The Scary and Whimsical World of Halloween Shoes

Halloween is right around the corner. If you’re like me, you’re still trying to figure out what to wear. Now, let’s get to the best part of the costume, the shoes! After all, what would Dorothy costume be without the ruby red slippers? For anyone planning on being Lady Gaga this year, a pretty popular pick, unusual shoes are a requirement. For some inspiration, check out the previous post on Lady Gaga’s shoe choices. 

One way to make sure you get the right shoe to match your costume is to order a specifically Halloween shoe. Many online stores or costume stores have selections of Halloween shoes prices between $25 and $50.  Here are some of my favorites:

Critical Shopper: Reviewing Shoes and Stores

The Crocs shoes I own. Many are surprised to find out they're made by Crocs.

Crocs are praised by many for their comfort and criticized for their looks. When one thinks of Crocs, one thinks of slip-ons with circular openings. Many also think of the controversy and dislike of Crocs, mainly for their looks.  (For more on this, see Comfort or Style—Can you have both?) Recently, the New York Times under its Critical Shopper column wrote a pretty negative piece about Crocs. This column has run into to trouble before, writing a scathing review of JC Penney’s opening in Manhattan.

The Crocs article, by Jon Caramanica  in its style section criticized Crocs, especially their store in New York City’s fashionable SoHo. Caramanica calls the store, “the neighborhood’s Achilles’ heel.” Furthermore he calls the brand’s ABF flip-flop, “One of the flip-flops, the ABF (for “almost barefoot”), with its single-injected bulbous swoops, could pass for a cousin — an extremely distant one, several times removed, and estranged from the family — of the shoes Zaha Hadid designed for the Brazilian shoemaker Melissa a couple of years ago.” About another pair of flip-flops, Caramanica wrote, “ pair of flip-flops that looked like a withered bathmat sandwiched between two unforgiving slabs of Croslite” Under cost, he wrote, “Cheap, in dollars (or euros, or yen); the tax on the soul has not yet been measured.”

To the Future: Self-lacing shoes

A video clip from ABC News' Good Morning America showing the shoes, the inventor, and the inspiration.

It’s time to go back to the future. Inspired by a scene in the movie Back to the Future 2 inventor Blake Bevin created a self-tightening shoe. See it in action and the inspiration in the clip above (Ferran, 2010).

Bevin’s shoe uses a small motor that is activated by the push of a button. She designed the shoe for the elderly and disabled, to help make their lives a bit easier. However, she says the product is not yet finished and is looking for donations to make her shoe design better. She hopes not to have to press the button for the laces to tighten (Ferran). For more information and to give a donation, visit her website.

Could you break a Guinness record for speed in high heels?

Running in high-heels is not usually a desired activity; yet, four Australian women just broke the Guinness World Record for fastest sprint in high-heels.

For over a hundred women, running in heels was not just a the only option when they were late, it was a chance to raise money for charity, National Breast Cancer Foundation, and for themselves. The winning team won $1,000 (DailyMotion, 2010 & Adams, 2010).

Celebrities and Shoes: Thrifty Mayor Bloomberg only owns two pairs of shoes!

"it’s fair to say he’s not the shoe industry’s best customer" (WCBS 880, 2010)

The 2010 midterm elections are almost here, and things are heating up. Although he’s not running for re-election this November, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is discussing his footwear.

According to CBS New York, Bloomberg only owns two pairs of work shoes. He has owned these two pairs for the past 10 years. The pairs are both black and one is a penny loafer, while the other has tassels. To keep shoes so long, he has had them re-heeled and the soles replaced (WCBS 880).

As the world’s 23 richest person (Daily Mail, 2010), his shoe possessions, or seeming lack thereof, is quite surprising.