Pageant Week Shoes!

Normally I am asking for your help in collecting shoes for Soles4Souls, but in this blog I wanted to share some tips on shoes for the week.

The outing day can add up to lots of time on our feet, so a comfortable shoe is a must regardless of the heel height or style. Many blisters for a lot of ladies have come out of this day, band aids in your purse can be a great life saver! I chose a higher wedge that was very comfortable. I walked around in it A LOT before Jacksonville to wear them in. If you like a heel though and can rock it for hours, then shine on with the heel!

For fitness the first year competing in 2013 for Mrs. International I wore a shoe with a slim sole that was cute in person, but viewing photos after the pageant, it looked terrible on stage. For Mrs. International 2014 fitness I chose and Adidas all white shoe with a medium sole, and emphasis on the heel. It felt comfortable, gave me a little height, but was still simple enough to not be distracting in any way. Photo by Paula Preston

Chelsea Cooley Altman from Toned to Win was a great help in selecting my interview shoes and get something closer to my skin tone in a nude (reminder our skin might get darker with skin tans and the once nude shoe will look whiter the darker we get). With interview shoes, the simpler the better. Personally I prefer a closed toe interview shoe, but if you feel great in a peep toe, by all means wear it. If you are comfortable in a heel with height, wear it, but make sure it is not something you will wobble in when standing at the judges table on a very plush carpet. Photo by Paula Preston

Here is a great shoe from Chinese Laundry that would look excellent with a number of interview outfits! http://www.chineselaundry.com/chinese-laundry/wow-platform-pump-4694)

It was a good thing we were able to practice in the shoes that we would be wearing for evening gown because it was during rehearsal I realized due to the unevenness of the stage, my evening gown shoes needed to be modified. If you look realllllly close, there is tape….yes clear tape around my foot. The shoes for my evening gown were a clear platform which I had walked in to practice many times, but the stage is different and has places of unevenness. Photo by Paula Preston

With how intricate my Sherri Hill evening gown from Competitive Image was, I was set on having a shoe that didn’t interfere with the gowns design so everyone’s eyes went to my feet instead of the dress. This clear shoe was a perfect combination as shoe of similar gown color or too much sparkle would have taken away from the overall look. If my dress was simpler, a more detailed shoe would have worked well in that case. Photo by Paula Preston

Looking back, this is the shoe I should have worn for evening gown with a strap. When it is a time to walk slower and with elegance, the more stable the shoe the better for evening gown!

Happy shoe shopping and I will be excited to see what everyone is wearing!

Live What you Love,

Maggi
Your Mrs. International 2014

#GiveShoesGiveLove