Driving in high heels: fashion over safety?

The other day I decided to get back to wearing heels, jumped into my car and drove to work. In my quest for fashion, was I bypassing safety?

According to AOL Autos, I wasn't alone. Up to 40 percent of women wear heels behind the wheel, according to a study of UK women. Experts say heels prevent a good feel of the pedals, making it harder to react quickly. While woman have been wearing heels for years, the recent sky-height heights and platforms are exasperating the problem.

And law makers are starting to take notice. According to the local, France's Supreme Court ruled that driving in heels violates the country's highway code. The case they ruled on was whether a woman who was driving in heels when she was injured in a car crash deserved insurance money. The court found that insurance was not liable due to her wearing heels.

What Shoes Should I Wear? A Helpful Info-graphic

You've probably been in a situation before where you've realize you accidentally wore a too short dress or too casual shoes. The shoe info-graphic below aims to help you avoid that. While its a matter of some common sense and your own sense of style, hopefully this helps you make sense of the plethora of shoe styles.

This graphic comes courtesy of Elegant Steps, a UK shoe company.

To use the guide, follow the lines to and from your shoe type or event. Also follow the icons (the legend is at the bottom).

Cheap Summer Fun! Miss Trish of Capri for Target Summer 2011 Collection

If you want fun and cute summer shoes, check out Miss Trish of Capri Summer 2011 collection for Target. After popular previous collaborations, this collection of wedges, sandals, and dressy flip-flops is playful, well-designed and comfortable.

The materials are cheaper than the regular designs but come a sharp discount. The designer’s shoes can be upwards of $300 while the Target collection tops out at $30. This is much cheaper than even when you find Miss Trish shoes in discounters, such as Daffy’s.

 I happened to check out my local Target and found them on clearance for 50 percent off. I purchased a pair of green wedges with flowers for $15 and my mom purchased blue flowered flip-flops for $10. The selection of styles was limited but there were many sizes available. Online more styles are available but they have not yet been marked down.

Shoes for Spring: What to Wear When it Rains

My inclement weather collection.

In Ithaca, it seems like it’s been raining for weeks without end. To survive I have a collection of cute, waterproof, and comfy shoes to stay stylish and dry.  Although rain boots, or wellies, are traditional and I have owned many pairs, sometimes I want something different. Also, when it starts getting warmer I find rain boots sweaty and hot.

In general, from rainy days you should wear a study and waterproof material like rubber, pleather, treated leather shoes. Save suede and light colored fabrics from sunny days.

My Collection:

Rain Boots:

For early spring and major storms, nothing beats rain boots. They keep your feet and the bottom of your pants dry, so you can splash in puddles and run through mud. Especially if you’re not wearing them to work, go crazy with color to make a dreary day more fun. My current pair is the above black and white check from the Talbots Clearance Outlet, but I have had bright pink plaid and sunflowers.

Going Barefoot: Part 2: Can a flip-flop recreate the sensation of going barefoot?

In Part 1, I discussed Vibram FiveFingers, a glove like shoe designed to be almost like walking barefoot. Now, Crocs, a brand previously discussed, has come out with the ABF flip, a flip-flop designed to be even better than walking barefoot.

The shoe is designed to have a “ergonomic fit and feel, like you are almost barefoot,” according to Croc’s website.

The interesting part is that this supposedly good for you shoe has a flip-flop design.

The Surprising Benefits of Flip-Flops

As flip-flops have gained popularity and moved from beach shoes to standard summer footwear, doctors have warned about the dangers they pose for feet, ankles, and knees (CBS, 2008). Surprisingly, a study by Najia Shakoor, MD, associate professor of internal medicine at Rush Medical College and attending physician at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, in Arthritis Care & Research found that arthritis suffers may benefit from wearing flip-flops and other flat flexible shoes (Doheny, 2010).

Previously, flip-flops were considered to have ill effects on the feet and the lower body. One reason is because flip-flops have thin soles, which lack arch support. The thin sole is problematic because it cannot absorb shock from everyday walking (CBS, 2008). Furthermore, according to Justin Shroyer, a doctoral student who researched flip-flops, “We found that when people walk in flip-flops, they alter their gait, which can result in problems and pain from the foot up into the hips and lower back” (Parker-Pope, 2008).

Despite such information, women persist in wearing flip-flops. For example, according to Reuters, “more than 31% of women said flip-flops were the single ‘must have’ item for work this summer” (2006). Women persist in wearing flip-flops, even though they may be inappropriate for certain occasions, such as their job (Goldsmith, 2006). This popularity of flip-flops, combined with the information on the problems they cause, seems to suggest that humans will wear shoes like flip-flops despite the dangers they pose.

Moreover, it seems wearers of flip-flops realize that most things are not purely good or evil. As the most recent research suggests, flip-flops may have benefits for some people. Moreover, the shoes doctors thought were best for people with arthritis, stability shoes and clogs, put the most pressure on knees (Doheny, 2010).

Humans seem to be willing to wear shoes despite posing health risks, such as foot pain. This may suggest that people may innately know which shoes are best for them. Most likely, however, it suggests that humans wear the shoes that they like best. As future research may disprove what science now reports, such as the change in the risks flip-flops pose, this may be the best course of action. From the current body of knowledge, flip-flops pose both benefits and risk, showing that science is often inconclusive and difficult for humans to navigate.

Sources:

CBS. (2008). The dangers of flip-flops ... In footwear! Cbsnews.com. Retrieved March 31, 2010 from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/06/21/earlyshow/health/main4200038.shtml.

Doheny, K. (2010). Flip-flops, flat shoes relieve arthritic knees. WebMD. Retrieved March 31, 2010 from http://arthritis.webmd.com/news/20100329/flip-flops-flat-shoes-best-for-arthritic-knees.

Goldsmith, B. (2006). Are flip-flops damaging your career? Reuters. Retrieved March 31, 2010 from http://www.usatoday.com/money/jobcenter/workplace/2006-06-29-flipflop-career_x.htm.

Parker-Pope, T. (2008). Summer flip-flops may lead to foot pain. New York Times. Retrieved March 31, 2010 from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/05/summer-flip-flops-may-lead-to-foot-pain/.