Covid killed the heel
Alongside restaurants having phone numbers, being inconvenienced, and being casually sick.
Rabbit rabbit.
I have never been a wearer of heels. By heels I’m talking stilettos, pumps, wedges—whatever gives you a lift to elongate your legs to make the company you’re in double-take to see if that was Gisele walk by or just plain old you.
Historically, I have worn them to school dances and my high school graduation. For my college graduation, I opted for a loafer (why?), and every other special occasion of my life has been spent either on, or very close to, the ground.
Covid killed heels from the social dressing stratosphere. If I’m going to the club (why?), a nice dinner, a work event, or on a date, you can find me in something ballet flat-adjacent, a sandal if it’s above 70 degrees, or a boot rarely. The only time I ever find myself elevated above 3” is in my beloved sneaker wedge, which is the perfect loophole, but only for certain situations.
Everyone I know who goes to weddings tells me I won’t know how badly I need a heel until I really need one. I don’t go to weddings and have none in my foresight. I’m all for preparing, however, and in the event that one of my friends or someone in my orbit rapidly falls in love and has some urgent nuptials, I will need something classy, sassy, and a little nasty to sport.
Apparently closet cleanouts are genetic because after I filled up seven (yes SEVEN) ThredUp bags from my childhood closet, my mom decided to do the same. She presented me with an Ikea bag full of shoes to which I was able to select from. They’re called hand-me-down’s for a reason, not hand-me-up’s, and that was extremely apparent when all I could offer was a size 00 LF miniskirt from what I approximate was 2017. I walked away with these Theory loafers, these Banana Republic pumps, and these Stuart Weitzman wedges. Raffia soles are so back.
I cannot walk in heels, so my friend
will need to give me lessons. Covid cannot kill her sparkle. This was her when we went upstate for the Fourth of July:
I think this may be the first time Louboutins have ever shared a frame with a Subaru.
I also recently got these little strappy numbers for $free.99 from Studio Amelia. They feel like an additionally great staple shoe option that’s a little more fun than the businesswoman special the above BR pair are serving.
Speaking of shoes, although I was pretty firm in not observing Black Friday, something very special caught my eye. Sandy Liang’s private sale, where her beloved Mary Janes that I’ve had on my wishlist for three years now were $195, as opposed to their usual $525. This felt like vindication for the horrid Sample Sale Fiasco of 2022, where I waited four hours in line to move only from where Scarrs’ Pizza is to Susan Alexandra (if you don’t live in New York or aren’t familiar with the LES, this is about 10 feet) before giving up. This was the type of deal the spirit of Black Friday was built upon. I cannot wait for them to arrive, you will all of course be the first to know.
Other Black Friday purchases made by me include Cou Cou Intimates White Cotton Jersey Pants that actually weren’t on sale at all but were offered in tandem with free shipping and a lingerie bag gift-with-purchase, along with this little satin pouch from Reformation I thought would be perfect for the holiday season. I did just organize my coat/bag closet and saw how many bags I have, so this does in hindsight feel a little egg-on-face. The Black sold out, but I’ll link the silhouette here.
Besides running up my credit card bill and telling myself it’s going to manifest into an abundance of airline points to go where? I’m not sure, this Thanksgiving week was full of watching movies from 2005-2018, what some may call the renaissance of American film. The first was Public Enemies (2009) starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. I hated this movie. The second was Ocean’s 8 (2018), something I had seen before, but you can never rewatch too many times. An absolute classic that is better on a plane or with your mom and sister. The third was This Means War (2012) starring Reese Witherspoon who is the apple of the eyes of Tom Hardy and Chris Pine, two CIA agents (why?), another fairly awful movie. The fourth, and my favorite of the weekend, was Monster in Law (2005) starring Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda, with a special mention to Adam Scott who played JLo’s gay best friend. This movie has gotten absolutely trashed online but I loved every minute of it. A real period piece where you can call someone an “old slut” and get a huge laugh out of me after 10 pm.
I’m in dire need of something else to watch. Nothing is hitting the spot for me—no Real Housewives or Law and Order SVU or podcast is sufficing. Please help me if you can.
Something my friend
said the other day that I loved was that people need to start inconveniencing themselves again. I could not agree more. We used to live in a time where the only applicable excuses for things were serious illnesses, family emergencies, or horrible accidents. You don’t want to go to that work party? Well unless you’re at Mount Sinai with a case of meningitis, unfortunately you have to just show up for one drink. You want to go to a restaurant in Brooklyn but can’t convince your friend who lives in the West Village? Show them the beauty of public transportation, or tell them to toughen up.I’m looking forward to inconveniencing myself throughout this holiday season, attending as many Christmas parties and holiday dinners that I can, scraping together a rogue fridge clean-out meal for lunch in between reservation nights and being hungover on a Wednesday. We only have one life, and it’s the most wonderful time of the year!
I saw this energy in the news this past week but for something I completely disagree with. You can only be passionate about things I think are correct. I thought of this in yoga and quickly jotted it down:
By “airplane boss”, I of course am referring to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the Transportation Department urging people in a new PSA to “dress with respect” to “usher in a golden age of travel”. I don’t know about you guys, but I think the “golden age of travel” should include a lot less random plane incidents than what have been happening. I feel like this:
People dressing casually in public is something that Covid championed and I’m fine with it. I think telling people how to dress and what they should look like is annoying (I say from a fashion blog) and only comes from a judgmental place. I’m not sitting in row 32 on Delta in a pair of high waisted trousers, I’ll tell you that much, Mr. Duffy.
I feel like I’m ranting at this point. I’m really upset about Alix Earle not winning DWTS last week. I’ve watched her freestyle every day since it aired. I wrapped some presents today and now my living room is very homey and adorable. I guess I’ll leave you all with that.
