I have bad feet. It’s not that they misbehave, of course, but they hurt all the time. I am one of those unlucky soles (I know it’s a bad pun, but I couldn’t help it) that has lost volume in the “Fat pads” on the bottom of my feet. As a result, if I try to wear heels or wedges, or anything that pitches my feet foward, for more than a few minutes, it feels like I’m walking on hot, burning stones. NO amount of padding stops the pain. So I wear flats…a lot of flats.
I have no problem with being the shortest woman in the room (at 5’2″ in flats, you can imagine how often girls in platforms are towering over me), but flats look plain old frumpy with dresses and skirts. I’ve never quite figured out (other than to wear sandals with a sun dress in the Summer) how to deal with the fact that unless I’m sitting down all day or evening, I have to wear flats with my skirts and dresses. As a result, I’ve gravitated to pants. But I LOVE dresses!
I’m not asking for sympathy (stuff happens, you just deal with it) but I did ask for help. And I got it! A golden opportunity to ask an expert, celebrity stylist Gretta Monahan.
A bit about Gretta: She started in Boston with the debut of Grettacole, an intimate salon and spa. Inspired by that success, Gretta launched additional beauty hubs and fashion boutiques Gretta Luxe, as well as the Grettastyle Studio in New York City. Her style empire, Gretta Enterprises, expanded in 2003 when she introduced G Spa, an express spa for the young, hip and time-pressed that offers “mini” treatments with full VIP service. Gretta also appears as a “buddy” on “The Rachael Ray Show,” and as Tim Gunn’s “fashion accomplice” for season two of “Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style.” She has contributed to the “Today Show,” “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “The View;” both her beauty and fashion advice has been featured in W Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Elle and more.
Ok, so I got the ear of an expert and hopefully, new ways to deal with a discouraging style question: “How can ssomeone with really bad feet who cannot wear stilettos or high platforms can rock flats wearing a shirt or a nice dress (not a long sundress where sandals or flat work) and not look like a crazy old lady!”
I said: ” If you can answer this, I’d love it on film..”
…and here it is!