Happy 3rd Birthday Day Through the Sole!

On this day in 1952, Elizabeth the II was proclaimed the Queen of England. In economic news, the NASDAQ, the world's first electronic market, opened for trading.

In shoe news, on this day in 2010, Through the Sole: A Shoe Blog was founded.

I want to thank all my readers, my friends, and family for their continued support. 

In the past year, I have written about a variety of topics, including the history of the stiletto, Madonna's new shoe line, and Kate Middleton judging a shoe contest.

The first post of the third year was on Linsanity, which kicked off a sneaker theme, such as how to shop for sneakers, and new sneakers made of a woven material. 

This year, I also looked at using shoes for a cause. Although shoes are often thought of as frivolous, they are a necessity. In Detroit, they are using recycled material to protect the feet of the homeless.

Through the Sole took on a more personal tone as I wrote about my experiences living through Superstorm Sandy, and documenting my experience through the lens of shoes. For the first time I share pictures of myself and my neighborhood in order to illustrate the devastation and the help we have recieved. 

The High Heel Index: Does Heel Height Predict the Economy?

We’ve talked about how Michelle Obama fashion choices can influence stock prices, but are high heel heights correlated to the well-being of the economy?

Researchers at I.B.M. used social media to determine that high heel heights are dropping. In fact, the median high of heels mentioned in 2009 was seven inches and fell to two inches in 2011. I.B.M. believes this information suggests that the economy may begin to come back, according to Eric Wilson at the NY Times.