Footwear News Article Featuring Dr. Michele and 34 Minutes!

Featured in the November 26, 2012 shoe show issue of Footwear News. Written by Barbara Schneider-Levy

The Shoe Expert Blog: a TOMS Shoes Books for Bloggers Winner!

Hi shoe lovers, fans, and readers of my shoe blog! Thank you to all of you for supporting this blog and helping me become one of the winners of the TOMS Shoes Free Books for Bloggers! As a winner of one of Blake Mycoskie’s new book “Start Something That Matters” I will be posting a review of the book and will be holding a contest on this blog for one of our readers to also win a free copy of his book…so stay tuned for details in the next week! 🙂

I just want to add that although I have not read the book yet, Blake continues to inspire me with his efforts in the shoe donations that he has given to children in need as Chief Shoe Giver at TOMS Shoes. Thanks for the inspiration, Blake!

Dedicated to your foot health and to your shoes,

Dr. Michele, The Shoe Expert

“All Shoes, All the Time!”

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• Soles4Souls , the shoe charity, Launches flippin’ good deeds Blogger Challenge in Partnership with flipflop wines (prweb.com)
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Reebok & The 25 Million Dollar ‘Toning’ Shoes

Image via Wikipedia

As you may or may not have heard, this week the Federal Trade Commission has ruled that Reebok has to reimburse its customers $25 million for deceptive advertising for EasyTone and RunTone shoes, according to MSNBC.com. I just have to add that I have been telling my patients, friends, and readers this for months: if you want a ‘toned’ butt or legs, you have to actually exercise. A pair of shoes cannot do the work for you! Countless patients have come into my office with these shoes (as well as Skechers Shape-Ups and other toning shoes), asking me what I think of them. Well, there you go. That’s what I think of them.

The Federal Trade Commission states that Reebok could not support specific claims made in ads that wearing EasyTone shoes resulted in “28 percent more strength and tone in the buttock muscles, 11 percent more strength and tone in the hamstring muscles, and 11 percent more strength and tone in the calf muscles than regular walking shoes.”

The settlement bars Reebok from making claims that its shoes are effective in toning or strengthening without supporting scientific evidence. Reebok has discontinued ads that contain the claims and has asked stores to remove offending signs and displays.

If you want a refund for EasyTone shoes, just fill out the application at http://reeboksettlement.com/FTC. You will get the refunds either directly from the Federal Trade Commission or through a court-approved, class action lawsuit. The amount of refunds will be determined by a federal judge.

Dedicated to your foot health and to your shoes,

Dr. Michele, The Shoe Expert

“All Shoes, All the Time!”

Related articles

• Reebok to Pay $25 Million in Refunds to Settle FTC Charges Over EasyTone Shoes (shoppingblog.com)
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• Reebok Refund of $25 Million Coming to Customers Who Bought EasyTone Shoes (VIDEO) (blippitt.com)
• Reebok will offer refunds on toning shoes, clothes (sfgate.com)
• FTC Says Reebok’s Kardashian-Endorsed Butt-Sculpting EasyTone Sneakers Don’t Work (thegloss.com)
• Reebok to pay $25 million for false ad claims (marketwatch.com)
• Reebok Must Refund $25 Million to Buyers of Bogus ‘Toning Shoes’ (dailyfinance.com)
• Reebok EasyTone’s Do NOT Give You a Nice Butt (997now.radio.com)
• Reebok to Refund Customers $25 Million Over Toning Shoes Complaint (newsfeed.time.com)
• Reebok to pay $25M over toning shoe claims (cbc.ca)
• Reebok settles with FTC over butt-shaping shoes (money.cnn.com)
• Reebok settles FTC case over toning shoes for $25 million (usatoday.com)
• Reebok’s Fake Magic Butt Shoes Are Fake, Says FTC [Fitness] (gawker.com)
• In your face, Reebok! (angryoldbiddy.wordpress.com)

Spring/Summer Shoes 2012: Clarks Show at GDS

Clarks is launching their Spring Summer 2012 shoes campaign with “British by Design” and some awesome Beatles music blaring in the background at the fashion show.

What do you think of her low purple suede pumps?

Flat ankle booties with a little bling bling to add some sparkle

I like the look of this one!

Color blocking in sandals is still hot for next year!

Wedges, wedges, wedges…they’re not going away anytime soon!

More fahion show coverage from GDS by yours truly coming soon and more upcoming trends for Spring/Summer 2012!

Dedicated to your foot health and to your shoes,

Dr. Michele, The Shoe Expert

“All Shoes, All the Time!”

Preview of New Shoes Coming Soon…

Dedicated to your foot health and to your shoes,

Dr. Michele, The Shoe Expert

“All Shoes, All the Time!”

Red Carpet Shoe Dilemma…

I’m writing this 20 minutes before leaving to go to a Red Carpet event in Hollywood. I just wanted to share some thoughts before they leave me… As I was picking out my dress and getting all glammed up for this party, I realized that in order for me to stand comfortably in long lines, walk the Red Carpet, and then stand for possibly hours more at the party, I was going to have to rethink my entire outfit. 😦

My comfy 4″ heels that I designed are at the shoemaker’s shop for a slight adjustment and also for the shoemaker to use as a template for the next pair that will be ready soon…so, which shoes am I going to wear now?

Well, that last question doesn’t really matter to YOU. (I found some sexy black boots that will look great!) What matters to YOU is when this happens to YOU! So tell me, how many times has this happened to you? How many times have you had to do one of these things:

(1) Change your outfit to match your comfy shoes so that you are not in pain all night from the shoes that you really wanted to wear but you came to your senses in time,

(2) Wear the ‘painful’ shoes anyway because you are NOT changing your outfit for comfier shoes. Period. And then you suffer all night in pain, practically limping by the time you get home and possibly even getting blisters,

or

(3) Wear the ‘painful’ shoes anyway because, like in #2, you are NOT changing your outfit for shoes that are comfy…but then you end up taking the shoes off at the party or at least by the time you are heading home, doing the dreaded barefoot walk on your way back home

???

Almost all of us women have done all of some of these due to the comfort vs. fashion dilemma.

So which side do you fall on? Sacrifice your fashion or sacrifice your comfort? Wondering minds want to know! OK, I want to know! 🙂

Tonight I tried to compromise with the black boots, but I’m not thrilled about it! I really wanted to wear the heels that are at the shoe shop!

But back to the debate: What I would love to do as a shoe expert and a foot expert is to mix the fashion and comfort into one and give you a shoe that doesn’t hurt your feet! So stay tuned…I’m working on it, ladies! 🙂

Dedicated to your foot health and to your shoes,

Dr. Michele, The Shoe Expert

“All Shoes, All the Time!”

Related articles

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Not All Skechers Are Created Equal

Hey shoe lovers! I took a little break from blogging last month to work on some new, big things coming your way soon! Of course, it’s all about shoes…

So now back to the blogging…

I took my daughter to Skechers today to get her some boots for school (which starts later this month–by the way, if  you have kids, have you read my blog post about back-to-school shoe shopping?)…and I noticed a fairly new addition to the Skechers line of toning shoes. Most people know about their famous Shape-Ups, but they have several types of toning shoes now. The ones that caught my eye looked the most “normal” of all of them: the Tone-Ups Fitness.

Now don’t get them confused with the Tone-Ups.

Although they look very similar, that is where the similarities ended for me. The two styles feel very different when you walk in them. As a test, I put one of each on my feet and walked up and down the aisles to get a good feel for them. The Tone-Ups felt very stiff and uncomfortable in both the upper of the shoe and in the footbed lining. But the most uncomfortable part about them was during heel strike. As I took each step and my heel hit the floor, the sole of the shoe felt like I was walking on a hard bump. Not a good feeling. On the other hand, when I walked in the Tone-Ups Fitness, I have to admit that the shoes felt good. The sole felt a little spongier and cushy than my running shoes and other athletic shoes, but it was not uncomfortable. It kinda felt good. Weird that such similar shoes felt so different. I even asked the salesperson before I did my little ‘experiment’ and he said that the main difference between them was that the new shoes (the Tone-Ups Fitness) were more lightweight than the older versions. Sorry, Skechers salesperson, you were super nice and helpful climbing up the ladder to get me my size 🙂 but that is not the main difference between them.

Moral of the story: Don’t count on the sales associate to give you the low down on the shoes you are going to put your feet in! Try them out for yourself and save yourself some discomfort when you get them home!

Dedicated to your foot health and to your shoes,

Dr. Michele, The Shoe Expert

“All Shoes, All the Time!”

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Today is National Flip Flop Day!

Image via Wikipedia

On this National Flip Flop Day, the main point of this blog post is to stay safe while wearing your flip-flops! It is mostly common sense, but there may be a few things that may sound new to you too so check it out.

Flip-FlopDo’s & Don’ts (from an old blog post of mine):

DO’S:
• Do shop for a flip-flop made of high-quality, soft leather. Leather minimizes the potential for blisters and other types of irritation.
• Do look for flip-flops that hold APMA’s Seal of Acceptance; these products are shown to allow for the most normal foot function and promote quality health.
• Do gently bend the flip-flop from end to end, ensuring it bends at the ball of the foot. Shoes of any kind should never fold in half.
• Do wear a sturdy pair of flip-flops when walking around a public pool, at the beach, in hotel rooms and in locker room areas. Walking barefoot can expose foot soles to plantar warts and athlete’s foot.
• Do ensure that your foot doesn’t hang off of the edge of the flip-flop.

DON’TS:
• Don’t re-wear flip-flops year after year. Inspect older pairs for wear. If they show signs of severe wear, discard them.
• Don’t ignore irritation between toes, where the toe thong fits. This can lead to blisters and possible infections.
• Don’t wear flip-flops while walking long distances. Even the sturdiest flip-flops offer little in terms of shock absorption and arch support.
• Don’t do yard work while wearing flip-flops. Always wear a shoe that fully protects feet when doing outside activities such as mowing the lawn or using a weed-eater.
• Don’t play sports in flip-flops. This practice can lead to twisting of the foot or ankle, as well as sprains and breaks.

Dedicated to your foot health and to your shoes,

Dr. Michele, The Shoe Expert

“All Shoes, All the Time!”

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• Tone-Ups vs. EasyTone Flip-Flops vs. TrimTreads (fitsugar.com)
• Would You Wear: Snooki’s Flip-Flops (thegloss.com)
• Fashionable Feet-Friendly Flip-Flops For Summer (fitsugar.com)
• PHOTOS: Snooki Wants You To Wear Pickle Flip-Flops! (997now.radio.com)
• Would You Wear Snooki’s New Pickle Print Flip Flops? (styleite.com)
• Ontario county turfs flip-flop footwear (cbc.ca)
• Tips on wearing flip-flops (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

Comfy Flats from Johnston & Murphy!

Comfy is the name of the game today!!! Actually, super comfy!

As a lover and expert of shoes, I always stress that there is a time and place for every type of shoe. Flip flops for the beach, hiking boots for camping, sparkly heels for NYE celebrations, and flats for long work days or running errands, right?

Well when it comes to flats, the Claire Studded Penny Drivers from Johnston & Murphy are one of the most comfortable ones I’ve tried on, tested, and worn for an 8-hour work day!

 

I have the red ones as shown above, but they come in other colors such as black, brown, tan, beige, and navy as well. The leather is so soft, and a thin orthotic will fit comfortably in this shoe if you wear one like I do.

For more information on this shoe, click here and use this promo code until June 30th at checkout for a discount especially for my blog readers and followers: CALSHOE

Thanks to the folks at Johnston & Murphy for allowing me to review your shoes! 🙂

Dedicated to your foot health and to your shoes,

Dr. Michele, The Shoe Expert

“All Shoes, All the Time!”

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Coming Soon…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dedicated to your foot health and your shoes,

 

 Dr. Michele, The Shoe Expert 

 

“All shoes, all the time!”