Teeny Manolo

Oh, my. Mrs. Z (the artist formerly known as Beyonce) has a lot to answer for with this:

From PopGumbo via Gawker

Forgive me, sisters, for I have sinned.

I have a confession to make: Although I work for the world’s foremost shoeblogger, I cannot, myself, be said to be much of a shoe fetishist. Of the many tiresome characteristics displayed by those four airheaded meat puppets on Sex and the City, the extravagantly overdone shoe worship was perhaps the most tiresome of all as far as I was concerned (and that is a crowded field, my friends). Art is art, even when you wear it on your feet, but please! Even Picasso knew when to lay off. The only thing more boring than competitive, fad-driven shoe fetishism is handbag fetishism, and thankfully that appears to have become so expensive as to now be nothing but a self-referential joke between Prada, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, and Balenciaga. And if so, more power to them: Kimora Lee Simmons doesn’t need all that money anyway.

In any case, I have to say that when it comes to shoes worthy of worship, the kids have it all over the adults. First of all, you can generally walk in shoes designed for kids. Secondly, the styles can be more creative, because they don’t have to be so reactive to market forces (is it a four inch stiletto this year or a two inch kitten heel?). I mean, take a look at some of these fabulous sneaks and tell me those aren’t just intrinsically wicked cool.

The Diadora Kids
Victor Plus Jr MD

Light as a pair of winged sandals, eye-catching, vegetarian-safe (although what kind of sauce you’d serve them with I have no idea) and best of all, $34. Some more snazzy soccer shoes:

adidas Kids
F30.8 TRX FG J

Although saddled with a name that belongs more to a fighter jet than a pair of shoes, these are still the kind of futuristic style that we had back when we thought the future was going to be really cool. Remember that? Also: $61, or half the price of a similar pair of adult shoes.

And lastly, these, for which I salivate and which have the added example of being unmissable on the field. When my sister and I went swimming, my mother would adorn us with the loudest, ugliest bathing caps she could find (think rhinestone-studded floral monstrosities in puce and mustard). These are a more aesthetically pleasing iteration of the same principle:

Puma Kids
v5.08 I FG Jr

Working as I do for the Manolo I am perhaps hypersensitized to the semiotic power of the shoe (and I may or may not be PMSing additionally but that is neither here nor there and nothing a little Merlot won’t put right) and yet I defy anyone to view the Guardian’s slideshow of magical realist Isabel Allende’s mementos and remain stonefaced when they see these.

“My son is my soul. These were his first shoes. I have a splendid relationship with my daughter-in-law and we work together in the foundation. Today there are 27 million slaves in the world, mostly women and girls. I know for the rest of my life that this is going to be my mission and my struggle”

If that doesn’t get you, A) see your doctor and B) click on to see the next image… (more…)

Really expensive dress? Check.

Really expensive white dress? Check.

Sandals? Check.

Sandals with no socks? Check.

Sandals with no socks that in no way match the dress? Check.

Are we ready for a day at the dirty, sandy park? Yessirree!

I think shoes for your toddler that are able to double as reflectors is an interesting concept. 

Apparently, so does Roberto Cavalli:

Just slap these babies on your child, and have no fear, as long as it’s a sunny day the helicopter will be able to locate you in no time flat! 

Begun by a mom in her basement up in Northern California, her unique style of handcrafted slippers for children and women have been around for more than a decade.   These “Bon Bons” have silk and velvet uppers with non-skid suede soles.  The website claims that these are for “lounging in style.”

For me, some of the designs are a bit over the top, especially if the only people that are going to see them are my husband, my son, and our betta fish.  However, the fabrics are gorgeous, the craftmanship beautifully done, and I could picture myself in some of the simpler designs.   They run $29.00 for kids, $41.00 for women. 

Source

Would you purchase these for you and your kids to hang around the house?  At least you can feel completely glamorous while loading the dishwasher!

Have you ever been indecisive about buying a pair of shoes for your child?  Have you ever stared at them and thought to yourself, if only they had a great name, I would purchase these in a heartbeat!

I didn’t think so.

But apparently the marketing gurus at Kenneth Cole REACTION (uh, their caps, not mine) are under the impression that a saccharinely cute name will distinguish them from the rest of the pack.

Unfortunately, the word “distinguish” can be open to interpretation.

Whip ’N Skip

For those parents who want to give their children early exposure to, er, alternative occupations. No horizon is too broad for Kenneth Cole!

A Faze ing 2 Dress Shoe

I’m not sure exactly what they were going for with this one.  A word play on “amazing?” But why doesn’t it make an ounce of sense?  And you lose me whenever you pretend u r 2 kewl to spell correctly.

Yum n Yummer Sandal

How did they know?  How did they know that making a  not-so-sly reference to a horrible Jim Carrey movie would make me want to get these? Bonus points for making up a word that doesn’t exist in the English language!

Blink of a Pie Canvas

Kenneth Cole, I’m beginning to think that your marketing department is harboring some sort of grudge against you.  Sending down a couple of pizzas now and then couldn’t hurt.

Ace of Braids

Sounds like this one was made up after one too many losses at the poker table.  It seems the bitterness didn’t stay in Vegas like it was supposed to.

And just to show that the girls have no monopoly on the dubious names, I present:

Hima Lion

Seriously, these people have no shame.  Even if it came with my own personal Sherpa, I wouldn’t get these because the name is just that bad.

I think there are some 6th graders who can come up with names that are just as good, if not better than the ones here.  I bet they’ll work a heck of a lot cheaper, too.

I’ve been staring at this picture for a long time now, and I can’t decide if this should be categorized under “The Cuteness Abounds” or “That’s  Just Wrong.”

What say you? 

Last week’s results should hearten any woman who breastfeeds, for they were overwhelmingly in favor of breastfeeding, any time, any place. Which is about how it goes, because a baby could care less that you are in the middle of 500 people, they are hungry now. But a whopping 59% requested that there be no “whipping it out” for all to see, please. There were zero people who answered in the negative categories of “it shouldn’t be done in public” and a “baby should be fed with a bottle in public.”  Good news, that.

This week we move on to Suri. You know, Suri Cruise, the possible recipient of a pair of $2500 custom-made Louboutin shoes at the tender age of one and a half. Now it is all just whispers and rumor at this point, but let’s just for a second assume that it is true.  Because, you know, it’s just more fun that way.

more at twiigs.com…

The rain in Spain falls mainly on the… wait, this is supposed to be about shoes. I have become a fan of De Osu shoes, which are hand-crafted in, you guessed it, Spain. Yes, they are a bit expensive, but the price is not unreasonable for shoes that weren’t mass produced in a country that rhymes with, uh, nevermind. No sense turning this into a Seinfeld episode.

Take for example, these infant/toddler dress shoes: