Shoe Trends: Are Balance Shoes the Next Uggs?

“Fit Feet for shuz” columnist Dr. Emily Splichal examines  an interesting trend in athletic shoes.  Are Balance Shoes the next Uggs?

First came Uggs.  Then came Crocs.  What’s next?

Sure Gladiator sandals are hot but they do not compare the most recent shoe trend many sneaker companies are trying to make a profit off of.  Introducing balance shoes – or the shoes “with the gym built in”.   From Sketchers and Adidas to the Original MBTs, everyone is promising to help you tone up and lose weight without ever stepping into a gym!

Retail $245 – available at zappos.com

If you have been considering purchasing a $200 pair of MBTs, keep reading.  Will simply walking in these unstable shoes tone your glutes and get you bikini-ready?

Being the science-nerd I am, I didn’t want to simply take the manufacturer’s word for it but looked up all the research behind these products.  From improved balance to reduced ground reaction forces, researchers were testing these unstable shoes for any possible benefit they could think of.  So what does the research show?

Don’t cancel your gym membership just yet!    Although the research did show slight improvements in balance after wearing the unstable shoes, muscle activation was not as profound as increased toning effects promised by the ads for FitFlops.

From a fitness perspective, remember to actually tone and build muscle (i.e. lose weight) the trick is overloading our muscles through techniques such as resistance training.  So even if these unstable shoes activate my muscles they are not overloading them to the point of actually building muscles.   Remember activation and overloading a muscle are two different things.  I’m sorry to say that these unstable shoes will not replace the benefits of working out.

So would I ever recommend unstable shoes to my clients or patients?

One thing that I really do like about the unstable shoes is their benefit for low back pain.  People who suffer from low back pain typically have associated weak glute muscles.  The research does show that unstable shoes do activate the glute muscles enough the protect the lower back, therefore reducing symptoms of low back pain.

Still not convinced?  Most sneaker companies now offer their own version of the balance shoes – making them more affordable when compared to the original MBTs!

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Meet the Doctor
Dr. Emily Splichal, DPM, MPH, CPT,  is the creator and lead instructor of Catwalk Confidence, a unique and exciting fitness DVD collection designed to help women gain strength, flexibility, comfort and confidence when they walk in high heel shoes, along with lean and defined legs. She is a graduate of New York College of Podiatric Medicine in New York City and has served as a certified exercise specialist at Crunch Fitness and NY Sports club.

She has had an ongoing commitment to postural alignment and core strength in fitness and podiatric medicine, and has presented research in this area to several national fitness and medical conferences. Catwalk Confidence is her extension to the public of her passion and expertise in fitness and podiatric medicine.  Visit her website at www.catwalkconfidence.com.

Award-winning Filmmaker Launches Sole Sisters Project

You’re Invited! Sole Sisters Film Project Launch

Sole Sisters Calling all Sole Sisters! The right pair of shoes can lift both your spirits and your soles. Join forces with award-winning filmmaker Cynthia Salzman Mondell of Media Projects as she collects women’s stories and mounts the financial campaign for her SOLE SISTERS film project.  Share those intimate, never before told stories about your relationship with your shoes at www.solesistersfilm.com. Get involved: Share Your Stories: www.solesistersfilm.com Join Us: www.facebook.com/solesistersfilm Follow Us: www.twitter.com/solesistersfilm

Join Our Mailing List! Please share this email with your friends. Media Projects Inc 5215 Homer Street Dallas, Texas 75206 214-826-3863

Gulf Coast Disaster Inspires Artist To Create Piece – Proceeds to Benefit Friends of the Fishermen

Inspired by a day trip to Grand Isle, LA to see for myself what was happening with the oil disaster, these Mardi Gras beads are floating in oil. The booms surrounding the island (and where is Christo when you really need him?) reminded me, in a very eerie way, of Mardi Gras beads. The glittered evening gown, fur stole and “diamond” necklace are symbolic of the thoughtless excesses and greed that led us to this disaster. The fish, recycled from actual Mardi Gras beads and sanded down to expose some of their natural black color, are swimming away from Greed as fast as they can. Only a few of them are still breathing.

The result of this disheartening situation in the Gulf Coast inspired “Drill Baby Drill” and the desire to assist Friends of the Fishermen.

Drill Baby Drill
by Claudia Lynch

Mixed Media: Acrylic paint on canvas, vintage paper dolls, Mardi Gras beads, glitter, fake diamond.

Size: 14×11
Museum-wrapped canvas, painted on all sides.
Price: $300 plus a donation of at least $300 to Friends of the Fishermen (see below) ***

*** Tax-Deductible Art
I’d like to use this piece to raise some sorely-needed money for Louisiana fishermen and shrimpers who are either being put out of business or are forced to travel many extra hours each day just to get their boats to waters with clean seafood. Friends of the Fishermen is the officially sanctioned fundraising arm of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, and was created as a way to help Louisiana’s fishermen in their greatest time of need.

HERE’S MY PLAN: When you purchase this painting AND make a donation to Friends of the Fishermen that at least matches the purchase price (feel free to exceed my wildest expectations with that donation, which you can make online), YOU get the tax deduction for the donation. In thanks and respect for your generosity and good taste in art, I will make my own donation of $100 to Friends of the Fishermen. You can EMAIL ME to reserve this painting.

P.S. — I chose Friends of the Fishermen because it provides direct assistance to fishermen and shrimpers. I have no other affiliation with them. If you have another favorite organization that is directly involved in helping Louisiana fishermen and shrimpers through this disaster, your donation can be made to them instead.

Pretty Small Shoes Blog Awards Names shuzsociety.com

shuzsociety is proud to share our recent award from Pretty Small Shoes, a UK-based online retailer for women with small size feet.  The retailer announced that shuzsociety.com is one of the top 30 shoe blogs in the world. Pretty Small Shoes features petite shoes in small shoe sizes UK size 13-3, Euro size 32-35, US sizes 2-5.

10 Smart Shoe Shopping Tips for the Ladies

Courtesy of The Huffington Post
June 7, 2010

Leora Tanenbaum

Author of “Bad Shoes”

This is the final post of a three-part series, based on Bad Shoes & The Women Who Love Them, on using your head when choosing your shoes.

The other day, I popped into Intermix, the über-trendy, boho luxe boutique chain that sells grown women jumpshorts and sequined leggings. In the shoe department, every shoe had either a five-inch heel — or no heel at all. The choice was between sky-high or pancake-flat. Dominatrix-inspired stilettos with cage-like straps or ballet flats with a bit of frou-frou to peek out from beneath your skinny jean hem.

Before I could say “Brian Atwoods are the new Louboutins” and walk out, I remembered that the selection is more or less the same at most fashionable shoe departments this season. No doubt you, too, have attempted to buy shoes you could wear for at least three hours without wincing and have rationalized that a one-inch platform on a four-inch heel transforms the height into a mere three inches, and how bad could that really be?

Don’t worry! I feel your foot pain. And I understand: You want something chic and show-stopping, sexy and sensational. I am here to help you be a sane shoe shopper.

Yes, you know that “bad” shoes — with a high heel and a narrow toebox — will deform your feet if you wear them on a regular basis. But “good” shoes often look like something you wear with a housecoat while you refill the bowl of hard candies. What should you do?

1. Know that there are many, many shoes out there that are both stylish and sensible. You have to find the ones that are right for you. Allot some time for your search. Do not give up hope. If you persist, you will be rewarded.

2. Visit a store that specializes in old-fashioned, sit-and-fit service. Ask a salesperson to measure your feet. Don’t presume that you know your shoe size. Your feet change over time. Make sure to find out your shoe width.

3. Don’t buy shoes if you can’t wiggle your toes in them. Look for a toe box that is rounded or squared with plenty of wiggle room.

4. For everyday walking, choose a shoe with a heel between a half-inch to an inch.

5. Do not assume that flats are better than high heels. In fact, often they are not. Soles that are completely flat can cause feet to pronate (roll inward when walking). Look for flats that have a contoured footbed or built-in arch support so that your ankles and feet are stable. Many styles have a strap across the midfoot, which holds your foot in place.

6. Don’t believe the shoe hype that you have to go higher than three-and-a-half inches to have a “high” heel. Keep heel heights in perspective. A heel that is one inch or lower is low-heeled. A heel that is between one-to-two inches is mid-height. A heel that is two inches or higher classifies as high. A heel that is four inches or higher is demented.

7. Save high-heeled shoes, which force the feet into unnatural positions, for special occasions, and don’t walk far in them. The higher the heel, the more pressure is placed on the forefoot and the likelier you are to develop a bunion, hammertoe, pinched nerve, corn, or callus. These conditions are painful and ugly.

8. If you want your feet to look pretty, wear wide, comfortable walking shoes or sneakers. The owners of a modeling agency specializing in foot models reported to me that out of every forty applicants they can hire at best only one. Nearly all professional models have damaged feet as a result of wearing fashionable shoes on a regular basis.

9. Not everyone needs arch support. But many of us do. Seventy percent of the population overpronates, and overpronators should wear shoes with support as much of the time as possible.

10. Do not assume that you can wear heels now and just get surgery later to fix whatever deformities arise. Despite what you may have read, surgery to make your feet look prettier can be a disaster. If you need surgery because you are in pain, that’s one thing. But if you are considering surgery for purely cosmetic purposes, chances are you will be disappointed. To read cautionary tales of women who went under the knife and emerged with debilitating foot problems they hadn’t had previously, turn to Bad Shoes & The Women Who Love Them.

There is nothing attractive about a woman who hobbles in shoes that mold her toes into overlapping claws — even if she is wearing sequined leggings. So put head over heels. Choose shoes wisely and you feet will remain in excellent shape, taking you wherever you want to go.

What could be more alluring than that?
Part 1, “Put Down That Armadillo Shoe! Don’t Be a Shoe Dupe,” appeared on the Huffington Post on 5/17/10.

Part 2, “Our Stripper Shoes, Ourselves,” appeared on the Huffington Post on 5/25/10.

Shoe Designer Elisa Ferare Loses Battle With Cancer

Los Angeles Times
May 11, 2010, 9:41pm

Funeral services were held Saturday at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Stockton, CA, for Elisa Rishwain, a longtime resident of Los Angeles who designed luxury shoes under the Elisa Ferare nameplate. Rishwain passed away at home in Los Angeles on April 25 at the age of 65 after a three-year-battle with cancer.

Elisa Ann Rishwain was born in Stockton on Oct. 28, 1944, the daughter of Italian immigrants Stefano and Jennie Ferrari. She graduated from Stagg High School in 1962 and married Dr. Anthony Rishwain of Stockton in 1963.

In addition to raising three children, Rishwain opened the Giovanna Ferrrari women’s clothing boutique in Stockton. In 1988, after her divorce, she and her children relocated to Los Angeles, where she engaged in a range of vocations that included interior design, an antique furniture store, a clothing and jewelry boutique, and acting.

Rishwain often took her store-bought shoes to a local Los Angeles cobbler to have the silhouettes, fabrics and hardware tweaked to fit her personal taste, often using the sort of luxe fabrics and trims more common to the world of interior design.

In 2003, she parlayed this penchant for customized footwear into the Elisa Ferare line of handmade-in-America footwear that would routinely juxtapose fabrics like crushed velvet, python, suede and vintage  animal prints and go on to be carried by a range of high-end retail accounts including Maxfield, Madison and Fred Segal Santa Monica locally, Jeffrey in New York and Neiman Marcus.

Rishwain is survived by three children, Brian Rishwain, Benjamin Rishwain and Jennifer Gheur, and six grandchildren, all of Los Angeles, and a brother, Joseph Ferrari, of Stockton.

According to the family, a celebration of her life will take place in the Los Angeles area at a later date.

– Adam Tschorn

Photo: At top, an undated photo of Elisa Ann Rishwain, who in 2003 turned her penchant for customizing store-bought shoes into a line of handmade high-end high heels under the Los Angeles-based Elisa Ferare label, passed away April 25, 2010, after a three-year battle with cancer. At bottom, the Tycoon style from the fall 2009 Elisa Ferare footwear collection Credit: Rishwain family (top); Elisaferare.com (bottom)

High Heeled Art: Robert Tabor’s Shoe Sculptures

Give Robert Tabor a stiletto and he’ll create a work of art.  According to Julie Landry Laviolette for the Miami Harold, Tabor has handcrafted around 200 whimsical sculptures in the past 20 years. The Fort Lauderdale based artist’s shoe sculptures have been spotted anywhere from drag bars to a Ritz-Carlton presidential suite.  Which isn’t surprising when you take a look at Tabor’s work; there is nothing timid about it.  To him, the glitzier and zanier, the better.  Throughout his body of work, he depicts everything from a brisket sandwich to Glinda the Good Witch from the Wizard of Oz.

Tabor spent the first 25 years of his career as a classically trained graphic designer, where he unleashed his talents on costuming, set design, and prop making.  This lifelong career in three dimensional design eventually culminated in the creation of a line of fantasy shoe sculptures.  The 200 plus sculptures consisted of different “series” ranging from the food themed to the afore mentioned Wizard of Oz.

The shoe sculptures, which sell for $350 to $1,500, are displayed every so often in exhibits around South Florida, most recently in Miami and Palm Beach.  When not on display, they rest on clear shelves in Tabor’s apartment.

Though Tabor has the most fun creating a full-fantasy line, complete with sequins, sparkles, and bling to spare, he recently commissioned 12 shoes, each to honor a different first lady, to be on permanent display at the Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach hotel’s presidential suite.  He unveiled the “Michelle Obama” shoe sculpture this past January.

Tabor goes to great lengths to ensure that each piece is a one-of-a-kind.  He scours clearance sales for women’s shoes to use as the framework for his art.  He favors high heels due to his love of the sexy silhouette of the stiletto.  For the body of the sculpture, he uses water-based clay that is molded and baked.  Decorations ranging from fabric scraps, false fingernails, hair curlers, and plenty of bling are then added for the finishing touch.  All his creations are spontaneous- created without the use of a template or mold so as to guarantee that no two can come out exactly alike.

For more about Robert Tabor and his designs, visit his web site at RobertTabor.com.

Sole Sister film wants to hear from YOU.

“Are Jimmy Choo and Manolo Blahnik two of your favorite men? Could your closet be mistaken for the shoe department at Nordstrom’s? Are you compelled by some inexplicable force to add to your stiletto collection, despite your inability to walk in them?”

If you answered “yes” to any of the above questions, your story is wanted for “Sole Sister”, an hour-long film which will take the viewer on an anthropological and humorous romp from the dawn of civilization until the present, exploring women’s obsessions with shoes.

Submit your story in the “comment” window and shuzsociety.com will get you connected with producer, also coincidentally shoe-obsessed, Cynthia Mondell. Your obsession with shoes doesn’t have to be a closet-case. For more information about the film, click here…

New Atlantic City Shoe Club Launch Party Set For April 28th

Attention Atlantic City, New Jersey, sole sisters!   “As if” you needed a reason to step out in your favorite heels, here’s an event you won’t want to miss .. the launch of the new shoe club, The Shoe Society!

What:  The Shoe Society Launch Party
When:  Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Time:  6-9pm
Where:  Planet Rose in the Tropicana
Atlantic City, NJ
View party invite

Step out with your gal pals to meet other shoe lovers and show off your fabulous footwear on the pink runway carpet!  Enjoy a free massage, giveaways and prizes. Must be 21 or older to enter.

For more info about The Shoe Society, please visit their web site at www.theshoesociety.net.

Back, Knee or Foot Pain? Try V-Core Training

V-Core® (Vertical Core Training) is the newest and most functional approach to training the core. Through specific exercises V-Core® will enable you at home to not only tone your core – but also eliminate back, knee and foot pain associated with poor posture and improper walking.

For most people the way that we sit, stand and walk is subconscious, however through the unique approach of V-Core®, Dr. Emily Splichal is teaching postural awareness, core engagement and proper body alignment – eliminating chronic pain and balancing our body’s biomechanics.

The V-Core® Workout combines the benefits of Pilates, Yoga and barefoot balance training to bring the focus on preventive medicine and the power of proper body alignment. The unique series of exercises will progressively challenge your postural endurance, balance strength and foot/ankle stability – leaving you standing taller and walking stronger!

Meet the doctor

To order your V-Core® Workout DVD, only $24.94 plus shipping, please visit vcoreworkout.com.

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