MISS MEGHAN HAS MOVED

If you are looking for all things having to do with Meghan Cleary, aka Miss Meghan, she has now moved to MISSMEGHAN.COM.

Lots of fun and exciting things happening so go there right NOW.

NEW YEARS SHOE MUSINGS

Noorindah captured the mood at my New Year's soiree quite perfectly! 

COMFORT VS STYLE: THE ETERNAL SHOE CONFLICT

From Marketing Daily's Sarah Mahoney:

ADD NEW BALANCE TO THE list of shoe marketers looking to branch out beyond performance shoes: The Boston-based company will launch NB Inside, a women's line of fashion sneakers next fall.

New Balance says its new line is key to its plans to reach $3 billion in sales by 2012. Executives say that over time they hope the new collection, with shoes priced around $125, will account for 25% of company sales.

The new strategy makes plenty of sense. New Balance, which also owns PF Flyers and Dunhams, is a brand best-known for its performance shoes, especially running, walking, and cross-training--all fairly stagnant categories of late. But the fashion category, or women's low-performance category, is tearing it up: NPD Group says that in the 12-month period ending in October, sales of women's low-performance athletic footwear increased 31.4% over the same 12-month period the prior year.

"This is the hottest segment in athletic footwear," says Matt Powell, senior research analyst for The SportsOneSource Group. "Right now, it's the second-largest selling category, behind running shoes." Skechers, with about 30% market share, continues to be the leader, he says, with Puma and Nike also top sellers.

Sales in the category are so strong, in fact, "that we've really broken the paradigm in athletic shoe marketing," he says. "For the last 30 years, it's always been about a sports-specific shoe. Maybe one year it was running shoes, and another year it was basketball. But this year, for the first time, it's not about a specific category."

As a result, Powell adds, shoe marketers are scrambling to find the best ways to sell shoes, now that high-priced athletic endorsers make less sense. Some companies certainly use celebrities, he says, "but for most, it's been much more about being in the right kind of retail outlet, as opposed to athletic specialty stores."

Consumer experts say the shift represents a sea change in the way women shop for shoes. "Women have this constant internal conflict about comfort versus style," says Meghan Cleary, a New York-based shoe expert and host of HSN's "Shoe Therapy." "And it's a very funny time in shoes. Even as heels go higher and higher, women are demanding more comfort from their shoes." Another example, she says, has been the popularity of wedge and platform styles recently, "which add height with more comfort."

For years, she points out, regular shoe manufacturers--Naturalizer and Aerosole, for instance--have been injecting sneaker-like comfort into regular shoes. (And then there's Crocs, she says, a comfort phenomenon all on its own.) "So it makes sense that sneaker companies like New Balance, which have already invested millions into comfort technology, would try it too."

New Balance says NB Inside will sport "environmentally preferred materials" inside, "using the natural cushioning, breathable and lightweight properties of cork to provide maximum support." And the shoes will use NB's Abzorb and Abzorb SBS, two of its shock-absorbing technologies, for the "stability, comfort and feel of an athletic shoe."

To the bunion-ridden fashion crowd, it's about time. Adds Cleary: "They're just recognizing that women want this fusion of comfort and style

STILETTO EARRINGS?

Leave it up to fashion blogger and UGLY supermodel (didja see her on Nightline this week?), Najwa Moses to create an earring with Stilettos attached to it.  

Working the trend of shoes in miniature as accessory accents (have you seen the Stiletto clasp on the Louboutin alpaca clutch for Spring?) Najwa's Stiletto earrings (aka the BFF earring) are part of her new earring collection you can check out on Styleaholics.  They capture her signature outrageousness and her clever wordsmithing, with names like BFF, The Blogger, The Celebrity, The Publicist and The Agent. Work it Naj! 

EILEEN SHIELDS SAMPLE SALE: TONITE!

You know we love the Eileen Shields quinteseential "Juliette" t-strap ballerina flat (pictured here).

Get your hands on some tonight: Grape & Grain,620 East 6th Street, btwn B & C, 5:00pm-7:00pm, MC, VISA, AMEX, CASH. Wine and cheese too. mmmmm.

WINTRY BOOTS: KAMIK

I like saying Kamik because it sounds like another language. Which I think it is. But besides that the Kamik people make some very excellent all-weather wintry boots that are cute for a girl in the city, country or anywhere in between.

They are shiny, come in a variety of fun prints and best of all have a really lovely Polartec lining to keep you toasty warm. The lining is an all-important aspect missing in some other rubber boots and believe me when it is 30 degrees and you are slogging to your next appointment, it makes all the difference.

I think I am going to do a rubber boot roundup soon, but until then, enjoy this little tidbit.

SHOE SHOPPING AT GEN ART

You know I love to shop Ashley Dearborn, Ruthie Davis and Madison Harding.

Now can do all under one roof. On sale. With a cocktail to boot. (hee hee)

WHEN: Wednesday, December 5th, 2007
General Admission 6:00pm – 10:00pm

WHERE: Puck Building
293 Lafayette St. (btw. Prince and Houston)
New York, NY 10012

WHO: 50+ womenswear, accessories & menswear sell current season samples and overstock for up to 70% off at an upscale and stylish shopping event. Guests will also be pampered with blow outs and hairstyling by Ecru NY, manicures and brow grooming by Tweezerman, chocolate from Cote d’Or, complimentary cocktails courtesy of Baileys, Johnnie Walker, and custom gift-wrap printing from Epson.

Tickets: Free for Gen Art members, $15 advance purchase
VIP Tickets*: $30 for Gen Art members/$40 general
*Includes 1st picks on designer items, champagne, hors d’oeuvres, and special VIP shopping bag full of fashionable products!

Visit www.genart.org or 212.255.7300

SHOE THERAPY (TM) WITH MEGHAN CLEARY:TONIGHT NOVEMBER 16

Get into it.

(That's me wearing the Hot in Hollywood Slouch Boot in Grey on my last Shoe Therapy appearance)

Shoe Therapy (R)with me, Meghan Cleary, America's Shoe Expert tonight 11 PM Pacific and
2 AM Eastern Standard Time.










You know you want to stay up late for therapy. I mean, why not? You probably could use some feel-good prescriptions and I also have a little treat for you tonight in the show. A special preview of some shoes I discovered about two years ago who have refined their styles and are now one of the new brands on HSN.

If you are too tired, tune in tomorrow on HSN.COM:


Go to: HSN.COM

Click on: HSNTV

Click on "Weekly Product Review"

Find Friday, November 16 at 2 am: Shoe Therapy, click and enjoy.

You can watch at your desk at work
-- the boss won't notice that you are buying stilettos I promise.

There will be more of that in the New Year so stay tuned. And remember, you can always shop on HSN.COM if the phone lines are busy during the show. We expect sell-outs on many of the styles so is always smart to get your order in ASAP online, then you can relax and enjoy the Shoe Prescriptions I will be giving out!

xo
Meg

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES SHOES

It's all right here. Curiously enough they didn't include Hillary in the bunch, only the man-folk, but was fun to analyze them anyway.

From RADARonline:

If you can judge a man by his shoes, what would you find out about the current crop of presidential contenders? Radar convened a panel of famous footwear fetishists to find out. Weighing in are former Diddy manservant Fonzworth Bentley, Meghan Cleary, author of The Perfect Fit: What Your Shoes Say About You, Barneys New York creative director Simon Doonan, and cobbling legend John Fluevog. Below, their character assessments from the ankle down. Click through to reveal the candidate in full.

1. Black Loafer
CLEARY: "These are the most presidential of all the shoes. Their wearer is a serious candidate who understands how to gracefully navigate tricky waters with apparent ease. The shoe's bright shine is a sign of high self-esteem."

2. Low-Top 
Hiking Boot
CLEARY: "This guy is casual but not disorganized. He's a totally solid, extremely grounded straight shooter and a serious worker with a sense of adventure."

3. Cordovan Oxford
CLEARY: "He's traditional and can go along with convention sometimes, but he's also a scrapper who's not interested in details, just in getting the job done."

4. Faux Monk-
Strap with Velcro 
Fastener
CLEARY: "This man likes to be on the go, and could be a real modernist open to new ideas—or be casual to the point of sloppiness. Either way, he's a sensitive guy setting himself apart from the crowd."

5. Brown Lace-Up
CLEARY: "He's very old-school, preppy, and straightforward, but doesn't spend a lot of money on frills."

See who I am talking about on RADAR. . .

DUE FARINA SAMPLE SALE: GET INTO IT

Rebeca Minkoff and Due Farina share their luxurious Collections with you at special prices.

Nov 13 until Nov 16 12pm-8pm.
158 Grand St. #207, 2nd Floor (between Lafayette St. and Centre St.)
50% off bags and shoes!
Famous "Morning After Bag" Italian Leather, as seen on Lindsday Lohan! Orig.
$595 now 50% off
Over the knee Equestrian Boots in calf nappa leather. Orig. $495 now 50%
off

VS, MC and AX accepted

$50,000 SNEAKERS

Bring the bling, that's what I always say.

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution today:

$50,000 sneakers? Big Boi to get first pair
by Christian Boone

Sneakers are a bona fide fashion ccessory, but are you ready to shell out $50,000 for a pair of diamond-studded Nikes?

If you're Big Boi from OutKast, you won't have to. He's getting the pair free, compliments of Atlanta retailers Laced Up Boutique and Priyya and Chintans Diamonds. First of a kind, they say.

Big Boi.

Artisans in Mumbai, India, are putting the finishing touches on the sneakers, featuring diamonds studded around the famous swoosh logo.

Diamonds are bedazzling everything from iPods to brassieres, which got Priyya and Chintans owner Rita Patel thinking: "Why not diamonds on sneakers?"

The inspiration hit her while waiting in line for breakfast across the street from Laced Up. Just so happens the upscale shoe boutique caters to hip-hop stars like T.I. and Usher. Owner Ernel Dawkins expects the sneaks will be a big hit with his celebrity clientele.

"People in the entertainment industry aren't afraid to spend big money, and sneakers are becoming like collectibles," Dawkins said. A mock-up of the shoes displayed at the recent BET Awards in Atlanta sparked dozens of inquiries.

The customized shoes are Air Force 1 "So Cals." Without diamonds, they retail for $225. To add the diamonds, the logo is cast in gold metal, and the diamonds are studded in casings held together by a fine gold stitching, Patel said.

"They had to look good, of course, and they had to be comfortable," she said.

"I have never heard of diamonds on sneakers, but it's a natural progression. It speaks to the whole rise of sneaker culture," said Meghan Cleary, host of "Shoe Therapy" on HSN.

The 11-carat sneakers will be unveiled Nov. 27.

And yes, you can get a pair in time for Christmas. Orders won't be taken until late November, and Patel said it takes about three to four weeks to complete the diamond studding.

"In the hip-hop industry, it's all about topping each other," Patel said. "We think it will be well worth it in the long run."

There's some precedent for this confidence.

On the HBO show "Entourage," one of the characters was gifted a $20,000 pair of sneakers, Nike Air Force 1 Fukijamas. The next day, Dawkins said he received dozens of calls from people wanting the same shoes.

"I was like, 'yeah man, that's cool but that's a TV show,'" he said. "It's not for real. I don't have 'em."

Cleary said the retailers shouldn't sweat their investment.

"I think you're going to see more and more uber-luxury customizations of sneakers," she said. "Sneakers have become such a mode of expression.

"Next year, you'll probably be writing about a $100,000 pair of sneakers."

Chuck Taylor must be running laps in his grave.

BONTONI SHOES

My friends at Bontoni made the ForbesLife find of the day. And while I espouse all manner for Stilettos for women, one thing I am always adamant about for men is having a pair of custom made shoes. Just one pair in your closet is an amazing investment in yourself that will last you a lifetime and speak volumes about the man you are to anyone you hope to attract - from business investors to girlfriends. Not to mention being extremely comfortable as they are made just for your foot and wear in to form perfectly over the years. So men, listen to Miss Meghan, on this point. You can thank me later.

STILETTOS: COMFORT VS. STYLE

The fabulous Amy Dufault investigated further into the eternal conflict in the Cape Cod Times . . .

Step away from foot pain

By AMY DuFAULT

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

November 05, 2007

You, the woman with the neatly lined boxes of slightly worn shoes! And you! The shoe hoarder who chanted, "Fashion is pain, fashion is pain," while jamming your swollen toes into a shiny new pair of pumps because they looked so perfect. The time has come to get real.

Just to start this out right, keep in mind that rumor has it a whopping nine out of 10 women have something irregular with their feet, anything from bunions to hammer toes to flat feet to arthritis. Finding comfortable shoes isn't always easy, but there are little tricks and I've swollen my own size nines to get them to you.

First, the fun stuff.

We turn to the supreme authority on all things shoes, the Home Shopping Network's Meghan Cleary, whose show, "Shoe Therapy," offers "part high-end runway commentary, part shopping with the girls, and a whole lot of shoe excitement," according to her Web site.

Cultivating a lifelong obsession into a new career as doyenne of all things shoe, Cleary a favorite of Tyra Banks and proclaimed a "shoe psychologist" by Isaac Mizrahi, says thousands of women have poured their hearts out to her when it comes to shoes and she knows why.

"I think the biggest thing with shoes is how it reflects a woman's mood and state of mind in a particular moment," says Cleary. "They're more revealing than jeans or bags, because they hit on a number of different levels and have a physiological impact on how we walk and occupy space."

Author of "The Perfect Fit" (2005, Chronicle Books), Cleary believes that though most women are constantly in search of the perfect-fitting shoe, they need to look more at themselves and their ever-changing lifestyles.

"I think there's sort of a conflict within a woman when it comes to comfort and style," says Cleary. "We see a beautiful pair of shoes and want them to fit, but I don't think any shoe is going to be perfectly perfect."

If a woman should find that perfect shoe, Cleary says, she should always buy more than one pair.

And, she adds there are tricks to making a shoe fit even if it doesn't want to.

A strong supporter of Dr. Scholl's insoles and molding skin foam that can be cut out to any shape you need, Cleary says she puts the foam on the inside of her shoe to alleviate pressure points that by day's end will become pain points.

"One thing I've realized as a shoe expert is to really, really tailor your shoe to you," says Cleary

To read the rest of the article, click here.

THE SHOE MAN COMES TO TOWN

All the way from Iceland, Sruli came to visit me and show me his extremely cool shoes. You know they are amazing when they smell good.

ME, IN BOSNIAN

From http://www.weekend.ba

MEGHAN CLEARY ON THE TODAY SHOW NOVEMBER 2

Tune for Stiletto Strategies (C) and lots of other fun info
on the TODAY show, Friday, November 2 in the 8 am and 10 am hours EST.

We shot at the fabulous new Saks Fifth Avenue shoe floor and I had a moment with some new Alaias. You know how I love my Alaia and well, they have these new ones and well, I almost fainted at their beauty.

SPECIAL FOR MISS MEGHAN READERS: LE DUE

hi sugars. Special for you from Marina Rosin the fab designer behind Due Farina and now their amazing second line, Le Due, a little coupon to celebrate their online store opening. Go here and shop till you drop. Check out the Rustic (pictured on right) one of my faves.

xo
Meg

HOLLYWOULD FOR TARGET

I have been a fan of Hlly Dunlap's creations ever since she revolutionized ballet flats with her comfort soles and made them in a rainbow array of colors to suit every downtown girl's palette. Now she's at Target, and you KNOW how much I heart Target. View the entire collection here.
xo
Meg

DO THE SHOE-BOOTIE WITH MEGHAN CLEARY!

STRAPPY FOR SPRING

Legendary street fashion documentarian Bill Cunningham has sniffed a bit of the strap sandal phenom that will be dominating the shoe landscape come Spring. It is going to be strappy, stroppy, and more strappy.