Manolo the Shoe Blogger’s post todayanswers the question of a woman who has a beautiful gown for the library fundraiser in her small Maine town but knows the gumboots she usually wears won’t do to accessorize it. After appreciating her humour, Manolo identifies the much more serious problem, how does one maintain super fantasticness while living in the small town? While I live in a small city (about 80,000) rather than a small town, this is a problem I’ve written about before, and I love the Manolo’s answer: Fight the power!
Just because one lives in coastal Maine, or rural Kansas, it does not mean that one cannot dress up to the nines when presented with the slightest excuse. Go see the fabulousness (Stuart Weitzman — red! — with bows on the heels! and peep toes!) he’s recommending to fight the small-town power for the library ball.
Makes me regret not buying those Louboutinslast spring!
My French, such as it ever was, is so rusty…
do you say “loo-boo-TAN” ?
I am so far removed from those shoes, that I’ve never seen a pair in person, either worn or on the rack, and I’ve never heard anyone pronounce it! I’m also embarrassed to admit to my mom that I can’t remember that much French pronunciation. (She went on in college with it, I didn’t.)
Happy weekend. And gorgeous wedge heels, sigh. Maybe someday I’ll have a life again (ha!), and maybe someday I’ll buy heels again. With all good cheer
Dana, if you’d asked my 35 or 40-year old self what Louboutins (yes, your pronunciation is about right) were (forgive the glaring anachronism here), I’d either have looked blank, shrugged, or even laughed hysterically! At that stage of my life I was consumed by childcare, teaching (piano & music theory at the time), and taking courses towards my BA — any interest in high-heeled, expensive shoes would have seemed ludicrous, impractical, decadent, superficial, and simply irrelevant. Now, although I’ve decided they don’t make enough sense for my life to spend that much cash, I have fun looking and being inspired. There’s something of the bad girl I never got a chance to be in a pointy-toed, high-heeled, shiny black shoe with a racy red sole that appeals to the woman who spent so much time being the “materfamilias”! You have a good weekend too — I can assure you the time with your kids will all too quickly be over.
Uh oh…my shoes are of the Crocs and Merrell persuasion…with occasional forays into Josef Seibel sandals…guess I am way beyond help….
Hi Jodi, thanks for stopping to comment. We all find “fantasticness” in our own way. I love my Birks in the summer and have had entire years when I lived in Birks and Blundstones. And gumboots for the rain and Tevas for kayaking . . .
Dansko clogs and Naot “Cruise” booties is where this chat leaves me…fantastic if not super, and so comfortable I could take a campus power walk, or all the kids to the flu shot clinic, or feed everyone…we all define it in our own way, don’t we? And I guess we have to! Mother of invention, indeed.
Absolutely — sometimes you need trainers to, as a good friend of mine said years ago when we were both home with 4 (me) and 5 (her!) kids, “run with the little kids from 9 ’til 3 and with the big ones from 3 ’til 9” — And that was before we had to worry about the night shift, 9 ’til 3 again!!
I read that post and he gave excellent advice. Yes, it’s difficult living in a small town when they may be surprised by one’s unexpected style (I grew up in one). You can always get Louboutins during your next trip to Paris. 🙂
Wow, there’s so much girl-talk in here that I’m not sure I should betray my visit by posting a comment. (I have 5 sisters, so perhaps I’m not as intimidated as I could be.) I certainly don’t know much about ladies shoe fashion – I just know ladies wear nice shoes and they look good, so please don’t stop.
All that aside, I like your blog -especially the openning photo. 🙂 It reminds me of my early home in British Columbia. Thanks for sharing. (And keep on shopping for those shoes.)
Hi Davis,
Great to have you stop by — the first male commenter besides my husband and my son, I think. Not surprising that my island photo reminds you of your first home — this island was until several decades ago home to a lighthouse keeper and there’s still an automated lighthouse at the south end.
5 sisters, eh? — that’s almost as many as I have — big families!
And it’s not all shoe/girl-talk all the time, so I hope you’ll stop by again — I’ll certainly be back at your wonderful lighthouse-focused site.
Tara/ Paris Parfait:
You know, having resisted last spring, I’ve again been hearing that siren call . . . you’re clearing taking on the role of enabler!