EL NRE A TT AE TIT gett

 

life and sltyie

Cool Kicks: summer style and street

walkin’

Dazzling deals:

Social-shopping sites take shopping personally

 

By Stephanie Trembath,
Life and Style Editor

oots are my absolute favourite

type of shoe, complete with

at least two inches of extra
height to prop me up to a mediocre 54,
and manageable to walk in, I cannot
imagine why anyone would not want to
own a pair of boots. From September
until the end of May I have a stock six
pairs of boots that I have trained myself
to run in, suffer longer and longer
durations of time and pain in, and treat
with as much care and TLC as parents
treat their kids. A few weekends ago,
my mom presented me with her old pair
of vintage boots she wore when she was
my age; real beige leather in soft buttery
beige. I have wanted these boots since I
was 16 and used to steal them from her
closet, they don’t fit her anymore and
yet she made me wait a painstaking six
years to give them to me. I guess good
things do come to those who wait.

Anyways, I feel I have emphasized
my passion for boots enough, and while
Vancouver is the ideal climate to treat
my toes to warm, comfortable boots
nine months of the year, summertime
proves too hot to cover up my feet in
heavy materials and leather.

While I roam city streets and
school hallways in high heels, I feel
that flat sneakers are the most practical
footwear during the summer; sandals
are no good at night (my toes get cold),

12

heels just feel to dressed-up and flashy,
runners look ridiculous with summer
dresses, and ballerina flats don’t provide
the same mobility as sneakers. There
is nothing better than skipping around
town in a pair of flat shoes, I can picture
it now; balmy night, sunset streaking
the sky pinks, purples, and navy blues,
short-shorts and light t-shirt, city-
streets teaming with people out and
about enjoying a leisurely Friday night,
cold ice-cream cones and warm hot-
dogs from vendors, smell of warmed
beers and sand sticking to the backs of
your legs, sound of waves washing up
against the sand with couples laying
on fuzzy blankets with leftover picnics
packed up, bicycles and rollerblades,
and skateboards. ...God I love summer.
Since I already own a pair of flat
black Ked sneakers, which I purchased
last summer, I have decided to expand
my resources and purchase a white
pair of flats for this summer. I have
narrowed down the search to three
different pairs, and depending on which
pair I find first for the least amount of
work, I will be cruising city streets this
year in a) a pair of plain white Keds, b)
Converse silver and gold sequins flats,
or c) Urban Outfitters Aztec design.
The plain white will match everything,
but get dirty fast, the sequins are last
year’s model, but super fun, and Urban
Outfitters Aztec design are funky, but
sold out at the moment. Wish me luck!

 

By Sharon Miki

ith essays, exams, labs, and
tuition payments lurking in the
back of most college student’s

minds, it can be hard to find the time and
money to accessorize. Online shopping site
ShoeDazzle wants to help out with celebrity
personal shoppers (most notably reality star
Kim Kardashian) and styling services for
$39.95 a month.

Capitalizing on the success of other
social-media ventures like Facebook,
ShoeDazzle is the latest burgeoning online
business. The company utilizes a hybrid
social-media slash subscription-based
business model: users register, then take
a taste preferences quiz and are given a
personalized selection of shoes, handbags,
and jewellery to choose from each month.
If you pick one item, your credit card
will be charged $39.95 plus shipping and
handling costs. Don’t like the options your
“stylist” selected for you one month? You

can either defer from making a selection for

the month or you can pick something from
a Facebook friend’s “showroom.” Adding to
the social-media aspect of the site, users can
refer friends via Facebook. If friends join
the site, users receive style points that can
be collected and traded in for ShoeDazzle
wares.

Launched in 2009, the ShoeDazzle
model appears to be working. Last month
the company celebrated over a million
“likes” on Facebook, three million
registered users, and a $40 million

investment boost.

Though the financial numbers suggest
that the site is gaining in popularity, it’s
difficult to determine the longevity of
this type of business model in the fashion
industry. While some might appreciate the
convenience factor of having just a handful
of items, that you will most likely like based
on your own purported taste preferences, to
choose from each month, the simplicity of
the site removes a lot of the fun of shopping
and trying things on. Moreover, if your
taste preferences subtly change, it might
be difficult for the computer “stylists” to
be adequately accommodating. On the
other hand, $40 a month isn’t outlandish
to spend on fashion; if one were to stick to
only ShoeDazzle shopping, they might be
able to save money by eliminating a lot of
spontaneous splurges.

Ultimately, it seems that the personal
touch that the site strives to offer its users
must be applied when deciding whether or
not ShoeDazzle is for you. If you’re like
me, and would dutifully and excitedly pick
out an item a month, and then still shop
as usual at the mall, it could be a waste of
money. If you’ve got your finances under
control and could use some style ease,
prepare to be dazzled!

Check it out for yourself at www.
shoedazzle.com.