Cat in Heels

Gladiator sandals are still in style, and I am back to traveling for work. This means that I get to see all the fashion atrocities that people across the country (or world depending on the airport terminal) commit, including that of gladiator sandals. I am quickly coming to the conclusion that you should take a styling class before wearing them. Seriously...WTF? Last week I sat at Midway Airport in Chicago for an extra two hours while my flight was delayed because of the weather, previously delayed planes, or some kind of star alignment. (You never do know about those things).  In an effort to not think about the fact that I just walked away from my three month old babies for three days, I decided to instead focus on people watching (and talking in one unfortunate case when I got trapped listening to a lady tell me all about her delays and how her adult kids travel). The conclusion I came to while wandering around the airport (I was looking for a nursery or place to pump,...

Every summer for the past few years there is the same sandal announcement. Gladiator sandals are all the rage! The new gladiator sandal Thanks. Good to know that the ones I had last year I can still wear. Because I know we’re all worried about how in style our sandals are. The summer of 2013 doesn’t appear to be any different, in that the strappy, buckled, stand-by can still be worn with your maxi dress (also still in style), but when you look for the gladiator sandal on the runways, red carpet and in the fashion magazines, it’s become a little more…aggressive. Once happy with their two or three ankle straps, the new form of gladiator sandal looks like something Xena would rock in some teenager’s wet dream. The new imagining have stiletto heels and lace or buckle all the way up to the knee. Then there are also the flat ones that make you look like you may actually be an extra for the movie Gladiator 2 . And I mean that in the worst way possible.  If yo...

Men get kind of the short end of the stick with shoes. They need only a few colors, have a few style choices, and according to men, none of them are comfortable. At least not if they're also good looking, and guys can't be uncomfortable in the name of fashion like ladies.  WTF is this? The only shoes men don't bitch about is gym shoes (not OK for everyday wear) and sandals, which show off their gnarled, hairy, generally unpedicured feet. I've never been able to make a solid decision on how I feel about men wearing sandals. Commonly known as "mandals." Sometimes it seems OK, and other times it's really not. Maybe it's dependant on the type of mandals being worn. Actually, to be honest I've never seen a pair of mandals I like. But for some reason they don't offend me. At least not all the time. When I see them in stores or on men's feet they range in reaction from, "I'm gonna puke" to "I guess those aren't aw...

Sometimes shoes pinch a little. Or they pull, or the buckle digs into your toe, the back chafes your ankle, and so on. The issues you can have with shoes is endless. This being said, discomfort in the name of fashion is something I put up with a little more than other people. So when the gold sandals I got a few weeks ago were not all that comfortable, I ignored it. Saturday I was getting ready to go out, and was trying on gold shoes to wear with my black Armani tank. Gold slingbacks, bronze mules, or gold strappy gladiators. There were multiple stops in the evening, so it had to be something that could go from house warming to punk pretty seamlessly while pulling out the gold and bronze sequin detail of the top. Gold gladiators it was. Never mind the fact that my toes went numb last time I wore them. This time would be different. This is what I told myself as I jammed my feet in them, when one fell off the bed and landed on the floor sole side up; and there, staring at me from th...

My younger sister, Figgy (not her real name), and I try to do something good for ourselves once a week, so we attend a yoga classes, then grab dinner for sister chat. Last night was no different, except I also found a way to get free booze involved. Enter a t-shirt release party. Chicago Designer Anna Hovet released her new Signature Tee collection, and in an effort to support local designers and get a free glass of wine, we decided to stop there on the way to dinner after yoga. Plus it was literally around the corner from me at Black Market Cavier , which I had not gone into yet because I was afraid of finding cute things and spending all my money.   Of course we had to change after yoga class. You don't think I'd go to a t-shirt release party in yoga pants and flip flops, do you? So we stopped home to change, touch up the makeup, and make ourselves a little more presentable. I rocked a pair of leggings and gladiator heels (not sandals), and we traipsed over there ...

I am the queen of bargin hunting. Actually, my whole family is. Shopping is not something we have to do, it's something we need to do. Like breathe. May father said it's a sport for my sisters and I. We each have a different style, and in the end we all buy lots and lots of stuff. As one may have guessed, I can find a good deal on some amazing shoes that rival the best fashion buyers. I go everywhere. Stores, online, department stores, places that don't normally sell shoes, and stores that some people never even bother to go in. Generally speaking I spend less than $100 on each pair, with some going over and some massively under. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw an article titled " 16 summer fashion ideas Under $50 ." That's my kind of fashion. Ok, maybe not. Everything was ugly. Flip through images, see something kinda not hideous, wince because Chucks count as fashion ideas (haven't they been in style since like 1950?) and then I gag. ...

Coming home to surprises is always fantastic. Like when someone unloads the dishwasher or takes out the trash. That doesn't happen in my house, but I dream about it. Maybe it happens in someone else's house. So while I had to load my own dishwasher and take out the garbage today, I did get shoes in the mail. I don't really have time to shop in a store like regular people, so I stalk things online. And when I saw gold metallic sandals I realized that I must own them. Who wouldn't need these? 4" stiletto gladiator sandals are a necessity in any wardrobe, and in mine they have to be gold. I'm not entirely sure what they're going with yet, but I'm sure I'll find something. I'm also pretty sure that they're not going to be my most comfortable shoes, and if I've had a few cocktails I may end up just sleeping in them. The wrap around ankle straps make getting them on and off a little difficult. At least I'll look good while sleepin...

It's rare that I'm jealous of other people's shoes. Not because I'm a total snob (maybe just a little), but because I generally have the shoe or a variation of the shoe that someone has that I love, or it's super cute, but not something I would wear, as in the case of flats. Props to Melissa who has now for some time taunted me with the object of my envy. This time it was at her 30th birthday celebration where she rocked them with her black pedicured toes. Gladiator style sandals with silver studs and rhinestones from Bebe . I love them. I think there's actually a picture of me cuddling with them at a bar one night she wore them (I'm pretty sure alcohol was involved). I have nothing like it, and in my travels have not found anything that is quite this cool. They have set the bar for rhinestone studded sandals so high that everything is a failure in comparison. I can't even go by them because they don't carry them anymore. So the hunt continu...