Cat in Heels

Thursday evening Figgy and I finally went on the hunt for the elusive Lita boots by Jeffrey Campbell . We thought they were elusive because we couldn't find time to get together, but it turns out time wasn't even a factor. After work I headed into the subways of Chicago to fight rush hour traffic on trains, only to get off at one of the most crowded and college-student saturated parts of the city. As we pushed through the fog and throngs of pseudo-intellectuals, we finally made it to our destination. Akira . Oh wait, it was just the clothing store. Please pause while we try on 100 outfits and buy nothing. (Still totally regretting not buying the leopard print strapless dress). We walked out dejected about the lack of shoes, and I begrudgingly followed her into Urban Outfitters , which gives me a rash because their clothes are all really hideous and nothing fits right. Luckily that was a short trip (because it was all ugly). As we sighed the sigh of defeat, we spotted ...

I get a lot of emails about shoes. Emails from my sisters, friends, from stores, from people posting stuff on Facebook , my mom...you name it, someone is sending me pictures of shoes. (Like I can wear a picture). Today my younger sister, Figgy, sent me an email. "I've found the perfect bootie (for me anyway). Google Jeffrey Campbell's Lita shoe. Obviously in Black." I wanted to throw one of my size 7 dagger heels at her.  They're all so beautiful...  For the past week we have trying to make plans to meet up to go to Akira . My sole purpose of going was for these shoes. That's it. They're my obsession recently. It's unhealthy. I've Googled them every day and looked at every color and texture, prioritizing which ones I need vs. which ones I want. Weighing the practicality of each color and scanning my wardrobe to see what they would match. A friend in New York was posting photos of them to Cat in Heels on Facebook , taunting me with mu...

I have an inventory problem. I apparently have absolutely no idea how many shoes I have or what colors I own them in. All my brown heels A couple weeks ago I decided to order a pair of nice, but dull, brown Michael Antonio heels with an open toe and some '70s inspired rivets. They're great, but they're brown and practical. I really wanted the burgundy and yellow shoes, but didn't order those because I don't own anything yellow (except a different pair of shoes) and I needed brown shoes. Really? Yeah. I didn't have brown peep toes or brown sandals. I may not even have brown heels. Yep. now that I think of it my closet is totally devoid of brown shoes. What a travesty. This must immediately be fixed, so I ordered the cute, but sensible brown heels so I have some summer shoes. They showed up the night before I went on a business trip and I opened them, tried them on and tossed them on the top of the shoe box pile in my closet. I don't even think I t...

Every few years the classic loafer (this season it's called a spectator) makes it's way back into the stores and hearts of the world. There's something about that round shape, too much stitching, tassels and/or fringe that doesn't move, that people gravitate towards at least once a decade.  My heeled loafers and spectators A few years ago a friend of mine managed to find me a pair of blue patent leather loafers that had fringe, tassels, a bow, and a wood stacked 4 inch heel. He bought them without even asking. He knew I'd love them.  Around the same time I bought a pair of loafers/spectators (with a heel) from Steve Madden . I saw them and loved them. The color combination paired with the narrow toe and wooden heel made the shoe look a little 1930s and a lot corporate chic. This season spectators and their monotone brother, loafers, seem to be everywhere. Unfortunately, they're all flat. Kenneth Cole and Cole Haan boast beautiful spectators in v...

Today I posted a link to an article about what stores are trying to do to make people have a better shopping experience, up to and including, using "slimming mirrors." Stupid idea, right? So someone responds to me on Twitter that at least shoes always fit, no matter how fat or thin you are, and I started thinking about it and realized that's really a lot of horse shit. Don't bother trying Ms. Cankles Shoes do not always look good on anyone no matter the size. Sure, we like to say they do, and yes, they're generally kinder than pants (which I loathe shopping for), but in reality you can certainly be too skinny, too fat, or simply have the wrong type of body ( man calves anyone ?) for certain shoes. Take ankle straps for example. If you have skinny, tiny bird ankles that look like they may snap at any second, chances are ankle straps aren't your thing. They won't fit, don't support, and look like ass just dangling around the ankle like a defec...

This weekend I went on a much needed shopping trip, and of course visited the obligatory shoe stores. I was sad to find that both the Steve Madden and Nine West stores had closed (thank god for the Internet), and I was "only" left with Bakers , Aldo and Nordstrom . Her feet look smashy.  Nordstrom was wildly uninspiring, Bakers seemed to be having some kind of sizing problem where a 7 was too small and a 7 1/2 was too big (really?), which left Aldo , where a salesgirl (who was not the one helping me) tried her damnedest to sell me on the idea of "toe cleavage." Salesgirl : "Those are amazing on you." Me : "I don't like them. The toe is too narrow, there's no platform, and it shoes the cracks of all my toes so my feet look fat." Salesgirl : "That's the way people are wearing them right now." Me (still being polite and trying on a different pair): "I prefer to wear my shoes so you can't see the cracks...