Manolo the Columnist
Manolo says, the latest column of the Manolo it is now available for the downloading at the Express of the Washington Post website.
Today, the topic it is the flat-feeted waitresses.
Dear Manolo,
I have a “friend” who works as a cocktail waitress. She also has flat feet, incredibly flat feet, and she wears a size eleven. Of course, she can’t find anything that’s attractive and will fit her orthotics. Please help my friend.
Sarah
Manolo says, ayyyyyyy! To be the cocktail waitress of the big flat feet, the Manolo can think of few situations more difficult.
It is the sad fact that the waitresses of the cocktails they are judged and rewarded to some of the extent on their personal attractiveness (but are not we all?), and yet if one is forced to be clomping around in the great pain because of the deformity of the feets, the phrase “whisky sour” would perhaps take on the whole new meaning.
Indeed, nothing can make the Manolo’s beloved Kir Royale turn to the bitter liquid ashes in the mouth like the unpleasantness of the server.
And so, in the interest of the good taste, the Manolo would recommend to the “friend” of his friend Sarah, the pair of the traditional heeled dance shoes, such as the Professional Footlight by the Capezio. These shoes, which are available in the large and wide sizes, they are specifically designed to be comfortable and attractive under the most arduous conditions.
July 14th, 2006 at 10:30 am
An absolutely brilliant solution Manolo! Plus, dance shoes a very well made, very sturdy, and can certainly stand up to having just about anything spilled on them.
July 14th, 2006 at 10:43 am
Just another example of the genius of the Manolo! As a woman with the size 11 feets, I have actually worn the shoes of which you speak (as tap shoes) and believe that this is a most wonderful suggestion.
July 14th, 2006 at 12:23 pm
[…] product details at Amazon”> The ever foot conscious Manolo made a wonderful point in his recent Washington Post column about the attractiveness and comfort of the prof […]
July 14th, 2006 at 12:44 pm
Carnivale of Couture: Technical complexity
Next week Fashion-Incubator is hosting the Carnivale of Couture. The topic is: Tell us about the most technically complex garment you have either owned or constructed, describing it’s unique features. Feel free to include photos if you have them. You…
July 14th, 2006 at 2:03 pm
Superfantastic choice, Manolo!
And Capezios come in a variety of styles, with t-straps, peep-toe, and slightly lower heel, too.
July 14th, 2006 at 4:19 pm
I’ve kept a pair of these shoes on hand for probably twenty years. I had noticed them on some of the performers in The Nutcracker Suite with Baryshnikov on TV when I was a teenager and thought they were classically appealing and must be comfortable if people were able to dance in them. They are my emergency shoes for when I know I’ll be on my feet all evening, or will have a long, difficult walk from the parking lot to an event. I even got a pair in white for my wedding.
July 14th, 2006 at 4:36 pm
I wear the lower-heeled version of these when I play the organ. I wore the ones recommended for years as my street shoes in New York City. I had rubber heels and toe taps put on them to make them stand up better to the concrete. And then I could pretend I was a Rockette. (Takes some pretending when you’re five feet tall!)
July 14th, 2006 at 5:25 pm
Hmm Manolo, a good choice but as an avid consumer of Capezios (I dance ballet), I must warn that everything Capezio (shoes, leotards, tights, etc.) tends to run smaller and in the case of shoes, narrower. I think a good chioce would definitely be the equally popular Bloch which tends to be wider and larger.
Also, no dance shoes outside of the studio/workplace lest she wants to tear them up on concrete.
To fit her orthodics, I would recommend tearing out the leather lining (most dance shoes have them) and sticking the orthodic right on top of the glue. The lining is pretty thin but if you worry about space, that’s the first thing I’d do. I do that with all my regular shoes in which the lining tends to be much thicker. I also have flat feet so I can empathise with this woman’s friend.
July 14th, 2006 at 5:37 pm
one problem: this “friend” won’t wear anything with an ankle strap. very fussy.
July 14th, 2006 at 6:53 pm
I totally agree with the Ninjarina on the recommendation of Blochs over Capezios. I also have worn both brands for ballet/jazz and I like the fit of the Blochs much better.
One thing to be aware of though…the bottoms of dance shoes are quite slick and caution must be exercised if the bar in which Sarah’s friend works has hardwood floors. Spilled drinks = alcohol abuse. =)
July 14th, 2006 at 7:38 pm
I’ve never had trouble with the Professional Footlight on concrete—yes, some slipperiness at the beginning (or on painted concrete floors). But you can easily hit the pad of the sole w/sandpaper, or have the slip-proof pads put on the soles. And while they might not look like they’d be very flattering, they’re actually quite graceful and elegant looking.
Dance shoes are indeed a blessing; and they make so many fabulous styles & colors, you can look just as glamorous as anyone else!
July 15th, 2006 at 10:39 am
I had the soles of my dance shoes coated with Topy (a non-slip coating) making them durable enough for street wear.
July 15th, 2006 at 3:34 pm
Is the career choice of cocktail waitress temporary, or a long-term assignment?
July 16th, 2006 at 3:48 pm
temporaray, i believe
July 16th, 2006 at 7:19 pm
A question for the Manolo, who is far wiser and stronger than I: Who is this guy?! And who did that to him?
July 17th, 2006 at 2:57 am
Wow, I think it’s Kurt Cobain! The conspiracy theorists were right about this one! And no doubt he just pulled something out of Courtney’s closet for the occasion.
July 17th, 2006 at 6:04 am
I have found you can almost never go wrong with a capezio - sadly after having two kids my feet went from 7.5 to 8.5 and stayed so for over a year. I gave all my shoes away. Naturally another year later I was back to 7.5.
8 pair of capezios gone forever
12 amalfi ….
sigh
July 17th, 2006 at 5:05 pm
As to the leather sole and outside wearing, you can for about $20 get a thin rubber sole glued to it by your cobbler. I do this to nearly all the shoes I might wear in rainy conditions and it’s great.
July 18th, 2006 at 8:26 am
I was watching an episode of the BBC series “The Royal” on PBS the other night, and one of the characters, a nurse, mentioned going shopping for Capezios.
July 19th, 2006 at 10:07 pm
I believe the heels on this pair of shoes is too high to fit the orthotics.