Great "on your feet all day" work shoes

None of this applies to men. Men have many more options than women when it comes to semi-professional-looking work shoes that are comfortable for standing and walking all day. But as a trainer, I do get asked often what shoes I recommend for standing on my feet all day. So here's a list of shoes I pack that are still available for purchase in the same or newer version. Also worth noting that I always wear one pair to the training venue (usually the more casual pair) and carry another (dressier), and I try to switch them every two hours.

My main criteria for training shoes are:

• Looks decent with a pantsuit.
• Has some lift in the heel -- even an inch helps shorties like me.
  
• Comfortable enough to walk and stand in for a half day at a time.
• Breathe so they don't make my feet stinky.
  

I generally only wear black shoes when I train, so I plan the rest of my wardrobe accordingly. The current repertoire:

1. Chie Mihara Gaion
I LOVE these shoes. They are the tallest shoes in my closet that qualify as training shoes at 2.67" high. But they feel stylish, professional, and most importantly, comfortable. I like that they look equally good with pants or skirts. I get lots and lots of compliments on my Chie Miharas.

I did buy them a couple of years ago, so I don't know if they are still available for purchase. I sort of found this pic on the Chie Mihara Web site but I say sort of because I think it's an archived pic, not among currently stocked shoes. They are so beautifully crafted that I wouldn't hesitate to buy another pair from PedShoes.com... except for the price tag. That makes me hesitate. Also worth noting that they are Spanish shoes, so they are Euro sized... no equivalent to my U.S. 5.5 feet. I really need to wear socks or thick tights for my foot to completely fill the shoe.

2. Merrell Plaza Bandeau
These get more compliments from the moms at my son's preschool than people I meet in training, but they have a 1" heel and the perfect comfort insole. Arch support is decent. I recently sensed the stink factor coming into play. I may need to investigate inserts that cushion and fight the stinkies, because these are comfy and unique. You can buy them from Merrell for $90, but I bought mine through an Ebay retailer for $60.

3. Dansko Lotus
My Danskos are the previous version of this Lotus shoe. Mine have an open heel, and I think my ankle straps are a little wider. Plus, mine don't have the cute "petal" detailing. But let's be honest: either version of these shoes is clunky. If they weren't so darn comfortable I may have ditched them by now. I bought them two summers ago for a long trip to Europe, with lots and lots of walking, and they were just amazing. They are great for all-day comfort, but I am self-conscious about how they look, and they make a funny squidgy-sticky sound when I don't wear socks with them.

I think I may try these Dansko Desiree shoes from Nordstrom if I am so inclined to go the Dansko route again. Smaller, less obvious all around.

4. Privo Comice
These shoes are a dream. Definitely not dressy, and I only wear them with a full black pantsuit. It's the only way I don't look like I'm out running errands. I wish they came in ALL BLACK. The nubby insoles are so, so wonderful, and the toe box is wide enough to not pinch toes even after a full day. Unlike many modern shoes, it comes in half sizes, so I was able to buy a size 5.5, not a 6 that would need me to wear thicker socks for a great fit.

Stacks o' Denim

I know. Six stacks of denim fabric. I had no idea how much I had, because I started collecting this before I learned to sew apparel. So I had a few yards here, and a few there, and a remnant here, and six yards there (the big hunk of black denim with lycra toward the bottom of the stack. There's enough to make a garment for my husband, my son, AND me just in this cut). Scary thing is that there was one more bit of yardage -- yes, seven cuts of fabric at one point -- but I sewed it into a dress a couple of weeks ago - post on that project forthcoming, after I wash the dress and put it on the form for photos.

Why do I appreciate denim so much? Well, there's the predictability of the fabric. It doesn't play games like a slippery satin or an unravelly rayon. The weight of denim, even the lightweight stuff, demands that I take it more seriously. Most of the denim in my stash is 54"-60" wide, which means more chance to play. Maybe I'll try a new collar or sleeves, and if it doesn't work out, I have some extra for "Plan B".

I'm trying to figure out what to do with the rest of this denim. I think I will try my hand at a denim coat or a little denim moto jacket, with flat-felled seams. And since I have sewn a lot without finishing a pair of pants, I may challenge myself to take this class, which has gotten great reviews from students for helping them tackle the holy grail of apparel projects (for many of us): custom jeans.

Happy Easter

What a long week! After arduous travel to Toronto and the subsequent week out of town, I pitched in a few hours' work at the First Samples Fabric Bazaar 2 between Friday evening and Saturday morning, and Saturday evening we dyed and tattooed some eggs.

I didn't think they were interesting enough to photograph until we opened a few of them today to eat, and the shell from one egg got this very crackled dye job that didn't seem to directly correlate to where the shell itself was cracked (at least not on the outside). Here it is, an Easter anomaly:

Sartorialist and FutureSex/LoveSounds

I've got the pre-early-flight insomnia (will I wake up in time to make my flight? If I fall asleep right now, I'll get 6.25 hours of sleep!). So I catch up on my blog-reading and listen to tunes. Specifically, The Sartorialist, which I only seem to visit when I am on the road, so I basically catch up on a month's worth of photos. Looks like he's been in India since I last checked in, which has been a neat change of pace from New York, Hong Kong, and various locations in Europe. Being a big Scandinavia fan, his sojourns to Sweden last year were cool, but India is a whole new level of cool. With spring already in Austin for the last month, I'm in the mood for all the unapologetically bright color I'm seeing on this blog.

And my musical companion tonight? Justin Timberlake's famous album, which is really for adult ears only and I'm careful not to listen to when my little one is around. A year ago I would freely admit that the gender-ambiguous tone of Justin's voice was quite UN-FutureSex-y, but now I can say these songs have grown on me.

And on my sewing mind are easy, breezy dresses for the long spring/ summer that global warming is bringing to Austin. Blueprint had a great feature on summer dresses in 2007, and this one keeps popping in my head as inspiration for an easy , interesting dress with great shape and volume. Time to get home and start sewing again, I guess.

Oh, Canada...

It was 95 degrees in Austin on Friday. On Monday, I was in snow in Toronto. Big difference.

And the trip to Toronto... I really love this city and planned to get in early the day before a training I was conducting this week to see a tiny bit on personal time. My flight got cancelled Monday morning and my only solution to get to Toronto was to drive to Houston and hop a plane to Toronto through Minneapolis. It was the longest day I've had in a long time and I was nervous the whole time I wouldn't get there in time for my class. But I did, so in the end all is well!

Big lesson, or maybe big reminder: I control nothing in this world!

I'm working on a project involving embroidery floss and took some pics of random spools strewn across the desk before the sun set this evening. My little old digital Elph may struggle with artificial light, but it can still take some decent pics with natural sunlight. Here's green showing up again.

Seeds: Green & Brown

I want to do a better job of capturing those little seeds -- ideas or concepts or bits of inspiration that make themselves known, or ring true for a moment. I may put them away, figuratively in my mind or literally in my inspiration book or sketchpad, and come back to them later. When creation happens and I wonder where I originally got the idea, I can usually find or remember a seed that was planted, sometimes months or even years earlier.

Today being the first day of spring break and with it being completely wet outside, Louis and I got some paper mache going and the decorative hole punches. I grabbed an old copy of Elle Decor and we got punching any pages with interesting colors or textures. Putting the punches into an envelope for some undefined future use, I couldn't help but notice a lot of soft green and creamy coffee shades. Signs of bring ready for spring? Seeds planted? Don't know, but now I have photographic evidence of the original inspiration of some project that has yet to be created.

First Sewing Project: Little Pillows

Louis has asked me since he was about 3 years old if I will teach him to sew. And the formula in my mind was:

3-year-old boy + active little fingers + lead feet + needles + scissors = big trouble

So I held off for a couple of years. He was content finding little objects to stick to the magnetic pin bowl, cutting fabric scraps with thread nippers, and "adjusting" the sewing machine tension until a few days ago. He asked again if I would teach him to sew, and, being the mom who always tries to find a way to say yes, I said yes.

Couldn't I make it safe to sew up a few mini pillows together for his action figures?

We went to the scrap basket and pulled out a few scraps of Louis' choosing, I cut them into small rectangles, marked a sewing line on three sides with the blue fabric pencil, and we hit the machine. Louis LOVED controlling the foot pedal and steering the fabric, watching until we'd sewn to the end of a blue line to stop sewing, lifting the presser foot, turning the fabric, and continuing the stitch. His favorite part: cutting the threads with the thread nippers. He stuffed his little pillows and we sewed them shut. And after we'd finished three pillows, his action figures had a pillow fight.

And then Mr. Incredible settled in for a nap.

Poetry Saturday: Current Objects of My Affection

Oh, sweet boots:

I have admired you from afar for so very, very long.
I know that you aren't my type, per se. Not nearly as right as wrong.
A little too chunky, way too clunky, not quite as tall or short as flatters me.
You are more the old me I have worked to shed than the new me I strive to be.
It's easy to talk myself out of this before it's begun.
It's not even the right season for a new relationship like this one
But all I see are the things that are right.
Like your grey, which is neither too dull nor too shiny and bright.
Like your heels, which are high enough to lift me up but wide enough to support.
Like your height, which may not be most flattering to my short legs but feels just right to me.
So even though my friends tell me you are not a good choice
I follow my gut
And engage in pursuit.
You shall be mine.

I love you and I like you

I think the original idea for this "art quilt" was planted in my head by this SouleMama post from way back when. Louis wrote a birthday message for his dad in pencil on muslin, and I (painstakingly) sewed over his letters with green thread. The sewing wasn't so bad, but the pulling threads to the back and tying and trimming them got tedious.

It has been so long since I tackled any quilting project that I assumed I would remember more than I did. Specifically, the quilt binding was a hot mess. It took me probably a full 45 minutes longer to finish this project than it would have if I knew where to find those great instructions from a quilting book several years ago. Thank heaven for About.com's mitered quilt binding instructions.

So this little guy is just under one foot square, and has a custom Louis message: "Dad, I love you and I like you. Louis"

Delicious.

Potty Talk

I could write a book on this. My son, almost 5, has a promising career in communication if someone will pay him to create contractions and compound words using only "potty" and unpleasant words. A compound potty word would be something like "peebuttboogerhead". My sister has assured me that this will go away when he's about 12. Only 7 more years to go.

Yesterday, Louis was playing the Bunnytown games on the Playhouse Disney site, and he got to customize his bunny's fur, outfit, accessories, and name. He could have named that bunny Fluffy or John, but he chose something entirely different:

Zilker Park Kite Festival 2008

I had to drag both my boys (the almost-5-year-old and the almost-37-year-old) to the festival this year. After parking no less than 300 miles away and walking there, the little one claimed his stomach hurt from hunger and he couldn't walk much further. So we stood in a line only 8 miles long to buy the boy a corn dog. With real meat. Not much veggie fare there.

Anyway, it was totally windy, which is perfect for a kite festival, right? We wandered around and admired the many, many kites, beautiful and colorful. We saw more 8-mile-long lines and ran into a couple of friends similarly bracing against the wind. We saw the kite tree of death.

After not too long, with just a greasy, animal meaty corn dog stick in hand, the boy declared he was done and ready to go. With the extreme wind and nearly-raininess, I had to agree. So we were only there an hour and a half but it was a quality time. We rolled.

I love Austin. Is that a dragon in the sky? Yeah, that dragon, the one next to the kite?

So with the wind and the rainy-ish skies, I was reminded how spring is springing, with just the tiniest hint of winter past. And as we got back to the car, 300 miles away, I saw the my favorite green, which is the green of new spring growth, in the grass next to our car and in a tree across the street from our car. And so inspiration begins.

Poetry Saturday

Only this and nothing more
Shall nevermore be lifted
I remember ah distinctly in the December it was bleak
So now I stood still repeating that to the beating of my heart