Admissions

A admit that I am not as good a juggler as I hoped I could be.  I wanted to be able to juggle the business blog If The Shoe Doesn't Fit Blog  and the auction site for shoe lovers If The Shoe Doesn't Fit  along with my other personal blog Speakers Stories  and this blog - but it is just too much, and I don't post here often.  So for the moment, I will ask visitors and readers of this blog to stop by the others and I'll let you know when I can get my sanity back to post here.  Thanks!

~Ellen

Cool News!

Can anyone have too many shoes? Never! Therefore it stands to reason, that one cannot have too many shoe blogs! Which is why I am thrilled to say that I have finally started a blog for my website IfTheShoeDoesntFit.com/blog! Of course I'll post on that blog, and there will be other cool bloggers posting there as well. And since I can talk 10 minutes to a wrong number and have fun, and blogging is really just talking in type... I'll still be posting here as well. 

I kicked that blog off with one of my favorite posts from here - my musings about shoes and life....but in general the content, although complementary, will be unique to each blog. I hope you'll stick with me here like gum on shoe's sole and join the party IfTheShoeDoesntFit.com/blog; after all, what shoe lover can pass up a 2fer bargain even if it's blogs and not clogs?

Airports and Shoes

For the last week I was on the road for business. This meant both time in a lot of meetings and hotels, as well as a lot of time in airports. I'll save my thoughts about meeting shoes for another post...

What is it about flying that makes people feel they need to wear their ugliest shoes? I wish I'd thought to take some pics with my cell phone cuz I saw some of the saddest looking excuses for footwear ever!

Look, I get it - going through security you want easy-on and easy-off shoes. But does that have to mean old and ripped? I was amazed at how many women were dressed nicely and had stylish or professional outfits, only to be wearing torn trashy loafers that should have been tossed years ago.

And yes, aside from TSA hassles, there is always the frustration of your feet swelling when you fly. No doubt that when your feet rival the size of 747 they are flying in, it's not good! But that's no excuse for a grown woman putting slippers on her feet with little bunnies on them when she is in an airport! Have some self-respect! Nothing wrong with bunny slippers - but in please...not in public.

One of the latest fashion crazes are the rollable flats like Slim Goodies or any other brand. Wouldn't we be so much better off grabbing something like these to fly in and then change shoes at baggage claim? It's easier to look put together in a simple shoe than you might think. Just plan them as part of the outfit. Whatever brand you choose, these rollable flats come in many colors - so coordinate! You'll be comfortable and chic to say the least and you WON'T be the talk of the airport - which is a good thing.

Thoughts of a Shoe Addict

Shoes. While they’re undoubtedly a necessity, they’re also the subject of many a splurge, the talk of countless conversations among girlfriends, sometimes the reason given for an outstanding athletic performance. They’re made to protect feet but also to decorate them.

People of all walks love them and for lots of reasons. They’ve been embedded into popular culture. There are entire movies based around them: The Wizard of Oz, Cinderella, The Devil Wears Prada, The Christmas Shoes, and In Her Shoes. Musicians have been writing and singing songs about them for years: Elvis had his Blue Suede Shoes and The Beatles had an Old Brown Shoe, KC and the Sunshine Band had Boogie Shoes, Nelly had an outright obsession with his Air Force Ones, and Nancy Sinatra had a one wicked pair of boots. (I even did a whole post about music and shoes!)

Walk a mile in my shoes, wouldn’t want to be in his shoes, goody two shoes, who’s going to fill their shoes… there are lots of sayings we use about shoes; in fact, shoes have infiltrated the way we talk. If someone said, “I would kill for some Jimmy Choo’s” or “Check out my new Nike’s” most people would know exactly what they’re talking about.

Bowling, ballet, baseball, skiing, skating running, climbing, hiking, the beach, the bath, the bedroom; for the work room, for the weekend… each sport we do, each place we go, a person needs a different pair of shoes for every little thing they do. It’s no wonder there is such an obsession with shoes!

And while everyone needs them, some of us want them just a little bit more. Some people want 100 pair; 300 pair, 1000 pair! We want shoes in leopard print and purple patterns and every imaginable height heel. We want shoes for $1.00 but we'd pay $1000 and eat less (it makes the shoes look better anyway). We want vintage as well as new and special releases. We want to bronze them (it started when we were very young...), and we want to display them like art. We want the funky, the freaky, the fabulous. We wear odd sizes, or average sizes, it doesn't matter. Our boyfriends and husbands think we're crazy, our girlfriends think we're goddesses. What can I say, some us were born to be shoe addicts, and we've learned to live with it.

Cactus Shoes!

Came across these shots of cactus shoes. These could really cause painful toes if you weren't careful!









Cactus Shoes- Trend Hunter

Slippers and Sleepers

So how obsessed am I if i match my slippers to my PJs? It's not like I have to have designer slippers, but I do have several pair, in different colors, styles, materials, etc.  And I find that I wear them all and change which ones I wear based on which bedroom attire or bathrobe I have on.  For example, I tend to wear my baby blue scuffs with my satin or slinky nighties, and I have a pair of pink scuffs that match a baby doll and wrap. My beige booties (sometimes referred to as band-aid beige cuz that's exactly the color) find their way onto my feet more often than not when I am in my sweats.   And on those cold stormy days when I want hot cocoa and I can be found in my flannel PJs (printed with high heels of course) my feet sink into my sheepskin mocs.  Somehow they all seem to "go" together and it just seems right - even though these are not outfits anyone (except my golden retrievers) is likely to see. Ah well, no time to write much more now - there's a storm coming in tonight, I need to go find my flanels and mocs!

Individualism Personified

I was recently interviewed and asked what trends excite me, and my first response was "Individualism — I love that individual style is accepted. Even though there are style mavens and trends, etc., it’s accepted to be unique and different and just be yourself." I mention that because when I think of individualism, it makes me think about one specific person I've "met" recently.

I've got to tell you that this guy, Justin Fitzpatrick, is individualism personified.  He has a blog called The Shoe Snob and I had come across it in the fall by accident - am I ever glad I did! This guy has the coolest sense of style.  He see's things with a unique eye and has a way of making you look at shoes and style that you hadn't thought to do before.  Most of his blog is about men's shoes and even still, I love the details and perspectives. 

There's just something about this guy.  He's an aspiring shoe designer, and I really think his individualism combined with his respect for traditional and current style will make him succeed. 

In the spirit of full dislosure, when I found his blog, I dropped him a note. told him how much I enjoyed it and told him about my website. Justin was kind enough to do a brief write-up about If The Shoe Doesn't Fit on his blog and let his readers know about it. Now that I have a blog, I thought I'd send some good karma back- and tell my readers about an up and coming designer and a cool blog The Shoe Snob - check it out- I think you'll like it.

Cold Feet

Why didn't I choose to have cold feet?  Last night I went out dancing.  I was all dressed up in a fabulous frock, my hair freshly cut, and my make-up done, and while traveling to my destination, on my feet I wore...UGGS!  I didn't want to have cold feet!  Not only is it uncomfortable, but having cold feet can be such a negative connotation.

Generally we see "cold feet" as an expression that says you are timid about something, or in some cases even running away from it. You might just not be sure about a decision, but why people relate this to the temperature of your feet is beyond me.  I can reconsider decisions in heels just as easily as in boots, or flats. In fact, I'd like to reconsider the expression "cold feet".

No one really knows where the expression came from but there are lots of people who have ideas about the subject.  Some people think its from the 7th century, when "to have cold feet" meant "to have no money," and therefore it most likely meant someone was so poor that they did not have shoes and therefore had cold feet.  OMG - no shoes!! Can you imagine??

There are other people who suggest that "cold feet" originates from the Italian 'piedi freddi'.  And in Italy to have cold feet is also more about finances; it means to be penniless and financially stuck. Imagine being in Italy with all those fabulous designers and not having a dime to spend on shoes!

There are even those who believe that "cold feet" as an expression of cowardice or running away originates from soldiers in the early 1900s who used their frostbitten feet as a way to keep them from having to go into battle.  Frostbitten toes - yuck!  I'd be running too - my Uggs are sounding better and better!

I don't know where the expression really came from, but I know that I'm not timid, and I'm not penniless or goodness forbid, shoeless, ( not yet anyway) and, I'm definitely not running away from anything!  I'm keeping my feet warm!

Shoes & Tunes

Between Carrie Bradshaw and fairy tales, shoes have become an enormous part of pop culture.  More than that though, they’ve become a part of musical culture as well.  A love of shoes has crept into a lot of our favorite songs.   Think about it...

Of course, there's blue suede shoes.  First off, who even wears blue suede shoes?  Did Elvis himself wear blue suede shoes?  Well, okay, lately there have been some sleek cobalt, suede-looking ankle boots and pumps popping up on the market (and in blog headers).  Maybe The King was right.

Whose boots are made for walking?  Nancy Sinatra’s, that’s whose!  This woman practically created the theory that if a woman is wearing boots, she is powerful… and sexy.  I dare you to listen to that song and not feel like strutting your way down the street, finding that man who ticks you off, and walk all over him.

I want to put on my-my-my-my-my-my boogie shoes.  Hey, who doesn’t?  Just make sure your boogie shoes are comfortable, or else you’ll be THAT wedding guest boogieing with no shoes by the end of the night.  Or else bring a pair of those cool role-up flats with you and boogie across the ballroom all night long!
For the country music fan, George Jones crooning, “Who’s gonna fill their shoes?” is classic.  Most cowboy boots are as well.

George Harrison and The Beatles managed to use the terms “old brown shoe” and “I’m in love with you” in not only the same song, but in the same line.  And they made it work.  That’s why they’re legends and the rest of us are not. 

Shania Twain spent an ENTIRE song comparing MEN to shoes!  Come to think of it, she’s also the same woman who sang another whole song wondering whose bed her man’s boots had been under.  Geez that  girl likes shoes and she loves to sing about them!

Walk a Mile in My Shoes, Betty Lou’s got a New Pair of Shoes, Who Wears These Shoes, Put on Your Old Brown Shoes, Put on Your Dancing Shoes, My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You, These Old Shoes, My Father’s Shoes, Magic Shoes, Paper Shoes, French Shoes, Christmas Shoes, His Shoes, Big Shoes, Bowling Shoes, Red Shoes, SHOES SHOES SHOES SHOES SHOES!!!

Phew.  The crazy thing is that this list is only the first step - it simply introduces just a few songs where the word shoe is in the title.  We didn’t even scratch the surface of songs that have the word shoe in the actual song itself.  This could take some time.

I Finally Started This Blog!

Hi All --

Well, it's finally done! Despite hours, days, weeks and even months of procrastination, I've started my blog! So here I am petrified of a blank space on a screen. It's funny because I've spent years standing and speaking to groups from 5 to 500 or even larger. For all of those presentations I've been calm, cool and collected. Or at least I've always looked it on the outside - you know the old "never let them see you sweat" motto. And I've done it each and every time in a pair of heels. Ok - some days I wore lower heels than others, and some days I wish I had my slippers on, but they never match well with my outfits.

Anyway, as I was saying, all those years of speaking to audiences and while I had some minimal butterflies at times, I always knew I'd be fine. I could look out and see how people reacted and if I needed to, I'd change gears based on their response. But here, in cyberworld, when I look out, I see a screen that only shows me what I've put into it. That's sooo frightening. I have no idea how you will respond to this blog. I don't know what I'll write, or how I'll focus it all. But I can promise you this - I'll be true to myself.

Translation - you'll hear a bit about my life, my thoughts, and my dogs and definitely my love of shoes - and all things shoe related. Now I'm not a shoe "expert" and I won't pretend to be. There are enough people out there who offer fabulous expert info about shoes on their blogs already- I know because I read them all.

What I am is a lover of shoes with wide feet and a touch of obsession. I wear heels not only for a night out, but for business, when I stand for hours on end doing presentations, trainings, or coaching work...so while my tootsies are tempted by those amazing designer styles, my closet has shoes for morning (before I've been standing and my feet start to swell), afternoon (when comfort is king and the day seems sooo long unless I have great shoes on), evening, (the time to dress up and dine out of course) and "brief appearances" (those 15 minute to 1 hour shoes you want to be seen in, are just impossible and impractical to wear).

So my rough categories will be Life in General, Fashion News, Wow for Your Wallet, Thoughts and Comments, and Sole Inspiration and Foot Facts

I hope you join me on this journey - it's sure to be an interesting ride. Leave comments, drop me an email, let me know what you think - unless you hate it - hmmm....maybe there is an advantage to not seeing faces after all. :-)