December 15th, 2011 by The Barefoot Blogger: Laura Kleinbaum

The office holiday party: It happens every year. People bring in their mediocre baked goods, everyone gets drunk, and your boss gets a little too handsy. Or if you work at a really nice place, the party is catered, everyone gets drunk, and your boss gets a little too handsy.  Either way, it’s a blast. And in the really fun cases, body parts get xeroxed. Woo!

The best part about the office holiday party, aside from finally getting to flirt with that cute guy from the tech department, is that it’s your shot to show everyone, “Look! I’m cuter than you think!” because Holiday party-wear is much more festive than drab office-wear.  Still, you have to make it through the day at work before the party, so you can’t show up in a sparkly red tube top or a green velvet minidress. It’s a fun fashion challenge! You have to dress in something that transitions effortlessly from workplace to partytown.  Check out some of these suggestions with BFT shoes to match!

December 10th, 2011 by The Barefoot Blogger: Laura Kleinbaum

C. Wonder, 72 Spring Street, NYC

I walked past C. Wonder a bunch of times in the past month and thought, “I’m not going in there.  It’s going to be way too expensive.” But then the other day, I  was passing in the midst of a Starbucks run and the draw of the warm lights and bright colors was too much to pass up.

C. Wonder had me pleasantly surprised. Founded by Tori Burch’s ex-husband, it’s strikingly similar to her aesthetic, only so much cheaper. I kept looking at the prices and thinking, “No, that can’t be right. Oh, that’s right.” Bucket bags at $68, stacks of bangles $28, requisite striped sweaters at $78. Plus, I thought the idea that post-divorce, a husband would say, “Oh yeah? Well, I can make really popular preppy stuff too. Just watch me!” And then he did!

The best part about this store, though the jewelry gives J. Crew a run for its money and the dressing rooms are not to be missed, is the home section. The tableware is comparable to Anthropologie, but also way cheaper, with mugs at $8 and plates at $10. In terms of gift shopping, you could get it all done here– they have frames, throw pillows, free monogramming, a floral Vespa, and the list goes on.  It could have been my caffeine high, but I loved this place.

fab tableware

obsession-worthy accessories

December 2nd, 2011 by The Barefoot Blogger: Laura Kleinbaum

Christmas and Hanukkah are coming and we all know what that means– tons of people are getting iPads! I personally don’t feel like I need one because I have an iPhone and what is as iPad really, just a bigger iPhone that doesn’t make calls, right? I don’t really know. This isn’t a tech blog. However, I’ve been noticing recently that there are thousands of really chic iPad cases out there. Almost every designer makes them.  With a brand new accessory available that you can only carry if you’ve got an iPad, I have to admit, I’m now kind of into the idea of getting an iPad.

Check out some of the best iPad cases I’ve found and shoes from Barefoot Tess to match!

December 1st, 2011 by The Barefoot Blogger: Laura Kleinbaum

Sometimes loving shoes is problematic. You want more and more of them and there are never a shortage of beautiful shoes at your favorite shoe store, (Barefoot Tess, obviously) but they pile up. If you live in a small apartment or don’t have an enormous walk-in closet with space enough for Emelda Marcos’s shoe collection, you’re in trouble. Your shoes pile up and get scuffed on each other or you can’t find that pair of suede wedges that go perfectly with your high-wasted bell bottoms or even worse, you can only find one and it’s a mess! And you know when you get ready way ahead of time, you can find everything with ease, but the second you’re running late, your favorite ballet flats are mysteriously hiding. Oh, the horror of it all!

The answer is organization. Here I have featured the best shoe organizers for all kinds of spaces. Addmitedly, I still don’t know of a great way to store boots, besides in their boxes or on the floor of my closet. Let us know if you have a way!

36 Pair Over-The-Door

18 Pocket Shoe File Organizer

Deluxe Triple Shoe Oak Cabinet

This is what my shoes look like…do as I teach, not as I do.

P.S. There are some icky shoes in the pictures, but just imagine your beautiful BFT shoes in there.

November 23rd, 2011 by The Barefoot Blogger: Laura Kleinbaum

Black Friday is almost upon us and we all know what that means! Lining up outside of Wal-Mart at 5am and trampling a defenseless greeter because we need a plasma TV, then heading to Sears for a lawn mower for dad, Bed, Bath, and Beyond for marked-down linens and pots, then straight to the mall to elbow fellow shoppers who are stealing the good cashmere for the rest of the day! No? Just me?

Regardless of your Black Friday plans, holiday shopping is cut-throat and grueling and the least you can do is get yourself a good shopping outfit.  I don’t mean you have to dress really nicely to impress the sales people. Although, if you’re shopping in nice places, you don’t want to look like a slob I guess. I mean if you’re putting in long hours at the mall, you want to be dressed comfortably and appropriately. Also, you know you’re going to want to shop for yourself as well, so wear shoes and clothes that are easy to slip on and off. No shirts that stretch every time you put them over your head. No heels. No boots that you need a friend to pull off of you. No back zippers. And for god’s sake, leave your coat in the car lest they find you passed out from heat exhaustion in the food court with a half eaten Mrs. Fields cookie in one hand and a Macy’s coupon from your grandma in the other.

Here are some really shopping-friendly shoes from Barefoot Tess.

Click to shop!

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 11th, 2011 by The Barefoot Blogger: Laura Kleinbaum

Motorcycle Boots: they’re the epitome of bad ass.  They’re a little scary though.  A lot of people see them and think, “I hope the girl wearing those doesn’t break a bottle over my head” or “What am I going to wear with those? I don’t actually want to look like I’m about to jump on the back of a Harley.”  Here’s the thing though, you don’t have to pair them with other bad ass pieces.  In fact, it’s best not to. Their strength, their beauty, their allure is all about contrast.  Pair them with preppy or fancy or trendy and you’ve got yourself a bad ass-chic look.  No one’s going to mess with you because your boots are scary.  Everyone’s going to respect you because your outfit is a knockout. Plus you’ll look like you live dangerously and not gonna lie, that’s sexy.

Check out these bad ass-chic looks. You can find these boots and more in a wider price range at Barefoot Tess.

November 7th, 2011 by The Barefoot Blogger: Laura Kleinbaum

Pan Am has gotten us way into their style this season.  Of course we were already turned onto the fact that the 60′s were an amazing time for fashion thanks to Mad Men, but no thanks to Mad Men, we were in serious need of a 60′s fashion-fix this fall.  So, Pan Am to the rescue.  Instead of drop-dead office-wear like Joan’s, we’re into flight attendant inspired looks and the jetsetter-chic aesthetic.  In other words, we’re trading in Joan’s pen necklace for a pair of wings. ONLY UNTIL MAD MEN COMES BACK!

I don’t want to romanticize the era too hard– those women had a weight requirement– not cool, sexist, bad. But the clothes were pretty and the hair was perfect…because they got it done once a week. Additionally, everyone dressed like a million bucks when they traveled. Why did this custom go away?! We can get their looks by wearing modern clothes inspired by the time.  Check them out.  All of the shoes are from Barefoot Tess!

October 31st, 2011 by The Barefoot Blogger: Laura Kleinbaum

Like there’s any other way to do it.  It happens every year. Halloween sneaks up on us and we have these lofty ideas for costumes, but then we have like an hour to get all of the stuff together and the costume store is a madhouse and we want to look great, but we’re racing the clock and we don’t want to be late for that party because you-know-who is going to be there, which is just another reason we want to look great! Oh, the stress of it!

The answer to this dilemma is to build a costume from your own wardrobe, taking into account your own personal style and of course what’s flattering.  I’ll give you some suggestions and include the BFT shoes to match. Also, I’m not advocating that all Halloween costumes need to be sexy.  In fact, I usually think that topical/funny costumes are better…and get more attention if we’re keeping track.

If you have a black leotard: Black Swan! A witch! American Apparel Print Ad! Liza Minnelli! Zombie Ballerina!

Bloch ‘Arabian Ballerina,’ $119

If you have a flashy dress: Real Housewife of [fill in the blank]! Mob Wife! Miss America! Zombie Miss America!

Gwyneth ‘Quin,’ $129

If you have a plaid skirt: Catholic School Girl! Teen Mom! Nancy Drew! Zombie Teen Mom!

Bernardo ‘Boston,’ $169

If you have a white sheet: Ghost! Athena in a toga! Zombie Roman Citizen!

Dolce Vita ‘Dino,’ $79

The lesson here is anyone can be turned into a zombie and if you just have a little imagination, you can make a great costume out of your own clothes…but you might want to buy some fake blood.

October 27th, 2011 by The Barefoot Blogger: Laura Kleinbaum

I’ve heard it a million times from girls and women: I can’t walk in heels.  Now here’s the thing– I know in some cases this is just another way to say, “under no circumstances do I feel comfortable wearing heels.” Maybe they’re not your thing.  If they’re not your thing and you just have no interest in them, go with it, sister.  But if you want them to be your thing, if you want to know how to walk in them and you think you just can’t, you’re wrong. You can.

So let’s say you see a fabulous pair of heels at Barefoot Tess and you think, “I wish I could wear those, but I can’t walk in heels.” Think again.  We have a great return policy, so that shouldn’t get in your way. Buy the heels if you want the heels!  They are the most glamorous footwear after all. Then, in the privacy of your own home or dorm room or bathroom, take them out of their box and slip them on. Now stand up. Now walk. Do you feel like you’re doing a bad job? Keep walking.  Do you feel like maybe you took too tall, too big, too gangly? You don’t. Keep walking. Now put on an outfit that you love with the shoes. Keep walking. Maybe your jerk brother or your stupid roommate make a wisecrack at you because you never wear heels.  Don’t listen. Keep walking. Your roommate is just jealous anyway.  Sooner or later, whether it takes an hour or a day or a month, you’re going to get the hang of it and you’ll be all the more fabulous for it.

This tiny piece of advice doesn’t even just apply to heels.  You can do whatever the hell you want. Have a little faith in yourself. Keep walking.

Corso Como ‘Del’ $159

October 21st, 2011 by The Barefoot Blogger: Laura Kleinbaum

Let’s face it– it’s getting chilly.  We can pack our sandals away for good and pull out our tights and our scarves and our leather jackets.  I’d say give it another week and a half and the coats will be out too.  So once it starts to get cold, a lot of us are inflicted with what I call “Cold Dread.”  Cold Dread is that feeling you have in the morning when you’re getting ready or in the evening when you’re leaving work or school and you know it’s going to be colder than it was when you came in.  You just don’t want to go out there.  You know the chill in the air is going to cause you to brace yourself and feel uncomfortable until you get into the next building and warm up for at least seven minutes.  Oh, Cold Dread, you are the worst.

Now you could bundle up in fleeces and parkas, but that would be uncute and then you’d just have “Uncute Dread.” So scrap that idea.  The answer to Cold Dread is to have pieces in your wardrobe that are beautiful and are also going to keep you very warm.  Chic scarves and those hats everyone’s seeing in stores but hardly wearing this season will help you out, but what will really do the trick is a pair of boots with fur.  They’re exceptionally warm and exceptionally glam and they’ll solve all of your problems. Well, at least the ones related to Cold Dread and Uncute Dread.

Check out some of BFT’s best fur boots!