Welcome to our final Shoe Review Number 9! Click here if you missed Shoe Review #1, Shoe Review #2, Shoe Review #3, Shoe Review #4, Shoe Review #5 Review #6 Review 7,  Review 8. Some reviews have been updated, and new comments have been added, so it never hurts to click back for a quick shoe review

When I learned how to tie my shoes as a kid, I was taught what I now know is a granny knot. The problem with this knot is that, at least for me, it came undone easily, causing me to have to re-tie it several times a day.  Eventually I started double-tying my shoes, making tying and untying them a total pain, and a little goofy-looking. This week while researching shoe information to amuse you with, I found out that I have been tying my shoes all wrong, and I bet you have been too. I watched a Ted talk by Adam Lisagor and learned how to tie my shoes correctly using the reef knot — a stronger, flat-lying knot that stays tied. It’s very similar to the granny knot, you just change the direction of one loop.  I love the internet.  

This three minute TED talk, will show you the right way to tie your shoes…

After that life changing video, I think it’s time to check in with our shoe reviewers.

Carla’s Shoes:

I love these shoes, people think they’re hot
I wear them to Disney and I love that a lot!
They are comfy and pretty the totally perfect shoe,
Everyone asks if I like them, and I tell them
I do!!!!

Review 1: Ruby Slippers

Well now there’s a pair o’ shoes for walking the highlands! And totally PREPpared too. Nothing like a pair of top siders to keep the wearer feeling top o’ the morning, (while givin’ a little wink 😉 to hispsterdome with the rad plaid). With no need to sacrifice comfort to personal style, these shoes proclaim a wearer who is content in their own skin, but likes to give just a bit of a show. And while they may appear ‘all laced up’, the double knot, still in place though the shoes are off, suggests they’re as easy to slip into as a conversation with an Auld friend. Sperry nice.

Review 2: Head over Heals

Well, aren’t we traditional. Going boating? Of course not. In truth we are going for a quick and unpretentious lunch in our most comfy and easy to slip on shoe. This shoe says, “I am NOT interested in revolution, thank you very much!” This is a shoe for someone who considers herself delightfully (color! color!) normal, mainstream, upscale. These words fit her as comfortably as the Sperrys. Perhaps she drives a Volvo station wagon…a navy Volvo station wagon. And although these shoes are supposedly her most worn, they look virtually unworn due to her somewhat pampered lifestyle; has she been walking solely in malls? Because these shoes do not seem to have city grit or even much mileage for a supposedly often-worn pair. No doubt the khaki capri pants she wears them with look new too.

Good To Know: The Greeks believed shoes were self –indulgent and unnecessary, quite opposite of the Romans beliefs that clothing and footwear showed power and status. Since the Romans defeated the Greek the beliefs and practices of the Romans and their footwear spread.

Mary Lee’s Shoes:

Mad at my neighbor I had the blues
Thought I would walk a mile in his shoes
It made me feel less sad
But now my neighbor’s mad
I’m a mile away with his shoes

Reviewed By: Smitten Kitten-Heel 

When I received this photo for review I thought wow, ballet shoes! Well, actually it was more like “oh, darn, ballet shoes, not because I don’t like the shoes – I do. They’re adorable. – but because the wearer of these shoes is going to be one tough nut to crack!
On one hand, the wearer of these shoes might like the ballet or she might not. Maybe she’s a dancer or maybe she’s got two left feet (although the photo appears to show both right and left feet). As you can see, these are complicated shoes and really required me to dig deep in my shoe knowledge to offer this review.
The slightly elevated sole of these shoes shows this is a woman who travels and needs the cushioning as she’s running through airports, hailing taxis or making her way along busy city streets. She is trendy and fashionable yet comfort is her top priority.
Upon closer review of the photo, I noticed the right foot is turned slightly outward suggesting the wearer is a former dancer of some kind. Initially I thought a ballet dancer, but then I saw the shadow of a butterfly in the photo, which could be from a tattoo, so the type of dancer is anybody’s guess…maybe Jazz.
This review was exhausting and I must end it here. So to recap:
The wearer of these shoes is a comfort-loving, fashionable, trendy former dancer possibly with a tattoo. Enough said.

* Want to know more about Kitten.  Click over and say HI on her blog, Musings of a Southern Momma

Review 2: Shoddy Chic

“I’M FUN!!”, these shoes scream. They’re green and perfect for frolicking in the grass or hiding your feet from frogs. They are flat so the wearer is always ready to take off at a gallop for whatever mad-cap adventure appears on the horizon. These shoes belong to a person who is not afraid of anything. Every escapade provides a new chapter in their ever adventurous life.

Good to Know:   In London, the Royal Ballet buys over eight thousand pairs of pointe shoes each year, with the average classical dancer going through as many as six pairs a week, shoes alone cost the company more than $400,000 a year.

Verito’s  Shoes:

There one was a lady from Peru,
Who dreamed of eating her shoe,
she awoke with a fright,
in the middle of the night,
and found that her dream had come true!

Review  1: Sling Back

This wearer plays it safe. Beige flats, right? She never locks herself out of the house. . . doesn’t have to run to the store for bread and milk when a blizzard is on the way. Her shoes look as they were bought for a dual purpose– for comfort, but also on a mission. Playing the church organ, perhaps? The cut looks too high to be a loose fit by afternoon, but the legs are slim, so perhaps I’m walking a mile with my high arches in her shoes. Are they the refuge in a closet of stilettos or are they the dressy pair in a closet full of bunny slippers? If they’re the former, rock on, Sister. You have things under control. If the latter is more accurate, it’s time to lay out some skin. Put those slender legs in some knee-length shorts and put some summer sass on your dogs. Show some toe! I’m thinking that the shine on those beige flats is an indication that someone wants to cut loose. Footloose, if you will!

* Want to know more about Sling Back.  Click over and say HI on her blog Merrilymarylee’s Weblog

Review 2: Alicia Shoerick

These shoes, and the way the wearer is standing, remind me of the shoes Jon Cryer, the Duckman, in Pretty in Pink wears. The pointy toe could definitely do some damage if it was pointed at you shin. The flat bottom indicates the no-nonsense attitude of the wearer. The color is neutral and the style can be worn with just about everything, skirts, short, pants.  A great traveling shoe.  The owner of this shoe probably has such a dazzling personality that she needs a really neutral shoe just to make sure people aren’t to over-whelmed with her amazing-ness.

Good to Know:  The classic pump, has been around for centuries. The name itself was first used in the 1500s, when strapless shoes without heels were worn by men and referred to as “pompes.” 

Yvonne’s  Shoe:

Blue boots, blue boots
I wear you at dawn
I feel like a superstar
when I put you on
No other shoes are quite as cool
Good to wear to party, or a duel

Reviewed By:  Molly Mukluk
With warm weather finally arriving, I was expecting sandals, but hey, who can argue that this color isn’t spring? Is my computer screen deceiving me or is that periwinkle? Great color choice! It can soften the shock of freshly-exposed legs which were hidden under layers for months. In fact, buyer beware: this color looks good on anyone. Someone– be it mother or daughter– may come a-borrowing. I’m not a clunky shoe person, but any shoe that allows socks gets my respect. These are the boots to mismatch a feminine outfit just enough to keep the fashionistas guessing… boots that allow her to blend Nordstrom, TJMaxx, and Value Village fearlessly. My daughter, who insists that she has cankles (-I don’t see it, but if she does, she got them from her father’s side!) says that a big shoe like this can hide such imperfection. Blue boots’ owner is practical–if she can’t find a cab, she’ll walk (by damn!) and look good doing it, armed –excuse me, footed– with ankle support and quiet soles

Reviewed By:  Duke of Dutch

I’m tough.  I’m hard-working.  I mean business.  Ha-ha!  Fooled you!  I’m as colorful a personality as my boots indicate.  While built with tough soles, steel toes and heavy-duty laces they hide a silly, tenderhearted, and crazy individual.  This person likes to ride the cutting edge of fashion and fun.  Not afraid to take a risk whether it is trying a potentially lethal sushi or taking these baby blue boots out for a ride on the back of a Harley.  You never know what you’re going to get.

Good to Know: The heaviest shoes walked in weighed 146.5kg (323 lbs) and were used by Ashrita Furman (USA) at Potters Fields, London, UK on Guinness World Records Day 18 November 2010.

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Disclaimer: Please remember that the opinion of the reviewers do not necessarily reflect the opinions of your shoe review hostess, nor do the shoes in all fairness necessarily reflect her taste.

This concludes our 9th and final shoe review. Thank you for submitting your shoes for review, Carla, Mary Lee, Verito, and Yvonne. and a big shout out to our super shoe reviewers.

Last chance to leave a comment on a shoe review post for a chance to win a Zappo gift card. Trinket, my sweet Mother’s Doberman, will draw the winning entry on Sunday night and the winner will be announced on Monday. As usual, all deadlines are flexible and subject to change based on my mood.

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