May 27th, 2010 by The Barefoot Intern: Eliza Zweig

Now that classes are finally over, I am no longer forced to read textbooks with itty-bitty print and stare at colorless charts that do nothing but confuse me even more. The time has begun when I can finally read something that catches my eye and draws me into a story.  “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson has gained the privilege and honor of kicking off the unofficial season for diving into a great book.

For anyone who is unfamiliar with this book or its storyline, there is an interesting cast of characters. One in particular, Lisbeth Salander, really caught my attention.  She is a talented, spunky sleuth employed by a conservative security company in Sweden.  Her appearance, to say the least, sticks out like a sore thumb in such an environment.  She is described as having “…hair as short as a fuse , and a pierced nose and eyebrows.” Not quite who you would expect in an uptight office.

Her perseverance to disprove her superiors’ false first impression to be wrong is inspiring.  These Ed Hardy sneakers are the epitome of her edgy, independent spirit and make me feel like I can be just cool as her just by slipping them on.  So maybe I’ll wear them today and see what happens…

“Low Rise Dubai”

“Organic High-Rise”

“Low Rise Santiago”

What shoes remind you of the book you’re reading?? Post a picture of the shoe with the title of the book and share with us.

You can get these shoes and more at Barefoot Tess!

May 26th, 2010 by The Barefoot Blogger: Laura Kleinbaum

Every season has its own parties, those that are specific to the time of year.  In the winter, the Christmas (or “Holiday”) party dominates.  The weather is cold, the eggnog is plentiful, and people stand under a plant and make out in doorways.  December is dominated by these parties and we attend them with fervor, as we know the next time we’ll have an excuse to celebrate is St. Patrick’s Day.  And St. Patrick’s Day is fun, but we’re so busy running away from the guy who looks like he’s about to throw up on the bar that we can hardly enjoy our Irish Car Bomb.

In the summer, we have the barbeque.  The nicely spaced patriotic holidays give us an excuse to barbecue and drink margaritas with large groups of friends, but who needs an excuse in the summer anyway?  It’s hot out and some people get out of work early on Fridays!  Additionally, if you’re famous or very glamorous, you probably attend a Labor Day White Party.  Last summer I had my own because P. Diddy kept not inviting me.

In the fall we’re all sort of sad that summer’s over and we don’t feel much like partying, but while we’re biding our time until Thanksgiving, we have the Halloween party.  Dancing to Monster Mash and drinking Witches Brew, a.k.a some deadly punch containing Everclear, is enough to get us through.

Spring provides us with the most diverse party scene.  There are weddings.  There are graduations.  There’s prom and Spring Fling and skipping around a pole with a ribbons attached!  By far though, the most charming party of spring is the Garden Party.  It’s truly delightful, as are the tea sandwiches that are served.  Additionally, it has such a specific style that you can just look at a dress or shoe and say, “Now that’s for a garden party!”  Garden Party Style is the epitome of easy elegance.

All of these garden party shoes and more available at Barefoot Tess.

May 24th, 2010 by The Barefoot Intern: Eliza Zweig

After what seems like an eternity of gray skies and scattered showers, the part of spring that we have all been waiting for with bated breath has finally come: gardens and street curbs overflowing with the new growth of flowers, creating the rainbow of colors that defines the season.  So why not celebrate our favorite time of the year on our feet?  Here are some great styles that incorporate the flowers of spring and their bright, fun colors!

And you can get all of these styles at Barefoot Tess!

May 19th, 2010 by The Barefoot Blogger: Laura Kleinbaum

Every so often a shoe comes along at Barefoot Tess that makes all the girls in the office go crazy.  We all want it.  We all need it.  We’d all die for it.  Right now it’s the Kathryn Kerrigan ‘Trish’ Heel.  We love the color.  We’re obsessed with the design.  We think it’s beautiful and we can’t stop telling each other what we’re going to wear with it.  Here are our top three outfits.

May 18th, 2010 by The Barefoot Blogger: Laura Kleinbaum

I  love heels.  I  adore really chic sandals and sleek boots and a nice feminine espadrille with a sundress.  But sometimes, it’s just time to wear sneakers.  Often, I’m against the sneaker because, despite the comfort factor, it seems less useful and attractive than a staple patent leather flat.  But let’s be serious: there’s a time to look nice and a time to forget about that and just have fun!  And that’s where the sneaker comes in. The sneaker is the funnest shoe!

Here are the Top Ten Sneaker-Requiring Activities of Spring.  I’d abandon my peep-toe wedges in a hot second for this kind of fun.

10. The Wave: You thought skateboarding was cool?  Try Street Surfing!  By virtue of its name, it’s already hardcore and bad-ass. (Based on personal experience, it’s also easier than a skateboard to master.)

9. Soccer in the Park:  The worse you and your friends are at soccer, the more fun you’ll have.  You’ll be really dramatic about falling and you won’t even realize you’re getting a great workout because you’ll be too concentrated on blocking your friend’s shot.  It’s also the kind of game that (hot young man) strangers will ask to join, and then you’ll make new friends.  (But not if they’re creepy.  If they’re creepy, run away.)

8. Red Rover:  What’s more exhilarating than running full speed at your friends’ linked hands?  As I child, the only time I ran faster  than when I heard “Red Rover, Red Rover, let Laura come over” was when I heard the Good Humor man’s bell.  I was chubby.

7. A Hike through the Woods: Not to be confused with a walk through the woods, the hike includes building a fort, having a picnic, and maybe fashioning a make-shift raft to get to the other side of the river.  If you’re not muddy when you get home, you weren’t doing it right.

6.  Laser Tag:  The hardest thing about this activity is finding a place that still has laser tag.  Once you’ve found it though, you’ll have the time of your life.  There’s nothing like wearing a heavy blinking vest and running around with a plastic gun trying to kill your friends.

5. Rock Climbing: Doing this attached to a harness and ropes is enjoyable, but the real fun starts when you find a big rock in nature that you’re just free to climb.  The only thing better than this is when you can jump off of it into the water.

4. Paint Balling: The gun is so heavy it’s hurting your hands, your dodging though obstacles and ducking behind debris to save your life, and those bullets really hurt when they hit you.  It’s magic.

3. Man Hunt: Also known as “Hid-and-go-seek Tag in the Dark” there’s more running for you life involved.  This is even better though, because it’s free and you can get the whole neighborhood to play.

2. Caving: not everyone is fortunate to live near a cave, but if you are, or you happen to happen upon one, exploring it would be a new level of fun.  A little scary, a little dangerous, a big adventure.  A lot of vacation destinations have caves, and I also recently learned that Inwood Hill Park, at the northern tip of Manhattan has a little system of caves just waiting to be explored.  Don’t go at night unless you bring a torch.

1. Climbing a Tree: One of the greatest joys in life period.

Tell me!  What are your favorite sneaker-requiring activities?

Don’t think I would send you out into the wilderness without the proper footwear!

May 17th, 2010 by The Barefoot Blogger: Laura Kleinbaum

Prom culture is vastly varied by region, but for the most part, the girls skip afternoon classes for an up-do and last-minute tan. People ride in stretch Hummers, motel rooms get trashed, the PTA wants to ban fun, and there’s a lot of alcohol-induced vomiting and virginity loss. Oh, and there’s also that party.

The expectations for this night are always impossibly high.  Of course, you’ve only been talking about it since Homecoming. It’s best to go with the flow and have fun, as opposed to hoping every detail goes as planned–that’s never going to happen.  There is one thing you can guarantee and count on and take comfort in: an amazing outfit.  This means the perfect prom shoes.  Don’t worry–we’ve got you covered.

The Prom Shoe Gallery

Get them all and more from Barefoot Tess!

And for your sake, I hope your prom is just like this:

May 13th, 2010 by The Barefoot Blogger: Laura Kleinbaum

Graduation time is here, a time for new beginnings and new shoes.  It’s tough to stand out in graduation attire, everyone in the the same uniform, marching in unison, wearing an unflattering hat.  There are are two bits of good news here though.

1. Everyone is really proud of you.  You did it. Congratulations!

2. You can stand out with gorgeous shoes.

Lot’s of girls put little effort into their shoe choice thinking, “Who cares? It’s all about the gown.”  But they’re wrong.  It’s not about the gown at all–everyone’s wearing one.  It’s about the shoes!  Don’t get me wrong– it’s also about the departmental honors, and the Presidential Fitness Award, and your grandma’s ability to brag to the ladies in the beauty parlor. Nonetheless, it’s very much about the shoes.  Nothing is too dressy–this is a very important day, but you also don’t have to get decked if you don’t want to.  The point is to look great because, girl, this is your day.

The Dressy

The Trendy

The Classic

No sneakers! None!

And seriously, congratulations!

More graduation shoes available at Barefoot Tess.

May 11th, 2010 by The Barefoot Blogger: Laura Kleinbaum

May 8th, 2010 by The Barefoot Blogger: Laura Kleinbaum

Marrakesh:  The Blowfish ‘Mirage’

Phoenix: The Bernardo ‘Mistral’

Kyoto: The Blowfish ‘Mishima’

San Tropez: The Bernardo ‘Natasha’

Rio: The Blowfish ‘Merry’

Sandals for every city available from Barefoot Tess!

May 8th, 2010 by The Barefoot Blogger: Laura Kleinbaum

We all know the problem well: too-short pants.  Jeans that are an appropriate length are tough to find for long-legged girls.  And even when they’re available, they love to shrink upon first wash.  It’s also not a problem that just plagues girls.  You can always tell when my best friend has washed his jeans because they are hanging from his sprinkler system pipes all over his living room.

This is a serious dilemma, not meant to be taken lightly, but this season there is a lucky silver lining.  Ankle-length pants are in!  So save those skinny jeans you had given up on and wear them with some sleek flats.  The look is smart and chic and goes just as well with a baggy v-neck tee as it does with a flouncy blouse.  The best part is that you get to recycle the clothes you had previously written off, but never got rid of because you couldn’t bear it.  They used to be so cute!  Well girlfriend, they still are!

Suggestions for footwear: The Blowfish ‘Seeing’ ($49); The Maloles ‘Cornelia’ ($159);The Nine West ‘Naughty’ ($59)

All available from Barefoot Tess!