, which have a gradient effect. They’re available in brown and red as well, and a fairly good number of sizes considering that they’re 50% off. (Some prices are up to 85% off, but lucky sizes only). If you haven’t shopped 6pm.com before: it’s owned by Zappos, and gives you 30 days to return purchases (but you have to pay return shipping). Not bad for deep discounts on one-day only sale items. Stuart Weitzman – Stringalong (Coal Degrade Patent) – Footwear
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* Yes, yes, we know — this is our second featured pair of flats this week! We try not to that, but a) we really like ‘em, b) you guys really like SW, and c) we are sick and have been working around the clock on that pesky “real job” anyway. Cough, cough. Excuse us while our head explodes…
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Oooo — we love these patent ballet flats from Cole Haan, with cute lacing up the back that is reminiscent of both shoelaces and corsetry all at the same time. We like the Estate Blue (pictured), but there’s a light purple for your more adventurous days and, of course, your basic black and neutral. They’re $138 at Endless.com. Maria Sharapova Collection by Cole Haan Women’s Air Bacara Ballet
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Today’s reader mail has to do with how to wear gray/silver shoes…
How to wear pewter shoes? I bought 2 pairs of pewter colored shoes: Franco Sarto Artist Collection ‘Cameo’ Round Toe Flat and Me Too ‘Sunset’ Slip-On Wedge. Should I wear them with black? Would they go with a blue dress? (I bought 2 pairs because I usually get a heel and a flat in the same color, so depending on my pant length it works.)
This strikes us as an interesting question, because while gray is frequently touted as the “new black,” it does take quite a bit more thought than, well, black does. For our $.02, yes, pewter/gray/gunmetal would look great with navy. In fact, we’d probably wear it with almost any color — except, that is, for an all-black outfit (if only because people might think that you didn’t realize your shoes weren’t black). For the most part, we would advise that you wear them (particularly silverish ones like the ones you bought) on the days where you can be a bit more adventurous with your wardrobe (e.g., not to court or to a company-/firm-wide meeting).
Readers, any thoughts on pewter-ish shoes?
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We haven’t taken a poll on this in a while, but gauging by recent comments we should. Here’s the question: are 3″ heels appropriate for work? (Pictured: L.A.M.B. – Juva (Black Multi) – Footwear, available at Zappos Couture for $353. (They’re 4″.))
Opinions tend to run the gamut on this one, as we know from personal experience as well as from previous posts. For some women, anything over 2″ isn’t doable — too hard to walk in a graceful way, too hard to run down the hall when you hear your phone ringing, too hard to walk while carrying a box of documents — plus, a lot of folks tend to think of very high heels as “going out” shoes (when put politely) or “stripper shoes” (when put impolitely). For other women, anything below 3″ is dowdy and matronly, and ultimately not grown-up enough for the office. For our $.02, we try to keep our heels at 3″ or under (but even then, a lot of our shoes live at the office and don’t actually see city streets).
Readers, what are your thoughts?
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Today’s reader is with us in our desire for fall…
Fall shoe question: where in the world can I find leather shoes SANS platforms and peep toes? I’m also tired of all the patent leather. So much of this year’s spring, summer, and now fall lines are peep toes and the platforms are getting higher and higher. Lots of trampy, youthful looks out there. Nordstroms, DSW storefronts are loaded with them…and on line it’s worse. I really think a shoe (here in Houston) can have details and texture…not looking so Nun-like. Gosh. Becoming a bit of crisis as one of my black pumps/tstraps (Circa Joan and David) now needs a new sole!
We would argue that platforms and peep toes are inappropriate in a conservative office year-round — not just fall — but maybe that’s just us. Whatever it is, we share your concern: it is incredibly difficult to find classic, grown-up, beautiful shoes out there. We would perhaps suggest focusing on brands you like rather than specific shoe merchants. For example: Taryn Rose shoes (expensive), Cole Haan’s Nike Air shoes (mid-level) and Sudini (less expensive) are all brands that focus on classic styles; note that at Zappos you can set it up so the web site e-mails you ever time one of these brands has a new shoe available.
A sophisticated t-strap seems to be a rare commodity right now. We did find the T-strap pictured above, however: Matisse Women’s Ava T-Strap Pump
, available at Endless.com for $128. Also check out the Ecco Gisbourne shoes, which we featured for a TPS a while back (and now on sale at Endless).
Readers, weigh in — what brands and stores do you rely on for work shoes?
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Deal alert! Today’s the Saturday sale at Shoes.com, with some one-day only markdowns up to 75% off. Samples include…
Our readers are thinking along similar lines, because a second reader wrote in to wonder if there is a limit on how high a shoe can be before it’s unacceptable for work.
I recently bought some shoes, including these (pictured) (3″ black patent with tweed edging–for $30, I figured why not). When I tried them on, my husband remarked that they were “awfully tall,” and after initially thinking they would be a nice edition to my shoe collection, I began to wonder if they were not appropriate. So I guess my question is: is there a heel height cutoff, past which one should not go? I’m of average height (5′6″), and dress pretty conservatively at work (suits, pearls, the whole thing). I was planning on wearing these heels with pantsuits primarily to minimize the shiny tall heels aspect, but my husband’s comment has me wondering if they are too much for even the plainest black suit. Is there consensus on this? Does it matter on other factors (such as how tall you are to begin with)?
Above: Naturalizer Marleigh Shoe, now on sale for $30 at Naturalizer.com.
On this question, we really have no idea, so we thought we’d do a poll. For our $.02: anything over 3″ or 3.5″ seems a bit gauche to us — a bit along the lines of “are you practicing law or dancing on a table?” The big platforms that are frequently used to balance a 5″ or 6″ heel just seem unprofessional and almost teenagelike. We might make an exception if you’re either very short (under 5′2″ or so) and need higher heels to seem like you’re “sitting at the big kids table,” or if you’re very tall and want to totally own your height — that’s a power move, one meant to intimate the men and women around you (in a great passive aggressive way — we might save that kind of move for when you’re actually making a power play, though: supervising a new group of people, for example).
We have two big caveats for heels of ANY height, though:
- you MUST be able to walk in them. If you can’t stride gracefully, it doesn’t matter if you’re wearing 1″ or 5″, people are going to judge you poorly.
- if you’re wearing them with pants you must wear your hem at an appropriate length — in most cases it should brush the top part of your foot and almost entirely cover your shoe’s heel, with only about an inch or so of space between the bottom of your pants and the top of the floor.
But enough of our $.02 — what do readers think? Please weigh in with more thoughts in comments. Does it matter if you wear high heels with pants or a skirt? Where does a 5′6″ woman stand on the high heel continuum (if anyone beyond us acknowledges that)…
Further reading: How to Walk in High Heels [SheFinds]
We love reader mail! We’ve gotten a lot of questions about shoes lately and thought we would have celebrate today as a shoe day. So we’ve got two posts coming your way: first, a question about how to make heels comfortable. Second, a question about how high is too high.
First, a reader wondered how to make heels more comfortable:
Love the blog! Can you do a post on making high heels comfy? I know a number of women at the office wear killer heels and swear by various inserts, etc. to make it happen. I don’t need to wear 6 inch stillettos or anything but I’m 5′1″ and a litigator so low heels are a no-go in court since I can barely see over the podium. If someone could enlighten me as to how to make long days in heels a little easier, I would greatly appreciate it!
For us it comes down to a) buying shoes that fit properly, and b) adding ball-of-foot cushions, primarily. We’re huge fans of Dr. Scholl’s line (link at left); we also like the Foot Petals line (available online at places like ShopManhattanite and Dillards). Other things to keep in mind include what kind of heel is on the shoe — you may want to get a plastic heel tip replaced with a rubber one.
If your shoe doesn’t fit properly, you can make it fit better through certain tips and techniques. We end up adding heel inserts to almost everything because we’re constantly sliding out of our shoes otherwise. Other people we know swear by the blister sticks (such as the Dr. Scholl’s one, at right) or the add-where-you-want comfort strips (also at right). One woman we knew used to swear by wearing white athletic socks and a new pair of heels around the house until she was comfortable in them; another advised us to wear the shoes with bare feet, and to go to town spritzing them with a bottle of perfume — something about the alcohol in the
perfume helping to mold the leather to your feet. (We highly recommend just getting shoes that fit properly from the get-go, though — we end up sticking to a few brands that we know and like for our feet. Boring, yes, but it keeps us from crying.)
Something else that works for us: switching shoes on a daily basis. It lets the leather and the insole and everything else breathe, which keeps the shoes in better shape. 
Readers, what are your tips and tricks for making your heels comfortable?
