New Heights

As per the last post, here are the four-inchers I was telling you about. They're slightly angled round-toe pumps (from Target!), with a small platform and then a four-inch heel. The black patent-leather is a very young look, and it's a pretty strong statement when combined with the killer heel, so just be careful. The small platform is subtle, but it makes SUCH a difference in a shoe, so if you go for four-inch heels, try to go for ones with a little platform under the toes, as your feet will be thanking you afterwards. The reason for this is because you get the extra height, but the incline between your toes and your heel is not a true four inches but rather, say, three and a half inches. This makes a difference on the balls of your feet (the little padded area in between your arches and your toes - ladies, it's the part of your foot that kills after a night out dancing in heels). So, if you're short and need the extra height like me, try a small (0.5-inch or less) platform under your toes for a little bonus height boost! Anything more than a 0.5-inch heel is too Spice Girls - and there's a reason why they didn't go for a desk job. (Sporty Spice was always my favorite, I was never a big fan of those 1-inch platform shoes ... I always wondered if they would be able to walk on water with those things, considering the foam-to-weight-ratio. idk.)

In debuting these shoes, I opted for pants (!). (This is actually kind of a big deal because I went all last summer without wearing one pair of pants to work. Not one. This was due to two factors: one, the heat in the summer, which just makes pants unbearable - boys, I don't know how you do it! and with a tie! - and two, because they say that the power suit for women is the skirt suit, NOT the pant suit. I'm not sure why this is, but it's a curious thought, because it seems to go opposite the notion that women have to be more "masculine" to succeed in the workforce, something which I dislike deeply but have trouble totally rejecting. For an interesting commentary by Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook on women in the workforce, check out this inspirational Ted Talk that another very inspirational and successful woman told me about. Ms. Sandberg was also this year's commencement speaker for Barnard College.)

Instead of going for full-length dress pants, say, from my suit, I went with these cropped pants for a couple of reasons: (1) they're more casual than the dress pants and more in line with the dress code at my company, although there are plenty of women who do wear full-length pants, (2) to emphasize the shoes in a subtle and appropriate manner, and (3) to further play up height and make it seem like I'm taller than I am. The trickiest thing about a pair of dress pants is that, if they happen to be just the wrong length, it can wreak havoc on your outfit. Dress pants that are even a half an inch too long look frumpy and are also a hazard to walking. Pants that are slightly too short simply look like you've outgrown them. These cropped pants are great for the summer but still completely appropriate for a business casual workplace.

Cropped pants: Tommy Hilfiger | Blouse: Brooks Brothers | Shoes: Target