A true visionary in her field, Levine popularized such styles as mules, stilettos and fashion boots.  Her shoes became favorites among designers & celebrities alike, from Halston to Geoffrey Beene, Marilyn Monroe to Cher, as well as four of America’s First Ladies.  Her work was featured in magazines and displayed at museums around the world.

I recently toured her exhibit at the Bellevue Arts Museum.  I saw Nancy Sinatra’s boots designed for “These Boots are Made for Walking, the Race Car Shoe (1965) designed for the wife of an Indy 500 driver and the Paper Twist slide Levine described as “just right for your at-home costumes (1966). 

If you love shoes and have the opportunity to see her designs – don’t miss it.  To read more about Beth check her out at Wikipedia.

Black sling-back heels for example, convey different ideas that a pair of metal studded boots.  At a more macrocosmic level, styles of shoes have paralleled changes in culture such as the explosion of go go boots onto the market in the 1960s in step with the social & cultural revolutions of the decade.

Here is a sample list of some common phrases associated with footwear.  Consider what they mean & perhaps how they came to be cemented into our language:  If the shoe fits, wear it ~ Comfortable as an old shoe ~ Waiting for the other shoe to drop ~ Fill someone else’s shoes ~ Wouldn’t want to be in his shoes ~ Shoe is on the other foot.

**Courtesy of Bellevue Arts Museum First Lady of Shoes brochure.

If a more intense treatment is needed, then apply a rich moisturizing cream & slip your feet into a pair of cotton socks to seal in moisture & warmth.  I do this before bed & wake up in the morning with wonderfully soft feet.  In-salon paraffin dips can be performed, which have even greater results.

After a long, hot day, fill the bathtub half way with water & add a cup of Epsom salts.  If you have a portable foot soak bath – even better, because you can sink back into your favorite chair while your feet soak.  Soak your feet for 15 – 20 minutes, follow with a mint foot cream or gel.  Store the gel in the refrigerator for an extra refreshing feeling.

Giving yourself a foot massage, kneading the soles of your feet & toes, will increase the blood circulation.  Whether done in a salon or at home, a pedicured foot & polished toenails do look nice.  You are ready to don a pair of sandals.  Your feet will be just too sexy for your shoes.

A test you can do yourself is to measure the width of your foot just below the little toe across the ball of your foot.  Then measure the same part of you shoe.  Is there a difference?   If there is – your feet ache for a reason.

Our feet are the only one we get.  We can’t rotate them every 10,000 miles and we can’t “retread” them when they get worn & thin.  Feet deserve the maintenance & care we give our car.  After all, don’t they support us?  Our feet need to get that spring tune-up – a “fluff & buff” if you will.  Regular foot care can eliminate & prevent serious problems later.

Details on care in Part 3.

Our feet produce no natural oils and they lose moisture through more than 250,000 sweat glands.  The foot’s ever intricate structure contains 26  bones, 33 joints and 36 muscles.  It also has a half mile of blood vessels and other half mile of nerves.

People new to the pedicure experience think of it as a luxury, but it is just as much a necessity.  By living in sandals, going barefoot in the park and exposing them to the sun, out feet tend to need more attention and definitely more moisturizer.  Adding insult to injury, the average individual confines parched feet in shoes for 12 and up to 17 hours a day.  The temperature in those shoes can reach up to 120 degrees.

More on the state of your feet in post 4/17.

Although a seemingly insignificant part of an outfit, the hosiery you put with an outfit can dramatically affect your overall appearance.  An easy rule of thumb to follow is to match your hose to our shoes, which elongates the legs.  If you are wearing black, chunkier shoes with a skirt, wearing black opaques tights can draw attention away from the heaviness of our shoes.  Likewise, for those with shorter legs who want to wear longer skirts without looking & “chopped up”, this same principle of monochrome shoes-tights-skirt will tie our outfit together and create a longer look.

One of my favorite hose are fishnets.  Now that we are moving into spring and summer, try nude fishnets.  You will still get that polished look that bare legs doesn’t always accomplish.  Added bonus – “air-conditioning” on those hot summer days.

Spray your shoes with an all weather spray BEFORE you even wear them once.  Better still, polish and spray them before your first wearing.  Then, on a regular basis, polish and spray your shoes before they look like they need it.  Why?  Because what wears off is the spray and polish – not the finish of your shoes.

Once you’ve damaged the finish of the leather you’ll never get it back.  Polishing after the leather starts to wear is only putting a bandage on the damage.  Take this simple “step” and your shoes will last much longer and look like new longer.

More shoe care tips next time.

By increasing circulation, the muscles get a boost of oxygen, which speeds the elimination of lactic acid and stress hormones.  This improves immune functions and the ability to concentrate.

Beyond relaxation, the feet are important for proprioception (sensing or determining our physical position or where we are in space.)  When your feet feel good, your whole body feels good.  My feet start to “talk” to me if I go too long in between my reflexology appointments.  If I don’t make regular visits to my reflexologist my feet remind me when it’s time to make that phone call.

It’s amazing what the right pair of shoes can do for you evening ensemble.  Occasion wear has always been daytime’s alter ego.  The transition from day to evening is being helped by fabric choices, ornamentation & heels.

Patent leather has become a year round fabric with colors from red to brown (http://bit.ly/5kvEd5) - not just black.  A pearlized tonal look ( http://bit.ly/77Uxrb) or croc pattern is big right now.  Ornamentation is as simple as a bow or small buckle.  Anyi Lu is really mixing it up with great heel materials: pitone with brown (http://bit.ly/yEbkr) or silver with black (http://bit.ly/7SgEOd).  Even more daring, Anyi Lu has a open toe high heel made with haircalf in a mix of black & brown (http://bit.ly/8mLkcQ).  Speaking of open toe – that is the big look in many dress shoes this year.  Stuart Weitzman has a beautiful satin open toe pump with a fun little ruffle (http://bit.ly/6PJW8V).

Our newest line, Icon, is truly artwork for your feet & not just the styles.  Using art from Gustav Klimt, Kent Butler & others, they are making a peep toe high heel (http://bit.ly/4Z2dUh) or open back heel (http://bit.ly/6r9O31) real art for your feet.

Follow these links to see some really unusual, exciting evening shoes.  Dare to be different this year!

So how do we take these definitions & make sense of them?

Style is precise & demanding. When we say a person has style or dresses with style, that usually means the look of class – understated, distinctive, elegant.

I don’t want consumers to think that fads & trends are mistakes. They are meant to be fun or playful. What I’m trying to say is don’t mistake fad for fashion. It may be what’s “in”, but it won’t be around for long. Fashion & style imply staying power.  If a shoe has 4″ heels, a 2′ platform& comes in neon orange – it’s mistakenly called fashion when if fact it is a fad.

My advice: When shopping, don’t let sales people confuse you when they talk of style, fashion & trend. Be an educated shopper. Understand the difference between fad and fashion. So go ahead & buy those faddish neon orange shoes. Just realize they don’t have staying power, & don’t spend a small fortune on them.