Shoe Fashion Thought Leader: Lisa Loyet Schmitz
The holidays are upon us!
While we look forward to time spent with friends and family, gift-giving and receiving, and making and eating good food, this time of year can also be stressful. Deciding what to wear. To all your “most wonderful time of the year” events need not be one of your stressors – if you plan accordingly. Here are some ideas to keep things a little easier. While also maintaining ultimate foot comfort with Walking Cradles shoes!
“While online shopping prevails for some people, I personally enjoy the experience of going shopping.
Presented below are five different looks, using one staple item – the Little Black Dress (LBD) accessorized to maximize your festive looks and minimize the amount of time wondering “What do I wear to this event?”
Look #1: Holiday Shopping:
While online shopping prevails for some people, I personally enjoy the experience of going shopping. With stores and malls open again, the thrill of the ambiance created by the sights, sounds and smells of the season is enough to get me in the holiday spirit! Even better is when a friend can join me and we can grab lunch while we are at it!
Osmond:
For this occasion, the LBD with a denim jacket and pretty scarf is perfect! Not too warm for walking around, but warm enough. So that you won’t have to lug a bulky coat around with you.
The Osmond booties are perfect shoes for all that walking you’ll be doing! Osmond is part of the Walking Cradles Metro Collection and is PERFECT for all-day shopping! It is constructed with a low heel, cushioned Tiny Pillows insoles. And is still so stinking cute because of the trendy calf-hair leopard print leather uppers.
Utilizing print-mixing with the black and white stripe scarf and the leopard print shoes creates a fun contrast. It will not only have you looking great, but allowing you to shop without dropping!
Look #2: The Office Party:
Whether the office party takes place during the normal business day, or is held after-hours, chances are you won’t be going home to change clothes. Some offices host a holiday luncheon. Others throw an end-of-day cocktail party. Either way, you want to look and feel fashionable!
Stevie:
The LBD with a crisp white button-down shirt is perfect for whatever kind of office party you’re attending. Paired with the beautiful Stevie pumps made from on-trend black and white tweed fabric with a leather covered heel and toe cap, you’ll stun while staying comfortable.
A block heel is great for situations like an office party where you might be on your feet a lot – not including the normal work-day. Like all Walking Cradles, the Stevie also includes Walking Cradles signature Tiny Pillows, so your feet will still be feeling great – even if the party kicks things up and dancing ensues!
Look #3: Holiday Concerts
Attending a holiday concert – whether it’s a major production at a performing arts center or a Christmas cantata performed by a local choir – is something that many people look forward to all year long.
It’s the chance to bring joy through performance, music and community, and what better time than this to break out something fun and glitzy! You don’t need to go buy an all-new outfit, though – you can continue to maximize your LBD!
Bronwyn:
Holiday Looks Sparkly Sequins:
Sparkly sequins are all the rage this season, and there are many ways you can rock this look! For a concert, a rose-colored sequined jacket and the Walking Cradles Bronwyn ballet flat in black sequins are a perfect combo!
Most concerts I’ve been to include walking lots of steps and maneuvering through the rows to my seat, so a cute little flat is just the ticket! With the shiny black sequins, the Bronwyn is still festive, while being super comfy with Walking Cradles signature Tiny Pillows insoles!
To complete your look, choose a statement necklace that pulls the colors together beautifully!
Look #4: Dinner Party:
“Don we now our gay apparel, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!” What better time to break out the bold red tartan plaid than the holidays! Whether you’re headed to a restaurant, a friend’s house, or if you’re the host, festive feelings will be in the air!
Meredith: COMING SOON!
Take your LBT to a whole new level by simply adding a beautiful patterned blazer.
Eye-catching plaid deserves a powerful punch of color for your feet, and the Meredith pump (coming soon from Walking Cradles) is the perfect choice! Not only are squared-off toes trending now, but they allow wiggle room so your toes stay comfy!
A 2” block heel is graceful while still being stable. Ultra-cushioned, sueded microfiber Tiny Pillows will keep you comfortably on your feet for the entirety of your festivities!
Look #5: Casual-ish Brunch:
Ah, the question of what to wear to brunch? Typically, brunches tend to be a bit more on the casual side, but we’ve all spent way too much time in sweats the past several years, so now it’s time to let ourselves shine while enjoying those bottomless Mimosa’s and Bloody Mary’s.
Wes:
In the spirit of the holiday season, a classic cardigan gets some sparkle with the help of tinsel yarn and brushed metal buttons. Add a pop of interest with a colorful scarf, incorporating tones of red and coral in with the blue and black.
“Switching up the styles of shoes and the heel heights is a great way to keep our tootsies happy!”
Balance the metallic pop with the Wes penny loafer in super soft textured pewter leather. A lug sole and stacked heel are both lightweight and flexible, while the super cushy Tiny Pillows insoles will keep your feet feeling festive – no matter how long the brunch lingers!
5 Different Shoes:
So, there you have it:
1 little black dress,
5 different shoes, and
5 separate accent pieces –
creating 5 completely different looks!
Since the main focus here is about the shoes, I would like to share why I chose the shoes I did: foot comfort – day after day, in the busiest season of the year!
No one wants to be sidelined because we destroyed our feet the day before. Switching up the styles of shoes and the heel heights is a great way to keep our tootsies happy! Walking Cradles offers a complete line of shoes for every occasion and in sizes 4-13; Narrow, Medium, Wide and Wide-Wide widths! Everyone deserves to be cute and comfy – especially during the holiday season.
Nostalgic Flashback:
Speaking of the holidays, while creating the looks featured above, I had a little nostalgic flashback. One of my favorite toys under the tree was Colorforms®! I’m sure many of you also spent countless hours mixing and matching those plastic cling cutouts to the paper Barbie© card!
Barbie© Colorforms® from the ‘70’s
My other favorite, Fashion Plates®, was a toy with the choice of several model heads, tops, bottoms and patterns. After selecting the plates you wanted to combine, you then placed a blank piece of paper over the combo and rubbed the “special crayon” over the plates to produce an image with textures of your selected ensembles.
With both of these toys, there were no batteries, power cords or USB cables, but we were able to use our imaginations to mix and match outfits to our heart’s content!
Fashion Plates™ from the ‘80’s
Happy Holidays:
As we move into this time of fun, festivities and wishes for the coming year, let’s all remember to be thankful for what we have, work hard for what we want, be generous and kind to everyone we meet, and do our part to make this world a better place for everyone.
Here’s to your Holiday Looks! Happy Holidays from all of us at Walking Cradles!
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About the Author:
Lisa Schmitz is the Creative Director for Walking Cradles shoes – a women’s shoe company whose mission is to hit the perfect combo of fit, comfort and style for a wide range of women’s shoe sizes. Working in this women driven company, Lisa is able to combine her years of experience with marketing, advertising, graphic design and shoe modeling.
Working closely with the shoe designer, Jamie Wells, Lisa is involved in many aspects of the research, development, fit-testing and marketing of the shoes. Lisa is honored to have been selected as a shoe-expert with Kuel Life and to have Walking Cradles shoes available for purchase in the Kuel Shop.
