Shoe Me This

UGHly Shoes: Krispy Kreme's Flip Flps

Are you done laughing yet?

Doughnut maker Krispy Kreme has taken "going green" to a new level with a line of flip flops made partially of grass. This flip flop is available only in the UK.

What is happening to the world of shoes? Yesterday I learned all about David Bechkham and Snoop Dogg rumors of creating a line of slippers. Today it's Krispy Kreem and flip flops made of grass -- and this appears to be true. I'm afraid to read blogs tomorrow.

Accourding to blog ShoeHunting, you actually have to grow the shoe grass. In other words, it's a Chia Pet that you wear. After three weeks of watering, you will have a shoe with 5,000 blades of grass. With proper gardening, your... um... lawn will last for up to four months.

I can't wear these even if i wanted too. My dog would probably pee on them.

Got a slipper fetish? So does David Beckham!

I worked from home today, so I did not have to wear shoes. I could have worn slippers. Evidently, David Beckham and Snoop Dogg love slippers a lot.

For today's post, I was wondering what kind of slippers celebrities wear when they are kicking back at home like the rest of us mortals. I happened upon an interesting article. Evidently, there was a flurry on the internet back in January that David Beckham and Snoop Dogg were going into the slipper making business together. Is this true? What would the slippers look like?

Apparently, Snoop Dogg told interviewers the following:
I got him [David Beckham] a pair as a present, and he took a picture and sent it back to me, and I was like, 'They look cool!'

Snoop also said: We are talking about making a slipper together. So when I stop rapping and he stops football we can kick back and slip on a house shoe.

"House shoe?" Really?

A few weeks later, Beckham's publicist denied Snoopy's claim. Mystery solved.

But what kind of slippers would Snoop give Mr. Posh Spice? I guess we'll never know!

Seeing Green: Zara Green Suede Heels

My colleague, JoAnn Peach, wore this fabulous pair of emerald green heels to the office a few weeks ago. These are by Zara and she said that they are very comfortable.

I love how she also wore a green top and headband. The look is fun and sophisticated for a casual Friday.

Despite looking across the web, I had no luck finding these Zara heels. However, I did find a pretty pump by Guess in green on Zappos.com

Trends for Fall 2008: Purple Christian Louboutin

Everyone who knows me is aware of how often I wear purple, plum and violet shades. The richness of purple has always attracted me. It surprises me that this is my first post about this royal hue.

Elle's Fashion preview for Fall 2008 showed this vibrant shoe from the Christian Louboutin collection. As you may know, all Christian Louboutin shoes have a red sole. I love the contrast of red and plum... it's an interesting twist on Jackie O.

Details, quality and the star power behind the Hollywood divas wearing Christian Louboutin shoes are what drive the prices high. This plum pair goes for $770.

Over the summer, celebs like Carmen Diaz, Lindsay Lohan, Ashlee Simpson, and Kate Bosworth were caught on InStyle.com wearing Louboutin designs.

Like the stokcing? According to Elle, they can be found at Macy's. While it makes an interesting photo, I'll stick to my bare legs... at least until Fall '08.

Stiletto Run: Move over Olympics

I've been watching the Olympics this weekend, amazed by the grace of these athletes and thinking about the sacrifices they've all made to be the best they can be. And somehow this this reminded me of an event I heard about a few months ago: the annual Stiletto Run.

Distance: 380-yards
Location: P.C. Hooft Street in Amsterdam
Prize: 10,000 Euro ($15K USD)
Requirements: 3 1/2" heels

The event has been catching on worldwide: Moscow, Berlin, Haarlem, and beyond.

In Amsterdam this past March, the winner was Tamara Ruben, 25. When asked how she would spend the money, she replied, "Anything but high heels."

Would I run this race? Of course!

I'm curious who else would and what shoes they'd wear to dash for the cash.

Ugly Shoes: Bebe Cork and Rhinestone Sandal

Summer is a great time for natural materials, such as cork. But can anyone please explain why a shoe designer would combine cork with rhinestones?

Whenever I see the a woman sporting the cork-rhinestone combination, it looks like she had a hard decision to make and reached an unfortunate compromise. "Should I go to the beach today?" vs. "I need to be ready for a cheap drink at a dive bar."

Here's an example by Bebe. The vibrant green gives the shoe that extra special character that will really stand out from the crowd in your favorite Lysol-and-vomit-smelling bar. These Bebe sandals say: I'm looking for a future baby-daddy who'll put me up in a nice double-wide.

Footbinding and Chinese Lotus Shoes

The summer Olympics in Beijing inspired me to learn about shoes in the Chinese culture. I wanted to find more information behind the ancient practice of footbinding and to see examples of traditional Chinese shoes.

Lotus Shoes:
The shoes made for women with bound feet were called Lotus shoes. These shoes were handmade with lavish embroidery.

Soles of these shoes were made of cotton and cloth layers. These were glued to a wooden board. The uppers were silk and were embroidered.

Footbinding Overview:
The practice began in the 10th century and ended in the 20th century. Smaller feet were a status symbol and normal-sized feet were considered unattractive.

The process of footbinding was painful. Between ages 4-7, a young girls feet were wrapped with tight bandages to prevent them from growing. Wikipedia goes into a decent about of detail about the process. Basically, the badgaes were soaked in herbs and animal blood, as were the girl's feet. The bandages would tighten as they dried. The girl's toes were broken in order to be wrapped tightly. Bandages were changed every two days. Occasionally, the process would result in infection, toes falling off, or even death.

The goal of this was to achieve the Lotus foot. The ideal length was 3 inches but they often ran as long as 6 inches.

Yellow Shoes: ZigiNY Peep-Toe Heels

Some of us have super powers. You may have super strength. Maybe you're freakishly good at math. Me? I can run in high heels.

On Tuesday I wore a new pair of shoes that I bought at Ross. They were bright yellow peep-toe pumps from a company I had never heard of before called, Zigi-NY. The shoes received several compliments around the office. I paired them with a black pencil skirt and a pin-stripped, short sleeved blouse (both from Express). The black/yellow combination is a favorite of mine.

 

The running test occurred by hapenstance. I was riding the Caltrain home and had to make it to my station in time to transfer to the VTA lightrail. This means running down a flight of stairs from the train platform to the ground, then dashing under a freeway overpass and up another flight of stairs to reach the lightrail platform.

Only one person beat me to the lightrail platform. He was a energetic guy in his early twenties wearing sneakers. He saw me leaping up the escalator -- barely seconds behind him. His jaw hit the floor and he asked, "How did you do that in heels?"

I replied, " I run a lot." Little does he know running in heels is my secret power.

Men and Feet: A Man's Pedicure

Yes, men wear shoes and can be picky about them as much as any lady.

They get pedis too... and enjoy them. In fact, I took my dad out for a pedicure on father's day. My dad is NOT metro man. He's old. He's Republican. He's a Clint Eastwood fan. He told me I can take him with me for another pedi any day.

Obviously, if my dad likes a pedicure, more men would too. I have even seen "Men's Pedicure" and "Men's Manicure" listed on spa service menus before. So why don't men venture to the spas more often?

I asked friend Jennifer Dunning about her husband. He said he is interested but has never gone. She suspects this is because he has not been nagged.

My investigative curiousity led me to Google where I learned a few interesting facts. I also learned there is way to much on the internet about celebrities and their feet, but I'll spare you those details.

• Men are now getting French Pedicures
• Some salons have pedicure nights exclusively for men
• Rise in sandal popularity among men means their toes are exposed like never before
• Celeb men with hot bods going barefoot or wearing sandals often, i.e. Matthew McConaghey