Shoeflyer | Shoes, Trends & Reviews

It’s true.  Flats are the footwear of the bourgeois and the proletariat.  And I’m not just saying that because they’re far more comfortable to wear at work than heels.  Indeed, I used to think of my favorite flats as a personal fashion bargain.  I would think to myself, “I’m trading a little bit of fashion fierceness for a whole lotta comfort.”  Never one to kill herself for fashion, I saw my flats as a sign of my own laid-back approach to life. My, how my approach to flats has changed since I learned about the history of heels.

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An article from the Boston Globe, “Catwalk no Cakewalk,” highlights a new trend in wearing pumps: working out. Of course, ladies have always known that a sculpted set of legs makes stilettos look sexy, but as writer Christopher Muller learns after taking a catwalk class, exercise also improves your catwalk.  By stretching and strengthening your feet, legs, and abs, you can even wear heels without killing your feet and back.

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An excellent article on fashion in Baghdad has me feeling blessed to be able to express my inner diva.  In their article, “What Not to Wear, Baghdad-Style: Fashion Rules Begin To Change,” Timothy Williams and Abeer Mohammed provide an excellent overview of just how much has changed in Baghdad in recent years.  After the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, clerics set strict rules about how Iraqi women could dress.  Women who did not wear body-covering, full-length abayas were threatened, kidnapped, or even killed by armed militia members.  As one woman interviewed in the article explained, “Militias did not want women’s bodies to be visible, because they thought it might charm men.” Even women who wore full-sleeve shirts and long slacks were targeted by militia, so women across the city erased themselves into cloak-like abayas. Thankfully, as the city has stabilized in recent months, a small group of young women have been brave enough to exchange their abayas for styles of their own choosing. Mini-skirts and Mary Janes are appearing across the city.

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Her writing gig and seemingly unlimited credit allowed Carrie Bradshaw to spend $40,000 on shoes, but I must limit my shoe habit to my bank account.  As much as I adore seeing my own feet outfitted in strappy Monolos, I also hate seeing my savings dwindle while my credit card bills rise.  Is there a happy compromise?  Is it possible to satisfy such intense shoe cravings while controlling spending?

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Friday the 13th is a day long associated with strange happenings and bad luck.  This is the worst day of the year for paraskavedekatriaphobics, who suffer from a fear of Friday (in Greek, paraskevi) the 13th (dekatreis). Why fear a superstition that’s only been on written record since the 1900s?  Well, numerology provides one reason.  Twelve is considered a complete number in numerology, since there are twelve months in the year, twelve signs of the zodiac, twelve apostles, twelve hours on clocks, twelve gods of Olympus, and so forth.  Thirteen seems odd and out of place after such a complete number.

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After months of speculation among fashion writers, the Obamas exceeded high style expectations in sleek inaugural ensembles. Over the next four (or eight?) years, Michelle Obama will juggle multiple roles as mom, attorney, first lady, and trend-setter extraordinaire. Knowing the Obamas, she’ll pull it all of with a calm, gracious demeanor. Here at Shoeflyer, we’ll be following the first lady’s foot fashion, and keeping an eye on the catwalks to track her influence.

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On the fourth day of Christmas,
My true love gave to me,
Four calling birds…

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