Shoes shoes shoes! 👢👠

Patricia's Bottoms Up Approach

Shoes First: Patricia's Bottoms Up Approach

Well, well, well—just when you thought the footwear industry couldn’t surprise you anymore, the founder of Spanx drops a bombshell: high-heeled sneakers with velcro closures. Yes, you read that right. Kudos to her for daring to push the envelope, but the question is: would you actually wear them? The color oyster (in the only style that does not have a Velcro closure) is sold out, so I guess something is resonating. Camila Coelho looks pretty cool here with her cargo pants and Sneex. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate these shoes. In fact, they have a certain 90s Prada Sport vibe that’s almost charming—almost. But if I need high heels, will I want them to look like sneakers? And if I need sneakers, will I want them to have heels? I personally rather wear my nerdy New Balances ✽,so I’m not convinced. Still, fashion loves to laugh in the face of logic, so maybe these will be the next big thing. 🤷‍♀️

I used to willingly squeeze my feet into skyscraper stilettos back in the day, both as a fashion choice and as part of a non-negotiable corporate dress code. Even then, I’d be the one scouring the stores for a pair that wouldn’t leave me hobbling by the end of the day. Heels can feel like the ultimate power move, but to me they often felt like medieval torture devices, and as I got older, I’ve vowed to never again suffer for the sake of fashion. Nowadays, my shoes are the main event. I start my day by considering how much walking I’ll be doing, what the weather’s like, if I must look respectable or if I can get away with looking like I’ve just rolled out of bed, and then select the shoe I want to wear first. Clothes come later, simply because wearing an uncomfortable shoe is like having a big toothache or a strong migraine —it just ruins everything.

Because of this "bottom up" approach, I shop for shoes often (Is it me or are most of the shoes out there just plain ugly? 😅 Not in that deliberately ugly, Phoebe Philo kind of way—just bad looking, period!). I want comfort but I'll never give up style, so fear not: I’ve put together a list of Fall styles that are actually worth our time, money—and our feet’s comfort. Happy shopping! PS: I left sneakers out on purpose, there are too many great items and we will do a sneaker edit another time. Should Sneex make the cut? Please tell me what you think, email me at info@matriark.com!

MATRIARK UPCOMING EVENTS

FRIDAY AUGUST 30th AND SATURDAY AUGUST 31st from 12pm to 6pm: LERET LERET Porch Pop-Up. Join Co-Founder Edouard Leret at our porch and personalize your cashmere sweaters.

SATURDAY AUGUST 31st from 1pm to 5pm: AIREM Porch Pop-Up. AIREM is back with complimentary (and very helpful!) AI skin analysis. See you next week for more good stuff (and see you at the shop!).

Love,

Patricia

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