Saturday, August 16, 2008

Be My Tim Gunn

I need your help.

I am painfully fashion-challenged, and I hate shopping. (Seriously -- if I have to go to a store to buy clothes, the Golden Spouse has to go with me so he can pick things out and hand them to me. Otherwise, I come perilously close to panic attacks.)

But I have also progressed professionally to the point where I can no longer get away with my standard wardrobe of linen pants, knit top, and Lands' End comfort mocs. (I call the look "slovenly-cute." GS thinks the "cute" part is a stretch.)

I'm getting better, but I have a real blind spot when it comes to shoes (as evidenced by the comfort mocs). That's where YOU come in.

I need a good pair of professional-looking shoes to wear with slacks. Tell me what to buy.

Of course it's not that simple. Here are the caveats:
  1. Must be comfortable -- I travel a lot, so I need shoes that I can wear when I get on the 6:00 am flight that don't make me want to kill people when my day ends at 9:00 pm.
  2. Must be versatile -- I don't think I'll ever be the 100-pairs-of-shoes gal. I need to be able to wear them with multiple outfits across as many seasons as possible.
  3. Can't have heels that are too high -- in my bare feet, I am 6' tall. (No, I don't play basketball.) My primary client is 5'2". I don't want to tower over people any more than I already do. And the likelihood that I fall on my ass increases exponentially with the height of my heel because I am a huge klutz (which is why I don't play basketball).
Let's start with a good pair of brown shoes. Here's what I've come up with on my own. Tell me which pair you like and why -- or point me to even better ones:



Think this through carefully, because your next assignment will be tougher. Oh, and I need to know SOON... got a flurry of trips coming up. So hop to it.

Thank you for your support.

8 comments:

PheMom said...

I'm going to go with the third one because they are cute with nice detailing and a low heel. I like the middle pair too, but heel looks slightly higher. I do like the dark color of them though. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

The middle pair. We are going into fall/winter so the dark color can go with more; you can dress it up or down; looks good with pants or skirts. Be confident with your height; let your attitude make your clients comfortable. Aunt Debbie

CB said...

I have no fashion sense but I can give advice (take it at your own risk! LOL). I like the middle shoe. Love the deep brown and little chunky heel. If you can wear heels, I'd go for that one. If you can't last 10 minutes in heels (like me) keep it simple and go for #1, no heel. GL!
Clara @ iheartfood4thought

Anonymous said...
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Judy said...

I like the Madelyne. I'm 5'10 1/2" so I get it! The Madelyne would work with pants as well as skirts/dresses. The heel, since it is more square will provide great stability. The toe box isn't too pointy so should be pretty comfortable. I'm going to check these out for myself!

MacDuff said...

They're all cute, but I'm going to bet that the Unlisted ones will be really uncomfortable. I don't know anything about Softspots, but you should check out this brand called Sofft. They are the "cute design-y" arm of Born, and I've gotten really into them lately because they make cute heels you can walk in (I walk a half mile to the T every day). And I'm 5'9" and my boyfriend is, too, so all my heels have to be non-stiletto esque. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

OK, I got home 3 hours a go, cleaned the house, boiled corn, and eggs, becuase we have too many and I don't want to waste them. But that is nt the point. I just sat down and had my first sip of wine, opened up your blog and snorted wine through my nose from laughing so hard. "but not a mind-blowing, knock-your-socks-off, grab-the-headboard kind of cookie."

Gina said...

Here's my choice....

they come in black or brown

http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/womens/shoes/comfort/PRD~358532/A2+by+Aerosoles+Tincel+Pumps++Brown.jsp#