I’m taking a little vacation this weekend – I’m going on a cruise!

Early next week, I’m leaving on a press trip to China, and while that promises to be tons of fun – I am eager to embark with a little R&R time under my belt.

So, tomorrow, I shall be taking part in the launch cruise of brand-new Carnival Dream, and I needed sassy yet professional shoes to wear to the naming ceremony. It’s a bit of a conundrum, my vocation: A lot of my activities are fun, and festive, but I am still a professional going to work, and representing my brand (um, that would be me).

After the deeply important decisions were out of the way — and by that, I mean my outfit and my pedicure — the perfect shoes fell into my lap. Accompanying me to the ship’s naming ceremony – which, by the way, I will be live-Tweeting from -I will be wearing my hot new Dannika by Limelight sandals from Rack Room Shoes for $34.99.

The color is ridiculously hot, and the satiny finish gives an touch of class while still full of edge. All aboard! I am so ready for my mai tai.

In case you have pressing questions about where to find pink steel-toe work boots, or whether to wear hiking boots or work boots, or what sort of footwear an auto collision tech needs, there’s a site for that: CoolWorkBoots.com has all the answers. (Turns out MoxieTrades will be carrying the Betsy Xtreme protective boot in pink nubuck starting this month.)
If you’re not looking to protect your tootsies while manning a jackhammer or scaling scaffolding, here are some work-ready offerings with plenty of jeans and skirts-pairing charm.

Georgia Renegades steel toe waterproof boot

• Says shoe retailer Safetygirl.com, “We carry these boots designed specifically for women so you can be prepared for any job!” One pick from among the company’s many safety-first options: The Georgia Renegade steel toe waterproof boot.

Redwing Logger

• Redwing Boots makes footwear for serious jobs — loggers and linemen. But just the boots can work hard doesn’t mean they have to. Try the women’s lug sole 9-inch logger in black.

Ariat Heritage Lacer

• The Ariat Heritage Lacer has the cute double kiltie that says “Yes, I just got back from the stables.” Heft hay bales to your heart’s content (or just lace ‘em up with leggings and go out for espresso.)

Free People's studded combat boot

• Free People offers a rocker-tough studded combat boot. The boots are actually men’s sizes and each pair is hand detailed with silver pyramid studs.

Reiker Romina 41 ankle boot

• Sure, Reiker shoes might now seem the obvious choice for blue collar enterprises. But the company bills its footwear as “antistress” and the moccasin cute-meets-butch practical Romina ankle boot has all the makings of a workhorse. A cushioned footbed, stretchy vents for a good fit and the gum sole that recalls athletic shoes.

Dr. Martens Industrial

• Shop like the pros at WorkingPerson.com. Among the women’s work boots, the unisex Dr. Martens Industrial lace-to-toe boots have garnered raves, including, “These boots aint for sissys.” Sizes are in UK measurements; women should order two sizes down from their normal number (wear and 8? Order a UK 6).

Chippewa 8-inch Bay Apache Loggers

• Pair them with a short plaid shirt and a crisp white Oxford for the Catholic school girl gone bad look: Chippewa’s Bay Appache Loggers pair serious lug soles with nearly 2 inches of heel height.

Doc Marten Capper

• Doc Martens have stood the test of time. Their utilitarian designs are made for heavy duty but come off more punk than hick. Case in point, the Vintage Collection 8-inch Capper in oxblood is all grommets, rivets and welt construction.

Harley Davidson's Faded Glory Steel Toe

• Another old faithful boot maker is Harley Davidson. Yes, many of the company’s styles are biker-chic, but they don’t joke around when it comes to takin’ care of business. The 6-inch Faded Glory has a steel toe and Goodyear welt construction. Oh yeah, and a super-cool buckle across the foot.

Blundstone

• Blundstones, those classic Tasmanian boots, balance globe trekker penache with git-r-done fortitude. Pull on tabs, kid toes, elastic gore and waterproof leather make these a bad weather go-to.

For anyone who needs a little silver lining now and then. I know I do.

Marc Jacobs peep toe pump, from the boutique AxelUSA. A 25% discount puts these lovelies at $225 (various sizes available too).

Classic, classy, 5″ heels from boutique The Vivid Room are going (in lots of sizes) for about $40; a perfect fit for the budget optimist.

And if you happen to be a lucky size 8 optimist, check out these low-heeled, 60s, vintage Pietro Nieman Marcus round toe pumps, selling for only $13 from Vanities Vintage. Want to thank me? Hug your friends, hang with your family, share your sparkle.

I’m not embarrassed to admit that I love a good cat call. I left my guy’s apartment this morning still wearing what I wore last night (forgot to pack a bag with a change of clothes), and as I walked to my car, I encountered a cat call. 

A jogger shouted, “You look too good for a Sunday morning.” I was shocked initially, then all I could do was giggle. (He was kind of cute, after all.)

I can’t say I blame the stranger–I was definitely dressed for a Friday or Saturday night, hardly a Sunday morning. I had on my favorite black liquid leggings, a black boyfriend blazer, a textured/frilly gray top, a navy blue square scarf and my favorite platform heels. It was my fall wardrobe at its finest.

Some might say it was the shiny pants, I think my secret were my BCBG Max Azria Diva Platform Pumps. There’s something about the “divalicious” footwear–not only did it give me height, it also endowed me with some extra confidence. You can never have enough.

So here’s the scoop on the sassy shoes: They’re $274.95 at Endless.com. Sure, that’s a little steep, but its rewards outweigh the splurge. Oh, and my guy was a fan, as well. He found them to be so sexy, he wanted me to leave ‘em on all night.

It may seem a little odd, in a shoe blog, to write about the dangers of, well, shoes. But, lets face it: We’re all going to be wearing some crazy heels and trendy boots this season. And, of course, our feet will suffer for it.

The goal is to be gorgeous, and yet be prepared. Winter boots that are made without support can cause your feet to become sore and achy. Most people suffer from foot and leg problems due to the lack arches in winter boots, such as UGGs, which lead to heal spurs and also shin splints. Luckily, Surgical Director of NYC FootCare, Dr. Oliver Zong, gave us some advice.

According to Dr. Zong, proper footwear for icy, slush conditions is a pair of waterproof boots with good traction on the bottom. These will keep you from slipping on the snowy pavement. Here’s some more of his do’s and don’ts:

* Do invest in boots with support and an arch
* Don’t wear boots with heels, to prevent slipping
* Do wear good socks to keep your feet insulated
* Don’t let your toenails go untrimmed
* Do keep your feet as dry as possible to avoid cracking of the skin
* Don’t forget to moisturize the soles and heels of your feet daily
* Do allow your feet to air out between shoe and sock changes

So, good luck. And when you do get that pair of Uggs – cause you know you will – go for a little color and make this trend your own. I’m rocking this adorable purple shade of the Ugg women’s classic tall boot, $179.99, at Shoes.com – how cute are they???

I have sinned.  It has been exactly 32 years since my last confession, but I will give it a try here and now and see if getting it off my chest helps. So, here it is:

I have abandoned my shoes.

Not only are my feet slightly bigger (gulp) thanks to a combination of marathon training (and marathon running) and back-to-back pregnancies, but I am also injured.  This has left me in a shoe rut so deep, I fear I will never see the sun.  I can’t wear full flats because I need arch support and I can’t wear heels because I need to heal my feet not make them worse.

What’s a shoe lover to do?

My doctor has recently suggested orthopedic shoes and sent a website for my perusal.  As I browsed, I cried.  Has it really come to this?  Has motherhood and running taken me from knee-high platform boots to this:

There has got to be another way.  Why have orthopedic shoes not progressed past granny-chic?

I will not buy these shoes.  So maybe I will not be wearing spiky heels any time soon, but I am not ready to throw in the proverbial fashion towel just yet.  There is a pair of shoes out there for me somewhere.  They have a nice heel, plenty of arch support and look good with my skinny, ripped jeans.

And when I find you, I will buy you in 15 colors.

The other day, I went downstairs (of my office) to get a snack from the market. I came back up to the office, however, with a pair of white leather boots by Max Azria. I couldn’t help myself! They were so reasonably priced at the sample sale. Not to mention, insanely adorable. I had heard somewhere that the rule that you can’t wear white shoes after Labor Day no longer applies. Yippee! I was in luck.

I wore the white boots the next day, but to my dismay, no one else had white shoes on. I couldn’t help but think I was alone on this fad.

So this is my attempt to get the rest of you to join me on this white-booties adventure. That way, it’ll be obvious that it’s hot (and I won’t look silly). Take your pick from the three cute finds. And lucky for you, they’re all on sale! 

From left:

For the Funky
Type Z Markela Booties in Winter White ($85.50 at Zappos.com) 

For the Casual
Frye Women’s Reba Short Shaft Boot in White ($141.61 at Endless.com) 

For the Girly
Marc by Marc Jacobs White Patent Boots ($240 at Zappos.com)

Love these looks? Look no further!

Jessica Simpson

The Delma Janis

Lauren Conrad

The Corso Como Rachel II

Hillary Duff

The Faryl Robin Dahling

Anne Hathaway

The Corso Como Boca

I heart Halloween. Seriously, it’s not every night you get to dress up like a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader without eliciting haughty stares in San Francisco.

This year one of the only parties worth the hype was Vintage 415’s sold-out Stay Puft soiree at Yoshi’s, benefiting the CPMC SimSurg Education Center. Good music. Good crowd. Good costumes. Both floors were swarming with glitzy show girls, temptresses from the Garden of Eden, military men, and (my favorite) one very clever Alan and scene-stealing baby Carlos from the movie The Hangover.

Getting to Yoshi’s and back again in one collective group was half the adventure (it always is). Naturally, we learned plenty of lessons along the way. If you’ll be rocking cheerleader costumes next Halloween, savor these nuggets of wisdom:

1. Do the math before deciding how high your heels should be: 6 hours x 4 girls x 10 toes each adds up to some serious whimpering at the end of the night. Don’t spend much money on snow white boots—especially since they’ll be stained with other people’s drinks by midnight. Make like a genius (me) and slip a pair of white tube socks over your boots and poke the heel out with scissors.

2. For dinner, head to Mamacita to stuff your tiny white shorts with chips and guac and whatever those delicious pink shots were, and remember that Brazen Head serves desert until 2 pm. Something in that carrot cake and fallen angel cake relieves sore little piggies from a night of abuse.

3. Appoint a squad leader to “do the honors” when you’re approached by unsavory suitors dressed like creepy characters from A Clockwork Orange. One cheer that comes to mind: “U-G-L-Y you ain’t got no al-i-bi.” Or bust out with your own rendition of “I Kissed A Ghoul And I Liked It.”

4. Plan to take a cab everywhere, preferably with a male escort dressed as a very convincing police officer. Light-reflecting pom-poms make it exponentially easier to hail a cab out from under the noses of wealthy old socialites, which come first in this city every other night of the year.

5. If you desire to be seen before the promoted parties kick off, skip the house parties to “strut the nut” (Chestnut, that is). Busting a spontaneous move from outside the window at the Mac store can provide endless entertainment. Good luck getting the very serious, non-costumed computer shoppers to look up from the display merchandise.

6. Think before dancing with a man dressed like an injured superhero. Neck and knee braces mean Velcro, which equate to shredded nylon stockings. This goes without saying: always carry a back-up pair in your bra. The fact that I also managed to fit my trusty notepad and pen, blackberry, lipstick, gloss, cash and driver’s license is worthy of its own blog, no?

7. Don’t be fooled: You can’t be completely convinced you did Halloween “right” until the following morning at The Grove when you hear the tales from the parties you never made it to, or run into friends who slept in their makeup and are still going strong, striaght out of Night Of The Living Dead.

Despite being in Beyonce and Lady Gaga overload from Halloween weekend, bold shoes with are here to stay for another season, and the heels are only getting higher and higher, giving you a chance to really strut your stuff. These irresistible patent leather Pucci sandals are designed with a mesh textile accent and a super-skinny metallic stiletto heel.

The gleaming golden base gives your look that extra punch of sass, and the super-high heel will let you show off your Beyonce-inspired moves in high style.  Just be warned – you might need some practice to balance on the pencil-thin mile high heels.

And yes, you can still wear white this winter. These glossy patent leather sandals have enough gold in them to make them a party-ready shoe for any event. Provocative, sexy and craving as much attention as you can handle, these are the party shoes to spice up any cold winter night with. Hit the dance floor in a short skirt or dress and these swoon-worthy shoes to make your unforgettable fashion statement.