ESB,
So, you being the epitome of all things stylish, I figured perhaps you and your readers could help a girl out. I have recently entered the corporate world and I am on my FOURTH pair of black heels. I don't know what the hell I am doing but I swear I walk like a normal person. I have broken heels, scraped leather off, gotten stuck in a grate, etc.
I need some black pumps. Or heck, even nude would rock. Stylish but appropriate for the office. There is a magic spot in between hooker heels and grandma shoes where beautiful black heels exist. And apparently they need to be HARD WEARING.
Help!!!
Love,
I really need shoes
*****
Office ladies, this one's for you.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand this concludes our day of do-the-shoe-shopping-for-ESB-because-she's-too-fucking-lazy.
Thanks for playing.
Photo via la vie en rose. Anybody know who took it?
Calvin Klein makes great black heels with a little traction-control thing on the bottom. Also very comfortable. Win win win. Win win.
ReplyDeleteI'm on my 5th pair of these Calvin Klein beauties! Highly reccomended - they also come in a blood red color.
DeleteI love my Frye Maya Vintage Stud Pumps. Best part is heel is wooden-ish so no scraping leather issue. Comfortable for long days too. I would suggest getting a rubber sole placed on them to reduce wear and slippage.
ReplyDeleteWhat size and color do you have?
DeleteProfessional and comfy...
ReplyDeleteCole Haan Nike Air Pumps
If you can find the woven version of the violet they are fantastic. Clearly they are sold out but they still have them at Last Call. The woven leather adds some (dare I say it?) fun.
DeleteI have absolutely nothing to do today at work so I will bite at the boring one too. Stuart Weitzman is my go-to for simple heels. I've had a pair just like this for 6 years now and all they've needed is a shining and they're good to go. The only thing is his shoes run 1/2 a size small if you consider them.
ReplyDeleteomigod thank god i don't have to wear stupid office gear. those heels make me want to die.
DeleteI'm with Lauren on this one. They're more of office supplies rather than shoes. Now if I had the money I wouldn't mind investing in a pair of these for everyday wear but I wear boots every day at work and just suggested the ones I used for when I worked at a church lol.
DeleteClarks! Indigo by Clarks! A little bit grandma sometimes, but some of them are super cute. And durable. And comfortable.
ReplyDeleteTalbots makes good, stylish heels. This is one example. My brown ones are going on two years, and I wear them hard.
ReplyDeleteTake your shoes to a cobbler. Stop buying so many shoes.
ReplyDeletei was going to suggest cole haan as well; i hear universally good things about the nike air tech they've been using, and some pairs are rather good-looking.
ReplyDeleteconsulted my fashion colleagues, who then turned to their banker-lady friends; if you're willing to sink the funds up front and commit to a relationship with a cobbler when they need it, you want choos.
BUT THEY'RE SO BORING.
DeleteI guess that's why I didn't even try to answer this one.
black work pumps aren't really shoes; they're office supplies. think of them that way and it hurts less.
DeleteMarc Jacobs makes some nice, basic black pumps. Extra points for a chunkier heel.
ReplyDeleteAll of these pointy toed pumps are SO a few years ago or UBER corporate. I would go with more of a rounded toe.
ReplyDeleteThese from JCrew or these from Nine West are pretty classic (the JCrew ones come in different materials, too).
A thicker heel might be more durable. These from Nine West are fairly boring but look dependable.
A strap of some sorts might help keep you walk better, too? These Nine West mary janes are nice.
(if you DO want something a bit pointier, Madewell's film noir pumps are kind of rad and 80s)
Love your suggestions!
DeleteAlso these C'N'C Costume National ones are pretty good. I guess I'm saying check Yoox.
ReplyDeleteOh - THANK GOD. Original poster here and I LOVE YOU ALL.
ReplyDeleteI have been to a cobbler. And then cried. So far I have learned that patent leather is a no go for me.
Nine West eat my feet. I've had great experiences with Cole Haan but yeah, they're boring.
ReplyDeleteI've found that an almond shaped toe is more comfortable and have purchased multiple pairs like this.
Also, when you buy a new pair of shoes take them to get reinforced. And stop walking on grates.
Ann Taylor Perfect Pumps!
ReplyDeleteCan you quit walking all over town in your office shoes? Get some ballet flats for the streets. I know, nerdy, but the pavement is murder on nice heels. I walk to work and I always die a little when I see girls tottering down the hill in their stilettos.
ReplyDeleteAs long as you don't look like this!
DeleteExactly! Why on earth are you traipsing all over town and into grates in your nice heels. Ffs. Get some 'outside' flats and be done with it.
DeleteESPECIALLY if you look like that, I say. Ha ha ha.
DeleteSaid like a girl without a mile walk home!
DeleteIn the UK, marks and spencers limited collection online have some nice shapes pumps for a v reasonable price. As a lawyer they were perfect and comfortable but still smart. I had black, nude and navy in the same style.
ReplyDeleteI was going to recommend Slow and Steady Wins black canvas pumpss but they are only available in 5.5 so I am just going to post these because we don't need another pair of black pumps.
ReplyDeleteI have a few pairs of Kate Spade shoes that I love. They are sturdy and comfy and super cute!
ReplyDeleteWill you get fired for wearing awesome shoes? NO, THAT'S ILLEGAL.
ReplyDeleteI say you say FUKKIT and wear fantastic awesome colored heels or floral canvas wedges or WHATEVER and make all the office drones jealous.
This. I was going to ask why they have to be boring? Shoes are one place you can really have fun in the corporate world!
Deletethat's a bit glib. while clothes are unlikely to get you fired, some choices in some offices (not mine, but some) can easily mean the difference between promotion and treading water. either way, the questioner here didn't ask for help striking a blow against Ye Olde Office Culture, and we don't know her life; alors, she asked for good black shoes.
DeleteI used ti have this problem and would have to buy a new pair of black pumps every two months. My solution, i stopped buying nine west shoes. Those are the lease durable shoes for walking around downtown. I second buying a slightly thicker heel and almond/ rounded toe, they last longer, are "in" and more comfy. Also agree with person above, try to avoid grates.
ReplyDeleteKate Spade - "carolina". hands down BEST shoes for the working girl. I'm rocking the nude patent leather ones right now and I also own the black patent leather pumps. zappos and nordstrom carry them. Shopbop was having 20% off everything (yesterday 4/17), but see if its still happening and order both colors. You will not regret it. Expensive, but will last you.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, but most of those are hideous. IMO
DeleteCheap shoes will break, cheap shoes will look like crap, cheap shoes cant be easily repaired.
ReplyDeleteI rock my louboutins. And yes, I do have a cobbler. His work is awesome, and the MOST I have ever had to pay is $11 for him to re-sole, re-heel, re-everything. Done.
...and of course carry ballet flats in your purse! Who wants to walk a marathon in heels?
DeleteI'm sure this will offend everyone here, but I work in marketing at a law firm and wear straight up grandma heels every day. When we're working all day conferences, cute 4" heels are impossible.
ReplyDeleteI've had good luck with Sofft, here's one example. They don't even leave the building. I have a shoe drawer in my office.
my office keeps telling me to dress more "professionally." i've thought for a long time that they mean, "dress more boring, please," and i refuse, obviously.
ReplyDeleteThe film noir pumps by Madewell. Gorgeous. Classic, yet not boring. Not too high of heel but stylish enough. Comes in an assortment of colors. Oh and somewhat reasonably priced. For luxury shoes, forego Christian Louboutin or Manolo. Overdone. Eat your heart out here: http://www.rocioildemaro.com/shoecloset.html
ReplyDeleteYou can order by e-mail request.
Absolutely, that medium between "hooker heels" and "old lady" is Calvin Klein and Nine West. I have a slight preference to the Nine West myself and own quite a few pairs that have served me well in the office.
ReplyDeleteOh I love you all!! I have some serious shopping to do this weekend. I have bookmarked all of these.
ReplyDeleteI am just entering the legal profession so boring is a must... for now.
Here's a reeallly boring answer for you, but it works...
ReplyDeleteDon't commute wearing your work heels.
Living in NYC, I learned early on that the smart ladies left a few basic pairs of "good" shoes at the office and wore flats for the commute. You can still wear the heels out occaisionally for meetings, after-work drinks, dates, etc, but they are not bombarded with the daily abuses of commuting (and your feet/knees will thank you). Then just reheel+resole+polish as necessary, and you can easily get multiple seasons out of nice work shoes. And then you'll have more money left over for "fun" shoes.
You can't wear flats on the street if you're in PANTS which are hemmed to be worn with heels.
ReplyDeleteThat was always my dilemma.
Anon from above - I agree, and I actually never really figured that part out. Someone should come up with a temporary hem solution (in a moment of true desparation, I awkwardly tried to rig something up with safety pins). So, my work wardrobe very quickly became skirt/dress/tights/boots-based and still remains that way.
DeleteUhhh they're called Style Snaps. This is what I get for working from home last week: daytime TV infomercials. Or, if you're cheap like me and don't care, a couple of paper clips!
DeleteUm - exactly. I can't drag my pants around. And I am not paper clipping when I have lunch with the boss. Style snaps - MAYBE.
DeleteWHEN PIGS FLY I will buy myself a pair of style snaps
DeleteOk...here's a few and at great prices...free shipping too!!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.6pm.com/naya-daria-black-leather-suede
http://www.6pm.com/vigotti-richelle-black-leather
http://www.6pm.com/sofft-vivia-black-patent
http://www.6pm.com/ak-anne-klein-fannon-black-suede
http://www.6pm.com/b-makowsky-norma-black-black-patent
http://www.6pm.com/circa-joan-david-cathleen-black-black-leather
http://www.6pm.com/vigotti-varek-navy-t-pesca-fabric-patent
http://www.6pm.com/sofft-leona-black-tumbled-calf
http://www.6pm.com/rockport-helena-pinked-pump-black-smooth-leather
So I know this is a really old post, but I just have to second the Frye recommendation. I do not (thank god) have an office job, but I like to wear heels and I am brutal on my shoes. I am on a first name basis with my cobbler. I think Frye makes some of the cutest, can-take-a-beating, heels I've ever worn. They are also comfortable(ish) with great arch support.
ReplyDeleteLike these.
Or...wait...I just checked their website and they seem to have discontinued all of their cute peep-toes and pumps. Dang.
They still have plain pumps.