Snowpocalypse!

I hope you bought your bread and milk—it’s Snowpocalypse 2015!  We might not be getting the worst of it (my poor parents on Long Island, looking at 30 inches!), but it’s enough to keep us indoors.  I say, curl up in pajama pants and cozy slippers—like these!

A classic, right?  The Sheepskin Mule by Minnetonka has a genuine sheepskin upper and sherling lining to keep your feet warm—and a rubber sole in case you absolutely, positively have to go outside for something.  (But please don’t.)  Find them at Nordstrom for $74.

Argh, the Cole by Bedroom Athletics are like fluffy pink marshmallows for your feet!  I can’t stand it!  They have a “generously cushioned” footbed, which sounds glorious, and just look at the silver detailing on the leather outsole.  They also come in tan and a sassy lynx print; yours for $55 from Zappos.

I have a fondness for piggy slippers.  I must have had a pair at some point in my life that I still have a subconscious attachment to.  But look at this pair by Snoozies—how could you not love their little smiling faces?  Their little ears?  And just look at all that fluffy stuffing on the inside.  I want my feet in these right now.  Also available in seven other choices (including a second piggy!); your choice for about $15 on Amazon.

Stay in and stay warm, everyone!

Shoe Fairy on Vacation

Hello deputy shoe fairies!  This week, I’m away on vacation in New Mexico.  I’m going to soak in hot springs, do yoga in the mountains (badly), hike through National Parks, do a half marathon, go to the opera, and basically do my damnedest eat the state out of green chiles. 

Since you can’t come with me, here’s a little southwest spirit to tide you over until I get back!

The White Sand is almost like a little bead waterfall, or a raining bead-cloud—a diamond of white and blue squarely over the brown leather straps.  I’ll bet the beads jingle a little as you walk!  Available in three other combos but none as nice as the brown and blue, if I do say so myself.  Yours for $50 from Nine West (but might actually be less—they were $30 before I left last week).

A classic!  The Thunderbird II by Minnetonka is a white leather moccasin with kiltie fringe at the top of the foot, and a brightly contrasting red and black thunderbird.  So lovely!  Find them for $40 at Nordstrom.

The beading on the Yuri by Sam Edelman sort of reminds me of a stylized Earth: suns, mountains, plains, a river.  The rest of the peep-toe sandal is in brown leather (sort of digging the buckle around the back), and the heel looks to be about four inches tall?  Yours for $85-$170 depending on the size from Amazon.

Ooooh… sexy.  The Shylah is another Nine West number, but in feisty red on a four-inch stacked heel.  Three narrow straps at both the toe and the ankle (plus a thicker one with a silver buckle, but that’s mostly decoration since there’s a zipper up the back to let you in), and a beaded panel in red, green, blue, purple, and white up the front of the foot.  Find them at Lord & Taylor on sale for $50!

So be good and take care of my city until I return next week!

Sales this weekend:

Sorry ladies; the Shoe Fairy is on vacation this week.  You’ll have to seek out the sales on your own!

International Women's Day

Happy International Women’s Day, Philadelphia women!  International Women’s Day has been observed since in the early 1900s, and continues to honor women’s advancement (while diligently reminding of the continued vigilance and action required to ensure that women’s equality is gained and maintained in all aspects of life).  But today, let’s celebrate, and honor three Philadelphia women through my favorite medium: shoes!

An artist:

Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) was one of the leading artists in the Impressionist movement of the later part of the 1800s.  Her family moved to Philadelphia from Pittsburgh when she was six years old, and she studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (despite her father’s objection that he’d “rather see you dead first”) before going to Europe to study—and changing the world of art.  I adore this heel from It3 for Mary: the floral silk outer is an homage to her more feminine subjects, but the angular heel (that’s awesome!) hints at some of the daring moves she made as an artist.  These beauties come to you from a boutique in Paris (where Mary studied too, and died, actually!) and are yours for $80 via Farfetch.

A saint:

Katherine Drexel (1858-1955) grew up in money: her father was an investment banker, and her uncle founded Drexel University.  After many years of donating money and doing good deeds, she became a missionary to Native American missions, and later a nun.  She founded a system of black Catholic schools in 13 states, 50 missions for Native Americans in 16 states, and Xavier University in New Orleans, the first Catholic university in the United States for African Americans.  Xavier’s school colors?  Gold and white, just like the Boat Moc by Minnetonka—and it’s a moccasin (sort of), the traditional footwear of some of the Native Americans she served.  A leather upper, insole, and lining in cheery yellow (or white, fuchsia, brown, or blue)—find them at Zappos for $50.

And the woman who gave us Thanksgiving:

Sarah Josepha Hale (1788-1879) was a poet and editor, who moved to Philadelphia to edit Godey’s Lady’s Book.  At this time Thanksgiving was not widely celebrated around the country (and even then on different days), but Hale wanted it to be a national holiday.  For 38 years, she went on a letter-writing campaign to various states and four presidents—but it was the fifth one, Abraham Lincoln, that agreed with her and decreed Thanksgiving a national holiday.  (If that’s not enough, she also wrote “Mary Had a Little Lamb”!)  Sarah Hale is buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery.  The Carson by Comfortview are similar to shoes that would have been popular when Thanksgiving became a holiday in 1863 (see these barrette boots!).  They have a delicately cut out upper, lots of cushioning, a three-inch heel, and a zipper up the back to let you in.  Available in black or tan; your choice for $80 from Jessica London. 

Celebrate being a woman today—and know you are the latest in a line of extraordinary Philadelphia women!

Sales this weekend:

Sorry ladies, my computer is back in the shop.  I promise, a time is coming where I will have my laptop whole again and I can give you all the sales you deserve!