Hello Hauteness

My older sister Allison (hi Al!) and her hubby Kevin are going to be traveling to Europe soon and she recently emailed me with a good question:  What is a good alternative to tennis shoes when you’re traveling and walking a lot but want to look cute?

This spurred some thought for me because I have been guilty of choosing vanity over comfort when traveling in the past…and regretting it later.  Guys, this topic doesn’t apply to you as much because, to be honest, men’s shoes are far more comfortable no matter the style.  That’s probably because men are smarter and just plain refuse to buy a pair of shoes if they’re uncomfortable.  Whereas we ladies will justify buying a horribly painful pair of shoes if they’re gorgeous, designer, or on mega sale (or even better, all three!).

If I were a traveling guy I’d rock a pair of classic Converse or Tom’s when walking the streets of Italy or Paris.  If I needed to dress it up a bit I’d do a pair of cushy loafers with a supportive bottom for evenings out.

So to answer my sister’s question, I did a search on Zappos.com to see what I could find in terms of cute women’s flats that had some decent support.  I found some options and posted them for your perusing pleasure.

A couple of things to remember when looking to purchase comfortable yet cute travel shoes:

1. Check out the sole of the shoe.  If it looks thin then stay away.  That means there’s little to no support.
2. Consider athletic brands when shopping for flats.  I really love the styles that Puma and Lacoste do for women because they’re supportive but still cute.
3. Stay away from flip flops.  They just won’t support you and will eventually rub you the wrong way (I tell you this from personal experience).
4. Go with a relatively neutral color (black, brown, gray, or even white).  This will allow you more versatility when outfitting.  It’s all about packing light which means taking as few pairs of shoes as possible.
5. Whatever you decide to buy, don’t wait to try them out on the streets of Europe.  Walk around your house on carpet for a day or two to see how you do.  If they hurt when you’re hanging out at home then they have no business making a trip to Europe with you.  BREAK THEM IN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE BEFORE YOU TRAVEL.

Do you have a great pair of shoes you’ve travelled (and outfitted) with?  I’d love to know about them to share with other Hauteness readers.

Check out these great options I found on Zappos.com…

Make it out to Touch of Sass this Thursday, September 2nd from 6:00-9:00pm for their “You’ve Got Game” Sassy Hour as they ready their sassiest gals AND guys for next Saturday’s football kickoff.  No matter your team, they’ve got your game-day ensemble covered.

Join Currie and crew for the following treats:

• $25 spray tans from The Tan Can!  Email currie@touchofsass.net for your appointment (available from 4-8pm)
• Adorable game-day shirts, tanks and scarves from Sarah Ott of New Orleans, Louisiana
• Fabulous jewelry in all team colors from the one-and-only Micah Yancey (yay!)
• Custom men’s shirts from J. Hilburn

Along with the above will be cocktails as well as delicious ‘dogs from Austin airstream Man Bites Dog. Add in a 10% discount on any Touch of Sass purchase and you’ve got the perfect pre-tailgate party.

To top it all off, 10% of the night’s profits will be donated to The Rise School of Austin.

Make your way out to Touch of Sass to get gameday ready and support some of my favorite local female entrepreneurs!  I am sad I have to miss it but NYC is calling my name…

Hi everybody.  I’m recovering from a mini Summer bug and preparing for a long Labor Day Weekend in NYC so my blogging will be a bit slow this week.  I’ll make up for it with lots of pics from the Big Apple and hopefully an epic story or two to share with you next week.

In the meantime, I feel just good enough to give my feedback from the Emmy Awards last night…

1. Navy blue was a big trend.  Considering I’ve been OBSESSED with navy lately, I was thrilled to see so much of it on the red carpet.
2. Natural, almost messy hair was all over the place.  There was little gel to be found amongst the glamazons that attended.  From Claire Danes loose locks to Christina Hicks’ gorgeous red curls, hairstylists let natural beauty reighn last night.
3. As always, black was everywhere.  Eva Longoria, Heidi Klum, Kathy Griffin, and Kate Gosselin (why was she there?) all kept it basic with the color that everyone, male or female, looks good in.
4. Who needs two straps when you can look fab in one?!  One shouldered gowns were a close second to the usual strapless gowns this year.  That’s sayin’ something!
5. Jewelry was minimal.  Lea Michele showed off a dazzling necklace, Kim Kardashian rocked some bracelets with her grecian white, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ turquoise earrings took attention away from her black gown, but aside from that I don’t remember many accessories from last night.  I guess this really is the year of “less is more”.
6. The handsome men on the red carpet apparently didn’t get my memo on the hotness that is the bow tie look.  Stephen Moyer, Cory Monteith, and Peter Facinelli all rocked regular ties.
7. Best dressed came down to two women for me:  Glee’s Lea Michele in Oscar de la Renta and an Armani Prive clad Claire Danes blew me away last night.  Well done!

Last weekend I had a wedding, this weekend I have a wedding, and I would be going to a wedding next weekend if I weren’t already going to NYC for Labor Day Weekend.  Needless to say, people like to get married in the summer.

Even with the 100+ degree temps we’ve been experiencing in Texas, all of these weddings I’m attending/invited to are at least partially outdoors.  Crazy huh?!

The wedding I’m going to this weekend inspired me for this week’s Fashion Tip Friday because I had to give it careful consideration.  This particular nuptial celebration is being held in the backyard of the bride’s parents’ house on Lake Austin. For me, this translates to a “non-heel wearing event” because we will be walking around in the grass.

At first I was thinking I’d wear a sundress, but then I heard how formal the bridal party will be and I figured I might want to step it up a notch.  In the end I decided on a sleeveless purple woven cotton dress with blingy sandals.  The dress has ruffles and the shoes sparkle so I figure that up’s the outfit a bit.

So what DO you wear to events such as these where it’s pretty much a guarantee that you will be sweating?  Here are some things to consider…

• Wear light-weight fabrics that allow for skin breathability (i.e. natural fibers such as cotton, linen, hemp, etc.).
• Ladies, wear your hair up.  Save yourself the trouble of having to pull it back halfway through the evening once you’re drenched in perspiration.
• Guys, if it’s a formal affair, consider a linen suit or at least khaki linen pants, a white button-up, and a bold tie.  The materials will keep you cool (or as cool as possible), and a colorful tie will pop against the neutral khaki linen pant and white shirt.
• Ladies, even if it’s a formal affair, wear a short cocktail dress.  It will be cooler and the mini length is till very much in for formal affairs.  Stay away from satin and taffeta.  They don’t breathe.
• Guys, consider seersucker bottoms and a bow tie.  Nothing says summer like that combination.  Plus, where else will you find an excuse to wear them together other than an outdoor summer wedding?
• Most importantly, wear something that flatters your figure and is appropriate for the formality (or informality) of the event.  When I was trying on dresses for all of these weddings, I actually liked everything I was trying on.  In the end I had to pause and ask myself, “What looks best on me and can I see myself wearing it in the environment where the event will be?”.

Even I have to pause and take my own advice sometimes.  I’ll post pics from the wedding early next week.  Happy last weekend of August everyone!

Along with the bow tie, oxfords and the fedora, I have recently noticed the return to popularity of cufflinks in menswear.  I love the polished, finished look that is achieved thanks to these little pieces of man jewelry!

I decided to do some research into cufflinks because I was curious as to their origin.  Turns out, according to Wikipedia, that it was during the reign of Louis XIV when shirt sleeves began to be fastened by identical pairs of colored glass buttons joined by a short chain.  Up until that point, sleeve cuffs were literally just held by strings.  I definitely think it’s safe to say that this particular accessory has been around for a while.

Even though I don’t wear this particular piece of jewelry, I decided to surf the web for a few pairs that I would wear if I were a man (I say that line a lot on this blog…hmmmm).