Super Sassy Shoes - Part 1, High Heels

Nothing defines your personality better than a set of shoes that shows off the kind of strange / sassy / thinking-outside-of-the-box / unique personality that is you.

Behold, a collection of high heels that strive to set you apart from the "black high heels" crowd of people who wear black in an effort to "blend in". Fashion isn't about being camouflaged, so why should your shoes be so boring they blend into the background?

If you like what you see here please like, share and comment on this page. We will make more posts like this one in the future. :)

Shoes, Footwear with Open Toes, Buckles and Shoe Design

Can You Tell Everything About A Person From Their Shoes? Don’t Be The Guinea Pig at Work

There are people who buy shoes and then there are shoe people. If you have a special place in your heart—and wallet—for shoes, there’s nothing wrong with that at all. But there are some rules you’ll want to follow for work guidelines and your own personal comfort, not to mention that you don’t want to get into hot water or create the wrong reputation for yourself just because of your footwear when the quality of your work should speak for itself.

You might be buying shoes because they are on sale—those BOGOS (buy one get one free) offers are hard to pass up. On the other hand, you may be a major serial shoe buyer regardless of price, and in this case, oftentimes your shoe selection is likely not puritanical. In either situation, there’s a high likelihood that you have shoes you should never, ever wear to work. The question is, do you know the difference?

Here are some guidelines for those who aren’t entirely in the loop:

Open-toed shoes are generally a no-no: Unless otherwise stated by your boss or workplace manual, wearing shoes that show off your little piggies is a no-no. Of course, if you work in the world of fashion or even perhaps some other more creative industries, this may be okay; that said, chances are, if it isn’t a big deal where you work, you already know that. But for those who don’t know, your first day as a bank teller, physician’s assistant, or receptionist at a law firm are not going to be enhanced by wearing open-toed heels, no matter how much you may have loved wearing them last Saturday night.

The same shoes every single day: It says a lot about a person when they can’t branch out. This includes the world of footwear. It’s probably not expected that you have an Imelda Marcos closet filled with thousands of options, but by having some of the standards covered, you’ll do well. For example, a couple of decent pairs of flats that go with anything, a pair or two of heels you can pair with dresses or wide-legged slacks, and that one pair of stilettos or heeled boots that can carry any outfit over the threshold of a fancy gathering or last minute meeting with the higher-ups or clients doing a drop-in from Hong Kong will work in your favor.

Buckles are for pilgrims: Not for all pilgrims, but for those that came over on the Mayflower, the slight-heeled buckle-topped shoe was for them—not you, and definitely not for the office. Steer clear of any shoe that has a large buckle at front and center of the shoe’s top. It’s fine to have a side buckle, as one might see with a Mary Jane type shoe—as long as it is not a massive accessory to the shoe. The deal with buckles on shoes is functionality: if they actually serve the purpose of putting the shoe on or taking it off, then chances are, it’s fine. In any case, a shoe that has a buckle of more than one square inch in size is probably better worn to the bar where your favorite Ska band is playing, and not at the office.

Common sense: So you have those sweet disco ball mirrored chunky heels Gaga wore in her last video? That’s awesome. Don’t wear them to work unless you own your own clothing design operation. Use common sense to dictate what works at work and what will not. Chances are, if you are sitting on your bed the night before weighing your options, the pair of shoes in question are questionable for a reason, and it’s probably best to stick with safer bets, at least until you know without a shadow of a doubt precisely what is okay with the boss and what will keep you out of trouble—or the rumor mill in the break room.

Fashion Accessories for Vegans

Alberta Tar Sands Duck

Veganism is not just about what you eat.

For those who become vegans due to ethical reasons, veganism is an entire lifestyle that encompasses every aspect of life. When you become vegan you must not only think about what you eat must think about what you wear, what you use to clean your apartment, how you get around (choosing to use a bicycle or public transit instead of gasoline cars fueled by Alberta Tar Sands oil), where you go to have fun, what you teach your children. It really is about changing every part of your life so that the choices you make are cruelty free, animal product free, animal ownership free.

However this is no easy feat as most of the products we use on a daily basis has been touched by an animal at some point even indirectly. Even the plastics used in the packaging are from petrochemicals, which means that in Canada they're from the Alberta Tar Sands - which is a nightmarish ecological disaster of biblical proportions. The Athabasca Tar Sands alone is so large you can see it clearly from outer space, encompassing a space 200 km wide east-to-west and 400 km long north-to-south - roughly 70,000 square km. That is roughly 4.5 times the size of Israel.

Billions of metric tonnes of oil and tar from the Alberta oil industry is killing all the animals in the region - and killing fish and wildlife downstream from the tar sands too. And giving people in the region cancer from tar getting into the drinking water.

So if you live in Canada (and to some extent the USA, who buys a lot of the oil produced in Canada) every time you use gasoline in a car and every time you buy a product containing plastic or petrochemicals, then you are indirectly responsible for the deaths of millions of animals and thousands of people in Alberta.

Alberta Tar Sands Ecological Disaster

So regardless of whether you are eating food at your favourite raw vegan restaurant in Toronto's Bloor West or going shopping for a new jacket, you need to start making vegan-friendly decisions.

Holding true to your vegan beliefs for ethical reasons means:

No buying leather.
No buying fur.
No buying anything containing an animal product. (Including certain types of dyes.)
No buying anything made of plastic or petrochemicals because animals/people were killed during the process.

These principles becomes even more complicated to stick to when you try to apply to non-food categories like fashion. You start to ask yourself "Is there such a think a vegan clothing and if so where do I find it?"

Well, if you are vegan you can rest assured that there are vegan clothing options available and below we will look at some fashion accessory options for vegans.

You can get belts, wallets, bags and even shoes at vegan exclusive stores both on the web and in the real world. These are real vegan products that provide you will a stylish option that adheres to true vegan values.

The belt on the right is from Roots of Compassion and is 12 Euros, and is made from polyester and steel. However polyester is a petrochemical product, so while it has "vegan" on the belt, the fact that it was made out of petrochemicals means that animals may have been killed during the process of getting the oil out of the ground.

If it was made out of cotton however then we need to consider whether the cotton was grown organically (with zero pesticides), so organic cotton is something you want to look for when looking for vegan fashion items. If you see the word polyester be suspicious.

Child Labour is popular in Bangladesh

Another thing you may not have considered it that when you look for a vegan product you may find some options in the stores, but often these products might have been made with low wage labour in poorer parts of the world. Child labour laws don't exist or are unpoliced in various parts of the world, thus making it very cheap to have clothing made there using forced labour, child labour, sweatshops, etc.

Veganism does focus on treating animals well both in life and death, but that does not mean that humans should be left out of the equation. It is truly in the spirit of veganism to try to ensure that the products you purchase treat humans being with dignity and respect as well and animals. Many fashion accessories do just that if they are vegan. They can provide you with the peace of mind of buying a product that treats all species well.

Vegan Vs Leather Products

There are always cotton options if you want to wear vegan clothing. Cotton is a natural plant product that if grown organically and without any animal byproducts or effort can be one of the best vegan products available to a practicing vegan. But if cotton is not your thing then why not try vegan faux leather products (faux leather = fake leather).

Yes, that's right, you can get faux leather products that look like the real thing. This includes products from belts to bags to wallets. Vegan belts can run you from $34 to $100 and are made from faux leather and cork. Bags come in a range of styles and colours including brown, black and teal. Bags can be made of vegetan bucky material, ultrasuede or nylon for $90 to $229. Wallets are also available in similar colour, materials and styles for $24 to $60.

Note: Nylon is also a petrochemical, so remember all the ducks, geese, fish and deer that got killed to make that nylon if the oil came from Alberta or other tar sands around the world.

Vegan Shoes

Vegan shoes come in a variety of styles even the most popular styles that most people look for including Uggs and Doc Martins. Shoes are often made of similar materials that the belts, wallets and bags. Of course prices vary with the style and materials, but prices can be from $99 to $199. These shoe options are not only stylish but will put your conscious at ease for being animal cruelty free.

There are many options available to vegans in terms of fashion accessories. They can look like real leather and come in styles that we are already familiar with. There is not need to think that because you are vegan you cannot walk the runway. Not at all, in fact your vegan clothing can turn heads and treat people and animals with dignity.

Okay, go back to drinking your vegan smoothie now. Hopefully you are drinking it out of glass instead of petrochemical plastic.

Step it up and get your shoes out of a rut

Take a Step in a New Direction

It's easy to get into a rut in any area of life. Your shopping habits and wardrobe styles may be one of those areas. You probably go through the traditional chore of packing and unpacking seasonal clothes. But, do you really look at those items you're unpacking? Is it time to access them carefully and make some changes in your wardrobe style? Do you still have those shoes that you've worn year after year and always promised yourself you will discard them at the end of the season? Why not make this the year you discard them and invest in some new, stylish and appropriately made footwear.

Looking at the collection of sandals, running shoes, walking shoes and sports specific shoes available at sites like SneakerKing.com can be an enlightening experience for someone who hasn't shopped for shoes lately. You'll find shoes for work, play, exercise and leisure. For the moment, let's focus on leisure footwear. Did you know that you can make a style statement and pamper yourself with the shoes you wear when you are out and about doing everything from grocery shopping to partying with friends on the beach? Massaging slides allow you to do just that.

Summertime and sandals are an ideal match. This year, you can impress your friends and enhance your comfort level with sandals made from the same material yoga mats are made from. How amazing is that? Men can flaunt their flair for style and value for meticulous details with leisure footwear that has "stash pocket" incorporated into the shoe's design.

When you start taking advantage of the longer, nicer days, you want to be sure to wear the proper type of shoes for the adventure you plan to participate in. Having a single source for shoes that accommodate various activities will simplify your shopping experience. Kids, women and men need shoes that are designed to provide the support and comfort needed when engaged in various activities. Kids are often more concerned with the aesthetics of their footwear. Parents can feel good about buying flashy colored shoes in quirky designs as long as they know that support and comfort are key feature in the shoe's design.

Go ahead, toss out those worn out shoes and enjoy a new level of comfort and an expressive sense of style with new footwear. Appropriately fitting shoes are essential to healthy, pain-free feet.

Matching Jacket and Boots

Looking for matching boots and jacket?

Aim for something in white and black. That patterns don't even have to match, but they look awesome together.

:)

SHOES for your closet...

By Bhawna Bhutad


Hello there pretty ladies....don't waste your weekend sitting at home and doing nothing as after reading this, you ought to get up from that couch and buy yourself some lovely pairs of shoes.So here's all the information you've always been looking for for the right YOU...




1.KITTEN HEELS-
A kitten heel is a short,slender heel about 1.5 to 2 inches high,with a slight curve setting the heel in from the edge of the shoe.Sex And The City favourite Manolo Blahnik has added kitten heeled shoes to his collection,saying that his famous high stilettos have been copied so often that he was inspired to create a heel at a new,shorter height.As fashion has swung back towards a more understated aesthetic level,these low-key heels feel right once again.

2.ANKLE BOOTS
They vary in length from booties or shoe boots (a shoe that skims the ankle) to boots that cover the lower part of the calf.Ankle boots work with any kind of pants.If you are teaming your shoes with a skirt,look for skirts that are a couple of inches above the knee or shorter.Avoid wearing ankle boots with cropped pants or tights,mid-length skirts,pencil skirts,shorts or capris.

3.BALLET PUMPS-
Also called Dolly shoes,ballet pumps or ballerina flats,they are derived from a womans soft ballet slipper,with a very thin heel or the appearance of no heel at all.Ballet flats took off last when Audrey Hepburn wore them with skinny jeans in the 1957 film Funny Face.Naturally,skinny jeans with a T-shirt or a tunic accompanied by ballet pumps create a stylish casual look.Ballet flats can also go with cropped pants,shorts and capris.For partying,they come in gold,bronze and silver and adorned with sequins and jewels.

4.STILETTOS
Singer Jessica Simpson loves heels so much that she refuses to wear flat shoes,even when shes at home. Even a pair of jeans and a Tshirt can take on an entirely different look when a pair of heels is added.For centuries,women have used these pencil-thin,killer heels to give the optical illusion of longer legs,smaller feet and greater height,but most importantly,sex appeal.

5.FUNKY FLATS
Hollywood actress Uma Thurman recently wore flat sandles to AmFARs Cinema Against AIDS Gala and Diana Kruger wore Celine flats out to an event in Cannes.Both women proved that choosing a flat doesnt necessarily mean you look any less stylish.Supermodel Elle Macpherson once said,I used to wear heels because I wanted to show people I wasnt ashamed of being tall.But I dont wear them anymore because you dont have to wear heels to be beautiful. If youre anxious about looking frumpy,we suggest you pick up flats in funky colours and styles.

We hope the information served your purpose and interest and we would like to know your feedback on our blogs.
So do reply what you feel about this information..


Take care and Stay Fashionable!!

What to wear on a hot windy day

Knowing what to wear on a hot day that is also windy can be a challenge. The following is my list of recommendations:

#1. A knitted hat or knitted hair net.

Why? Because it will keep your hair from flying all over the place, its stylish, not uncomfortably hot, and unlike broad brim hats it won't fly away in the gusts.

I would argue it even looks good on men. (Muslim wear a Kufi hat that is basically a knitted hair net.)

#2. Loose fitting shirt or blouse.

Depending on how hot it is you might even want to go topless (cause hey, its Canada and its legal), but going topless isn't FASHION (unless you count tattoos...) so instead I am recommending the loose fitting shirt.

Some of you might even want to go RETRO and get an 80s style tank top, but that is really your choice.

I am however going to recommend that the shirt be so loose that you can pull it over one shoulder and leave one shoulder exposed. Why? Because it was hot in the 1980s and its still freaking hot today.

In the wind a loose shirt will blow around a lot, but at least it will have a cooling effect on you.

#3. Shorts or Mini Skirt

Or even a Skort. It doesn't really matter. I try to find something with lots of tiny pockets because you can never have too many pockets in your shorts.

The shorts shown here are from Ralph Lauren.

#4. Sandals

I hate sandals. They hurt my feet. But they're still better than going barefoot in the summer. (And again, this is a fashion blog.)

My advice is to BORROW sandals from friends and try to find a pair you like that don't hurt your feet. Trying sandals on in a store you won't really know whether they hurt your feet unless you walk a proverbial mile in them.

It doesn't really matter what brand the sandals are (but please avoid flip flops and Crocs), comfort should come first when choosing a sandal that is right for you because otherwise they can dig into your feet and hurt. (Its basically the same reason I don't like high heels.)

#5. Sunblock that is sweat resistant. Remember to reapply every 2 or 3 hours.

#6. If traveling through mosquito infested regions I recommend "Muskol" mosquito repellent.

Cage Shoes

FASHION - Cage shoes may be popular right now, but how comfortable are they?

Cage shoes may be the rage this season, starting at the spring/summer 2009 Yves Saint Laurent collection shown in Paris last October followed by designer Stefano Pilati sending his models down the runway with their feet encased in a shoe featuring thin strips of leather that form a grid-like pattern and perched on a metal cage-inspired heel.

And ever since these cage shoes have been imprisoning the feet of models and supermodels all over the blogosphere, setting people a-twitter.

I can't help but admit they look kewl, and indeed I wouldn't mind having a pair or two... but I've also tried them on several times at Holt Renfrew... and was very disappointed.

They pinch your feet, your toes and your ankles. They are HORRIBLY uncomfortable. I have yet to find a pair that fit properly and are comfortable.

I am soooooo glad I didn't buy them either, because I found out later they leave horrible waffle tan lines on your feet. So they're definitely more for partly cloudy days.

Socks and Sandals?

FASHION - Long derided as the ultimate menswear misstep, wearing socks with sandals is being elevated to the status of fashion trend.

The S&S look, commonly worn by nerdy tourists, aging hippies, grunge musicians and outdoorsy types, was trotted out unabashedly during the spring menswear collections of designers like Miuccia Prada, Stefano Pilati for Yves Saint Laurent and Nicolas Ghesquiere for Balenciaga.

For fashionistas, this odd coupling of socks and sandals constitutes a particularly egregious type of male fashion crime and belongs in a category that includes flood pants, too-tight clothing, pinkie rings and fanny packs.

Nevertheless, a handful of truly directional fashion designers feels they have the clout to turn what's considered by many to be a lapse in judgment into something that approaches avant garde.

The look is loathed, particularly by women.

Check sandalandsoxer.co.uk for examples of men who have been captured on film in heavy work socks with Birkenstocks or black dress socks with Tevas.

Look up "socks and sandals" in the Urban Dictionary for a definition that's blunt.

"A footwear combination worn only by the fashion-challenged."

"If it's hot enough for sandals, it's too hot to wear socks. If it's cold enough to wear socks, it's too cold for sandals."

The socks-and-sandals trend is part of the larger nerd movement that may go back as early as the 1950s, when teens wore jeans with turned-up hems and horn-rimmed glasses.

In the decades since, the dork-as-fashion icon has surfaced periodically in men's and women's attire.

According to the experts, the movement reached its geeky zenith in the '90s when members of the burgeoning computer-savvy generation soared to financial success – creatively turning geek into chic.

Its sex appeal would come later. Remember the bumper sticker "Talk Nerdy to Me"?

In his new book American Nerd: The Story of My People, Benjamin Nugent suggests the Saturday Night Live characters Lisa Loopner (Gilda Radner) and boyfriend Todd (Bill Murray) may have parented subsequent generations of nerds, including such famous dorks as the characters in Revenge of the Nerds and the socially awkward Napoleon Dynamite.

Today, the TV show Beauty and the Geek keeps the spirit alive that being tragically un-hip is decidedly cool.

Consider the cool and un-cool boyfriend of Juno in the film of the same name. The character played by Brampton's Michael Cera walks a fine line. At one point, Juno tells the young father of her yet-unborn child that she loves him because he's so effortlessly cool. He responds by admitting that he works really hard at looking effortless.

Though he doesn't wear socks and sandals in the film, he represents the cool power of not chasing cool.

To pull the look off with panache, there has to be irony. David Beckham and Jake Gyllenhaal have been photographed in sandals and socks. And while they have retained their sex symbol status, they have been judged harshly by style watchers.

So, be warned, this sudden burst of interest in socks and sandals on the runways of Europe does not give regular Joes permission to engage with the look. Anyone considering it should approach with extreme caution.

Wearing socks and sandals is still the sartorial equivalent of pulling the waistband of your pants up to your armpits Urkel-style. Put a foot wrong in these new designer versions and you could be mistaken for a backpacking tourist from Dusseldorf.

That's the challenge associated with all geek-chic trends – making sure the viewer knows you know better, but you're doing it anyway.