You aren't wearing gym shoes with skirts are you? Panty hose with your sandles? Do all of your pants have elastic waistbands? Are all of your sweaters- themed for the season (fall= leaves, Christmas=santa etc)? Once we hear your answers we can determine the frump questions

Eileen (the non LC one)

No to all questions (in fact, a sort of cringing, shuddery NO). So I guess I'm safe.

I'm wearing the surprisingly comfortable FOUR inch platform pumps to dinner tonight. *blink blink*

You know what? Right there with you in comfort-land, my friend. (Said as I type this response in my sweats that date from at least fourty pounds ago and a ratty Blue Note t-shirt-- no, not the Botti one, Alesia, quit twitching.)

Yes, I have a sickness-- but aren't these HOT?

http://www.zappos.com/n/multi_view.cgi?product_id=7191278&color_id=47682&view=multi

And of course a woman can be fashionable in flats and comfortable clothes. But might I remind you, it was the FLATS that gave me blisters? Not the stilettos. How wrong is that?

Whoo! Barb, those are so, so, soooo foxy. I love those, especially the tassles.

When I was in my 20s, I wore 3-4" spike heeled strappy sandals and was quite comfy. They're actually easier on your arch, the instep one, than a 2" heel. Then, I ruined both my knees, and I can't wear anything more than an inch or two with very thick heels.

My ligaments are like lace, and my knees have no rebound, at all. I sigh every time I look at my old shoes, but I can't bear to give them away. I live in my Nike boat shoes and have a couple pairs of tailored looking slides for when I need to be dressier. Not the same as those gorgeous shoes of Barb's but not totally frumpy. No themed sweatshirts, I promise.

First, I'd like to point out that in the above picture I WAS wearing flat sandals and you still only have me by a couple inches.

Second, I would like to whine that I came back from the conference to be told by my doctor that I was to wear nothing but sneakers for the next month or more. Plus, he threatened me by telling me that if I didn't, the plantar fasciitis plaguing my heel would turn into a bone spur and they'd have to cut my foot open and remove it with a chisel.

It is SUMMER. I am supposed to be barefoot or wearing strappy cute sandals, not sneakers.

The LC Eileen

P.S. Alesia, you couldn't be frumpy if you tried. Pffft!

I cannot say that anyone has ever accused me of being fashionable. (I wasn't born with that gene, apparently!) Heels? OMG, they are anathema to me! I use to wear Earth Shoes to school (remember those?) and Dr. Scholl's sandals (with the wooden sole). My girlfriend just bought me two pairs of Airwalks soft foam-like clogs--they are HEAVEN to walk in all day! But ugly as sin--there is no way you can call them cute unless they are itsy-bitsy and pink (seen on a toddler and yes, VERY cute!)!

I feel for you, EileenLC--my sis in law had that plantar's thingy and had to have the surgery--messed her up bad, would never do it again--and she had to wear tennis shoes with arch supports and the whole nine yards all the time. She and my husband are definitely NOT shoe people. I was so totally embarassed one day when one of my neighbor's mentioned casually as we were talking in the front yard "Oh, I see that it is getting colder now." When I asked what had clued them in they replied "well, I noticed your husband is wearing SHOES!!!" *blush* I wanted to crawl under a rock!! LOL!

As for the frumpies--make sure that your slip isn't longer than your elastic-band skirt, keep the knee-hi nylons at least to your knees and the pants hem at your ankles, and you will be ok. When you wear the nylons with sandals, THEN I am going to worry! Or worse yet, support hose!! Argh! And I agree that anyone who tries to tell me that their spike heels are "surprisingly comfortable" is completeley and totally certifiable!! You are sick, just sick! LOL!

Heels??? Not for me...

Barb, I <3 you! I'm not alone! And I'm seriously lusting after those shoes.

Most of my shoes have heels or platforms, and they rarely hurt my feet. The last time I got blisters, for example, I was wearing flat Birkenstocks. Go figure.

It's practical, too--I'm too long-waisted to wear petite pants, and my favorite 3-inch-heeled boots keep me from having to hem my jeans. :)

Yes, yes, yes... certifiable. I freely admit it. All 5'2 1/2" worth of certifiable. Standing between Eileen and Alesia, I wind up looking like an Oompa Loompa.

And I will say this, in my own, crazy defense, weak though it may be-- having spent the majority of my twenties and early thirties extremely overweight and unable to comfortably wear any kind of heels, not to mention, chasing after two young babies leaving me unable to comfortably wear any kind of heels, I'm gonna take whatever legitimate chance I can to wear the sexy heels. *snicker*

>>>It's practical, too--I'm too long-waisted to wear petite pants, and my favorite 3-inch-heeled boots keep me from having to hem my jeans. :)

DARLA!! My soul-sister! I'm exactly the same way! Too long waisted to wear petite pants/jeans. Not to mention, so hourglass that any jeans that fit my Cuban butt inevitably gap by about three inches in the waist. Feh.

Oh gosh, Barb, I hear ya on the gap-waist thing. I lost so much weight last year and this spring, and was just sooo excited about it. Then I realized that while the weight was gone and I was more toned, my thighs and butt were still MUCH bigger than my waist. I still haven't found a pair of jeans that fit my size 6/8 waist and my 10/12 hips/thighs. But, on the PLUS side, my legs look so much better now that I LOVE wearing heels. I can't help it. While I wear my sandals for everyday stuff, I can't help but wear 3 or 4 inch heels whenever I leave the house for something other than gorcery shopping or work. And yes, sometimes even for gorcery shopping. My 5'4" body enjoys being the same size as most everyone else when I got out with grownups.

And some days, I can even spell GROCERY!! lol