Thursday, May 31, 2012

Back-Up Shoes and footwear fashion for gals...

There are quite a few differences between men and women, but nothing seems to emphasize this more than the way we go about choosing what we wear, particularly when it comes to footwear.  Most guys I know have a very limited selection of footwear choices at home... but when it comes to footwear for gals... it's kind of like guns... if you know how many you have, you don't have enough.


Most gals I know love to have terrific footwear to accentuate their outfits and fashion.  With that being said, I should first offer up that ladies footwear is not my area of expertise, but like most men... we try to be observant of the gals in our lives.  I see a lot of gals that are wearing shoes and other footwear that look awesome, but except for some casual walking... would be completely useless if a gal had to run or spend much time in an adverse environment such as bad weather.


I left my man-card on the dashboard of our Ford F150 last night, so let me use that as an excuse to offer a quote from Sex and the City...
Miranda: “I had to walk all the way from the subway in these heels. My feet are killing me.”
Steve: “Why didn’t you just carry them and wear sneakers like everyone else?”
Miranda: “Stop. You can take me out of Manhattan but you can’t take me out of my shoes.”

Gals, there is absolutely nothing wrong with wearing cool, trendy, sexy, and/or fashionable footwear... I'm just suggesting that, like folks who carry an extra magazine of ammo or a Back-Up Gun (BUG), you should consider some Back-Up Shoes (BUS) and keep a pair of more comfortable, back-up footwear handy at work, in the car, or elsewhere.

There may come a time that due to a change in the weather, your building needing to be evacuated, your vehicle breaking down, or encountering some two-legged varmints... that you will need a more practical... or tactical... footwear choice.  It never hurts to be prepared.

I posed this thought to Shelley Rae... the talented writer, editor, and shooter from Gun Nuts Media who is currently the editor of the recently introduced Western Shooting Journal... and she said...
"I have a good set of Puma flats that are well padded and actually work for extended wear. All of Puma's flats have a good midsole and mine have padded heels which is really nice. Keeping athletic shoes in the car is a great idea, but the flats actually fit in my purse which works well when I'm out to dinner or at the bars so I have them with me at all times."


Flip-flops are fun, but they're not much good for rough and rocky terrain or mud and snow.  I know a lot of country gals out here where we live wear cowboy boots, work boots, hiking boots, and muck boots, but not all the time and you might even want to keep a pair of those handy to change into after a day or night on the town.  You never know when you might want to take a ride on the big green tractor.


And nobody ever said a pair of boots can't be stylish.


My wife is a school teacher and like nurses and many other professions, she spends most of her day on her feet... fashionable is good, but comfortable is better.  My gals try to always have an extra pair of comfortable footwear handy just like Shelly Rae... and we all have a pair of good, all-terrain walking shoes we wore for a month to break in and then tucked them into our Bug Out Bags (BOBs). 

So whether you're at work or out for a night on the town... and you don't want sore feet if you're packin' heat... you might want to consider taking along some extra footwear... so consider some... Back-Up Shoes and footwear fashion for gals...

So gals, what are YOUR thoughts on this subject?

6 comments:

  1. Oh yeah...
    I NEVER wear heels to drive - one stuck stiletto and you are out of control. Thus, I will be in slippers, clogs, or another decent shoe when behind the wheel.

    That said, the truck also has an older pair of merrell's for comfort as well as an old pair of hiking boots for more serious "walk to safety" situations with good socks stuffed in them.

    Did I mention the backup black heels just in case I forget to bring my shoes to work? Hey - it happened once. My horsey slippers were a hit until the stores opened.

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  2. This post is right up my alley. Love shoes and love heels. I even wear a high-heeled military style boot when I go shooting. I'm not sure how practical this is, but now that I read your blog, I'm going to consider throwing in a pair of sensible shoes in my car trunk. Because seriously, you can't run from trouble in a pair of stilettos.

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  3. I have to say that I really never wear heels anymore. Teaching is just too crazy!

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  4. I used to wear heals all the time even when I taught college and had to walk all over the campus. My feet never hurt and I loved wear them, but now I pretty always wear flats unless going to party or specific shindig. I am a little preoccupied with safety:)

    A few months ago when I put a go bag of sorts in my car I included an extra pair of tennis shoes.

    Good post!

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  5. The car accident I was in almost three years ago has forever changed my perspective on shoes. Four broken bones in one ankle, even when healed, do change one's opinion on what one puts on that foot, and since we ladies do like our shoes to match, I've had to alter my shoes accordingly. For nearly a year, I wore almost nothing but extremely supportive sneakers. We went to the beach on vacation about ten months post-accident, and I spent a ridiculous amount of money (even at half off) on a $20 pair of flip flops. They have a therapeutic construction, and they were worth every penny. I bought a second pair the following summer, in fact.

    Removing the screws used to mend my busted-up ankle last summer helped, and I don't have near-constant pain any longer. I also can have a bit more in shoe freedom. However, I'm still better off wearing something that will support my whole foot, all the way around. To that end, I love dress boots. Anything with straps around my ankle is also good.

    But I'd still prefer sneakers or all-weather mocs or my TheraShoes flip-flops (in summer). My feet like them better than almost anything else.

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  6. I only have one pair of stiletto heels, that I wear with the fishnet stock.....er....wait...wrong forum.

    Standard brown/black guy-shoes for me!

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