Everybody’s sartorial inspiration changes from time to time; it can be from a fashion blogger, a friend, or even a magazine spread you’ve seen recently. My obsession with TV has many a times contributed to the way I dress, and these days, I’m twiddling my thumbs in anticipation of the new season of Mad Men that will roll out soon!
For those who haven’t watched the show, it’s set around an advertising agency in 1960s New York, the golden era of advertising. It’s also one of my favourite era of clothes – when men dressed like men and women dressed like women. With suits, and pocket squares and crinoline and pencil dresses. Women were sexy and it’s incredibly alluring to me.
Mad Men’s costume designer Janie Bryant was once asked if the show’s vintage style rubs off on her current wardrobe. “Sure,” she replied, “But there’s a fine line between looking like you’ve been influenced by the early ’60s, and looking like you’re going to a theme party for the early ’60s!” In other words: A little period styling goes a very long way. With that in mind, we thumbed through current collections in search of the perfect outfit for a Madworld.
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The Wealthy Housewife
Betty Draper is the perfect housewife – she dresses to the nines to matter where she’s headed and her hair is perfectly coiffed. You can try a floral frock for something Betty-esque, but for a little bit of Grace Kelly by way of Ossining, think about slim pants. These tapered slacks from Sandro were inspired specifically by the sporty, elegant silhouette of the movie star princess.
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The Bombshell Anyone can pull off this look, but the secret is knowing your shape and accentuating your best parts, a la Joan. Whether you’re getting a start up agency off the ground, or in charge of something more established, this curve-enhancing number from Diane von Furstenberg is the perfect mix of business and bombshell.
The Up-and-Comer
Peggy might have been a late-bloomer, but Season 3 proved she is as capable of exploiting her office (and bedroom) talents as anyone else. This pussy-bow blouse from ASOS sums up Peggy’s style in one piece of clothing.
For Mad Women and Mad Men
At Sterling Cooper, men and women have separate jobs, distinct salaries, and a different set of office politics to avoid. What they do have in common? Styling accessories, like Ray Ban sunglasses, the shades worn by everyone from Audrey Hepburn to Bob Dylan. Don Draper has a pair; so does Jane Siegel.
Let’s face it – we’re not born with the ability to walk on high heels. It’s one of the things we have to put ourselves through as we grow up, and while some of us rock ‘em heels like we belong on the catwalk, others need a little help. We found this quick video will help you figure out what you need to correct, and how to correct your posture when in heels.
Remember that fit, and make are two very important things to consider when purchasing heels. It is not natural for us to walk on stilts so do your back and your calves a favour and wear quality shoes that fit you well. Most of the time, the reason why you end up complaining about how much your feet hurt when wearing heels is cos’ you’re not wearing the proper size, or the heels don’t give your feet the support they need.
Like everything else, practice makes perfect. Wear your shoes at home to practice and when you think you can rock them, take those babies out! ;)
What a sensational piece of footwear. It’s a street-stopper. But let’s face it. Not every woman can wear this shoe. If your normal shoes size is a 10, your foot will appear 2 sizes larger in this shoe. A 12? Yes. Isn’t 10 big enough?
This “Just Cavalli” pump is simply gorgeous. But in a pointy toe, your foot does not extend all the way forward in the shoe. It can’t. There’s no room in the toe area for all of your toes, regardless how narrow your foot is. You can see 1/2 inch of this model’s toebed. Imagine how much empty space is in the front of the shoe.
This doesn’t work for women with large feet – that is, if you are concerned about your foot taking on the resemblance of the Titanic.
So, what do you wear to make your feet look smaller?
A higher wedge heel will give you a lift that will make the foot look shorter. Like this Mimosa Wedge. The ornamentation across the top helps even more by breaking up the foot. This shoe is extremely comfortable too.
These Baby Phat Heels (right)will make any foot look smaller. The design will help camouflage the foot. And the height of the heel will display your foot more on a diagonal as opposed to a flat, long loafer style.
If you have pretty feet that are long, try a shoe with clear acrylic as part of the design. Just be aware the shoe will cause a lot of stares because at 1st glance, people will think you are not wearing shoes at all.
Most flat shoes and pumps will make feet appear larger. Even a pump with a square toe can be unattractive.
If you have trouble finding shoes, find a store where you can try on all you want without the help of a salesperson. Stores like Nordstrom Rack have all their shoes out where you can try them on all day long, as many as you want. Most stores, even high end stores like Bloomingdale’s and Neiman Marcus have shoes out on display during a sale. Trying on different styles will also give you ideas about what suits you best.
Shoes piled up in the entranceway? Mudroom? Bedroom? Here’s a pretty comprehensive list of the many ways of dealing with shoe storage – for those with just a few pairs, or quite a lot. In each category, I’m showing just some of the many options.
These can be built into a closet system, or they can be freestanding. The picture above comes from Cubbies Unlimited; Organize-It sells seven different cubbies.
Update on Nov. 25, 2008: You can also get acrylic shoe divider cubbies from Custom Inserts.
Nov. 24 update: I should make this category shoe boxes and shoe drawers. As organizer Ilene Drexler said: “I think you missed my hands-down favorite: the men’s size shoe drawers from The Container Store. They slide in & out with the greatest of ease, are crystal clear plastic & are roomy enough for all types of women’s shoes. Expensive but worth every penny!”
4. Shelves, without the boxes
To see how one person used shelves for shoes, take a look atApartment Therapy. (And here are more Apartment Therapypictures.) Or you could use a bookcase, as shown in Domino.Charles & Marie point us to a shoe shelf from 659 Design. And shelves for shoes are a common option used in closet systems – such as the one from Econize Closets, shown above.
5. Over-the-door shoe bags (or pocket organizers) - which could be hung other places, too.
The Container Store and Organize-It have a number of options.Room It Up has some for those who prefer patterns. In the UK, Cath Kidston has a pretty hanging shoe tidy, shown above. Update on May 23, 2011: The Cath Kidston web site is no longer showing this style of shoe tidy.
6. Over-the-door shoe racks
Organizer Ilene Drexler pointed me to the over-the-door shoe rack at Organize.com, shown above.
7. Shoe bags (or racks) that hang from a closet rod
The Container Store has a number of these, including some made from bamboo or recycled materials. Lorie Greiner has a couple options, one for just shoes and one for shoes and sweaters. Tiny Living and Room It Up have colorful options. John Lewis is one source in the U.K. And the picture above shows a product sold byHold N Storage. Update on Sept. 28, 2009 and May 23, 2011: Room It Up no longer has this style of shoe organizer. Lorie Greiner no longer sells this type of organizer, either. And, unfortunately, Tiny Living has closed.
Organize-It has a shorter version that works with double-hanging closet rods. [via Real Simple]
And Perfect Curve has a shoe rack that hangs from the rod – available at Organize-It and a number of other places. (via Harriet Schechter in the San Diego Union-Tribune] Update on Sept. 28, 2009: The Perfect Curve shoe rack is no longer available at Organize-It, but it can be found other places, such as here.
8. Under-bed shoe storage
Get Organized sells the under-bed shoe organizer shown above, as well as an under-bed shoe trolley. Organize.com has an under-bed shoe storage bag. Update on May 23, 2011: Get Organized no longer sells either of these products. However, you can find the pictured under-bed shoe organizer here.
9. Revolving shoe trees
The 4-tier revolving shoe tree above is made by Whitney Designs.Polder has 3-tier and 2-tier options. Update on Sept 29, 2009 and May 23, 2011: Products once sold by Whitney Designs are now sold by Household Essentials. Search for shoe to find these products on the Polder site.
The lovely shoe bench above comes from NHWoodworking. Tilt-out shoe benches are another options. And other shoe benches have cubbies, like this bamboo bench. Update on Sept. 28, 2009: That bamboo bench (which was sold by Design Public) is no longer available. But I see I neglected to point to the beautiful shoe benches by Woodistry, which I’ve mentioned before.
12. Elfa
If you’re using an elfa system, you can include the Easy Hang shoe rack shown above, which is meant for shoes with heels. [viaApartment Therapy]
There’s also the Hangmate shoe rack, which hangs on the side of any elfa drawer system.
13. Repurposed items: coat hooks, magazine racks and roll-out shelves
If you’ve been to our store, you’d know that we’ve got a delightful plethora of brands that will let you channel anything from Audrey Hepburn to Lady Gaga, and we have a lot of love for the labels and designers that we bring in.
Desti Saint is one of them. You’ve probably chanced upon her stunning range of bags – delightfully designed, with signature sassy tassles, a gorgeous range of colour and durability that gives you way more bang for your buck – we’re surprised Desti hasn’t graced the pages of VOGUE yet.
This season, Desti takes on something new – jewellery, kicking it off with the Desti Saint Limited Edition “Happiness” Charm Bracelets.
This season’s fashion collections highlight the resurgence of femininity. These beautiful and unique charm bracelets will perfectly compliment the floating chiffons and gauzy organza’s that are the hallmark of this season. Wherever you wear them, the Desti Saint “Happiness” Collection Charm bracelets will guarantee your unique personal style gets noticed.
We’ve recently got a new arrival in store, and we’re all giggly with delight cos’ we all want ‘em in every colour – they’re heaps of fun, they make you want to jump into puddles and they come in a fabulous myraid of colours. Yes! We’re dishing on Hunter Boots! Plus it helps that every other celebrity is wearing them! And with the gloomy weather we’ve had in Singapore of late, you should totally invest in a pair, so you’ll never be caught knee deep in a flash flood ever again!
Now that Fall is in season, suede is something you’d see in store! But people turn away from suede because it is known to be quite the high maintenance material, but when it comes to cleaning suede footwear, the old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” definitely applies.
Treating your suede or nubuck shoes with a protective spray or finish will help to repel water and prevent stains. If that ship has already sailed, at least you’ll know for future reference to protect before wearing.
In the meantime, here are some tips for cleaning suede shoes and boots after stains have already set.
Remember to first test any treatment or product on a small inconspicuous area before tackling a large stain, and only use products designed specifically for the material of your footwear (suede, nubuck, smooth leather, etc.).
For heavy stains on suede footwear, use a suede cleaning block (also called a suede eraser). These products will crumble as you rub them across the surface of the footwear, and are great for removing even deeply embedded dirt.
After cleaning, the nap of your suede can be restored by using a suede brush. The bristles of suede brushes are usually made from brass, and often you can find both the cleaning block and the brush in one kit.
There’s a real art to caring for your wardrobe. Each item has its own needs in terms of cleaning and storage, and keeping track of it all can get overwhelming. Luckily, caring for your SHOES is relatively simple. While there are plenty of involved, advanced, and potentially preservative techniques you can engage to help your gorgeous shoes last a lifetime, these are the very basics:
Wipe them off if they get dirty
Unless you live in a network of carpeted tunnels, your shoes will meet the Great Outdoors. And that means they WILL get dirty. Water, mud, dust, sidewalk salt residue … shoes love to suck ‘em all up and carry ‘em all around. Before you put your shoes away at the end of the day, check for soil. Wipe with a dry cloth or slightly moist paper towel, depending on the shoe’s material. Easy peasy.
Treat them with water repellent spray
Of course, any shoe that will be regularly exposed to the elements should get more than just a nightly rub-down. Leather and suede shoes benefit from a spray treatment that will make them water repellent. These sprays won’t turn your pumps into Wellies, so don’t plan any puddle-jumping expeditions … but they will ward off minor water damage. I trust theKiwi line of products with my leather and suede shoes, though I know much fancier products exist.
Store them upright
OK, I’ll admit that I don’t do this with my slouchy boots. But every other pair is stored upright – boots, pumps, sandals, everything. If you want your shoes to maintain their shape, don’t pile them, squish them, or otherwise mangle them. If you use an over-the-door storage system, limit it to naturally rigid pairs. Those pockets squish the heck out of soft leather and plastic shoes.
Store boots with rolled mags or wine bottles
To make the previous tip possible, you’ll need something to keep tall boots from tipping over. I roll up old magazines and stick them in my boot shafts, but I’m told that empty wine bottles can work well, too. Since I store mine on high shelves, the thought of glassware inside my boots makes me cringe … but floor or low storage would be ideal for the wine bottle system.
Store them out of direct sunlight
Common sense, right? Well, it still bears repeating. There are so many amazing wardrobe-as-decor ideas floating around out there, but the fact is that hanging your dresses on the wall and leaving your shoes on a living room end table expose them to sunlight and, therefore, fading. Just be aware!
Now, if these admittedly basic tips are making you yawn, check out Orchids in Buttonholes’ in-depth exploration of shoe care and maintenance. Sara shares ideas that would never have even DAWNED on me. Heel and toe taps! Using a rubber eraser to alleviate dark marks! The rubber sole controversy! Well worth a read, friends.
What do you do to keep your shoe collection looking shiny and new?
Are you embarrassed to take out your shoes in public? Do you find yourself unable to wear your favorite pair of shoes, because of the foul smell it transmits? If the answer is yes, the good news is that you do not need to get embarrassed and discomfited anymore. Almost everyone faces the problem of foul-smelling, stinky shoes once or twice in a lifetime. You need to first understand that reason for the smell. Shoes are usually made from synthetic material and have rubber soles and plastic innersoles. These plastic innersoles are the main culprits behind awful foot odor, as your feet cannot breathe in them. As a result, they perspire and the wetness becomes home to breeding bacteria, which causes the reeking and malodorous smell. However, removing shoe smell is easy if you are ready to put in some efforts and a bit of care. In the following lines, we have provided tips on how to remove shoe odor, just for you!
Tips For Removing Shoe Smell
The most obvious way to get rid of smelly shoes would be to wash them thoroughly. Using a soapy detergent and bleach, wash the shoes inside out. Thereafter, keep them under the sun, to let dry them well.
Another good way would be to place each of the shoes in a plastic bag and place the plastic bags in the freezer overnight. The next morning, remove the bag from the freezer and place it in the sun, to dry.
Baking soda has proven to be an effective odor removing agent. Sprinkle some baking soda in your shoes and let it stay there overnight. The next day, just shake off the soda from the shoes, before wearing them. Be careful while using baking soda in leather or suede shoes. A buildup can make the shoes become brittle.
These days, there are fabric conditioner sheets available in the market. All you need to do is place a sheet in each of the shoes and keep them for the night. The next morning, you would be possessing nice-scented shoes.
Bicarbonate of soda works well for removing odor from shoes. All you need to do is sprinkle a spoonful of it in your shoes and let it stay all night. The next morning, just wipe out the shoes with a kitchen paper and dust off any remaining residue.
Another effective way to get rid of foul smelling shoes would be to use orange peel. Being a good shoe freshener, it instantly removes any foul smell. Put one or two orange peels in the shoes and leave them overnight. The shoes are sure to smell great, the next morning.
Though this might be yucky and disgusting, but cat litter has proved effective in getting rid of shoe smell. For this, collect fresh, unused cat litter in a pair of old sock and seal its mouth. Now, put the socks inside your smelly shoes and leave overnight. The litter, a great deodorizer, would absorb all the foul smell, making your shoe perfectly ready to wear.
Spraying the offending shoes daily with disinfectants and deodorizers, especially designed for foot odor problems, can be a good way to get rid of the foul smell.
Another remedy would be to apply foot powder on your feet, before wearing the shoes. Make sure that the powder you use is especially designed for foot odor problems.
Pour some rubbing alcohol in a cotton ball and wipe the insides of your shoes with the same. Now, leave them undisturbed for a while. The foul smell is sure to fade away.
All views and opinions expressed on this blog are SOLE 2 SOLE's own, and thus, have no association with any persons, institutions or organisations that we are affiliated with unless it has been stated explicitly.
The Wealthy Housewife
The Bombshell
The Up-and-Comer
Now that Fall is in season, suede is something you’d see in store! But people turn away from suede because it is known to be quite the high maintenance material, but when it comes to cleaning suede footwear, the old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” definitely applies.
line of products with my leather and suede shoes, though I know much fancier products exist.
Copyright 2011 SOLE 2 SOLE PTE LTD. All rights reserved
