You have to understand, my dear and compassionate readers, that PeaceBang has been feeling old and huge and sloggy lately. She has a rash on her chest that she thinks she got from testing a new tanning product, or possibly from wearing itchy African beads. Her face has broken out into a bizarre rosacea situation as a result of having her hair colored today. She is just one big bundle of kvetch.
This is what the cartoon bubble over my head said today,
“Oy, my back is still sore… why did I schlep all that recycling out last night…I should have left it until next week.. oh, but I’ll be at the Festival of Homiletics all next week… what am I going to WEAR? My hotel is a long walk from all the events and all my footwear is CUTE and IMPRACTICAL… and I can’t wear SNEAKERS… now that I’m PeaceBang I can’t just schlump in in any old thing… I have to be put-together… and oh Lord, I wonder if my summer stuff is even going to FIT…”
It was a banner self-esteem day, I tell ya. I stopped by the Andrew Zona studio on my way to picking up dinner (who can COOK when you’re kvetching?) and asked the advice of a lovely aesthetician named Lorna who told me, by the way, not to ice my flare-up. She also told me that I should keep my make-up brushes off the vanity table because dust can be a big irritant to super-sensitive skin. So I pass that on to you, pigeons.
ANYWAY, you must regard me with the heart of compassion and forgiveness when I tell you that after looking and looking and looking over a period of months for cute, professionally appropriate sandals that I can walk a mile or so in, I finally broke down and got these:
They are frumpy. I know it. I accept it. And yet, on the scale of frumpiness they are pretty low, I’d say, and their comfort factor is so very high that it was worth the exchange to me. They look rather cute on. They are called “Lolita” by Dansko. Who are they kidding with that sexy name? Lolita who? Lolita Steinowitz of Boca Raton, maybe? Surely not THE Lolita of Nabakov’s novel?
So you can tease me if you want for totally going into Classic Frumpy Clergy Footwear. Bring on the sass. I can take it.
Because my feet won’t hurt while I’m at the Festival of Homiletics, and that’s all I care about right now. That, and Dove Mini-Dark Chocolate bars.
If I may make a suggestion dear Lady Peacebang…..
Why not wear the sneakers to and fro and then change into some cute shoes when less walking will be required. This way not only will your back thank you, but you can be fashionable when required.
I thought about getting those Danskos in black….
But at least they’re not made in China. 🙂
I’ll be there stylin’ in my black patent dansko clogs for at least some of the week! Our walk is less than a mile each way, so I’ll mix it up a bit. Have you looked at the Dansko Roxy style (http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/7547655/c/60.html)? I have them in black and raisin – I get compliments on them from women parishioners who appreciate cute shoes – and they are as comfortable as the clogs, which all Danskos are not. They also look cute with skirts or pants.
BTW – with a good pedi all sandals are greatness!!
Ah, Danskos! The orthopedic shoe for boomers. I couldn’t live without them. For a real splurge, I recommend Cole Haan’s Nike air line. But I’m still looking longingly at all those cute new little flats that my feet won’t tolerate.
WOO HOO!!!!! You went Dansko! Told you, hahaha! I have been wearing the black leather exact version of the ones you show here for three years and they are great, and in black they don’t look frumpy at all (the sole and heal are black also and this minimizes the size of the foot), they are great with slacks and skirts and everything but super dress up, and they even slim down the foot because of the way the straps are positioned, and they are COMFORTABLE but not frumpy. Congratulations. Welcome to the club :-). Down with foot opression! Yay, Sista! Women, liberate your feet!
XO Caroline (getting a little carried away — unlike you I am not done with the current piece of footnoted academic writing — though mercifully the professorial part of the academic year is over — and I get a little punchy when I get a break like this)
Caroline, I cracked up the other day when you and some other people were all worried that because I wouldn’t wear Crocs to my board meeting, I would walk out in some super high heels or something. Which I never do. I have a 3″ limit (and most of my shoes are 2.5″ platforms or wedges) and often wear comfy but cool shoes.
So now you’ve cracked me up again because I have just the opposite problem of most women in that I have TINY feet that look like silly little pods in many shoes. I actually seek shoes that *don’t* make my pods look too small. My ex used to look at me in my tiny shoes and say, “My God, it’s a wonder you don’t just tip right over.” In certain shoes I look like I have cloven hooves!
Oh, I meant they make feet look more narrow, not shorter. But then I have medium-sized but wide feet (well, wide front and narrow heel, but that’s probably TMI) and on top of that they are flat, which makes them even wider.
3″ is HUGELY HIGH!! 2″ is bearable and gives height when one needs height to balance out a look (longish skirts, etc.). Maybe 1 and 1/2 inches if 2 hurts too much. Anything 3″ and above (and I did get that sexy pair of 3 or 4 ” cheap high heeled boots I mentioned somewhere here about two months ago) leads me to serious ball of the foot ache, decreased ability to stride purposefully, inability to walk long distances (I barely made it through the walk back to the car after an art show opening), and renewed respect for drag queens. (The latter is always a good thing, the three former are not.)
Congrats on the Danskos. I bought a pair of Lolitas a few years ago and walked all over Geneva in them. Way more comfortable than sneakers. I have the veggie tan color but I think they are cute in pink…less frumpy that way. Dansko has also come out with some really cute girly sandals lately that I was going to buy on ebay. The website has the full listing. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Oh! You wear a small shoe size? We must have a shoe-try-on extravaganza when I move up there, because I do, too. My grandmother used to refer to my relatives and my feet as “little knubs”, which used to embarass me, though now it comes in handy because we can buy sample sizes, don’t have to ask for our size at the store, etc.
So I have to admit that I respectfully disapprove of Danskos – they just aren’t MY style, though they do suit lots of other ladies. Just not me. I do own a pair of the Dansko clogs that I bought for hospital use (same with the crocs in an emergency), and I love their arch. They just are a bit too un-fabulous for my personality. (Forgive me, Lord…)
I bought a pair of Natural Comfort shoes recently for $20 at an amazing little boutique in our area that seems to sell shoes below cost once they tire of them. Not all Natural Comfort shoes qualify as fabulous, but a few are, and I highly recommend them for the comfort quotient.
http://www.shoes.com/cat_e.asp?N=4294965640+6207&ps=90
CURSES!! CURSES!! Kaji, I SO WISH I had known about those Natural Comfort shoes before I bought the Danskos!
Are the 4″ wedges really comfortable? Because the peep-toe style is adorable, and I have to love on the snakeskin sandals, too, although I would never wear them for skeeved-by-snakes reasons.
Okay, I LOVE shoes, and because I’m stuck with molded brace things, I never get to wear cute sandals…so take it from me…those sandals are cute. Have fun at the Festival of Homies…wish I were going, cute shoes or no!
Oh, yes, I have the peep toe 4 in ones, and they are heavenly. I wore them last night with a floor-length gown and danced the night away. All the other ladies had to take off their shoes, but not me!
Nice sandals!! Your feet will thank you!
Some of us have given in to the comfort over fashion – afterall, I often have 12 hour days, and make hospital and nursing home visits -long parking lot to room walks and loooong corridors.
Bring on the comfy yet fashionable footwear!
First time I’ve been here and I generally lurk awhile before commenting, but the shoe thing…I used to work at a Foot Solutions store and there are plenty of cute shoes that are good for your feet. This is a franchise chain so you could google it and see if there is a store nearby. Also sells a whole range of doodads to put in your shoes, like inserts and metatarsal pads (great for high heels, takes the pressure off the ball of your foot).