If The Shoe Fits*

“A pair of shoes can change your life just ask Cinderella” (anonymous). I have no idea who came up with this saying but he/she (probably) might be on to something. Personally, I have always been of the opinion that a shoe is the key to perfecting your outfit, provided you choose them to match the occasion (do not go to a theme park in high heels). After all, whether you are wearing a dress or a pair of jeans it has been proven that a high heel has the strange ability to make the derrière look perkier as well as encourage a butt-emphasizing posture.[1] I need not say more than quote Khloé Kardashian: “Whoever invented high heels is a genius. What they do for my legs, my calves, how they lift my booty—I’m obsessed! I could make a house out of my shoes and live there happily.”[2] Let me walk you through.

                There are a few basics I would not be able to miss in my shoe cupboard. Firstly, there are the ‘takkies’. Those of you who speak some South African English will know what I am talking about, if you do not know what they are remember the word because it might be a quiz question some day. I am talking about the South African word for trainers or gym shoes. These can range from anything to everything and needless to say they have managed to carve a niche for themselves in our popular culture. For instance, the Nike Air Force One is still one of the all time favourites as countless rappers came to fame with this shoe keeping them on their feet. I am also talking about the fact that rappers love their Nikes or special Adidas editions. After all, Kanye West was not the first to have designed his own pair of Nikes, Yeezies, for the market.

Left Kanye West’s Yeezies and right the Nike Air Force One (imagine this shoe in all colours)

Another striking example is the collaboration between Adidas and Missy Elliot for the Respect M.E. line. Justin Bieber seems to be breathing new life into this trend. Not to mention the fad a basic Nike or Adidas shoe (e.g. Adidas superstars) has the ability to have (It was really popular when I was in high school). Just remember these shoes still are very much coveted and respected. It is also worked in the hand with great marketing campaigns featuring the most popular celebrities of that moment. Take for example the viral ad Nike made with Taylor Momsen (Jenny in Gossip Girl).

Missy Elliot with a pair of Respect M.E. shoes by Adidas and Justin Bieber shows off his Nikes

The immensely popular Nike Cortez (left) and Nike Terminator (right)

Adidas superstars

More recently, for the new Reebok campaign the company has snagged fellow Gossip Girl star, Leighton Meester (Blair in Gossip Girl). I can only imagine that their campaign will have the desired effect thanks to her it-girl status, her acclaimed fashion sense and the worldwide success of the television show, even though I have never seen any of the girls in Gossip Girl walking around in trainers.

Leighton Meester rocks her Reeboks in the adverts

Another shoe is still essential in this category and that is the Chuck Taylor All-Stars which were originally derived from a basketball shoe. These shoes are omnipresent in the streets and I think most people have a pair in their closets. Not to mention that all celebrities have probably worn them at one point or another. What is also great about them is that there are so many options: thin sole, thicker sole, double tongue, hi-top, lo-top etc.

The Glee cast stylish in their All Stars, as is Rachel Bilson

In short, these brands have become symbols of edginess and they have managed to create, each in their own way, a cult status. Nevertheless, these brands are still associated with sports too and if you are buying a pair of real running shoes you are likely to make a choice between these brands due to their overall presence. Takkies today are a far cry from the sporty image they once had because if you are going for a preppy, relaxed and still trendy streetwear look they are indispensable.

My next must-have and something I personally love is the ballerina or ballet flat. An interesting fact I found on Wikipedia is that the ballet flat has been around since the 17^th century and they were then worn by men as well as women. It is only since 1957 that they have been undergoing the classical trend of coming in and out of fashion thanks to icon Audrey Hepburn who wore them with skinny jeans in the film Funny Face (1957). The great thing is that you can spice up up almost any outfit with a stylish pair of ballet flats. After all, they not only come in great patterns, designs and colours but they also come at democratic prices. I bought a pair I truly love for only 10 euro. That pair probably does not have a life span of over two seasons, but I do not count on them to last for ages either. If you are looking for that extra something I suggest you try designers like Steve Madden, Marc Jacobs and if you are a classic girl (and money is not an issue) the Chloé flower flat is a shoe-in. The fact that ballet flats can be semi-casual, dressy and that you can wear them with a range of outfits and look elegant (apri’s, leggings, short skirts or dresses, shorts and jeans) makes them convenient and extremely popular with girls of all ages, as are sandals and flat boots.

Jimmy Choo star ballerina flats and Chloé’s Chain Flower ballerina

Examples of Steve Madden ballerina’s

Talking about flat boots I feel it necessary to mention the Ugg. I can’t say I have always been a fan but since the release of Ugg Baily Button they have grown on me. Moreover, it becomes increasingly impossible to deny that they are not comfy (especially in winter) and that celebrities love them actually advertising the brand willingly which has a huge impact on their sales. Take a wintery day in New York (last few years) and I do not think you could have strolled around in the streets there without seeing at least one pair. Nevertheless, I am still of the opinion that it is not ok to wear them with everything or that you can put a shoe like that on in the summer.

Blake Lively and Leighton Meester wearing Baily Button Uggs (pictures from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1314781/Gossip-Girls-Leighton-Meester-Blake-Lively-look-happiest-Ugg-boots.html)

If you are looking for instant glamour, in short that Cinderella feeling, a pair of high heels is the way to go.Not to mention that for more average girls in the length department they are an instant boost. When it comes to two pairs you should definitely have it is a pair of nude pumps as it is instant classiness, it matches so many things.

An example of the timelessly elegant nude pump

 It is the pump that has, in the last few years (or maybe it is because I am a bit older now myself) that has become something that we can no longer dissociate from popular culture. Sex and the City and a movie like In Her Shoes made the high heel a symbol of status and ultimate, confident womanhood once again. After all, just read the shoe quote of Rose Feller (Toni Collete’s character in the movie): I get something out of them! When I feel bad I like to treat myself. Clothes never look any good... food just makes me fatter... shoes always fit. Especially Jimmy Choo’s designs have become a desirable item thanks to Sex and the City. As for other famous designers, I believe, Louboutins (the shoes with the red sole) are the epitome of a great high heel and many a Hollywood movie and movie star encourage this prominence. A red carpet event is not complete when one or several of the celebrities are not wearing the tell-tale red soled, regally elegant Louboutins. 

Celebs love their Louboutins

Even Barbie received a pair, and a complete Christian Louboutin makeover, for her 50^th birthday.

Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Louboutin are currently wrapped in a legal battle after Christian Louboutin asked that YSL to stop producing red-soled shoes as it is his trademark. Last week the judge ruled that YSL could still produce their red-soled shoes and Louboutin replied that he was still going to ‘fight like hell’.[3] Nevertheless, to me there is only one red-soled shoe and that’s a Louboutin and that is the shoe I picture myself getting married in. It is the Cinderella’s glass slipper of the 21^st century.

Our modern day glass slippers

When it comes to shoes I weigh my options and when I see them and I fall in love, and I will not go into debt if I buy them, and I am not hurting anybody (the last two things are definitely not worth it) I do not hesitate because maybe Cinderella had it right: “all it takes is the right pair of shoes”. To me the ‘shoe’ in all its wonderful variations has received the status of iconic element in our contemporary popular culture and if the shoe fits it might just be a shoe-in ;)

* this is in theory a girly article so if you are a boy I’m happy you are reading my blog and my next article is more boy friendly, but who knows you might look at shoes differently if you read this J

[1] http://ezinearticles.com/?How-To-Get-A-Bigger-Buttocks-Fast---4-Quick-Ways-To-Make-Your-Booty-Pop&id=6264695

[2] http://www.shape.com/lifestyle/khlo%C3%A9-kardashian-on-lamar-odom-kids-and-more?slide=33660

[3] http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/2011/04/20/christian-louboutin-sues-yves-saint-laurent-for-red-sole-shoes

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I Believe This Calls For A Proper Introduction!

Panic at the Disco! songs happen to be my soundtrack for just about anything I do, including my attempt to write this article (¯Ready To Go ¯). A good friend introduced them to me in the summer of 2006 and I am eternally grateful J. At that time I was already a year behind since they released their debut album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, on September 27, 2005.

                Let me start with some introductions. Originally it was Ryan Ross and Spencer Smith who began playing together and started their music career as an amateur Blink 182 cover band. This was all happening in the self proclaimed entertainment capital of the world, Las Vegas. Popular culture has made it this ethereal place tucked away in a desert with ‘The Strip’ as a thirst quenching oasis. It was not long before fellow Las Vegas citizens Brent Wilson and Brendon Urie (who has made many a teen’s heart beat just that bit faster <3 ) joined the group. Nevertheless, it was not this town of glamour and entertainment that motivated them. On the contrary, they felt the Las Vegas music scene had become repetitive and was in need of new sounds. This is a reason they felt the need to bring something new. They soon came up with their tongue in cheek name ‘Panic! At The Disco’ inspired by the song Panic by Name Taken. Their rise to fame was like a fresh breeze. When Pete Wentz, bassist of Fall Out Boy, listened to a link P!ATD had sent him he promptly flew to Las Vegas to hear them play. Even though he had only heard them in a garage he did not hesitate to sign them and the rest is history.

Their first album is still a fever I can’t seem to sweat out ;) Firstly, there were the long song names that so refreshingly had no literal meaning, such as ¯I constantly thank god for Esteban¯or even ¯I write sins not tragedies¯. Furthermore, the names were inspired by popular culture, more precisely the books and movies they loved (I think I like them even more since I discovered this). For instance, two songs are a quote by Natalie Portman in Closer (2004), ¯Lying Is The Most Fun You A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off¯ and ¯But It's Better When You Do¯. ¯The Only Difference Between Martydom And Suicide Is Press Coverage¯ is from a Chuck Palahniuk book called Survivor. They also have a not so subtle reference in their last song, ¯Build God, Then We’ll Talk¯, to the Sound Of Music song “My Favourite Things”, giving it their own touch:

There are no raindrops on roses,
And girls in white dresses.
It's sleeping with roaches,
And taking best guesses

At the shade of the sheets and before all the stains
And a few more of your least favorite things.

To top it off they are also visually captivating. Their video for ¯I write sins not tragedies¯was not only an ear pleaser but also an eye pleaser as they had a flair for theatricality and vaudeville inspired costumes, which made it better than an average music video. It would also go on to win Video of the Year at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards. It would also kick start their highly praised circus inspired tour and by the end of 2006 it was clear P!ATD had charmed the world. (Currently the somewhat popularly inspired video for ¯Ready To Go¯ is worth a look.)

 Adding to their credibility on the music scene is the fact that their songs have the potential to have so much meaning on a personal level, and still seem frivolous and fun at the same time. Yet, they do not use cliché lyrics or words and with regard to a theme you can have fun guessing.  Actually for seventeen year olds, when they wrote the album, I was quite impressed with their vocabulary. I am not sure if I could have used the word ‘surreptitious’ quite as well as them at that stage (¯There's A Good Reason These Tables Are Numbered Honey. You Just Haven't Thought Of It Yet¯). Nevertheless, the mainstream media were quick to classify them as emo. However, it still helped catapult them to fame. Also judging by some lyrics (such as below) I do not think they were too bothered about what the world thought or labels for that matter:

¯London Beckoned Songs About Money Written By Machines¯

Panic! Meet the Press
It's time for us to take a chance
It's time for us to take a chance
Panic! Meet the Press
It's time for us to take a chance
It's time for us...

While we're just a wet dream for the webzine,
Make us it
Make us hip
Make us scene
Or Shrug us off your shoulders
Don't approve a single word that we wrote

For their next album it was clear they were somewhat older and they wanted to focus on the music in its basic forms. Pretty Odd did not have the characteristically theatrical sound so many of us had grown to love and they had dropped their exclamation mark. Yet, considering they were so young when the first album was written and Brent Wilson had left, to be replaced by Jon Walker, it should not have come as much of a surprise. Although they had seemed to age beyond their years at this point the music was still fun despite its melancholy undertone. ¯Northern Downpour¯ just seems so heartfelt, ¯Folkin Around¯ is a song I imagine cowboys are having a great party to and ¯She Had The World¯ is just something I can imagine Darcy and Elizabeth from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice having a dance to (even though this music would definitely have never fitted in that time). Pretty Odd is like a porthole to a world I can escape to when I need to put things into perspective.

                After this album it was very quite around PATD and in 2009 it became known that Ryan Ross and Jon Walker had decided to go their own way. It was rumoured that there were artistic differences between the band members. Luckily Panic! At The Disco is back in 2011 with an exclamation mark. It took two years for the remaining two band members, Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith, to come up with their yet again unique sound and third album Vices and Virtues. As I mentioned before I love that the songs can have meaning on a personal level and that there is so much emotion. You can truly sing it out however you want to ;) My personal favourite when it comes to raw emotion is ¯Lying Is The Most Fun You Can Have Without Taking Your Clothes Off¯:

Is it still me that makes you sweat?
Am I who you think about in bed?
When the lights are dim and your hands are shaking as you're sliding off your dress?
Then think of what you did
And how I hope to God he was worth it.
When the lights are dim and your heart is racing as your fingers touch his skin.
I've got more wit, a better kiss, a hotter touch, a better fuck
Than any boy you'll ever meet, sweetie you had me
Girl I was it, look past the sweat, a better love deserving of
Exchanging body heat in the passenger seat?
No, no, no, you know it will always just be me

If you sing this out loud you actually feel good about yourself not to mention confident. Urie confirmed this and very convincingly emphasized it at a concert in Trix Antwerp on 11 May. He also performed this song much more effectively this time around than at their first concert in Belgium at the AB in Brussels back in their Fever days. ¯Hurricane ¯is another one of those songs. Need I say more:

Are you worth your weight in gold?
Cause you're behind my eyelids when I'm all alone.
Hey stranger, I want ya to catch me like a cold (achoo!).
You and God both got the guns,
And when you shoot I think I'd duck.

I led the revolution in my bedroom
And I set all the zippers free.
We said "No more war! No more clothes!
Give me peace! Oh kiss me!"

Hey! Hey! We are a hurricane!
Drop our anchors in a storm.

If you are having a fight listen to ¯ The Calender¯ which is a beautiful song with my favourite line because it is just so pure and lyrically said: ‘at night your body is a symphony and I’m conducting’. The whole album is rife with great words, tunes and references to popular culture among which Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is probably the most obvious. This album can truly be to you whatever you want it to be, just listen to ¯Always¯ or ¯Sarah Smiles¯  if you do not believe me. Just listen and you will not be disappointed.  

I wish more people would ‘catch them like a cold’ and appreciate them for the interesting, escapist, motivating and dare I say inspiring music. Surprisingly enough, when it comes to Panic! At The Disco I really will ‘dance to anything’. (and that’s a big thing because I’m not much of a dancer J)