DIANA REPUBLIC

I don’t claim to be on the cutting edge of fashion. I approach each new fashion trend with caution and suspicion. I worry that I am not the size or shape meant for the latest style. I fret that today’s fashions are meant for a younger generation. And sometimes these worries are well founded. Other times I overcome my resistance to a new trend just as it goes out of style. All that being said, I have to say that these are some sad-ass days for women’s footwear.

I really can’t begin to figure out what all is going on. Are we gladiators? Can we not afford the leather to complete the boots? Should grown women be wearing booties? And what is the point of open toed booties? If it is cold enough to cover most of your foot, why would you expose your toes? What did they do to deserve that kind of treatment?

I am accustomed to seeing garments in Vogue or in fashion shows that are more fashion forward than I will ever be. I am not surprised that the contestants on Project Runway rarely make anything that I would have occasion to wear. I am, however, quite put out by the preponderance of crazy footwear that is appearing everywhere. These abominations are not just relegated to likes of Neiman Marcus. They are all over the place. Who the hell are wearing these shoes-sandal-boot things and where the hell are they going?

I ask all this as I search for a simple pair of medium heeled, chocolate brown, round toed pumps. One wouldn’t think that they would not be so hard to find. They don’t seem to exist. I have been able to locate strappy high heeled sandals once worn in a movie starring Russell Crowe and  truncated suede boots also with unmanageable heels.

I apparently need to rethink the outfit that I was planning to wear to my niece’s christening. Does Bloomie’s carry a toga appropriate for an Episcopal church service?