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Another Reason to Dislike Uggs

In totally creepy shoe news you can’t use, a British man was arrested for harassing underage girls. He also happened to have a fetish for girls wearing Ugg boots. The only thing I can say is…ugh.

Mark Southeby used social networking to prey on a group of young girls. When police searched Southeby’s house, they found a large quantity of photos with young girl wearing Ugg boots.

What do we learn from this? Be careful on the internet and don’t wear Uggs. Maybe this really is news you can use.

Ugg boot fetishist targeted girls - BBC

Photo by cherryfluff

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Crocs Will Never Die

If you were hoping that the economy would kill Crocs, they remain to crush your shoe-loving soul. According to an article New York Magazine, the downward spiraling brand has plans to reemerge with a vengeance.

Recently hired president John Duerden plans to revive the brand by limiting distribution and cutting back on expansions on the line.

What boggles my mind, though, is the inability to acknowledge that Crocs might be faltering because they are ugly shoes.

I wonder what the prospect is for Uggs?

Crocs Determined to Survive the Downturn

Photo by Haundreis

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Wearing Comfortable Shoes

All this week I’ve been suffering from lower back pain. In a rare rush of good sense, I changed out my favorite heels for my admittedly orthopedic looking Dansko sandals. Within the hour, my back felt better, though I had developed a blister from my rarely worn Danskos.

This made me wonder: what is your shoe limit? The line at which you change from adorable shoes to comfortable shoes?

Mine, I’ve discovered, is after a week of pain. Which might be a little too far. I should probably consider drawing the line a little closer just for the sake of avoiding injury.

But comfortable shoes are just not as fashionable as those hurt-to-wear shoes. Sure you can get some Mephisto sandals that look passable, but you’d never consider wearing them on a date. And even comfortable shoes are sometimes not enough for foot health. My graduate school adviser had to wear tennis shoes everyday after an ankle injury, even at the fanciest dinners!

So what’s your comfortable shoe line? When do you sacrifice fashion for pure comfort?

Photo by comedy_nose via flickr

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Work Shoes

Now that warm weather has arrived, I face a dilemma. What shoes to wear to work?

In winter, the choice is easy since just about anything (except for my sexy date boots) will be conservative.

In summer, the pitfalls are many. Open toed heels? Not in a conservative office, though maybe in a more casual setting. Sandals? Definitely not if you’re a banker. Otherwise, be sure they are not too high and they must not suggest sexy in any way.

The safest bet, I have found, is a pair of comfortable flats or a low-heel pump.

But that leads us to the next office-appropriate shoe dilemma: hose or not to hose? In a very conservative office, hose are an unfortunate must if you choose to wear a skirt. Less conservative offices might forgive bare legs in summer.

How do you handle the work shoe dilemma when warm weather arrives?

Photo by Anna Carol via Flickr

1. Sign up for email notification of new Shoe Discounts on the Offers page. The FantasticToe elves work day and night to find you amazing shoe deals.

2. Related to the above, check out the Shop! page here, where you’ll find the best deals on womens shoes.

3. Check out my post on how to find discount shoes, which includes handy tips on how to haggle and how to buy used shoes.

4. Click on Collective Wisdom to see the shoe discounts that other FantasticToe gals find. We like our designer shoes, and we love them even more when they’re on sale!

5. Browse the Shoe Collections. Given that the average price paid for a pair of shoes on FantasticToe is around $60, you’ll find yourself some great tips for finding shoe deals.

Shoe Diva’s got a great scoop on the shoe of the month club.  And I’m totally fascinated by albinard’s post on why some shoes are easier to walk in than others.

Deals

• Deckers flip flops for $12
• Teva shoes for $14.90
• My favorite Simple sneakers for $27.90

Give Yourself a Pedicure at Home

DC Diva inspired me to get a pedicure. But I treated myself at home. I saved money, and unlike my salon, my house stocks a full bar for margaritas. I do get professional pedicures during the summer, but I make my dollar stretch further by alternating between salon treats and at-home treatments.

Materials:

• A glass of wine or your favorite cocktail
• A dish bin filled with warm water and a squirt of your favorite soap. I use Dr. Bronner’s liquid castille soap in lavender.
• A hand towel
• A bath towel
• Nail polish remover
• Pumice stone or foot buffer
• Nail clippers
• Nail file
• Cuticle stick
• Cuticle trimmer (I use this one from Revlon because it’s idiot proof)
• Toe separators
• Cotton balls
• Q-tips
• Polish
• Lotion

Directions:

1. Set out your materials so that everything is within easy reach.
2. Place the water-filled bin on the large bath towel. To be safe, use an old bath towel you don’t care about.
3. Remove any old polish with the nail polish remover.
4. If needed, clip down your toenails and file them into shape.
5. Soak your feet for about 10 minutes while enjoying your wine. Maybe pop in your favorite movie.
6. After ten minutes (there’s no need to be exact), pull one foot out and buff the rough patches with a pumice stone or buffer. Repeat with the other foot.
7. Next, push back your cuticles with the cuticle stick. Then take your cuticle trimmer and get off anything you don’t like. If this step scares you, skip it.
8. Dry off your feet using the hand towel.
9. Put on your toe separators.
10. Apply nail polish using a thin coat and even strokes. My favorite brand of polish is Revlon. The formula rarely skips and the price is very friendly.
11. If you want to apply another coat, wait about 3 minutes and apply the second coat.
12. Correct any mistakes with Q-tips dipped in nail polish remover.
13. Go back to your wine (maybe pour another glass?) and give your feet a good 30 minutes to dry. Avoid putting on shoes for the next hour or so just to be safe.
14. Apply lotion.

If you don’t feel like setting up a pedicure station, do steps 5 - 7 during bath time or in the shower.

Joann: Okay, not strictly shoes, but you get 50% off one regularly priced item. And I’m gaga for shoe baubles, so I’m looking forward to a crafty Saturday thanks to this deal.

Sierra Trading Post: Extra 15% off shoes with code ALAPRIL9. Through May 6.

Collective Wisdom Files: DC Diva’s post on how to bargain down the price of a pedicure brings a little sun into my day

How to Stretch Shoes

I’m wearing a pair of adorable heels today. They have a herringbone pattern with a little dash of blue for kick. They are, unfortunately, tight as heck. I’m just asking for foot problems wearing these things. What I need to do is stretch them, just a tad. I could take them to my shoe repairman, but I’m feeling experimental. Home shoe-stretching it is!

Scanning the internet, several solutions present themselves:

1. Purchase a stretching solution and wear the shoes until they widen. But this may cause dyes to bleed, and I really like the color of my shoes. Next!
2. Buy a wooden shoe stretcher. A shoe stretcher looks a bit like a shoe tree, but allows you the expand its size once in your shoe. You could also purchase a shoe tree a size up from your foot. Sounds promising!
3. Put a sealed baggy of water in your shoes. As the water expands, your shoes stretch. Magic!

Being thrifty, I tried the free version first. A little love, but my big toe still hurt at the end of the day. On to the shoe stretcher. My mom had one with buttons I could place for specific spots. Perfect. I still wouldn’t call these shoes comfortable, but after a little stretch, I don’t feel like I’m tempting foot problems.

For optimum shoe health, buy shoes that aren’t tight. But if you have a gorgeous pair of kicky heels you love, a little stretch goes a long way.

Deal of the Day

Nike: 20% off clearance shoes with code TRAINHARD. Ends May 6, 2009.

What is the Cost of a Shoe?

Ever wonder how much it costs to make your favorite pair of shoes? Here’s the breakdown.

• Materials: If your shoe costs $500, expect that $40 - $60 went to materials. Bits and bobs (buckles, heels and the like) add about $40 - $50. Cheaper shoes, of course, use less expensive materials.
• Labor: Labor intensive, your $500 shoes cost about $60 to make. Very fine shoes require a skilled artisan to hand stretch a single piece of material over the shoe. For shoes made in China, labor is a marginal cost. Shoe brands use the money saved in labor to market their brand.
•  Distribution: Distribution makes up about 5% of the cost of a shoe, and the more a manufacturer can stuff in a single pallet, the more cost effective distribution becomes. Yet another reason why mass-production makes financial sense and hand-made artistry is more expensive.
• Added Value: Those Jimmy Choo’s? About 25% of the total cost of the shoe goes into the actual name-brand of the shoe.
• Markup: Retailers mark-up shoes for about 50%. So a 50%-off shoe sale is about as close to cost as you can get. 75% off may mean the retailer is losing money on the item, though some retailers do mark-up products as high as 75%.

Knowing just how much a shoe costs to make lets you in on the actual worth of your footwear. Recognizing that labor is such a large part of a shoe’s cost make me feel a little better about buying more expensive shoes. After all, I’m paying to have a skilled laborer receive what is more likely to be a living wage. Makes those $80 Nine Wests look darn cheap and maybe a little unethical.

Sources:

• Dr. Jean Paul Rodrigue
• The Fashion Spot

Photo by takomabibelot via Flickr

Deal of the Day

ShoeSteal.com: Save up to 50% off all athletic and sports shoes. Time to get in shape for spring!

Store Review: ShoeSteal.com

When a site calls itself ShoeSteal.com, I expect to make out like a bandit. You won’t find shoe steals at 80% off, but you will find a wide selection of top brands at 30 - 40% off. Indeed, the main attraction of ShoeSteal.com isn’t the deals, which aren’t much better that what you would find on BlueFly.com or Nordstrom on a good sale day, but the brands.

I droolled over these summer Bally sandals at $129.99. My feet sang for the uber comfortable Mephisto shoes at an almost affordable 40% off. I might just get these black for a wedding later this summer.

ShoeSteal.com offers a few other perks besides cute shoes at reasonable prices.

Shipping: ShoeSteal impresses with $5 flat rate shipping for your first pair and $1 for each additional pair. Sweet!

Customer Service: ShoeSteal lacks in customer service. You have to email to get any information.

Returns: ShoeSteal uses a farely generous 60 day return policy. You have to take your box to the post office - no pre-printed UPS labels here.

Bottom Line: ShoeSteal.com offers some of the best brands at prices lower than what you would find at Macy’s on a full-price day. But brands aside, the percent off doesn’t impress me much, but the shipping cost looks like a deal. I dislike their lack of customer service and refusal to post a phone number.

Photo by Luis Alves via Flickr

Macy’s: Save 20% when you buy two pairs and save 25% when you buy three pairs.

Where Do You Shop for Shoes?

Despite my propensity to post online shoes sales, I hardly ever shop for shoes online. Too often have I been burned by shoes that did not fit quite right. I will only buy shoes online when I am familiar with how my foot already fits in a particular brand. And in that case, I almost always Zappos.

But this is not a sad thing for me. I much prefer to go on an in-store shoe-shopping spree. There is something about the stack of boxes beside me, the attention paid by the shoe salesperson, and the joy of having so many beautiful shoes on my feet that is downright fun.

And then there is the down-and-dirty shoe-shopping of discount stores, where you kick off your flip-flops and squeeze your foot into as many designs as your heart desires.

So where do I shop?

Nordstrom Rack is my favorite place to start a day of shoe-shopping. The deals are genuine, and the selection is incredible.

Marshall’s has a wonderful selection of shoes, and they’ve really spiffed up their merchandising in recent years so that everything is easy to find.

But my favorite spot for a new pair of heels are the many small shoe boutiques around town. I love getting to know the owners and I’ve often found deals far better than at any large store. Plus, spending my money locally is a little like putting change back into my pocket. If you’re ever in the Detroit area, here’s where to go:

• Shoe Envy: There’s one right across the street from my office, which is very dangerous on payday. 2782 Orchard Lake Road, Keego Harbor, MI
• Stella: This is just a block away from my house, and if I don’t go in, I at least stare at the beautiful displays in her window. 263 W 9 Mile Rd, Ferndale, MI
• Sole Sisters: One of the best places to go for comfortable and stylish shoes. 325 S Washington Ave, Royal Oak, MI