Holy Loeffler Randall, Batman!

Steph emailed me a while back asking for shoe help, and I didn't even bother posting the question. Because HELLO, LOEFFLER RANDALL

That's pretty much what I tell anyone who asks for shoe help.

(Sadly, those little gold wedges are no longer available, but I'm thinking this blocky blush pump is the new go-to wedding shoe.)


Photo by Kim J Martin. Check out more from this lovely, woodsy wedding--and lots more shots of the shoooooes--over here

the universe owes me shoes

Dear Slightly Buzzed Fairy Godmother,

I'm getting hitched. And it blew up in my face. I wanted 75 people -- we're pushing 200. I wanted a backyard BBQ -- we're having a formal sit down dinner. I wanted to get married in the evening to beat the summer heat -- we'll be saying our vows at 3pm. I wanted a lot of things that aren't panning out -- such is life. It's easy to blame everyone else, but the truth is, while if I could go back and do it again -- I would have fought a lot hard for what I wanted. ​I didn't though, and this is how it is... and I'm going to suck it up. Everyone else being happy will make me happy. 

However, shoes. I feel like the universe owes me a fucking awesome pair of shoes for the amount of shit I've put up for the last year. I'm low maintenance. I have my standard items and stick by them. And I live in Vans -- which I plan on changing into when dancing starts. But I want a pair of killer floral heels for my most put together day.

I'm in love with these [pictured above]. In my mind, they're as perfect as a floral print gets. But I ordered them and just seriously too high- 6 inches. I can walk in them but I'm worried I'll break my ankle before the day is over. Could you help me find something similar? Preferable a floral print with a chunky heel. 

Thanks so much!  

*****

Those look like hooker shoes, sorta. Teenybopper hooker shoes.

I much prefer these Marais wedges.........................................

Is the liberty print too cutesy?


(You could always go with fancy Vans instead.)

Wait. WHAT? WHEN DID THESE HAPPEN?

This morning I was sick of wedges.

I am no longer sick of wedges.



THIS IS WHY LOEFFLER RANDALL IS THE OFFICIAL SHOE OF ESB, YOU GUYS.

(Thank you for reminding me when I forget.)

Black nubuck/Mirrored leather or Black dot haircalf/Taupe watersnake

here's an *actual* shoe shopping challenge

Hi ESB!

So I'm wearing this most perfect dress in the world- I wear it around my house all the time for fun and I cannot wait to get married in it. I am 5'10" and I'm getting married outside, on grass. 

WHAT SHOES do I wear? It's in October, so closed-toe is preferable. Thanks so much for helping me plan my wedding, one blog post at a time. 

Size + Budg: 9-10, and preferably below $200 but I'm willing to splurge for something real good.

*****

SHUT UP YOU KNOW I LOVE THAT DRESS

I'm throwing this one out to you guys, but…. Some sort of cheetah/leopard calf hair situation would be amazing. (Ahem)

p.s. wtf is going on with these animal toe shoes. pls discuss.

Seeking: Big Ol Size 11's to go with this dress

Dear ESB, 

I feel like I keep searching and continually come up empty in my quest for the right shoes for my wedding, so I'm hoping you and your readers can help get me on track! This is my dress [pictured above] and I'm wearing gold jewelry, so I'm thinking of wearing a gold or cream colored sandal at my wedding in October. 

Sounds simple, right?  There are a couple of things that have made it more difficult to find the right one. 

>>I really want a shoe with a low-ish heel - and preferably a wedge - since I'm crazy clumsy and therefore terrible in heels. This rules out a lot of options. 

>>Finding the right tone of gold - I don't want anything too shiny, but more of a matte or distressed look - or the right shade of cream - one that works with the dress - has been hard. 

>>Finally, the kicker is that I've got enormous feet.  I wear a size 11, and it's crazy hard to find good shoes in that size anyway, let alone something so specific.  

Help!  I'm sure there are resources I'm not looking at that would be good to investigate. I'd love to spend no more than $200 on these guys.

Thanks!

*****

DUDE THESE ARE ON SALE FOR $150

AND THEY COME IN ELEVEN

Have I not told you all to just check Loeffler Randall before you pester me with shoe questions??

vegan sandals, haiku poems &c.

vegan shoes suck ass
but i need summer sandals.
what you got, cookies?

*****

i know you're anti-
flatforms, but could you bend on
this pair from zara?

______________________________


p.s. hey naurnie,
bet these braided wedges would
go with your jumpsuit!

Is it possible to revoke a wedding invitation?

Dear ESB,

I just found your blog and have been reading it for hours. You are amazing. I wish I'd looked for wedding advice before the wedding was already half planned but hindsight is 20/20.

So I realized pretty quickly while reading that I have broken one of your golden rules. We invited some people to our wedding that we really don't want to be there. Most of them politely declined, some did not RSVP at all, but one couple with a newborn baby (who will be about 1 year old by the wedding date) excitedly accepted our invite. Back story is that we know this couple through a group of mutual friends that we used to hang out with more in the past before they all started having babies. To be honest we have never really liked them much but they were always involved in parties/events/other weddings of our mutual friends so when we were drafting our guest list we included them, not really thinking it through. We've never even really hung out with them on a one-on-one basis. I think we just got overzealous with our invitations. We also figured that since they would have a fairly new baby (their first) that they wouldn't want to attend because the wedding is out of town, they don't own a car, and live a pretty budget lifestyle so we didn't imagine them springing for a hotel room and bus tickets or a rental car and all that.

So until today we hadn't really thought much more about it other than to comment every once in awhile that we wish we hadn't invited them because they are tedious to talk to and we are worried they won't get along well with our real friends. This morning one of our mutual friends told us she was surprised to discover recently that she had been de-friended on facebook by the female half of this couple. We laughed at the weirdness of this. Since the baby they have been pretty aloof and not really interested in hanging out with any baby-free friends of theirs. Nothing weird had happened, she just one day noticed this woman had stopped showing up in her feed. There had been no falling out, she just randomly dropped her. I jokingly said, wouldn't it be weird if she de-friended my fiance and I too, even though she is planning on coming to our wedding. We all agreed there is no way she would do that. I just had a look on facebook when I got home and discovered both my fiance and I have been de-friended too. WTF?

I know facebook friendship is a terrible indicator of actual friendship. I'm not a particularly avid facebook user at all which is why I never noticed she defriended me at the time. Honestly I kind of hate everything about facebook. BUT, I'm actually super weirded out that she would de-friend us in a virtual sense but still plan on coming to our wedding. Part of me sees this as an opportunity to somehow un-invite them, or at least check in with them to see if they are still planning on coming since they seem to not be interested in maintaining a virtual friendship with us anymore. But I can't decide which I'd rather avoid more, a confrontation with them now, or having them actually attend and take up 3 seats at our wedding (er... wait... does a 1 year old get a whole seat?) What do you think? If I did talk to them about it do you have any advice on what I should say?

Should I just shut up and concentrate on more important things like what shoes and accessories I am going to wear with this dress? I'm thinking these or these. I'm quite tall so not into wearing heels higher than 2". Plus the wedding is outdoors so flats or wedges would work best. I kind of want the shoes to be a statement so am unsure if the LF ones are enough. I can't really spend more than $350. Would love to know what you think about all of this. Also please (duh) avoid using my name if you post this lest my non-friends discover I am gossiping about them on the internet like a total asshole.

Love your blog and will continue reading your entire back catalog now...

*****

I know I rant about how you should never invite anyone you don't want to hang out with. And I mean it. 

BUT. The truth is, you will be so deliriously happy running around in that RAD DRESS (which, you should totally get the LF wedges, nobody will see them anyway) that you won't even notice these two duds and their dud baby.

It's not worth the bad karma to uninvite them.

Are you guys up for another shoe challenge?

(7 days ago)

Hey ESB,

I come to you with a conundrum. 

I have been unable to find decent looking low wedge or chunky heeled shoes. I say decent because, so far, I haven't even found decent options. I'm getting married in the great outdoors and need something that won't cause me to sink into the ground- so please no high heels. And I don't want to be towering over my groom, so no higher than three inches.  

Can you and your readers help me out?

Many thanks!

Here is my dress [pictured above], only imagine a pinkish color under the lace. 

I bought these shoes on a whim but I'm undecided.

*****

(2 days ago)

Dear ESB, 

I emailed you last week when I at least had one potential option. Now anthropologie has emailed me to let me know the mini wedges aren't ever going to be available- and now I'm down to zero options.

Help me, ESB-kenobi, you're my only hope

*****

I'm stumped.

ESB-kenobi fail :/

POP QUIZ: Which shoes go with this dress?

Dear ESB,

Which do you prefer? There can be only one:

(Jeffrey Campbell)

(Schutz)

Let's have a little Monday morning pop quiz and then tomorrow I'll tell you the right answer.

Fill out my online form.

vegan peeptoes!

with a RACING STRIPE

someone has got to get married in these.






(squidge squidge squidge.)

Why are all the low heels so FUGLY?

Hi ESB,

I am getting married in April in a simple but pretty, all lace but no sparklies dress made by a local seamstress. I would love to wear any of the super cute heels and shoes that you and the other commenters have posted about in the past, particularly the Loeffler Randalls. Ugh, I drool.

However, I need a heel that is >1 inch tall to lift my hem off the ground so I don't have to hem the dress in alterations, and yet, not over 2 inches tall, since my fiance asked me to not be much taller than him on the wedding day (we're the same height).

I'd really prefer not to spend over $200; though if something is just killer, maybe I will. I feel like they are only selling ugly shoes of the kitten heel variety, so I need professional shoe shopping help.

Thanks in advance!

*****

Madewell has some cute "mini-wedges" with a 1 1/8" heel.

Which look to me like a knock-off of the Marais studded t-bar flats......

Probably you should just find a pair of flats you love and hem the damn dress.

Fugly shoes at top from Suitster via I'm Revolting via SUMI HA

Kari Sigerson + Miranda Morrison for Anthropologie

Okay, if our Dansko bride doesn't go for these Pointed Cutout Wedges or Glossed D'Orsay Skimmers  then I don't know what.

Thank you to Shira + Rachel for sniffing out Sigerson + Morrison's new (more affordable!) label, which I was too lazy to do.

Seeking: Special, Quirky Shoes

Hi ESB-

Love your cohort of feisty women. Hoping for some help on the following dire shopping matter:

I'm 5'7'' and my fiancee is 6'. I like our height differential, so I'm not trying to wear skyscraping high heels on our wedding day. Also, I just don't feel confident in high heels. To get a sense of my style, I rock Danskos all winter like they are coming back into style (one day, one day). As a result, I love wedges because I don't feel like I'm about to tumble over (something I really would rather avoid as I walk down the aisle).  

I'm looking for something that is special and funky. I love glitter and quirky shoes (kinda like these kate spades, but I'm just not confident I can walk and dance and trample around the grass in that skinny stiletto, or whatever its called).  

Ideas?  

Looking for something under 300 (the cheaper the better, but I often get running injuries so I'm willing to pay more for a better made shoe that won't bring back my plantar fasciitis).  

xo

*****

I wouldn't call that a stiletto. That is just a heel, plain and simple.

Also: EEEW

Kate Spade is too fucky prissy. May I suggest Jeffrey Campbell's Aubrey Spike Pump instead?

Just kidding.

Can we see a photo of the dress??

*****

Update from the bride:

i know. I KNOWWWW! i'm just having a shit time finding things that would work. The dress is my grandmother's 1940's wedding dress. Ivory silk,* sheer netting over the shoulders. Sort of like this, but older and shinier and more A-line. Maybe a D'Orsay heel to match the retro look? 

*and by silk, I obviously mean satin. It weighs a lot.

*****

You guys have any shoe suggestions?

I wore myself out on this one yesterday.

more cute wedges*

Avail in red poppy, true black and provence blue at Madewell

Sadly, they don't come in extra large/wide sizes, but I'm working on finding more options for you YETI LADIES.
______________________________

*Look ma! I finally figured out what a wedge is.

Dots Dot Dots

Dear ESB,

Marrying a lovely lovely man in 3 months. Have a dress but nothing else. (I know, I know. I despise bhldn. But the dress is so pretty!) We're having a small brunch wedding, so pretty casual and possibly an outdoor venue. Any shoe and/or accessory advice?

I've never been terribly comfortable in heels, so I'm thinking a beautiful pair of ballet flats or sandals would do (I'm also short and curvy, so trying to keep me from looking shorter and curvier is a priority), easy to wear but still special for the day. 

Also, my fiance gave me an AMAZING engagement ring (an oversized copper disc with an asymmetrically-placed silver disc inside), and I'd like to be able to keep it as the focus of my jewelry.

Oh, and our general palette for the wedding is bright pink, yellow, and orange (read: citrus). We're pretty non-traditional, and want to keep things light and fun!

Thanks!
Shoeless but Shiny

*****

Dot earrings, obv.

And then…. Would you consider a slight heel?

There is no ballet flat on earth that will make you look less short.

Pls help find shoes for my AMAZON MOM

Hello ESB,

My mother has bought a dress for the wedding, and although it looks a bit blah in the photo, in real life it is a lovely fluttery silk crepe with soft sleeves and a bias cut that really suits her (six foot, size 16 (UK)) figure. It fits with the 30s garden party feel of our wedding and most importantly she chose it,  loves it and feels great in it.

Due to a number of circumstances (mostly that she’s retired and going on holiday to the Pyrenees and then Provence for 3 weeks: I am impossibly, bitterly, jealous) she is away for all of June. As we are getting married in July she wants to get shoes and accessories now. In London it has been raining solidly for 2 weeks, the early summer drop has not arrived at the shops and she is stressing. I do not like my mother stressed.

It’s her birthday soon, so I thought I’d buy her the shoes. She doesn’t like being too much taller than my father (she’s 2” taller in bare feet) and wants a wedge as the wedding is on a lawn. I found an excellent pair at Marais, but her preferred colour (blush) doesn’t come in her size. I could get the denim but she’s not sure about them. She loves your new wedges but says they are too high, and too black, she doesn’t want black.

So, summery shoes to go with the dress, UK 8, US 11, pop of colour, maximum 4cm heel, no sequins crystals or faff?

Please help the internets are failing me…

--The shoe designer who can’t buy her mother shoes

*****

Do you get to be that picky when your feet are SIZE ELEVEN?

If she's not willing to go any taller, I say buy the micro wedges in denim or jet and be stoked about it.

I never blogged the wedges. (er, platforms.)

These are they. I ♥ them.

Although something about the X in front makes them a little tough to wear with stripes. Am I crazy? I should just get over it. Half my wardrobe is striped.

I did go to American Rag and try on the Elizabeth and James wedges you were all so fond of. But they made me look like The Fashionista Bride of Frankenstein. CLOMP. CLOMP. CLOMP.

The Ariana Bohlings are beautifully made, and surprisingly unclompy. (Though it hurt me to spend that much money, and I bought them in desperation, I'm not regretting the decision.)

And they look excellent with my Scout and Catalogue scarf -- new sponsor over there, did you notice?

I feel like both Mondo and Keith Richards would approve. 

Plus: KITTEHS

QUICK: WHICH WEDGES SHOULD I BUY?

I've been looking for a slightly dressier alternative to my granny sandals, which I LOVE, and have been wearing the hell out of.

Are these Kork Ease jammers too similar?

I like that they are sorta similar. It means I'm developing a uniform, which makes it so much easier to get dressed when I have to leave the house.

And then I also like these Elizabeth and James platforms. More dressy, less comf.

More $$$

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ARE YOU TO WEAR THIS SHOE

I am a lover of Tom's shoes and this shoe is amazing. You can wear it with jeans or something very dressy. Taking on a cruise and plan to wear them both ways. A lot of shoe for the money.

Dart, Houston
Age: over 64

louboutin knockoffs: yeah or nay?

This is Urban Outfitter's take on Margot's see-lammin wedding shoes.

What do you think? Too disco queen??





My guess is that cheap sparkles will probably just look CHEAP.