April 9th, 2010 by The Barefoot Blogger: Laura Kleinbaum

Spring is very officially here and with it comes a whole new outlook on life.  We all smile more and feel healthier and suddenly foods like sushi and frozen yogurt have more appeal than pasta and cheese burgers.  We want to walk places again.  We listen to the dance playlist on our ipods, and we’re more likely to leave our jacket and bag in a pile by the fence and go join the kids on the swings.  Because what Spring brings is a new lease on life.

I noticed yesterday though, as I was walking around SoHo, that some people’s new leases were a lot stronger than mine.  It was as if a fairy stylist had flown around the streets poofing people’s outfits into looks fit for the runway, or at least to appear on The Sartorialist.  It was undeniably inspiring, but it also had me saying to myself, “I wish I had all new clothes and shoes.”  An entirely new wardrobe is out of reach for the majority of us, or rather the bottom 99%.  We all want all new stuff though, and so it helps to know where to get the good stuff cheap.  For instance, let’s say you can afford to spend $200 on new shoes: you can get one pair, or you can get three.  In terms of sandals, I favor quantity every time.  I like to have options and we all know how the shoes can completely change the look.

The Sandals: The Poetic Licence ‘My Haven‘ ($69); The Blowfish ‘Mirage‘ ($49): The Gwyneth ‘Valerie‘ ($79)

Of course they’re all on Barefoot Tess dot com!

April 6th, 2010 by The Barefoot Blogger: Laura Kleinbaum

Hey girls, hey!

Barefoot Tess’s very own style ambassador, ESPN announcer and NCAA Championship coach Carolyn Peck, just gave an interview on the Steve Harvey Show and she rocked it.  Check it out here!  And from all us girls at Barefoot Tess, we wish Carolyn a great big congratulations.  You were great!

P.S. Carolyn wears a size 13 shoe.

April 2nd, 2010 by The Barefoot Blogger: Laura Kleinbaum

You shriek.  You cry.  You roll around on the carpet beating your fists into the floor, howling, “Noooo! How could this happen? Not again! I’m cursed!”  You’ve lost one of your socks.  And now the other is a waste of drawer space, a sad single loser, only allowed to see the light of day when all the happy coupled socks are lying dirty and used in the hamper.  Life is tough in so many ways.  Sometimes stress of losing one of your socks to that black hole behind the dryer is just too much.  NO MORE!

You want a solution?  I’ve got one.  Little Miss Matched.  These adorable and stylish socks come in packs of three, all of them matching somewhat, but they’re certainly not pairs.  They’re mix and match and they give you freedom.  Matching socks are so last year.  With Little Miss Matched,  the socks are always in the same family and they look quite cute together, but they’re not your mother’s socks–they’re purposely unmatched and that makes them cool.  Additionally, packs of three mean that if you do lose one to the laundry room sock monster or that lady at the wash-and-fold who’s always paying more attention to her games shows than your laundry, it’s not the end of the world.  You still have a perfectly viable pair of socks and they look perfectly awesome on your feet.

And of course you can get the shoes to go over the socks at Barefoot Tess!

April 1st, 2010 by The Barefoot Blogger: Laura Kleinbaum

At first when the snow melts and the sun comes out we’re all excited and we make plans for picnics in the park and beach trips and barbecues. But then it gets really hot and we just want to sit in front of the fan and talk about the weird places we’re sweating. But we can’t. We have to go to work and school and to the mall. It’s easy in times of extreme heat to slip on a pair of rubber flip-flops, the ones we buy at the drug store and wear after a pedicure, but it’s important to remember one bit of advice from the pros. This is a gem, ladies, so listen up. Replace those scrubby old flips with a pair of beautiful sandals and your look does a 180. Your cut-offs go from ratty to trendy. Your sundresses go from blah to beautiful and you go from looking sweaty and bedraggled to dewy and adorable. Try it.  I swear by this trick.  I love it.  I live it.  And I’m paying it forward.

The Sandals: The Dolce Vita ‘Ontario‘ ($69); The Ciao Bella ‘Petunia‘ ($69); The Corso Como ‘South Beach‘ ($89)