How tall am I?
Honey, with hair, heels and attitude
I’m through this damned roof.
-RuPaul
I really, really like shoes.
Buying anything is sort of an ordeal with me. I research. I weigh needs, whether we have the money right now, whether we might need that money later. I weigh company ethics, the materials used, the footprints. With food I weigh origin, nutrition, packaging, whether anyone is likely to really eat it.
I believe in paying the money for good shoes. Unhappy feet make for unhappy lives.
But? I tend to take FOREVER to choose shoes. I’m super picky. They need to be badass. They have to be tough enough to inspire me to walk the goddess walk. They have to be built to last, because I only buy one pair a year. They have to be comfortable enough for me to take long walks in, to be on my feet all day in, to skip down the street in, Laverne & Shirley style. And they have to fit right, which is super hard with my flappy frog feet (long, narrow, skinny ankles, wider at the toe).
TRIVIA MOMENT: I have also been known to buy beautiful shoes and display them on a shelf like artwork because I can’t wear them. Not in recent years. But I’ve done it. More than once. I can’t wear an uncomfortable shoe. But I can admire it.
Earthies shoes are that rare marriage of stylish and comfortable. For realz. I did have to try on a few different sizes and styles to get a perfect fit, as they are generously sized for width— not overly so, but enough that in open-toed crisscross heels I was sliding around a bit. The pair I settled on are the Jasko ankle booties pictured above, and they give me a lovely height in the wideleg jeans I bought and hadn’t got around to hemming yet:
What I love about a nice stacked tall heel is the swagger. I love clomping around in a good sturdy heel, and I love that these are laid-back enough to wear with my jeans, yet elegant enough to wear with a dress. Double prizes!
Usually a day in my heels leaves me whimpering and with screaming calves. Not so with these bad boys. These are like hardcore orthopedic comfort. Like walking on attitude-inspiring, prescribed arch supporting pillows.
What differentiates an Earthies® style from a conventional heeled offering is a unique “wellness” footbed. The footbed includes a cupped heel, enhanced arch support and a cradled toe box – each of which are designed to work in concert to help distribute weight more evenly across the foot and body. The result? A collection of trend-right silhouettes from sassy pumps to faux fur-lined booties that deliver comfort in the most unexpectedly wonderful way.
I'm totally wearing a dress here, but my photographer failed to include it
Earthies are part of the Earth, Inc. brand— an on-trend extension of their shoes and clothing lines that strive to use materials and design processes that are gentle on the environment.
The negative heel and wellness footbed debuted in 1970, and were designed to improve posture, reduce joint stress and open breathing passages by mimicking the yoga ‘Mountain’ pose. That’s sort of awesome, no?
The selection runs from casual to fashion-y to athletic to vegan to men’s styles, and I see about 15 pair that I really really like.
And you know they won’t wind up sitting on a shelf. These are shoes for living in.
Wanna win a pair of Earthies?
I thought you might.
Just follow the directions below (if you’re reading this in RSS or email you might have to come visit the actual page. It’s nice here!).
And just a thought, you should totally like the Earthies fan page on the Facebook. Because I’m not the only one running a giveaway, people. Keep an eye on that wall and keep trying to win these suckers!
