David Lynch at PAFA

One of PAFA’s own comes home in their new exhibit, The Unified Field.  In 1967 as an advanced painting student at PAFA, David Lynch made a hybrid work of art that brought together painting, sculpture, sound, film, and installation. Six Men Getting Sick (1967) expanded Lynch’s practice and opened him up to the possibilities of filmmaking. He went on to become internationally renowned as a film director (Mulholland Drive, Blue Velvet) but never stopped working as a visual artist. The Unified Field is Lynch’s first major museum exhibition in the United States, organized in close collaboration with the artist. It will bring together approximately 90 paintings and drawings from 1965 to present. Part of the exhibition explores Lynch’s early work, much of which has never been displayed in public.

Here are a few more works you’ll see on display:

This is I Burn Pinecone and Throw in Your House.  (Pretty self explanatory.)  The three little glowing light bulbs are my favorite part—that, and the little pinecone on the branch growing from the stump.

So there’s less arson on the Feld by Giesswein, but there’s still pinecones!  And they’re just so cute for the holiday season with the snowflake, and the little patch of snow on the branch, that I couldn’t resist.  They’re made of boiled wool, with a latex rubber sole.  Yours for $83 from Dodd’s Shoe Company.

Speaking of the holidays, this one is called All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth.  No Christmas joy here, though, I’m afraid.

But plenty of teeth on the Loose Tooth by Iron Fist!  Though there is a missing one, which makes this extra appropriate.  Can I also say how much I love the green on the inside of this?  Perfect.  Yours for $50 from Heels.com. 

The Unified Field runs through January 11.  Go celebrate this local artist!

Philly Fringe

I love the Fringe Festival.  I love the performing arts anyway, but isn’t there something sort of exhilarating about seeing something completely new?  Maybe in an unusual space?  Get out of your comfort zone!  See a new take on a classic!  Have an experience!  That’s what the Fringe means to me.  There are dozens of shows between now and September 21, so take a look at their program and pick one.  Need suggestions?

Perhaps Two Street—A Tale of Star Crossed Mummers.  Two Mummers brigades, both alike in dignity. Ronnie and Jules are perfect together, except that they belong to rival Mummer’s brigades. From the same company that created Heavy Metal Dance Fag and Antihero comes an outrageous comedy that skewers our love affair with true love and all its unrealistic expectations.

Feathers… sparkles everywhere… sure looks like the Mummers to me!  This pair has silver sequins all over the vamp, and a sparking adornment at the toe—on top of lots of feathers!  Now that’s the spirit.  Oh, and you get to pick your heel height, from 2.3 to 4 inches.  Find them at Etsy seller Angel Bling Box, starting at $129.

How about The Yellow Wallpaper?  It tells the tale of a woman who gradually becomes fascinated and then obsessed by the wallpaper (and what lies behind it) in a room where she is sequestered alone.  (…or is she?)

The Mercy by Kelsi Dagger Brooklyn is the bright yellow of the wallpaper, but also has a clear insert to mess with your mind a bit.  Is it there?  Is it not?  Are you imagining it?  (You’re not, don’t worry.)  A classic tasseled smoking slipper, reinvented!  Yours for $90 from Heels.com.

Feeling outdoorsy?  Then The Way Of All Flesh: A Graveyard Cabaret might be for you!  Back (from the dead) by popular demand after two years of sold-out performances! Sip free cocktails as darkness falls and three lost (singing) souls appear through the mists of Laurel Hill Cemetery for a toe-tapping, spine-tingling evening.

These skulls on the Sweet Tooth Peep Toe Platform are ready for a cabaret!  They’re decked out in gorgeous, er, bone paint?  And the heel has a pink bow that laces like a corset down the back.  Ah!  So cute!  The heel is five inches, but the platform will help with that.  Find them at Iron Fist for $50.

Don’t like these three?  I guarantee there’s a show out there for you.  Take a look and have an adventure!

How to Outsmart a Zombie in Three Easy Shoes

This weekend, some friends and I are going to test our wits against a zombie.  That’s right: we’re willingly trapping ourselves in a locked room with a zombie, and we’ll only have an hour to find our way out.  The zombie's chained to the wall to start, but every five minutes the chains get let out another foot...

My fellow zombie-bait Christina asked me for some appropriate shoes.  Christina, here I give you (and all of you, should a zombie apocalypse ever actually occur) three ways to beat a zombie.

1.  Speed.

This is the easy one.  (Unless we have the unfortunate problem of a running zombie apocalypse instead of a shuffling zombie apocalypse, in which case I hope you’ve been training.)  I swear by my Asics, so here I give you their GEL-Kayano 20.  Responsive bounce back, multidirectional stretch mesh, a lightweight and supportive design… this will give you a fighting chance!  Available in a dozen other color combos as well; your choice for $160 from Lady Foot Locker.

2.  Weaponry.

Bang bang!  The Bondgirl by Pleaser is well stocked, with a gun-shaped 7.5-inch heel and ammo all around its ginormous platform.  Not enough ammo for you?  They come with detachable ankle straps, so you can load up as needed.  (Okay, so this isn’t really a gun.  BUT you could bash the zombie on the head with this and stand a fighting chance.)  Also available with silver bullets (…in case of werewolves?); your choice for $88 from Exotic High Heels.

3.  Camouflage.

If fighting and running aren’t your style, you could always try blending in.  Perhaps the undead will see the Zombie Stomper and think (can they think?), “Ugh.  She zombie.  Me no eat.”  And once you’ve lured it in with your sexy four-inch heel, stomp its brains, like the shoe’s name suggests.  Done!  Find them at Iron Fist for $45.

Wish us luck!  Hopefully I’ll be back next week…

Sales this weekend:

Bakers: Buy one, get one half off-- the entire site!

Bloomingdales: 30-40% off designer shoes

Lord & Taylor: Friends and family sale-- 25% off with promo code FRIENDS

Macy's: Extra 25% off with code EXTRA

Payless: Every sandal on sale

Main Line Restaurant Week

Dig in, ladies: it’s Main Line Restaurant Week!  Over 20 area restaurants are offering lunch and dinner specials through Sunday night—three courses of delicious food, but all for teeny-weeny prices.  Which to choose, which to choose… maybe roasted oysters on the half shell, Parmesan-crusted Pacific cod, and a slice of double-layer chocolate cake for $30 at Big Fish in Glen Mills?

This pump is classic in shape, but not-so-classic in just about every other way!  The faux leather outer is printed in fish scales in shades of blue and white, and the stiletto heel is metallic silver… a visual feast!  Find them at DHGate for about $50.

Not feeling like fish?  How about Mexican?  (Yes to Mexican.  Always yes to Mexican.)  Then head on over to Más Mexicali Cantina in West Chester and bring $20, and enjoy a grilled fajita ensalada, mas tostados, and classic enchiladas:  

The Sweet Tooth is such a pretty little pump, with its swooping shapes and pink bow, but it’s the painted skulls that make this appropriate for a Mexican feast.  They look just like sugar skulls, don’t they?  With their roses and heart eyes?  The heel is five inches tall, but there’s a good-sized platform under the peep-toe to help you walk.  Yours for $50 from Iron Fist.

Still hungry?  Head over to Tango in Bryn Mawr for a shrimp, crab, and avocado parfait, braised beef short rib, and strawberry rhubarb bread pudding—all for $30! 

These are legit tango-dancing shoes, people.  The Body Heat are Argentine tango shoes in printed suede (red cheetah, no less) and black leather trim.  Pick your heel height (1.8-3.6 inches) and type, and what kind of sole you need (leather or suede), but they all come with high-density memory padding and a non-stick insole that won’t interfere with your performance.  Even if that performance is just polishing off a three-course meal.  Check them out (or their almost 150 other styles) at Very Tango.  This pair will run you $129.

Restaurant Week runs through Sunday night, so get a move on and try somewhere new!

Halloween

Darkness falls across the land.

The midnight hour is close at hand.

Creatures crawl in search of blood

To terrorize your neighborhood.

Blood found!  The Blood Splatter Zombie Pumps by Pleaser look like they’ve been through some horrible zombie attack, but hey—at least you came through the attack in style.  If now you’re destined to eat braaaaaaaaaaaains for the rest of your unnatural life, you may as well look good.  Also available with blood-on-white; your choice for $51 on Overstock.

And whosoever shall be found

Without the soul for getting down

Must stand and face the hounds of hell

And rot inside a corpse’s shell.

Hell, you’d look devilish in these!  The flame-shaped cuts around the heel, the pitchfork across the peep toe (there’s a little buckle on it, by the way)… I even love that the ankle strap is just tipped in black.  That just makes it for me!  Yours on super-sale for $30 from BuyCostumes.

The foulest stench is in the air—

The funk of forty thousand years—

And grisly ghouls from every tomb

Are closing in to seal your doom.

Think any grisly ghouls will emerge from the tombstones on the Wish List Plat Bootie by Iron Fist?  Maybe!  At least one of the stones has a frowny face on it—maybe he’s angry his eternal rest is being disturbed by all this dancing.  Kids these days.  I also enjoy the embossed crosses on the toe, by the laces, and around heel—that’s pulling a theme all the way through!  Very nice.  Whole sizes only from Shoes.com for $75.

And though you fight to stay alive

Your body starts to shiver

For no mere mortal can resist

The evil of the thriller!

AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!

AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!

University City Dining Days

Ugh, it’s too hot to cook.  It’s like a hundred degrees out there!  You’re crazy if you think I’m turning on the oven.

But good news for me (or anyone else like me): if you head over to University City between now and Augusts 1, you can help yourself to special, inexpensive menus around the neighborhood as a part of Dining Days!  Almost 30 restaurants are participating, with three-course menus for $15, $25, or $35, depending on where you go.

Let’s say you get $15 together—why not head to Copabanana for crispy buffalo shrimp, chicken with island jerk spices, and key lime pie:

Get some tropical goodness with the Flax—floral print, animal print, everything!  This pointed-toe pump has a 3.5-inch heel and pink and purple flowers, and is on sale at Nine West for $29!  That’s a steal (yet somehow is still twice as much as dinner!).

Or maybe you have $25 in your wallet.  Maybe go to the Gold Standard Café for baba ghanoouj, grilled duck breast with peach sauce, and a dessert from their daily selections:

Gold standard, indeed!  The Sophie by Romantic Soles is a lovely gold-on-gold flat—soft gold faux leather for the vamp, and sparkly gold glitter at the rounded cap toe!  If you’re not digging the gold (get it? ha ha!) seven different color options.  Seven!  Your choice for $36 on Zappos.

Maybe you have $35—if you do, head to Distrito for shrimp ceviche, tacos de carnitas, chicken enchiladas, and flourless chocolate cake:

Olé!  The Lucky Lucy by Iron Fist is like a beautiful watercolor of the Dia de los Muertos, isn’t it?  Just lovely.  It has a sizeable heel, but a hidden platform to help it feel shorter!  Whole sizes only, and runs between $40-$64 depending on the size, but all available at Amazon.

Wherever you decide to go, just turn the oven off and go!  University City is waiting to serve you something delicious!

Sales this weekend:
Bakers: BOGO on all sandals
Call it Spring: Take an extra 30% off all sale items
Lord & Taylor: Take an extra 15% off regular and sale, and an extra 20% off clearance with code SAVINGS
Macy's: 15% off with code SAVE
Nine West: Save 20% on one pair of sandals, 25% off two, and 30% off three

Center City Sips

I hope you’re thirsty: Center City Sips is in full swing!  On Wednesdays from 5-7 PM between now and the end of August, you can get drink specials and half-priced appetizers at almost 90 places around the city.  Ninety places!  Better get sipping lest the summer get away from you.  Maybe start with short rib quesadillas, some Troegs Dreamweaver, and a round of bowling at Lucky Strike Lanes?

What’s that?  Bowling shoes don’t have to be boring-looking (and grody)?  The Plaid White/Pink Bowling Shoes by Brunswick are sort of awesome, with the punch detailing on the white sections and the detailed pink plaid fabric.  There are touches of pink on the inside and the sole too—you’ll be the hippest cat at the lanes in these!  Yours for $35 from Bowlers Paradise.

Or maybe some sangria and chicken taquitos at Tequilas?

The sugar skulls on these comfy little Mary Janes are very reminiscent of the Day of the Dead murals in Tequilas, aren’t they?  They’re all hand-embroidered in touches of blue, purple, red, green, yellow, and orange—simple and festive at the same time.  Find them at Etsy seller Hello Shoes for $24.

Or a mojito and baked mac and cheese at The Black Sheep?

Aah!  Look at these!  The Black Sheep Bootie is a serious bootie, to be sure, but the print is sweet little drawings of sheep!  My favorite part of these, though (and I’m sorry you can’t see it in this tiny picture, but please go check it out on the web), is that the faux leather by the laces and up the six-inch heel is delicately, meticulously embossed—it looks like a pressed-tin ceiling.  Can’t forget the square studs and massive platform too!  Yours for $80 from Iron Fist.

So raise your glass and get your snack on at Center City Sips this summer.  Now through the end of August!

Dropping the (Not the) Ball

New Year’s Eve is almost here!  And sure, you could watch the ball drop in Times Square, but we are PENNSYLVANIANS.  Who needs their silly ball when our state drops all kinds of wonderful and wacky things?  In fact, PA drops more things on New Year’s Eve than any other state!  (Seriously; we’ve got like 45 and the next highest state has maybe nine.  We crush them.)

In Hummelstown, they drop a lollipop:

The Sweets for the Sweet by Iron Fist are sweet indeed!  You’ve got the big rainbow lollipops on the heel, of course, but look at the lining: it’s all Ring Pops!  (Great; now I really, really want a Ring Pop.)  It has a 3.5-inch heel (or so it says… it looks higher), and a pink sparkle platform peep toe!  The pink is a nice touch.  Whole sizes only from 5 to 11; get yours for $60 from Punk.com. 

In Pottsville they drop a bottle of Yuengling, and in Cleona they raise a pretzel:

The Oktoberfest by Haflinger are made of boiled wool (sounds simultaneously gross and super comfy, doesn’t it?), with arch support, a soft wool sole, and appliqués of a salted pretzel and beer mug!  It doesn’t get any more Pennsylvanian than that.  Whole sizes 6-10 from Comfort Feet Shop for $70.

In Lancaster they drop a red rose, and in York, a white rose:

(Ah, the War of the Roses, translated into New Years Eve drops!  This is why life is awesome.)  The We Found Love has the red and white (and the, er, orange) on the toe of a very sculptural pump, made of different black fabrics.  There’s a slit in the back, by the way—you don’t have to walk all leaning forward!  Find them at Irregular Choice for $168.

And there are two—TWO!—two separate towns that drop shoes!  In Palmyra, they drop the “Giant Shoe,” and in Akron they drop a purple and gold sneaker.  (Oh, and in Hallam, they drop a replica of a local house shaped like a shoe.  So I guess that’s three!)

So the Two Fold by Converse All Star is silver and purple, but it’s still awfully festive!  I love the touches of shiny blue on the tongue and the blue laces—the laces especially.  Whole sizes only; yours for $30 (on sale from $50!) from Finish Line.

Wherever you are and whatever you’re watching drop, have a happy New Year and I’ll see you in 2013!

Sales this weekend:
Sorry ladies; the Shoe Fairy is on vacation until the New Year.  Be back then with all the post-holiday deals!

Zombie Prom!

For all, prom was a rite of passage.  For some, you’d only make them go again over their dead bodies.  So I give you... the Zombie Prom!  All the fun of prom (getting dressed up, dancing with your friends) and all the fun of the undead, all in one night.  Just in time for October!

In the spirit, I give you a “host” of zombie shoes.  Iron Fist makes a TON of different kinds:

The Zombie Stomper Platform by Iron Fist has a green zombie print all over the foot, tied up nicely with a sweet little bow at the heel!  (That’s a 4.5-inch heel.  It also has a platform at the peep toe.)  Anybody else get a kick out of the zombie teeth over the toes?  I think it’s kind of hilarious.  Whole sizes only (from 5 to 11); yours for $45 from Punk.com. 

The same print is also available in boot form:

The Zombie Stomper Fugg Boot by Iron Fist has our green zombie friend up the front (it’s black around the back), still with the sleek black bow on the side.  Don’t they look cozy?  Available in sizes 6 or 9 from Endless for $50.

How about a pink zombie?

The Gold Digger Flat by Iron Fist has the same kind of face, only in pink!  It’s got the characteristic black bow on the side, accompanied by a little gold tooth charm.  Sizes 6 and 9 on Endless for $35; sizes 7 and 10 at Left Coast Threads for the same.

Iron Fist doesn’t have the corner on the zombie shoe market, of course:

The Zombie by Demonia is high heeled Mary Jane splashed with a bright zombie print.  (It’s on the inside of the shoe, too!)  The buckle is so fancy, isn’t it?  It’s on a 4.5-inch heel and has a small platform under the peep toe.  Find them at ShoeBuy (whole sizes 6 through 12) for $70.

Let’s tone down the colors a bit:

These hand-painted sneakers have eerie black-and-white zombie portraits on them.  (Different portraits on the other shoe!  Even creepier than these, actually.  Eeeee.)    Yours for $115 from Etsy seller HeroesHeadquarters.

Whichever pair you choose, make sure they are comfortable to dance in and/or run from the undead partying hoards in, in case they get hungry!

The Zombie Prom is being held at the Troc tomorrow night—doors open at 8:00 PM.  Tickets are only $11, so grab some friends (try not to eat them on the way there) and dance into the “dead” of night!

Sales this weekend:
Bloomingdale's: Save 20-30% on select styles
Bus Stop Boutique: Stop by from 5-8 PM, have a glass of wine, and get 15% off your purchase!
Lord & Taylor: 20% off regular and sale shoes with code SHOP or in-store pass
Macy's: Comfort shoe sale (25-50% off)
Neiman Marcus: Get a $50 gift card with a purchase of $350 or more of regular price shoes and handbags
Nine West: Buy one, get one half off
Payless: Buy one, get one half off

Be Happy!

Did you know that August is National Happiness Happens Month?  It is!  Hooray for happiness!  While it’s really things like friends and volunteer work that make people happy, those are kind of hard to find shoes for.  So we’re just going to go with... puppies!

They’re little Chihuahuas!  These little Mary Janes have curious eyes, black noses, and pointy ears.  Awwww.  Available in whole sizes for $25 from Etsy seller Em & Sprout.

Rainbows!

The Highlight by Zigi Soho is so cheery: bright, striped fabric; knotting detail at the toe; a raffia-wrapped sole.  I don’t see how these couldn’t make you happy... if they don’t, double-check that you have a pulse, okay?  Yours for $28 from 6pm.

Cupcakes!  And unicorns!

(And pink and glitter!)  The Demon Donkeys by Iron Fist are so amazing—it’s a pink flat covered in cupcakes (and skulls, owls, and unicorns), and are topped at the toe with a glitter bow (with three rhinestones down the front) and an ice cream cone-shaped silver charm!  Even the print on the inside is sketched-out cupcakes and ice cream cones.  Love.  Find them at Punk.com for $40.

Bluebirds of happiness!

The Fresh Cut Grass is a sweet suede T-strap with a round toe, scattered with bluebirds and roses!  And look at the bow on the toe—too cute.  Also available in blue or black; your pick from Irregular Choice for $139.

And finally, some advice:

Now that’s the spirit!  These flip flops are actually a custom job—for $20 you have your choice of colors and you can have them say whatever you want.  I think these strike a good note, though!  Find them at Bonanza.

I hope you found a pair to make you smile—since really, what’s happier than shoes?

Happy Olympics!

I love the Olympics!  Love them, love them, love them.  I have the dates written in my calendar like three years in advance.  I will be watching every single sport NBC decides to air.  Fencing?  You bet!  Modern pentathlon?  Wouldn’t miss it!  Kayaking?  Can’t wait!  Synchronized diving?  Already set my DVR!

In the spirit of the Summer Games, I give you shoes inspired by this year’s host city, London!  Let’s start with a classic:

Does it get any more British than Doc Martens?  Their 1460 is part of their classic collection, an 8-eyelet boot made of black leather, adorned with the Union Jack in red and white leather at the toe.  Yours for $140.

Aren’t these sweet?  The Patty is a beautiful felt pump, with a moderate heel and a round toe—stitched with the Union Jack, of course!  And to prove your love for the UK, there is a red felt heart smack dab in the middle.  Love.  If you agree, find them on Irregular Choice on sale for $84!

The Bob’s World Nation Slip On by Sketchers is the perfect casual Olympics-watching shoe.  Fabric upper and lining, rubber sole, and it comes in the stars and stripes too, if you want to cheer on the American teams!  Your choice from Endless for $40.

Gaa!  I love these!  I want to wear them for both weeks of the games and never ever take them off!!  The Jacked Up by Iron Fist is a sparkly tribute to the Union Jack: silver, blue, and red sequins adorn a round-toe pump with a 3.5-inch heel.  Whole sizes only; yours for $60 from Punk.com.

Whichever your favorite, pull ‘em on, root for the good ol’ US of A, and enjoy a fabulous fortnight of athletic feats!  Opening ceremonies is tonight-- don't miss it!


I also want to mention that Bus Stop Boutique is having a "Go For the Gold" Olympics sale today from 11 AM-8 PM!  Grab all your gold jewelry (get it?) and get 15% off, plus have a glass of lemonade on the house.


Sales this weekend:
Aerosoles: Pre-season event: 20% off new arrivals and free shipping
Bloomingdales: 40-75% off select styles
Lord & Taylor: 20% off with savings pass or promo code FINAL
Macy's: 25-65% off select shoes
Nordstrom: Anniversary sale
Payless: End of season nclearance
Steve Madden: 30% off select fall styles

Women's History Month

Tomorrow is the last day of Women’s History Month, a worldwide celebration of the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society.  I thought in the spirit of the month, I’d look at some famous Philadelphia women and honor them they best way I know: shoes!

A diva:

Marian Anderson (1897-1993) was one of the most talented and powerful contraltos of the 20^th century, as well as an important figure in the Civil Rights Movement.  She was born in Philadelphia, lived here her whole life, and is buried just out in Collingdale.  In honor of a woman who thrilled audiences the world over, I give you the Leila by Jimmy Choo.  It’s subtle and dramatic at the same time, with glitter, mesh, and straps working together in perfect harmony.  It has a five-inch heel and a zipper up the back—find them at Saks for $995.

An author:

Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) is best known for her four enduring creations: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March in Little Women.  She was born in Germantown, where she lived the first eight years of her life.  For her Civil War-era heroines, I give you the Laurel by Ecco.  A leather boot, it has six buttons up the side (a zipper on the other side let’s you in) and a nice, solid four-inch heel.  Also available in brown with gold buttons; find them on Zappos for $113.

A princess:

Grace Kelly (1929-1982), born in East Falls, was an actress, the Princess consort of Monaco, and the epitome of her name: grace.   For her, the Neva by Nina: satin, beads, and ruffles, all in a delicate pink.  A four-inch heel and a three-quarter-inch platform under the almond peep-toe complete the look.  Class and femininity—just like Grace.  Also available in white or black; find them at Nordstrom for $99.

And a seamstress:

Betsy Ross (1752-1836) was born, raised, and buried in Philadelphia, and is credited with creating the first American flag.  (Whether or not that’s true...)  In her honor, the All Star Platform Wedge is a starred-and-striped beauty!  Buckles, laces, patent leather at the heel... and that’s a serious wedge!  Yours for $80 from Iron Fist. 

Kind of makes you proud to be a woman in Philadelphia, doesn’t it?

Want to learn more?  Marian Anderson’s house is still standing—go down to South Martin Street (between 19^th and 20^th, south of Fitzwater) and pay a visit to the Marian Anderson Historical Society.  Go to their website and listen to her sing—it will give you chills.  To learn more about Betsy Ross, stop by the Betsy Ross House at 2^nd and Arch for a tour.  Betsy may even take you herself!

Sales this weekend:

Aerosoles: 20% off select dress shoes and sandals (online only!)

Joan Shepp: Take a survey on their website and get 10% off

Lord & Taylor: Save 20% with promo code SAVEMORE

Macy's: The great shoe sale! 15% off one pair, 20% off two pairs, 30% off three or more pairs

Neiman Marcus: Receive a $50 gift card when you spend $350 on shoes or handbags

Payless: Easter sale

Steve Madden: 30% off new spring styles