Adoxography

Every pair of shoes in my closet has a time attached to them - 2 hour, 4 hour, 24 hour. You know this phenomonen well, I’m sure. There’s also the location aspect. I have cute shoes that are great all day when I’m in and out of the car, whereas the same shoes put me into traction if I’m in and out of the Metro in them. My life has been more transit oriented of late and I’ve been looking for shoes that can, if I may, walk the walk, in cuteness and practicality.

I just ordered these Kenneth Cole Reaction Cedar-ful from Amazon and I think that they will fit the bill for summer.

Wedge - cute and comfortable.

Patent - because I like the shiny.

Straps - because the flappy flip-flop doesn’t work for me when I’m running for a bus or down some stairs or even slapping down the hall.

Reaction - because the brand usually fits me well and is of reasonably good quality.

Additionally, they have received steller reviews in my totally non-scientific online survey.

Finally? they just got marked down to $21. I got red and black. 

so I’ve been seeing pictures of the dreaded Lilo wearing these shoes and despite her reputation, I sort of fell in love with them and had to go and try them on. 

of course, I remember when they had a slightlier chunky heel and Liz and Mari and I all had them and they were from Target. 

I’ve seen Faryl Robin shoes before and thought that they were cute enough, but this weekend, they became Fabulous. We found a nest of them at a little boutique and tried them on, then came home and listened to the little Zappos brand pronunciation a couple of times (really, it just gets funnier each time).

Bottom line is that they are nicely made, the retro styling is appealing and has enough cute modern details to liven up a simple outfit and if you can find them on sale, they are well priced.

These? Cuteness. The t-strap and chunky heel are retro and comfortable, they look great with jeans and a white shirt and you don’t have to worry that everyone else already has them. And if you can’t pull off the pop of the black and turquoise, there are these as well.

No shoe wardrobe is complete without a pair of Tough Girl boots to wear to concerts and hungover brunch the next day. The dark brown mitigates the motorcycle strap and the leather is luscious.

yes, again with the turquoise and brown - apparently, I’m ready for spring colors - but appealing details, comfort, style … what more could you want from a shoe?

Classic 40’s pump. This has the peep-toe and platform and looks just as stylish today. I love the asymmetrical crossover strap as much as I love shoes work with jeans and with a good dress.

I’m going to Chicago and New Orleans over the next couple of weeks and decided that I’m in dire need of cute walking shoes, which translated into a hunt for low heeled black walking boots - something stylish and not too expensive.

Me and everyone else, right?

Anyhow, I found a good pair on the clearance rack at Macy’s - I’m pretty sure that they were these - 

The price was right, but the only pair they had was a half-size too big. This could have been mitigated with a nice insole or thick socks, but while the style was good and the heel height was perfect, there was something off about the leather. Or maybe it was just them on on my feet?

Anyhow, no matter how I squinted, they failed to convey the look that I was looking for, and so I left them for someone else to love.

so, home to search online and I found a couple of good alternatives:

I like the clean lines of both, although I suspect that the slightly higher wedge of the Via Spiga’s might be more useful especially since most of my jeans are pretty long these days. The Steve Maddens arrived in 24 hours (yay Zappos and super-fast free shipping!). I like them a lot and it’s only the potential of Even Better that’s keeping me from wearing them.

I saw this girl last night in the most amazing pair of Christian Louboutin’s and was inspired to try to find them online. I didn’t suceed, but did find these pretties: These are fantastic peep-toes - sleek and sexy with lovely detailing. I’d be hard pressed to choose between them!

These have a similar shape to the ones above, but are so much more party-ish.

Finally, these are pure Tim Burton; I don’t know that I’d ever get around to wearing them out, but would definitely put them out as artwork until I found the right occasion. On the other hand, the right occasion could be a Saturday morning coffee run - these would really liven up a basic jeans-and-black-sweater ensemble.

and good with pants or skirts. Via Spiga, I have my eye on you …

a possible solution to the eternal search for polished footwear that can be worn when chasing after a bus

Black suede boot = very good. Nice heel at a comfortable height. Normally, I’m not such a fan of the gold or the zippers and as a combination, would find them a skitch trashy, but in person, these are stunning. Secretly, I’m a sucker for seamed stockings and the zipper adds just enough interest in a subtle way to capture the same allure.

I’d like them even better, however, if the zipper was in silver.  

I’ve been jonesing for a perfect pair of patent pumps for awhile now. There are strict criteria - round toe, good heel, no adornment and I have to be able to walk in them. The image that I have in my head is somewhere between Grace Kelly and Maggie Gyllenhal in Secretary.

These are a good shape and price, but I think that the platform might interfere with the classic look that I’m going for. Very sexy, however.

Expensive, but have a more sturdy and less ridiculous heel. I wish it wasn’t set so far back, however, and the toe is more narrow than round.

Again with the heel set really far back, but I like the shape of it, and the longer toe box. Still unsure about the platform, although I think that these are my favorite of the three so far. Not to mention that they have a non-skid sole and a padded footbed. Someone actually meant these to be worn!

And these convince me to renounce the platform and embrace the heel. These have a truly round toe, which would probably make them more comfortable as well.

My patent leather heels. This is the right heel in the right shape. I love the curve that matches the arch of the foot and the red interior. The toe box might be a little narrow.

Now I just need to go and actually try these on!

I bought a pair of platform boots on impulse at a thrift store about four years ago, mostly because they were tall and not leather and I thought that they’d be good for splashing about in puddles. They were good for puddles, and also, as it turned out, for walking and for pants that were a little long and for a half-hundred other things. I’ve replaced the heels twice and then when I went to pull them out the other day, I noticed that the not-leather had a small snag, the toes were getting worn and generally, my boots were tired. It’s time for an update.

I think that these will do nicely.