Do Your Shoes Lift You With Joy?

Donna Brodie, of the Writers Room, in her ecstatic footwear

She was lovely to behold, in the way someone you think of fondly looks when you see them after a long time.

The way she tossed her hair, now shoulder length and full, swirling her ice coffee, bracelets jangling on her slender wrist.  How I missed her!

She eyed my shopping bag with a slow smile, “Anything fabulous?”

Fabulous?  These boots by Anita Moser are fabulous, in my opinion.

I confess, I am longing to take another shoemaking class so that I can make a pair of boots.

I pulled out the white shirtdress with the amazing pleating at the waist that reminded me of the style she always preferred – fitted waist with a flared skirt to highlight her hourglass figure.  She practically leaped out from behind her desk to take a closer look at the stitching detail.

And that is when I saw them.

Her deep lilac vegan peep toe wedge sandals from Payless.  She practically floated in them.  “They match my golf shorts, I love the color, they were fifteen bucks – I am absolutely crazy about them and the price!”

She was radiant.  She was poetry in motion.

Keep this in mind

I write a lot about shoes, why you need stilettos, how I was determined to learn how to make my own.  To me, they hold a special place between you and the earth.  They govern your movement and your posture.  Shoes are the foundation of how you present yourself to the world each day.  Here are some things about shoes to keep in mind:

Color

Be bold and put some unexpected color on your feet.  Somehow, you will find something in your closet that will match.  If not, oh well, you’ll have to go shopping and find something that does.  The effect you will have on people will be unexpected and unforgettable.

Height

Notice I did not say stature.  That is psychological height.  I mean the arch and the heel of the shoe and how the shoe lengthens your leg.  Not the job for a ballet flat.

Detail

A perky bow?  A little toe cleavage?  A shaped heel?  Small details, big impact.

Elevation

I am talking about your spirits.  Do you feel like a million bucks in your fifteen dollar shoes?  This is a case of reverse gravity – your sense of Wow! flows upward from the tips of your shoes to the top of your head.

Isn’t it a wonderful thing when you can find a pair of shoes that can carry you joyfully through your day?  Simple joys are great pleasures.

Get more Wow!

If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:

Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good

Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit

Style Notes from me, your artspy

Hoong Yee

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?

Why You Should Make Your Own Shoes

photo by @njee

Shoes are powerful.

Shoes are what carry you through your day.  They alter your posture, your walk, your stance, your silhouette.  You must pay attention to what you put on your feet if you care about the impression you leave.

Stature is more than a stiletto

Of course, stature is more than what a pair of shoes, or stilettos, can give you.  A self confident woman can take the world on barefoot if need be.  It is that unmistakable self esteem, confidence and awareness that truly elevates.  A great pair of stilettos simply nails it.

Corporette always features great shoes for work at great prices.

Running a 10K, running the world

Don’t let your shoes, or anything sabotage what you do.  I start most mornings on the beach at 5:00 am running with my friend Andrea and then I begin my day.  Believe me, it is not easy getting out of bed at 4:30 am and heading out in the dark cold morning to do this.  This is why I wear those funny looking Vibram five finger shoes.  They make me feel like I am running barefoot on the sand.  They make my running experience great.

Running the world takes an equally focused mindset.  It requires the same in thoughtful footwear.  You must feel good, look invincible and be comfortable in your own skin.  That is a lot for a pair of shoes to deliver.  If you get a handful of these in your lifetime, you are lucky.

Touch the earth with care

The soles of your shoes are the only thing between you and this earth.  They carry you forward as well as the secret of stature.  I am so consumed by the nuanced changes in my posture and movement that I actually decide what I am going to wear each day beginning with my shoes.  How I carry myself is infinitely more important than what I am wearing.

To do what I do requires a lot of thinking on my feet.  To be nimble and successful, this nonprofit ninja needs shoes and is looking around for another shoe making class.  This time, I have my eyes on designing a pair of killer boots.

Watch out!

What do you put on your feet to make you feel Wow?

Get more Wow!

If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:

Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good

Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit

Style Notes from me, your artspy

Hoong Yee

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?

What Matters Most: First Impressions Or Second Looks?

me and Sky

First Impressions or Second Looks?

What is more important?

The first thing people see, or the last thing they remember?

For my birthday, I received a present in a bag that shouted, “Expensive Present”.   Naturally, I was delighted and threw my arms around my darling, generous husband.  How could he miss once he got me into this frame of mind?

Luckily for him, I loved the present he got me.  And what I will remember about it is that bag.

Smart man.

my Vibram running shoes

You Don’t Want to See What My Feet Look Like in the Morning

They say these are becoming much more popular.  So far, the only ones I see wearing these odd looking shoes are me and Andrea.  At 5:30 am, on a dark beach, they don’t look so strange.  We are probably the only webfooted women out there and I suppose the first impression of us you might get is that we are slightly fanatic about running barefoot on the beach.

The shoes leave weird impressions in the sand.

I wear them first thing in the morning so I can really enjoy my run, get my mind and body going, and give people a reason to give me a second look.

my Chanel shoes

Could You Believe I Only Paid $100 for These?

Sigh!  As soon as I promised myself I would not buy another pair of shoes – ever, I saw this pair of vintage Chanel shoes in a boutique in Nolita and they were screaming at me, I swear, I had no choice, I had to go in and try them on.  Of course, they were my size.  Of course, I have nothing to wear with them so I will have to go out and get something fabulous.  And of course, I will have to find a stunning event to go to so I can wear my new outfit.  As my friend Donna said, when I confessed my entire escapade,

“You made the right choice.”

All this to say that these are shoes you wear for a second look.

Get more Wow!

If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:

Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good

Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit

Style Notes from me, your artspy

Hoong Yee

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?

Change the World, Change Your Shoes

Catching up with Beth Kanter

I was at the NTen Nonprofit Technology Conference in Washington DC and I raised my hand when someone asked if there were any executive directors in the room.  It seems that one of the hot topics going around the sessions was how to bring the message back home to the decision makers back at the ranch and get them on board to tech up.  There were a quite a few hands that went up so that’s a good sign.

Me, I am a bit of a nonprofit ninja when it comes to taking the unexpected or unprecedented road as the Executive Director of the Queens Council on the Arts.  I am all about failing, risk, and cheerfully working with the unknown.  Takes a little getting used to but it is definitely better than standing still.

Mediocrity terrifies me.

Remember the shoes?

When you are in a hotel with 2,000 wired, linked, tweeted, blogged and followed people, you need a good pair of shoes.

I have to be honest, I am exhausted.

Can I tap as fast as I can blink?  Does it count if you just talk to someone?  I am hoping to find my friend Beth at some point this weekend;  I was actually hoping I would naturally run into her over the course of the weekend but I gave up and sent her an email.  We were actually in the same space at one point,  I was in the front of the room and she was in the back, and we missed each other.  Clearly, there was only one way to address this:  new running shoes.

Here are my new Vibram FiveFingers Bikila

Got them down the street from the conference to dash around the Washington Hilton at the speed of well, technology.

Got myself into the Don’t Get Lost on the Cutting Room Floor session bright and early Saturday morning which was presented by the good folks at See3.  Geared for beginners like me, they went over simple systems for compiling, organizing, tagging and archiving media.

Here’s a link to their slides.

And yes, I did run in to Beth.

Here’s her invaluable conference blog posts.

Get more Wow!

If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:

Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good

Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit

Style Notes from me, your artspy

Hoong Yee

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?

Why You Need Stilettos

me,  my shoe and Llorraine

Such a slender piece of leather lifts you above the earth.  And to such heights, such rarified circles, such stature.   Is this something you leave to amateurs?  To mere mortals?

Faux get it!

Here I am with my inner shoe shiva/diva Llorraine Neithardt at her display, “The Inner Life of the Erotic Shoe” at the Four Seasons Hotel for Fashion Night Out.  My stilettos, my soles I trust to her.

Seth among the beautiful boys at YSL

Style Note:  57th Street was teeming with elegant matchstick thin women drenched in Chanel and perched in black 5 inch stilettos dashing in and out of elegant stores clutching flutes of champagne.  Do not, I repeat, do not think you will stand out wearing black on this night when all of the salespeople, greeters and other store natives are Working. This. Color. Like. Nobody’s. Business.

Voila!  the two handsome hunky door decorations who eyed Seth’s shirt, “Oh snap, I was gonna wear that shirt tonight but no, I got word from you know who that I had door duty but man, that shirt is legit!”

more gorgeous guys at Chanel

When I saw this duo, I had to stop them.  ”I have to take your picture, you guys are a mess!”

Sky’s sneaker design

For twelve year old fashion icons, here is a sketch for kicks created by Sky.  There is a lot of ground to cover all over the city and if I weren’t wearing my handmade shoes this would be my shoe of choice.

As we were leaving, a woman grabbed my arm.  ”That bag, where did you get it?”  she demanded. Without missing a beat, I calmly pried her fingers off my arm and pointed to the back of the store,  ”Chanel.  Second floor.  New fall arrivals.  Ask for Genevieve.”  I whispered softly.  She disappeared into the crowd like a heat seeking missile.

Chanel?  I giggled at my chutzpah ( Yiddish for – oh come on! You know what chutzpah is).

Fashion Night Out is a Manhattan Mardi Gras.  A party where you strap on on your stilettos and stride into the evening air closer to the stars.  A mad ill crunk (twelve year old speak for cool) pair of kicks.  Or a faux snakeskin freebie tote from DSW.

Fashion, darlings, is not what you wear, but how you work it.

You know what to do.

Get more Wow!

If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:

Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good

Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit

Style Notes from me, your artspy

Hoong Yee

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?