Re: "When You Meet a Stranger, Look at His Shoes..."

Yes, it's all in the shoes...and Michael Stipe was correct in these lyrics.

I've gotta say the French have footwear down to a science. I do love shoes, not in a stupid Carrie Bradshaw from "Sex in the City" sort of way, but in a way that I do have an appreciation for a well-crafted, cool looking shoe.

I have one pair of Prada sandals that I've worn...maybe twice, because they really hurt. I once had a mini-collection of Imitation of Christ boots that were actually given to me by the designer, Tara Subkoff, from my days working fashion, but those too, didn't really work out so well for me, so I sold them at the Buffalo Exchange in the East Village...then blew my earnings at Veniero's. I have a bunch of heels, but I rarely wear them...I guess the tomboy in me prefers my Chucks and Frye boots. As long as there is no rain, snow, sleet, or a steep marble staircase, I can even walk in heels quite well...but I just opt for something a lil' flatter.

The superficial girl in me actually has a list of shoes that she would permit her ideal boy to wear and not wear...I always have...but here, wow! French boys know exactly what to wear on their feet...I'm not even going to get into how they know how to wear a suit unlike American men...(ie. well-tailored, narrow-cut and perfect...Thom Browne and Don Draper would be proud).

I realize there are fundamental differences simply because of an ocean, but why? New York boys, a decent percent of them, get it...why can't the rest of the states?

As I write this, I'm listening to a very American band, Interpol, and I've gotta say, these boys have their footwear in check fo' damn sho'.

Dear American boys: can we possibly take a lesson from our European friends? Can we understand that the toe of a shoe says everything? Because in the mind of this American...it says so much...

xo.Mandy.