Hola to the Dillene! La BellaDonna, she has the long narrow feets like the chisels, with the even narrower heel, and is very familiar with the pa-TWHAP! of walking out of the standard pump!

Hola to the Shoelegacy! La BellaDonna, she would be one of the peoples with the fluorescing pale skin; there is no colour of “nude” hose which matches her legs, so she is very happy to wear the black tights virtually at all times.

Hah! And just to prove that she too is as fallible as the next, La BellaDonna, she happily will tie the ribbons of her shoes around her ankles! (See Hola to the Dillene, above.) Because La BellaDonna’s feets are narrow, she walks out of pumps and flats, to the peril of life and limb. La BellaDonna therefore takes her shoes to the cobbler, and has him set three pairs of eyelets along the vamps of each shoe. She then threads the eyelets with clear elastic, gilded ribbons, or whatever best suits her outfit and desire at the time. Thus proving that none of us are without flaws, and it is good that in this world, there is the chocolate, the vanilla, and the tutti-frutti, as tastes differ. La BellaDonna, she does not think that this makes her the “fashion victim,” as she makes these alterations to her shoes when no one else does so. In fact, she makes these alterations so as to not become a victim of her fashion! La BellaDonna, she chooses her clothes and her shoes to suit her life, her activities, her needs and her physical limitations, rather than the vagaries of fashion or the opinions of others.

Hola to the Lilly Gibbs! La BellaDonna, she has watched both the British and American versions of the shows. While sometimes she thinks the British transformations they are less cookie-cutter in their outcome, she infinitely prefers the approach of the Stacy and the Clinton, whom she finds less offensive, and more entertaining generally (and often less unkind than the British, which will doubtless horrify the Elinoire). La BellaDonna believes that the Stacy and the Clinton do their best work when the clothes reflect the person actually being made over, rather than when the end result it is a safe and generic “middle ground” (which it too often has been).

Ballet dancers en pointe from the 80s and beyond typically do NOT wear ribbons less than 3/4 inch thick (1/2 inch ribbons are reserved for younger girls and make those w/ an adult-sized ankle look excessively thick) and it is a common practise to “pancake” them so that the shine from the ribbon and the shoe become matte and blend in w/ their tights, effectively creating a seamless line. Even with jazz/broadway dancers, kickliners (i.e. rockettes), or ballroom dancers, they typically wear flesh-coloured shoes that match their skintone/tights/pants AND when there are straps (such as the t-strap), it’s quite low, not above the ankle bone as most non-dancing shoes are.

Plus, ankle straps are adorable and I know now they are also practical. Yay!