Combat Boots: The New In

             At times, fashion can be kind of crazy. Sometimes the ugliest things can make the best trends, and you wonder where people come up with the things they wear?! One new trend that might have some asking themselves: “Why would she wear those?” are the new COMBAT BOOTS.

            For many older generations, individuals are probably floored to see young women walking around with combat boots on their feet, simply because they are a very manly boot. However, in the name of fashion, women can almost get away with sporting any style these days. Being different is what it is all about now.

            The new combat boots are usually a short boot, slightly above the ankle, with lacing up the front, and a short heel (about one to one and a half inches in height). You will usually only see these boots in colors of brown and black; however, you can find them in other colors, too. The thing about these boots and fashion is that people have been pairing them with almost any outfit, from casual to work, to even formal wear; although most individuals pair these with casual wear.

            While wearing these boots casually, individuals unlace them slightly so that the tongue of the boot, and also the sides of the boot, can hang over to give them a “rough” look. While wearing these boots formally, some would pair these boots with tights and a skirt or dress, and have the boot laced all the way up for a more “sleek” and “put-together” look. It is very interesting to see something that most people would classify as “grungy” and turn it into a fashion statement.

            In this image below, there are many different examples of the combat boot. Both styles that I have mentioned above as being "rough" with the slides flapping over, and also the more "put-together" look with the boot completely laced up.

(This image was received from http://www.secondcitystyle.typepad.com/)

Damaging Your Feet: The Risks of Beauty

Building on my previous blog, I will be discussing what serious damage different shoes can cause to your feet. Also, from an article that I have read, titled “On Your Feet,” by January W. Payne, as also mentioned in my previous blog, it is a well known fact that women have a much harder time finding shoes that fit compared to men. This is because of the fact that men’s shoes are available in a larger variety of widths.

Women, on the other hand, are not given many options when it comes to widths of the shoe. Women are viewed to have petite feet, which are slender in shape; therefore, you do not see very many designer brands offering their shoes in different widths for women. However, this has seemed to bring about quite a few health problems for women.

·         “That risk can include bunions, stress fractures, joint pain in the ball of the foot, Morton’s neuroma, ‘pump bumps’ (enlargement of the bony area on the back of heel), corns and calluses, hammertoe, toenail problems and tight heel cords (shortening or tightening the Achilles tendon)” (quoted by January W. Payne).

Not all of these problems are due to the fact that women’s shoes are not offered in a larger variety of widths, although it is a major contributing factor. But also, a lot of these problems can be caused from women not buying the right size shoe, or simply from purchasing a shoe just for fashion, rather than comfort.

Shoes Made For Fashion Rather Than Comfort

            Back in the day, when the first “shoe” (it wasn’t really a “shoe,” it was more like grass and rawhide wrapped around one’s foot) was ever created, as mentioned in an earlier post, the shoe’s intention was to protect an individual’s foot from hard surfaces because there was a lot of walking, due to cars not being invented at that time. However, the point is that shoes aren’t really made for protection or even comfort anymore. Most people pick out a great pair of shoes by the way they look, or their appearance.

            As the spring and summer months approach, shoes such as flats, sandals, flip flops, wedges, and high heels fill women’s closets. One of the more popular shoes right now are the platform pumps. These pumps have heels that are about 5.5 to 6 inches tall with a 1 inch platform. OUCH! Below is a picture of these 5.5 inch heels.

(You can purchase these heels at http://www.makemechic.com/ for only $20.14).

·         These sky high heels not only place a great amount of stress on an individual’s feet, but also on their ankles, knees, and backs.

·         According to January W. Payne, a Staff Writer for the Washington Post, 3.5 billion dollars is spent annually in the United States as the cost of women’s foot surgeries.

This is quite a high price to pay for fashion, and discomfort. Women all over the world buy shoes in order to fulfill their need to complete an outfit. Do they know what these shoes are doing to their feet? If they did, would they still be buying the shoes?

The First Sneaker

According to www.factmonster.com, in 1892, the U.S. Rubber Company created a rubber sneaker with a canvas top; these were the first sneakers ever. The very first sneakers were called “Keds.” Before these sneakers were created, the only shoes that were comparable were called the “plimsolls,” but they did not even have a designed right or left foot.

·      They came to be called “sneakers” because they were so very quiet, an individual could sneak up on a person while wearing them (factmonster.com).

It is very interesting that the very first sneaker was named “Keds,” and also that they have managed to still be around in existence today. Keds seemed to be a big hit when I was in grade school, which was from about 1994 to about 1999. Back in the day, I only remember seeing Keds in plain colors, and they were very reasonably priced.

Today, it is amazing to me that Keds have been able to make their way around yet again. From being the first sneaker ever created, to still being in existence, all the while being popular is remarkable. They are now a fashion statement, but they have made some changes, however, to the original “Keds.” The Keds now are available in almost any color you can think of, plus designs. I actually just bought myself a pair of Keds the other day, for quite a bit more than I remember paying for them in 1995. However, they are a very simple, casual shoe, and they go great with just about everything.

I received my pair of grey/green Keds from karmaloop.com for $35.00

The New Riding Boots

            Riding boots were a creation that was originally intended for horse riding. The boots were designed with a high leg, almost extending to the knee. The purpose of this “high leg” was to prevent the leathers of the saddle from rubbing against the leg or pinching the leg of the rider (Wikipedia). The strong toe was created to protect the foot of the rider while walking on the ground. There is also a about a one inch heel on the boot, and this is intended to avert the riders foot from sliding through the stirrup.
            Today, the riding boot is viewed and known as something completely different. They are viewed as a fashion statement now. They are extremely popular among mostly women, and of all ages. Because skinny jeans are so popular, the look of the riding boot adds a lot to a woman’s outfit. However, they are not the completely same as the actual riding boots, of which were created for the purpose of horse riding. The “fashion riding boots” are now created with usually less than an inch of a heel, and this is because they are not created for horse riding, therefore one does not need to worry about its foot slipping through the stirrup, these boots are made for fashion.
            Today, you can find riding boots in almost any department store, or shoe store, of course, and they can range anywhere from twenty dollars to a couple hundred dollars.

(Facts on riding boots were taken from Wikipedia).

Kim Kardashian for Shape-Ups

             A lot of individual’s base their style, and sometimes their entire wardrobe on what they see celebrities wearing. Of course, your average, middle-class, individual isn’t able to afford to buy the clothes or sport the exact fashions that the celebs are wearing. However, when there is a celebrity promoting a brand, and it is a well-known, and popular, celebrity, this definitely does have a greater impact on whether or not the individual’s will go out and buy the product.

            For example, as I have mentioned Shape-Ups in my January 19, 2011 blog post, they are not the most “attractive” style of shoe. Your average individual would not go out and purchase these shoes in the name of fashion. Also, especially, with the comparable (to the purpose of the shoe) Reebok Easytone and Runtone, these shoes are not at the top of the list. Yet, it seems that when you add a spokes person, whom is a celebrity, it starts to turn things around for the brand.

            With celebrity Kim Kardashian, one of the most popular “it” girls, Shape-Ups saw a major increase in sales, giving them the number two spot for footwear brand, according to Andrew Hampp in his article, “How Skechers Shaped Up Into No. 2 Footwear Brand.” The commercial for this brand, presenting Kim Kardashian promoting Skechers, was aired during the Super Bowl, and caught the attention of very many viewers and clearly envious fans. The commercial showed a very “sexy” image of Kim in work-out gear, sporting the Shape-Ups. Clearly, the idea was for individual’s to see how great Kim’s body looked and credit her fitness to the Skecher Shape-Ups. Well, apparently it worked! After the commercial, the brand realized a 30% increase in sales. This just goes to show that individual’s base a lot of their style and fashion on what the celebrities are wearing.

Easytone vs. Runtone

In the previous blog, the Skecher Shape-Ups were discussed and they were being compared to the Reebok Easy Tones as being more fashionable, while, in all reality, basically accomplishing the same goal, which is to tone the lower body without having to work out, all that you have to do, really, is walk around in the shoes. How could exercising possibly become easier than this?

In this blog, I will be comparing the Reebok Easy Tones to the Reebok Run Tones; from the titles, you can probably figure out what they have both been originally created for and intended to be used for.

First of all, both of the shoes contain a balance ball technology; however, the Easy Tones contain a larger ball because they are a walking shoe, and because of this, the imbalance is greater in order to make sure that the lower body is put to work. On the other side of things, the Run Tones contain smaller balance balls, but a greater number of them. These balls are spread out evenly throughout the shoe to make sure that there is no great imbalance while running. Still, with the balance ball technology, the Run Tones still create enough instability to cause the legs to work harder while running.

Basically, the Easy Tones are only for walking, the imbalance is too great for running or jogging, the imbalance could cause injury if these were attempted while wearing these shoes.

Research and Information for this blog was received from Reebok.com