Boots with the fur

Long time, no blog.

With an exciting, possibly life-changing something happening in my life over the next week (there is a reason for this ambiguity), I may be able to keep not only my standards, but also my heels high again! Look out for that spot of fabulousity! Coming soon to a browser near you!

In the interim, thanks to becoming yet another year older and ensuring friends and family know me well enough to shower me with all the right giftings, I have acquired a few lovely items of a fashionable nature. Even a pair of super cute wedge sneaker boots! I'm not a lover of the 'hi-top wedge' / sneaker boot trend in general, but I had a lucky find in a stylish pair minus the 'im a takkie, but I want to be an ankle boot too' split personality disorder. Have a look see...

xx
Trixie

The hooded gown for the cold winter months,the essential studded handbag, classic Nine West handbag in coral, and boots with the fur.

I need new feet!

I've never considered joint replacements to be a good idea. I know many people with 'faulty' elbows, knees and toes would gladly replace them with new, well-working tools. I have many times in frustration screamed "I need new arms!" to myself and whoever was close enough to hear and may consider a swop;)

So while I am mostly against replacing degenerating joints and while I know many doctors do not encourage joint replacements at a young age, there is one very, very good, fashionable, gorgeous reason I would consider it.

This reason is....you guessed it...SHOES! High-heeled shoes to be more exact. I would gladly replace an ankle or toe if it would mean being able to don the dearly beloved beauties that has the power to make a woman feel just a little bit sexier and to paraphrase Alicia Keys, to feel like "a girl on fire".

I will show you some of these reasons...what would a farewellstiletto blogpost be without a photo or two of shoes?!

I have a few favourite shoe designers. Ha! As if I can afford any of their creations...right now;) Anyway, these are well-known designers and we often see their wares on the feet of our favourite stylish celebs.

Here follows the BEST, most sensible (yeah right!) reasons to get joint replacements in my feet...

First up...a creation from Monsieur Christian Louboutin. Mrs Ryan Reynolds' provider of all her high-heeled needs. 

A Brian Atwood colour-block hottie.

Now that would do for my wedding someday...thank you Manolo Blahnik!

In conclusion, Christian Louboutin Just Picks Pumps...a current favourite on red carpets.

Oh well, methinks a joint replacement might just cost less than one of the above items!

xxx

Trixie

Like sands through this hourglass...

We have just emerged from the silly season and as this is my first blogpost for the year, I think it would be fitting to reflect on the weeks that were. Those weeks that many look forward to all year. Christmas, New Years and everything in between. This is the true party season; which begs the question: How does one do the party season without being well and high-heeled?

Most women (especially my shorter counterparts) would agree that there is a greater confidence, posture and sexiness that comes with having your feet in heels. Many of us just don't feel completely 'dressed' or 'dressed up' when we're still too close to the ground. The truth of this is even more apparent to those of us who desperately need the extra height to avoid straining our necks while having conversations with the vertically-privileged. Besides the height issue, there's also the issue of proportion. Any fashion magazine or makeover show worth paying attention to will tell you that when you're short and 'shaped', heels can be your best friend.

My precious...

Pear, apple, hourglass and other relevantly fruit-and-glass-shaped ladies will know that heels can instantly make you look slimmer and make your legs appear more modelesque. Now let me just say that I am what you may call a typical hourglass figure. It has taken time to accept this as I was once (not that many years ago) a size 4! Alas, those days are forever irretrievable. My greatest medical nemesis, the famously dreaded cortisone, has created a shapely, womanly figure. That's the politically correct way of putting it! Bearing this is mind, it is then fashion protocol to be in heels as often as possible. But medical conditions do not follow protocol, but rather insist on a practical, safe approach to footwear. Yawn...so boring! I just put practical and footwear in the same sentence. Giving up your stilettos causes crazy behavior...be warned. 

So how did I survive the season to be jolly without heels? The Rheumatoid Arthritis diva and I compromised. Two words. Wedge heels. Yes, they may not be as glamorous as high-heels, but luckily these days they are just as pretty. And they're more on the practical side. That being said, there are some wedges that are so sky high, they're like little built-up towers on feet. I'd love to advocate these, but I cannot guarantee no injuries, so rather not my fellow joint/muscle troubled ladies. Per example; Christmas lunch at the V&A Waterfront...I take the walk to the restaurant in my very high wood wedges and later return to the parking area in the flat Froggie sandals I stuffed in my bag. My brother may not have been impressed with my desperation, but hey, I needed my moment. 

Of course a photo needed to be taken to prove my bravery. Much to my brother's embarrassment!

I, of course, cannot resist anything brightly coloured and so it was with the wedge-heeled feet the past few weeks. Whenever I could walk a mile in them, I'd grab the opportunity, and on days when my ankles and knees would just not allow it, my 2 pairs of Froggies became the next best thing. Froggies is a South African brand of genuine leather, which are, according to their slogan, designed by fashion designers and engineered by podiatrists for comfort. I would not agree 100% with the first part of that slogan, they can do more work on the "fashion design" element, but the latter is indeed true. To my delight!   

Like sands through this hourglass (figure), so are the days of my feet.

xx
Trixie

The Stiletto Trials

It's a sad day when you start giving away your 6-inch beauties. Sadder though is the realisation that at the age of 27 you just cannot wear the beauties that have served you so well on many a workday, sexy night out or just a simple show-off-your-legs moment.

Good times we had.

I guess some may be expecting the many logical reasons why I am no longer wearing stillettos. And yes, there are many. None of them are entirely convincing enough in my opinion, (I mean what on earth could be convincing enough to make you give up the quest to being taller) but they make more sense than I'd like to admit. Over the past 11 years I have lived with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Pain, swelling and temporary disability in some joints are the basic consequences of this illness and so I can proudly, or perhaps stupidly, say that I have kept my head and my heels high through it all. If you can walk in them stillettos then flaunt it darling. Even if that means having to lean against a wall every now, striking a pose so as not to seem like you're trying to catch your breath and regain feeling in your feet.

But ladies please...if you cannot walk the high-heeled walk, go for some sort of training. The drunk giraffe or constipated flamingo is not a good look on anyone!

As if being a woman isn't hard enough already, trying to look good, well-proportioned and taller sans heels is not an easy task. Back in my petite days...and here petite means short, tiny body, dress size 6...so long gone and dearly missed...I would not be seen at a function, party or the office without a pair of heels on. And thanks to having a dance background, I could easily pull off the gracious ballerina look. Thesedays however, and here's where I get all teary-eyed, I have realised that there ain't nothing gracious or ballerinary about limping in heels, wearing the beauties with an ankle or knee guard or trying to keep my hip joints in their sockets while trying to maintain that universal swaying-in-heels action.

Recently, with tendonitis now also raging in my feet, my doctor suggested (well I hope it was just a suggestion) that I wear trainers. Allow me to sketch the scene for you. My doctor, a well-respected, brilliant Rheumatologist and Physician, is also a stylista of note. The woman is always in heels. In the 11 years of our doctor-patient relationship, I have never seen her wear flats. I actually look forward to my check-ups, just to see the latest designer heels she's wearing. So there we are in the examination room...doc in her fabulous block heels, me lying on the bed with swollen ankles, and she 'suggests' that I need to start wearing trainers...like as in all the time! My response is this: number one: When and how is it ever going to look acceptable and feminine to wear trainers to work with my pencil skirt and blazer?! Number two: We are in the scorching South African summer season; number three: I like painting my toe nails in the latest fashionable colours and number four: I hate socks! Like I despise socks! I cannot deal with socks! Not even the 'secret' ones, which, let me tell you, are really not that secret! Ok, so maybe this wasn't my voiced response, but it was going through my mind like a well-versed monologue.

I hate saying this, but try to refrain from throwing on your Louboutins!

So here's my compromise...I'll wear flatter shoes. This being said, shoes that are too flat can also be very detrimental to the foot joints and muscles. Cue: Scream of Frustration!!! So we're looking for something in-between. Something stylish, fashionable...read: no open-toe, lace-up number that your grandma suggests as it's done wonders for her. I mean really...we're young, we're female and we can make a better plan thank you very much.

After much consideration, tears of frustration and being fed up with changing shoes 3 times a day and months of trial and error shoe purchases, I've decided to start paying more for good quality shoes with cushioning inside, a thicker sole and a little stable or stacked heel. Let's see how that goes.

NOT these! Never ever resort to Crocs! You must neva!

To all the RA superwomen and all you ladies with some kind of joint, muscle or back problem; join the quest  to find stylish, sexy shoes that won't cause serious injury or permanent damage to our already fragile bodies.

Only the best styles and clever submissions will be accepted;)

Farewell Stilletto! (tear, tear)

x
Trixie