Starting 2010 off right. Saying thanks and smiling.

The presents have all been opened, the thank you notes sent out, and my holiday season retail feet are just now starting to recover (beauty is pain—heels never come without a price). Without being too personal, this year has been in many ways my best, but also, by far my hardest. I ran. I fell. And I picked myself back up. I am where I am because of the people in my life: my friends, my family, my colleagues. Because of you, I have grown. And to this, I say Thank you.

So, to get down to business, yesterday I was sitting with a couple of friends. The conversation (as it almost always does) went from boys, to men, to clothes. When discussing clothes the question was posed of what our favorite outfit was. One friend said it was a dress that she wore when she first started losing weight. She wore it to a bar and for the first time (or so she says) men started to notice her. Another friend mentioned a pantsuit that she had in college. She didn’t know what it was, the light color, or the cut that looked as if it was made for her, but she said that every time she wore it, the world just seemed right. Then it came time for me. I thought for a while, it used to be a Charles-Chang Lima dress that I got at a consignment store on the Upper East. I loved wearing it, I could wear it to work, wear it to church, it even served as my dress for Audrey Hepburn on Halloween. Not anymore.

I have this green dress, the Benny dress from Diane Von Furstenberg’s fall ’08 line to be exact. It sat on the rack at Saks for months. I would visit it. Try it on. Twirl around. Look in my empty wallet and grudgingly put it back. I did this until one fateful day…I was at Nordstrom Rack and saw it on the clearance rack a couple months later. Size 8. It was on sale for $120.00 marked down from $400.00. And so this is how this amazing green dress became mine. It sat in my closet, tags on, unworn for almost a year. It made the trip from Cleveland to Nashville and still just sat. Whenever I had a hard day, or needed a pick me up, I would squeeze my way into it (and I really do mean squeeze)..but every time I looked in the mirror, it was totally worth it. I’m not sure what it is—maybe the emerald green color that goes perfectly with my “red” hair or the way it seems that I have the perfect waist to hip ratio when I wear it, to drop every jaw in the room, but it makes the world right. I know, sounds crazy, but so true.

So in light of the hard year 2009 was for me, I decided to start 2010 off in the only way that felt right. I shrugged off my insecurities and squeezed myself into that green dress. I put on heels that made me 6 1’, tamed my curly hair, and smiled. 2009 Was a year for learning. 2010 is a year for doing.

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I apologize that it seems my blogs are becoming few and far between. This changes now.

The Height of the Matter: Why Heels are ALWAYS a Good Idea

Recently I was on the phone with my mom…she is a beautiful 50 something who was lamenting the fact that her feet have finally rebelled—and after 40+ years her days of wearing heels are over. You might find this ridiculous, but I actually sympathized with her and silently begrudged the day that it will happen to me. The only thing I can do is hope that it doesn’t. It will, I’m sure. Women sometimes have differing opinions on heels, some like stilettos, others like wedges, some espadrilles, some kitten heels—but one thing we can ALL agree on: they are always a good idea. Why, you ask? Simple. You wake up…laundry hasn’t been done for weeks, slim pickins on the clean jeans and cute tops. You settle on a long belted cardigan and the cleanest pair of jeans you got. You lace on some Chuck Taylors. Look in the mirror. Hmm. Something isn’t right. You swore your legs were skinnier, your butt perkier, your back straighter. And for some reason the smile just isn’t coming. This is where your eye catches the heels halfway hidden under your bed. Huh. Maybe?…and that’s that. You get rid of the Chuck Taylors and slide into the heels. Yes, in 5 hours your feet may be screaming for escape…but right now, your legs look amazing, your butt is thanking you, and that smile once lost is creeping its way back onto your face. Now you are ready to begin your day.

So, when it comes to heels, what should every woman have? Definitely the classics: a brown pair, a black pair (in leather and suede)—a fancy pair (ie: black satin, something that looks great with cocktail dresses or under long gowns), and a "showstopper." The showstopper is a pair of heels that is so unnecessary that by anyone else’s standard would be wasted money: but this pair is money. It’s the pair you put on and immediately sigh. You love it. It may be crazy, 6 inches tall and strappy—or perhaps it’s just red. But these are the shoes that you strut around in to prepare for a hot night out on the town-whether you are actually going to wear them or not doesn’t matter, it’s the way they make you feel. Ok. So these classics you spend money on. They are made of quality leather and are in timeless styles (except for maybe the showstopper). These go on the credit card. All other heels are for the checking account. These are the ones you get at DSW on sale—the trendier, the less practical: the pairs that match only one outfit in your closet, or the heels you wear stumbling down streets late at night. Remember to take care of the classics--they will pay for themselves over and over--they others may not.

Finally, the matter of height. I am tall.Very tall. I wear heels. Lots and lots of heels. My height doesn’t keep me from heels, never has, never will. This is something that drives me nuts about my taller friends—them not wearing heels. Ladies, a man has a relationship with you, not your height. Remember this. Please. And any man that doesn’t like you for your height, or is intimidated by it…is he really someone you want to be with? A man that doesn’t want you wearing heels, this is grounds for a breakup. Which is fine, because when you’re walking away—you better bet he’ll be checking you out as you leave.

xoxo

Carrie

And to help find the heels:

www.piperlime.com: member of the GAP family of brands, great place to check out lots of different types, styles, colors. Makes sure to check out resident stylist Rachel Zoe’s picks!

www.zappos.com: An obvious choice, the internet’s largest shoe store. Easy to order, and—if it doesn’t work out, easy to return.

www.christianlouboutin.com: Purely for the “showstopper.” Enjoy.