Coffee Break: Rocha Pumps
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I like the look of these navy patent pumps from Nine West, on sale at Zappos (and highly rated from most of the 262 reviewers). Navy patent can be hard to find, and for women who just don't feel comfortable wearing black shoes with a navy suit, these could be just what the doctor ordered. They're also available in black, black patent, dark brown leather and suede, silver, taupe, as well as some patterns called “natural” (looks giraffe to me), “wine patent” (striped, like the navy one) and “taupe patent” (which looks, well, black striped). The prices vary slightly; the navy pumps are now $59.21 (formerly $78.95). Nine West – Rocha (Navy Patent PU) – Footwear
Update: I just noticed that 6pm.com has a variety of lucky sizes left in different colors from those available on Zappos (and most for $36 or so).
Black shoes with a navy suit? I didn’t even know that was possible. These are cute — even though I’m not a huge fan of Nine West shoes.
I always wear my black shoes with my navy suit. I think it’s fine.
Depends on the color navy for me. If it’s a very crisp, distinct, blue navy, I would wear black accessories/shoes, maybe patent ones to emphasize the distinct difference/pairing of two neutrals. If the navy was very dark/close to black, I might think twice about wearing black accessories to avoid my outfit looking like I put together obviously mis-matched/mis-colored blacks.
I am not fan of overly matching and worse sort of but missing mark matching.
I wear black with navy. But I favor navy blue which is just a very dark blue as opposed to true navy which can be mistaken for black. In that case, I would think the shoes pictured above would be lighter than the suit.
I saved a picture somewhere of a blond actress wearing a navy suit and nude heels. The light hair and light shoes created a truly excellent look. I wonder if cordovan shoes would work the same way with very dark auburn hair.
I have these in purple and they are way too high for work. Just don’t look professional with the patent and the highness.
Also, navy shoes w/a navy suit? What happened to brown and black?
Eek – these are striped and scream cheese-ball! I like the Taupe Leather for weekend wear (I’m thinking dark denim jeans with a white fluffy sweater)…
In general navy pumps remind me of 1990’s flight attendants (I think that they were still called stewardesses back then though). Putting aside that fact, for those ladies who would like a pair for navy suits, I much prefer these:
http://www.anntaylor.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=26584&N=1200014&categoryId=1466&Ns=CATEGORY_SEQ_1466&gridSize=sm&showAll=true&defaultColor=Dark%20Navy&defaultSizeType=Regular
Love those!
yuck. old lady.
Uh, no. Not old lady. Simple and unembellished does not equal frumpy.
Ann Taylor shoes are so comfortable too! I have the taller version of these – watch out for toe cleavage (if that bothers you). I’ve just gotten over my fear of toe cleavage because the shoes are so comfortable.
I have these in red suede. <3 I do agree that they are kinda high, but the platform helps. I don't think they're trashy or tacky. The solid colors are pretty sedate looking. Suede also mutes the potential hoochie factor, IMHO. I've worn them with cuffed wide-legged pants (which I mostly hem for 3.5+" heels).
FWIW, I have heard great things about these shoes when I complimented a girl wearing the lime green ones in court (yes, you heard that correctly). They look pretty good on and she said they were comfy.
Semi-Threadjack question – what is a kitten heel? I always thought it was a heel that was about 1″ high or a bit lower. But the shoes that Associette links to above at called kitten heels, and they’re 2 3/4″ high. To me, that’s bordering on too high (for comfort factors, but still work-appropriate).
Otherwise, the shoes linked above are super! :-)
I was always of the understanding that kitten heels were very small, but stiletto shaped heels – like Another Sarah said, about 1″ and lower. For me 2 3/4″ is a pretty typical high heel (I also can’t do very high heels), so I’m going to guess that it was just a poor choice of name by Ann Taylor.
Yeah, it just looks like a normal stiletto to me. I think they probably named it that to get more hits.
I think that kitten heels are short heels that are set in slightly from the back of the shoe (which is why I topple over whenever I try to wear them). I wouldn’t call the AT shoes posted above kitten heels, but they are shorter than your average AT shoe, so…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitten_heel
Just noticed my fly was unzipped. Pants and undies are wildly contrasting colors today. Great.
Ha! You made me laugh, if that makes you feel better at all.
Maybe it wasn’t unzipped for very long. I’m sure someone would have told you.
ha! thanks for the laugh!
if it makes you feel better, here’s a similar goof: i worked at home on friday, and took advantage of that fact to do laundry will writing lectures. somehow, in picking up the laundry, i happened to stuff a pair of bikini underwear in the back pocket of my jeans… and it was hanging halfway out when i ran out to the post office latter in the afternoon (!). i discovered this when a kind gentleman pointed it out to me by suggesting i check my back pockets.
Hahaha! Thanks for this. :)
Hahaha! At least you can laugh now.
I am the Anon from above — I am 75% sure no one saw, but there is a distinct possibility that one guy noticed. He came to fix my squeaky chair about 10 mins before I realized what was going on down there.
Oh goodness. Been there done that hoped no one noticed.
I was in court a few weeks ago and one of the attorneys had 4.5 inch stilettos on! She looked great but it was really distracting. All of the law clerks were commenting on it.
I can’t quite put my finger on why, but some women look much more natural in high heels than others. I have see very high heels on some that looked totally appropriate, etc. I think it’s just something you have to figure out for yourself, or ask a brutally honest friend with good sensibilities.
Just from my experience, I think women who have larger feet are more able to wear very tall heels. I have size 6.5 feet and have a very hard time wearing anything over 3″ tall. Think of it as a geometry problem – the heel, the length of the foot, and the ground being the sides of a triangle. the smaller (and hence, shorter) the foot, the steeper the angle repective to the heel.
As a petite person (5’2″) I look a little silly in very tall heels – they’re a little difficult to walk in and I look reminiscent of a little girl playing dress up with mommy’s shoes. I guess it’s just all about proportionality.
i’m a petite person (5′ 0″) and i routinely wear heels no shorter than 3 inches. most people don’t realize just how short i am until i take off my heels. then again, most people tell me that i don’t appear as short as i am and that i “walk tall.” for me, my heels give me confidence and i do tend to walk with my head a little higher when i’m in my heels. so maybe, it’s more about being confident in the shoes that you’re wearing and making sure that you’re wearing your heels, not the other way around.
I’m 5’1″, and wear 3-3.5″ heels every day. My pants are hemmed long enough that you don’t see the shoes unless I’m sitting, and I’m very confident walking (often running, ugh) in them. The first time people at work realized that I’m not *actually* 5’5″, they were shocked. I’m convinced that it’s really about how you feel about the shoes, not your physical stature in relation to the heel height.
Foot size does make a big difference for comfort when wearing heels. With longer feet, the angle of the toes at the ball of the foot is shallower and more weight is carried on your heel rather than on the ball of your foot.
Speaking from experience, I wear a 9.5 and the only advantage to having huge feet is that I can walk in 3″ heels all day without any pain at all.
I’m 5’9, and I routinely wear 3-5 inch heels. I’m generally aiming for “authoritative” and “polished” rather than “distracting,” and I think I achieve that. I do work in a less conservative city and I do keep everything else pretty tame, though.
Ditto. I’m 5’8″ and regularly wear 3-3.5″ heels in the office.
ooh, those are sassy! love ’em! i might poke around a bit for a red pair as well…although my feet are average size and therefore hard to find sometimes. thanks for sharing!
-brittney
http://adayinlifetoo.blogspot.com (my daily outfit blog…nothing runway-ready or anything, but it’s mine! all mine!! mwhahahahaaa…. okay. weird. my apologies. but come on by if you’d like.)
Hey your blog is really cute I like it!
i bought these off of piperlime in porcini. i wanted a nude pump and these are perfect. be weary of the height though – while it is a 3 inch heel, it’ll add about 3 1/2 inches of height because there’s about a 1/2 inch platform.
1 1/2 inch too high. Otherwise, I would get them.
Threadjack! *Sigh* I can’t wear high heels AT ALL, and if I do, I’m doomed to walking very slowly and cursing places that have stairs. Just never learned as a teenager or young adult.
Is it too late to learn? How did you learn how to walk in high heels?
Heels will automatically make you stand up straighter and taller. Go with it and don’t expect to be able to bounce around like you normally would. Also, you must wear them on a regular basis in order to develop the muscles.
A few things:
-Posture! Put your shoulders back and allow your arms to swing a little as you walk.
-Start with thicker heels until you feel comfortable with them, then you can move on to thinner stilletos. Start with shorter heels and move your way up to taller ones.
-Make sure you continue to walk normally. When I say normally, I mean heel-toe just the way you walk when you’re in flats. If a shoes is the right size and properly balanced, you should still be able to do this.
The only other things I can suggest are practicing (yes, when I was younger I practiced wearing my heels around the house) and consider getting some better quality heels particularly if your problem is with pain or poor balance in the shoes. Keep in mind though that not everyone can or should be wearing 4 or 5 inch heels. I’m fairly comfortable wearing heels, but anything over 3 inches is difficult and over 4 inches is just downright impossible.
I was late to heels too – not until I was well into college did I bother at all. Quality shoes are a must – maybe start with a chunky ergonomic heel like Dansko to get used to the movement while remaining stable, instead of launching straight into classic pumps.
It helps to do balancing exercises to strengthen the muscles you’re not used to using. When I remember to do it, I stand on one foot when I brush my teeth in the morning, and the other foot at night. I try to do a deep knee bend, lean forward or backward, lift my heel off the floor, and otherwise test my balance. I wobble a lot during my “training” and sometimes have to put my other foot down, but it does get easier with practice.
One thing I always notice: do not bend your knees.
Somehow, I can tell if a person is new to heels just but looking at how bent their knees are (I used to do it during my very first attempts). If you do your best to keep your legs straight then this would help a lot with posture.
Also, plan to give yourself a break. That means if you plan on wearing heels, stash a uncumbersome (does this word even exist?) pair of flats in your bag. This way, you can change into manageable shoes the minute you start feeling uncomfortable.
With really high heels (probably not for work but YMMV) I find you have to throw yourself into it. You can’t be hesitant and afraid, you’ve got to stride more than walk. And let your hips sway, it makes for a smoother stride and its what the heels make you do anyway. Confidence, confidence, confidence.
I learned on short, chunky heels in short bursts – a high school concert, or a night out with the girls. For me, the hardest part at first was keeping my feet in the shoes – high-heel boots, t-straps or Mary Jane styles might be a good way to start. Something like this might be good:
http://www.zappos.com/softspots-studio-dark-purple-king-suede
I second the comments saying that high-quality shoes are important. It’s also important to have shoes that fit you, so go to Nordstroms or Bloomingdales when it’s not busy and have a salesperson help you get fitted.
Also – the first times you wear heels for a long time (like, more than 4-5 hours), try not to walk long distances on hard surfaces like concrete or sidewalk. I got back and foot pain from doing that. Now, I always change into my high heels once I get to work, and life is much better.
Funny you linked those shoes! Certain colors are on sale at Zappos now and I’ve been eying them for a while – I especially adore the crimson, which just so happens to not be available in my size. However, I’ve been hesitant to make the purchase since I end up wearing heels once or twice a year.
Here’s a Youtube video that illustrates some common mistakes in heels.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usrs6cm2vQg
Also, the higher the heel, the shorter the step.
Hi. OP here. Thank you for all the helpful tips and advice! I thought the video was amusing, but I’m sure I walk in heels like that.
I guess I’ll start with my boots with the big, chunky heels. I feel bad that I wear them only once or twice a year.
I did look into Dansko, but they are out of my price range. I work in the legal profession, but I don’t make anywhere near an attorney’s salary.
I think these are cute, but too high for work. The heels on this blog seem to be getting higher, though I could have sworn there was a discussion at some point a few months/year or so back about how anything higher than 3 inches may not be work appropriate (except perhaps under pants).
Now that I look closer, it seems these are only 3 inches, with a 1/2 inch platform – maybe they just look really high to me. Also, I agree with the commenters above that whether the shoe is too high all depends on who is wearing it, but for me, 3 inches is generally a good rule.
I don’t wear heels any more, unless they are mary janes – and even then not over 2.5″. Having kids changed my feet, and not for the better!
I bought these shoes in taupe back in the summer and was not impressed. The lining started coming apart at the seam where it meets the outside leather after only a couple of months of intermittent wear. Looking back over the Zappos comments now, I see another customer also mentioned this problem. Also, they feel higher to me than they really are. I wear 3.5 inch shoes to work frequently and feel completely comfortable, but with these I felt like I was veering toward inappropriate for the office. Not sure why. I will say, though, that they are comfortable for shoes that high.
I bought these shoes in black from piperlime (no shipping!) They were really uncomfortable. Very high. (But then again, I am 5’2″. It may work for you if you’re taller.)
I bought the really cute Cole Haan oxfords Kat recommended a few weeks ago – they are adorable and I’d love to wear them, but they have no treads on the bottom (it’s really slippery leather). Does anyone know if there is a product that I can stick to the bottom to give them some traction, or do I have to take them to a cobbler?
FootPetals (which are conveniently sold on both Zappos and 6pm) make a product that is almost like a crescent-shaped piece of less-abrasive plastic sandpaper; it adheres to the bottom of the shoe and stop the slippage problem. I have a pair of Talbots shoes I hadn’t worn because the first time I put them on, I nearly threw my back out when I slipped and slid across the carpet – but the product from FootPetals solved the problem. You can buy a kit on Zappos that includes them and several other nice products that make uncomfortable shoes more comfortable.
I just found this blog, so I’m late to commenting, but I have struggled with what color shoes to wear with navy for a long time. Recently, I discovered that I feel most comfortable in gray shoes in the winter and taupe in the summer. Sounds like I might be in the minority.