This post may contain affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Today we're loving this classic shoe from Stuart Weitzman. The serpent print is a great “neutral” with some personality — it also comes in a gray “snake” print, a multi-colored “serpent” print (all of the prints for $285) and a red and a basic black leather (both on sale at Endless for ~$150.) Zappos
Sales of note for 9.30.24
- Nordstrom – Beauty deals through September
- Ann Taylor – Extra 30% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – Extra 50% off sale
- J.Crew – 50% off select styles
- J.Crew Factory – Up to 60% off everything + 50% off sale with code
- Lo & Sons – Warehouse sale, up to 70% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Neiman Marcus – Friends & Family 25% off
- Rag & Bone – Friends & Family 25% off sitewide
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – Fall Cyber Monday sale, 40% off sitewide and $5 shipping
- Target – Car-seat trade-in event through 9/28 — bring in an old car seat to get a 20% discount on other baby/toddler stuff.
- White House Black Market – 40% off select styles
And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!
Some of our latest threadjacks include:
- What to say to friends and family who threaten to not vote?
- What boots do you expect to wear this fall and winter?
- What beauty treatments do you do on a regular basis to look polished?
- Can I skip the annual family event my workplace holds, even if I'm a manager?
- What small steps can I take today to get myself a little more “together” and not feel so frazzled all of the time?
- The oldest daughter is America's social safety net — change my mind…
- What have you lost your taste for as you've aged?
- Tell me about your favorite adventure travels…
C
I love it, but that 4″ heel stops me dead in my tracks.
Shayna
Just can’t get into animal print…although I agree that the colors are neutral (and the 4 inch heel is also a dealbreaker for me as well)
stc
I love how these days a 3 inch heel starts to look conservative to me. Sigh.
anon
Has anyone had luck with Insolia’s?? I remember a post on them a while back but wondered if anyone else had tried them. Shoes like this make me so happy, until I wear them for a few hours!!
Bonnie
I like Insolias. They do make my shoes more comfortable by shifting some of the weight off the balls of the feet. I wish they could be transferred between shoes though.
Ang
I’m a huge fan of Insolias. I have a pair in ALL of my hells; although I do agree with Bonnie and wish that they could be transferred from pair to pair. However, with that said, they’ve transformed shoes that I had deemed unwearable and shoved to the back of the closet, into shoes that are part of my regular work wardrobe. With the Insolias, I can wear my heels all day with barely a second thought. At under $7 per pair, I think they’re most definitely worth the money.
Ang
LOL! “hells” = heels. Freudian slip, anyone? :)
CFM
See I tried them and noticed absolutely no difference
Lucy
Do you need to go up 1/2 a size to make the inserts work?
Some of my shoes w/other inserts felt too snug once the inserts went in!
Ang
No, I didn’t have to change my sizing. They’re not shaped like most inserts, which tend to cover the entire footbed of the shoe. They’re smaller, really only covering the heel and instep.
K3L
I have pumps like these (round toe though) and I LOVE them in the winter. My nude pumps go with my summer skin. My snake pumps go with my winter skin. They feel like a nude pump, and they’re really versatile.
Emily
Anyone else get crazy foot cramps after wearing tall heels for a day? Any suggestions (other than Advil and gritting my teeth)?
anon
Yoga Toes, or one of their cheaper knock-offs, have been great for me. I usually wear them right before bed for a while and really notice an increase in foot cramps when I forget to wear them for a while.
anon
These are the ones I use – http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=218466&catid=882&aid=337953&aparam=pampered_toes_toe_therap&CAWELAID=352479429.
No idea if the more expensive Yoga Toes are worth it or not, but I think I founds these at a CVS and figured why not, they were probably worth $10. They’ve lasted well over a year for me.
SF Bay Associate
My friend is a competitive ballroom dancer (and an attorney!). She told me that oftentimes, foot cramps are caused by tight calf muscles. I try to stretch my whole leg more now and it seems to be helping.
My knees ache after a day in heels, which I suspect is due to a lack of arch support. I guess I should order these Insolia things and try them out.
Lucy
I haven’t tried yoga toes but I find that a combination of hot foot bath w/some sort of bath salt + a gentle scrubbing with a loofah or the like works for me.
I used to have one those plug in foot bath massagers & it was great. But I haven’t had much room in my new apt. for that so I just use a little tub. It works just as well. That + some lotion on the feet before bed & I feel good as new. I usually do it while watching the daily show at night. It seems to do the trick.
Interrobang
If the pain is in your arches, dear, you may have tight hamstrings, calves, and/or achilles tendons, all of which are necessarily shortened when wearing heels. Regular stretching will help.
Also, have your pool boy pour you a double martini at the end of a long day. Far less corrosive on your digestive system than Advil!
Suze
Interrobang, you are my new bff! And I love your name.
See you by the pool, dahling. xoxxox
Legally Brunette
Random RANT!
I just found that four other couples who are friends of ours have decided to go on a vacation together and did not invite me or my hubby. We are very good friends with two of the couples, less so with the other two but we’re certainly friendly with them. I suspect that they did not think to invite us because they all have young children who are coming along on this vacation, and we are child-less. Maybe they thought we wouldn’t be comfortable with all the kiddies around? (We love kids, by the way). My husband just got off the phone with one of the friends and he asked us to join them — but this was AFTER all of them rest of them talked and presumably booked their tickets. To boot, they are going on vacation at a time that would actually work out for us, but I don’t feel right booking a vacation with them when we weren’t even consulted in the first place.
I feel very hurt and puzzled. :( Thoughts?
Amber
I can understand how you’d be hurt. Are the four other couples really close? Maybe one of the couples that you’re “friendly” with initiated the discussion?
Since you ended up being invited, I think you should go and have a great time if you want. I doubt that this was a slight toward you and your husband because you were invited in the end.
Legally Brunette
Ugh, sorry for all of the typos, I was clearly in a huff. :)
Amy
What a jerky thing for your friends to do. You’re justified in being pissed.
The kid thing may be part of it, but in our case, if we plan a trip with friends, I call our mutual friends who don’t have kids and say “hey, we’re thinking about going to such-and-such place and everyone is probably bringing their kids – are you interested in going with us?” My best friend and her husband are child-free and sometimes they come with us, sometimes not. But I would never plan a whole trip assuming they wouldn’t want to come because they don’t have kids.
My $.02 – if you want to go, go, but to keep the peace, you will probably have to act like the whole after-the-fact invite didn’t happen. If you don’t think you can do this, I would just call the female friend involved in the trip and say “hey, not sure what happened here, but FYI, we’re always interested in going with you guys when you plan trips, kids or no kids.” Put it out there and then if this happens again – you’ll have to figure out what else is up.
Sorry this happened to you. I would be hurt too!
Shayna
Agree — it would be a shame to spend the money and vacation time on a trip where you felt resentful… it’s understandable if you don’t want to go where you don’t feel wanted – and if that’s the case, I would clear the air for next time. If you go, you do have to totally put out of your mind how you got invited… Good luck!
MelD
I may be an awful person, but I don’t think all of my friends make great travel buddies for every occasion. Not being invited on one trip doesn’t mean that a friend is trying to slight you. I take trips with a different person or group of people depending on the location and type of trip. I have some friends who don’t make good travel buddies at all because our interests are so different when we travel. If my friends with kids wanted to take a kid friendly group vacation, I don’t think I would be offended if they didn’t invite (childless) me.
Lobbyist
Maybe they just forgot to invite you earlier? Since they did end up inviting you and it sounds like you want to go, I think you should rant to us and other safe places, and then go and have a good time. The kid thing may be part of it, or they might have just not gotten around to it. I woudn’t necessarily assume bad motives . . ..
fresh jd
If they already booked their tix, I doubt it was a case of “not getting around to” inviting you. I can see why you’d be hurt – I’d have the same reaction. But if you do decide to go, I totally agree with Amy that you will have to pretend the non-invite/belated invite thing didn’t happen, if only to keep the vacation energy positive and happy for everyone.
Keep us posted what you decide!
Anonymous
I would be hurt too, so I’m sorry for you! Really depends on whether you’re willing to “forgive and forget” or (like me) will brood over it ……..
Anonymous
Anonymous from 2.10am: FWIW, I have a 2 yr old, and you’re lucky to NOT be invited…..
Anonymous
As the parent of young children, I would assume my childless friends would have a heck of a lot more fun on a vacation without us than they could with us. It wouldn’t even occur to me to invite a childless couple to a vacation where everything has to stop at 2 pm for naps, and again at 8 for bedtime.
RR
I would assume the same. No slight – just that those of us with young kids sometimes tend to assume that the no kid/pre-kid life is vastly more exciting than ours! Maybe your friends felt the same, in which case it’s not a slight to you, just a lack of understanding that you would be interested. We all tend to build up the “grass is greener” mentality.
anon
Yes, we have the same problem with our friends. We are the only ones kid free and all their outings completely revolve around kids. So we go sometimes sometimes we don’t. Atleast we are still getting invited to group outings till now.
My beef is that they all love to think that they need special concession since they have kids. So all meetings have to be close around the area where few of then stay. So we are the ones driving far all the time. Any suggestion of meeting somewhere close to use is usually ignored or over riden or suddenly everyone gets busy and plans fall through.
Ugh, need to find new friends.
LawyerChk
On, the irony of people who now have children suddenly transforming and thinking the world revolves around them (for group outings, bailing on no notice, dominating the conversation, etc.). I know I’m ranting here, but I’m about to go postal on my fb page if I have another friend post her sonogram pics and then get offended when I don’t congratulate her and compliment that grainy black and white picture as “just beautiful.”
L
I’m sorry you are feeling hurt.
Planning for and then traveling with a large group is difficult. It is possible that they just decided four families was enough. It might not really have anything at all to do with you. (For what it’s worth, it sounds like an absolute nightmare to me, and you dodged a silver bullet. 8 adults, at least four young children, all those logistics and problems and compromises…ugh, what a waste of vacation time! But I digress.)
On the other hand, it is possible that you are perceived as difficult to travel with. I don’t know you at all, obviously, but are you high maintenance? You say you love kids, but how does that present itself? Do you offer to babysit, get down on the floor with sticky faced young ‘uns and get grubby and silly? Or do you buy super-cute outfits and high-priced educational toys, pat them on their heads and then steer the conversation back to work-related stuff? There’s nothing wrong with that, but you may be sending signals that you aren’t on the kiddie-vacation bandwagon.
Please don’t take this as a slight. Like I said, I don’t know you at all. If you really feel like this group deliberately left you out of their trip, there might be a good reason. The only was to really find out is to ask one of the couples that you feel closest to, and really listen to their answer. Hopefully, it will be a way to better understand your friends and an opportunity for them to better understand you.
Good luck!
anon
Yes, indeed she dogded a bullet! God how insufferable! Now child free people have to worry about how they present to parents that they like kids. If you do not make the cut of fawning all over the snotty nosed kids, you are “difficult” to travel with! Way to go!
Sharon
No, anon. Those who don’t have children aren’t obligated to fawn all over snotty nosed kids or pretend that they like children. It’s perfectly fine if they don’t. But, then they shouldn’t be surprised if their friends with children don’t invite them on vacations in which children’s activities will most likely reign. That’s all.
Shayna
Agree – and well said Sharon.
Anonymous
If someone doesn’t offer to babysit and doesn’t get down on the floor and play with her friends’ children, I cannot imagine why that person would want to take a vacation with four sets of children.
I’m not saying the childfree friend is obligated to do either–I certainly don’t! But if childfree friend doesn’t meaningfully interact w/ the kids (and again, she’s not obligated to do so), why would anyone expect her to enjoy a vacation with a horde of young children?
cj
I totally get what you’re saying re: showing interest in friends’ kids.
Just to add another perspective, though – and this sounds so pathetic even as I say it, but here goes – I don’t have kids yet, though I’m hoping to in the next few years. I don’t have nieces/nephews/young cousins yet, and my friends have just in the last 1-2 years started having kids. I love those little kids and think they are SO cute and want to play with them, but (here comes pathetic part) I don’t really feel like I know exactly *how* to get down and engage with them. Granted my friends’ kids are very little still, but you know when your friend hands over her baby and it immediately starts crying? Or you get the sense you’re scaring the toddler with your funny faces? haha, Sad times, and I think that for me at least, without kids yet and without ready exposure to others’ kids up until very recently, the fact that I wouldn’t be down and getting dirty with the little ones is maybe not a matter of not wanting to, but just a matter of being hesitant for whatever silly reason.
So that’s just a thought–I know there are some people that really don’t like others’ kids. I’m not one of them, but you might not realize it. However, I am going to make more of an effort to show interest, because I think you’re right–it probably comes across as standoffish. It’s like how I assume anyone who doesn’t play with my dog is not a dog person.
Anonymous
I’m sorry that you feel hurt.
Even though you and your husband love kids, your friends may have been reluctant to invite you on a vacation where every other couple had little ones, and I think that’s reasonable. Hanging out with friends who have kids for an evening is quite different from spending several days with them and their kids, dealing with nap time, temper tantrums, tired little legs, baths, early dinner, etc. (if you normally do this, I apologize for assuming you don’t). They may not have wanted to worry about whether their schedules were affecting you and your husband. It may not have occurred to them that you and your husband would WANT to go on vacation with four sets of parents and their offspring.
Personally, I wouldn’t go. I wouldn’t be petty about it, but I would have a difficult time enjoying myself with four other couples when my invitation was an afterthought (for whatever reason). In addition, even though they’ve invited you, I wonder if it wouldn’t throw off their arrangements. I would thank them for the invite but decline in a polite and friendly manner. If you really think you’d be fine vacationing with families, maybe throw in a “but we’d love you join you and your families next time!”
N
You could be my friend that I called the other night.
Rightly or wrongly, a couple friends with kids and we chose a vacation date based on day care closings and the ability to take a nanny with us. It’s perhaps not the most fair, but we put this together, then invited a few friends without kids after. For the ones with kids, we needed to take vacation either way – both daycares have (nonoverlapping but same week) inservice days. With multiple kids and families, a babysitter is a godsend.
Probably not intended to offend – however, I wasn’t the chief planner, and *if* I was in charge, I would invite everyone first, at the same time.
Legally Brunette
As usual, all of you wonderful ladies have made me feel 100% better about the situation. Thank you. We are definitely the kinds of folks that really love kids and love interacting with them (we get dirty with them, read to them, etc.) and often get remarks that we would be great parents. However, with that said, I do think that you’re right that these couples may have felt reluctant to invite us because they would be imposing their kid friendly vacation on us. It’s one thing to love kids, but it’s another to have 6 kids under the age of 5 running around us all day!
I talked to my husband last night, and we decided not to go. I will probably bring it up at some point with our friends, but will not accuse them of excluding us. I am giving them the benefit of the doubt that it didn’t occur to them that we would want to come along on a kids filled vacation.
Thanks for the kind words, they really did make me feel a whole lot better! :) Happy Friday Corporettes!
K
Just getting around to reading this, but feel like I need to say this:
Both Legally Brunette’s initial response and all the folks who responded based their posts on perfectly reasonable emotional responses. But in alot of cases, those responses were predicated on assumptions about what the other party (the childfree or the parents) were thinking when they did what they did.
The “ignore it and graciously go on” tack seems guaranteed to leave some residue of doubt, hurt feelings, and suspicion about the future. Why not just ask? “I heard X; I was hurt that…; you/the group is important to me” Ask – don’t accuse – to get the whole story (the assumption that tickets were bought before you were invited is crucial) and to find out what they were thinking. You might find out the exclusion was benign, in which case it won’t happen again because they didn’t intend to hurt you, or you might find there was a reason – which will be painful. But if the latter, you’ll have an opportunity to clear the air/change behavior or at least not spend a year watching dear friendships whither with no idea why.
Just advocating for openness.
sgb
anyone bought this brand before? I’d like a little feedback on long term construction, before shelling out more than $150 for shoes. If they are worth the investment, I’d be rather interested. I am almost done wearing out/destroying my cheaper heels, and would like some recommendations on brands/names that’ll last (minus maintenance, like heel caps, etc.) so that I can start building my heel collection.
Thanks!
Janet
Oh, yes. Stuart Weitzman is amazing. $150 is actually quite a good bargain for the brand, which usually retails for around $300. In my experience, excellent craftmanship. I believe that Weitzman’s are made in Spain (more akin to the quality of shoes made in Italy, imho, as opossed to China — at the risk of generalizing).
I can’t handle 4″ heels, but if I could I’d buy these in a heartbeat.
Kat did a post awhile back… maybe around January about the best comfortable shoe brands, and Weitzman was one that many, many commenters noted as being quite comfortable.
SF Bay Associate
I second this. I love my Weitzmans. It’s the Ferragamos that are making my knees ache, but maybe that’s also because my Ferragamos (Nene) are my bum-kicker shoes which I usually wear on long court/depo days. The only thing is that Weitzmans can run a bit narrow, so when you try on, be mindful of any twinges in your toes. They do stretch nicely, and the foot padding is great.
I also agree on the generalization that shoes made in Italy and Spain are better than China. I won’t buy made in China shoes anymore. I’m sure there are some exceptions to the rule and that there are some good shoes made in China, but I’d rather not find out via trial and error. Buy fewer, buy quality.
cj
I can’t afford them so can’t speak to long periods of wear, but I recently tried on a pair, and one thing they had that I’ve never noticed in any other heels I’ve tried on is that there is padding added to just the part of the sole where the ball of the foot normally rests/all your weight falls on. (Hope that description makes sense, and sorry for the run-on sentence). I thought that feature was really awesome – both to have the padding under the ball, and also it seemed to help keep my feet from sliding forward in the shoes. I think they also may run on the narrow side, so for me they fit much better than the Cole Haan air shoes, just to compare to a similarly-priced brand.
Once I’m gainfully employed, I’ll be definitely be adding a pair to my currently non-existent heel collection!
Lobbyist
Love this brand. Surprisingly comfortable. I can’t do heels that high but I buy them whenever I can on sale.
Lawgirl
Like these, but they remind me of the Citibank lady.. And I’ll leave it at that ;-)
Clerky
Yes! But they’re cute. :)
Suze
While we are on the topic of shoes that – ahem – sometimes *hurt*, does anyone have any remedies/solutions for how to manage heel spurs (ugh), which are totally exacerbated by any shoes that are worth wearing? Thanks in advance!
J
Are really pointy shoes in anymore? I love my weitzman patent tortious shell Fever pumps but i feel like the toes are too pointy and they look dated now. But, these are pretty pointy too. what do you guys think? Are pointy shoes in or out?
JessC
Not that I would ever make fun… I’m studying for the bar right now and “tortious shell” shoes rather than tortoise shell made me chuckle (and I did actually have to look up how to spell it). Hehe.
I don’t think they ever went “out”, it just seems that there are more options out there – as opposed to a couple years ago when it seemed like all there was were pointy-toed shoes.
J
Whoops- I didn’t even notice that!! (but yes, I am a litigator, so there ya go!!). I am happy to provide some comic relief– good luck on the exam!
j29
when I was a clerk, it amazed me how many briefs I saw submitted alleging “tortuous interference.” I make my share of typos but that one makes me giggle.
jcb
That does sound terrible! No wonder they brought suit! :)
Lucy
We had a discussion about this recently. I think the overall opinion was that there is very pointy (think wicked witch shoes that have been popular in the last few preceding years), which is dated, and classic pointed, which is . . . well, classic & t/f not dated.
I think some shoes are definitely too pointy & I would avoid, but these strike me a classic, so I would imagine they’re ok.
On an aside, I predict the round toe will soon be way over. I have seen way too many women looking like they’re wearing Minnie Mouse heels — it’s become cartoonish.
stc
I think the super long pointy ones are out but basic pointy ones are fine-they elongate legs nicely, in my opinion.
Suze
These are not the dated wicked witchy long, pointy toes, they are pretty classic. They are just too high to think about being comfortable all day, imho. I love them, though, and I love that they come in reasonable (larger) sizes….not everyone is an 8!
Anonymous
I bought an identical shoe from SW except mine has a 1″ heel. Thought it would be great for jeans etc. Very comfy when I tried it on.
But since I have a bunion on my already wide foot, it’s awful – the shoe ends where my bunion is, and the skin gets raw and red after a couple of hours.
Not sure whether this one will be the same???
AIMS
This may not be a worthwhile solution for you, but a lot of leather shoes stretch. I have taken some narrow shoes to the cobbler to be stretched before & it’s been worth it. More often, with new shoes, I just wear them at home until they get comfy. This way, as soon as it starts to be even remotely uncomfortable I take them off & no bruising or blisters follow, but all the same doing this a few times will “break in” the shoe & allow me to wear them more comfortably for the full day at work.
Ru
Maybe you can try to put moleskin where the shoe rubs your foot? The skin on my foot ALWAYS chafes if I don’t wear socks, so I feel your pain.
Amy
Threadjack for a sale tip: MyShape.com has 30 percent off clearance right now, and their clearance includes a ton of Donna Ricco and other very work-appropriate dresses, tops, etc. You can buy stuff without going through the tedious “take all my measurements” process, if you prefer. I got some Donna Ricco dresses I have been stalking on the DR site and on Nordstrom for months for around $60 a dress.
Monica
I bought this shoe in this print but in a much lower (2 inch or so) kitten heel and they’re perfect. I love the way they look, but I love how they feel even more. I saw them at Saks and grabbed them full price (very unusual for me!) because I felt that they were very classic but a little different, and could be worn with quite a lot of outfits. Definitely one of my go-to shoes for packing when I need to be at conferences.
I think that the 2 inch heel is called the Court pump (I just *love* all these names for shoes form the same company!)
FinanceMe
Jacking the thread and beating a dead horse – I was just in the company kitchen grabbing a cup of coffee and there was a young woman dressed in short shorts, a sheer tank top, dark bra and flip flops. Yes, we work in media and yes, it is Friday, but I have never seen a person so inappropriately dressed for work. What are these young women thinking?? This chick would be underdressed for a day at the beach.
I’m not in human resources and she does not work for me. What do I say other than “good morning” in a case like this? I feel like I have some responsibility here but she’s a stranger to me. Help!
Legally Brunette
Yikes, that is awful.
j29
Ladies, please bear with my totally non-sequitor rant for a moment……those who are in law may be able to commiserate…. I just need to say it to someone and obvs can’t do so at work:
Sometimes I just want to grab the legal research software by the scruff of the neck, shake it, and get up in its face and give it a good talking-to. STOP PLAYING DUMB YOU MO-FO!!! My search terms are clear, you know what I mean, now give me the darn results. It’s like a freaking game of mother-may-I !! If it were a person it would be a DMV middle manager in hell. Truthfully, I am just being a little lazy and imprecise with my terms/database selections so I am partly to blame…but Google completes your search phrases for you and it’s FREE!
End rant. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest :)
dee
google has completely spoiled everyone on searching. we expect to find exactly what we want, for free, in 4 seconds or less. Westlaw is an art. You can just throw some words at it and expect it to respond. You have to stroke it, compliment it, say soothing things in its ear, and maybe it’ll toss out an on-point treatise.
Westlaw reps are also generally useless. if you get a good one on the phone pick his/her brain until you’ve learned a few tips. it’s how i learned everything on westlaw.