Lots of shoe bargains to be had online

Buying clothing online is quick and convenient. I've found a lot of great garments this way.

But shoes?

They seem like something you'd really need to try before you buy, but online shoe shopping is really popular. Lisa Lee Freeman, editor-in-chief of ShopSmart magazine says there are several reasons for that.

"Because first there are lots of bargains. All the sites have their sale and clearance areas. And also the selection is unbelievable, not just for styles but let's say you're an odd size like a 5 or a 12, you're going to find it easier to find those shoes online."

Freeman says, if you're new at shoe shopping online, stick to the brands you know.

"For example, if you like Nine West, you can pretty much be sure that if you order a size 7, you know your a size 7 in that shoe, it's going to be pretty consistent with that brand," Freeman said.

Another tip: Shop at the sites that have really easy return policies. ShopSmart recommends PiperLime.com and Zappos.com because they let you send back unwanted shoes for free.

Source: KOMO News, 11/19/07

Shock-Absorbing Shoes: Bad For Knees?

Those shock-absorbing athletic shoes and clogs designed to protect and cushion the feet may be bad for arthritic knees.

When researchers examined the effects of different types of footwear on people with knee osteoarthritis, they found that going barefoot put less stress on knee joints than wearing foot-stabilizing walking shoes or clogs.

Flip-flops and a flexible walking shoe were also better choices for minimizing impact to the knees during normal walking.

The researchers determined this by assessing a standard measure of knee joint impact, known as knee load.

"Knee loads play an important role in the progression of knee osteoarthritis," researcher Najia Shakoor, MD, of Rush Medical College, says in a news release. "Shoes have traditionally been engineered to provide foot comfort and little previous attention has been directed to the effects that shoes may have on loading of osteoarthritic knees."

She notes that flat, flexible shoes were best for minimizing the impact on knee joints.

The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in Boston.

Impact of Shoes on Osteoarthritis
According to the Arthritis Foundation, 21 million Americans have osteoarthritis, a chronic disease in which the cartilage that serves as a shock absorber in the joints is broken down over time.

Also known as degenerative joint disease, osteoarthritis is a leading cause of disability among adults. Obesity, age, and joint overuse or injury are risk factors for the condition.

In a 2006 study with a similar design, Shakoor and colleagues reported that going barefoot put less stress on knee joints than wearing everyday walking shoes.

In their latest study, the researchers examined knee loads among 13 women and three men (average age 56 years) with knee osteoarthritis while they were barefoot, and then while they wore a popular brand of clogs, a foot stabilizing walking shoe, a flat, flexible walking shoe, and flip-flops.

Compared to walking barefoot, the clogs and foot-stabilizing walking shoes were associated with significantly higher knee loading.

"These results highlight the importance of re-evaluating the design of modern day shoes in terms of their effects on knee loads and knee osteoarthritis," the researchers write.

More Study Needed
Rheumatologist Dennis Boulware, MD, says he was surprised by the finding that shoes that are good for ailing feet may not be good for ailing knees.

"This does make me a bit concerned about advising patients about certain types of footwear," he says. "I will certainly pay more attention to knee complaints when I put someone in [foot-stabilizing] shoes for foot problems."

Boulware, who is chief of rheumatology for Kaiser Permanente, Honolulu, adds that larger studies are needed to confirm the findings.

"I am somewhat skeptical because of the small size of the study," he says. "But this is clearly something we need to know more about."

CBS News, 11/08/07

Shoe Parties for Time-Pressed Working Moms

Sleek patent-leather pumps, chunky-heeled metallics and we-want-them-now round-toed houndstooth wedges were artfully arranged, two by two, on a Friday evening in a living room.

The buyers at Soles by NioShe, a traveling footwear party, squealed as their eyes took in everything from satin ballet flats to copper, round-toe T-straps.

"I could care less about clothes, but there is something about ... (footwear)," said Dee Greene-Hill, just moments before entrepreneurs Shelly Johnson and Nioka Biggs-Wyatt got things started.

Games, tips and discounts

A typical Soles by NioShe party looks like it could be in an upscale boutique - so many stores in Center City these days are set up to resemble family rooms - but the scent of frying chicken drummettes downstairs makes it feel as if you are at a friend's house.

This party is at Felicia El's home. El, 38, is a legal secretary and is friends with Johnson through a mutual acquaintance. If the party brings in more than $300, El gets a free pair.

It takes about 20 minutes for the women, a group of mostly married professionals, to get settled. There are games, such as one where Biggs-Wyatt holds up a card and the women scream out a well-known brand. And from the moment the guests walk in the door, no one can say the "S" word (which is why Greene-Hill couldn't yell out her passion). If they do, they lose their chance to win a discount.

Before the shopping starts, Biggs-Wyatt gives a fall mini-trend report. Navy blue pumps are going to be big, she says, and every woman should have a pair of sexy metallics. Other advice: Hippy women should stay away from stilettos. "Not enough support," Biggs-Wyatt said as the women nod their heads in agreement.

Then the real event begins. Claire Johnson, 56, of Southwest Philadelphia, can't resist trying on a pair of metallics while Takiyah Payne, 24, has a hard time choosing between brown espadrilles and the houndstooth round toes. She eventually decided on the espadrilles.

"Oh, I know I have a problem," Payne says, laughing.

And what woman doesn't? When it comes to - whew - shoes.

"I can't believe I haven't heard about more of these (shoeparties) happening in other places," Greene-Hill said.

She probably will soon. More and more, working women are supplementing their salaries by becoming on-the-side fashion entrepreneurs.

Cash on the side

This is by no means a new phenomenon. Long before Avon came knocking, Madame C.J. Walker sold hair-straightening products to add to earnings as a maid.

But nowadays, women aren't limiting themselves to peddling established brands like Mary Kay cosmetics or clothing from the direct mail company Doncaster.

They are now selling everything from jewelry (Philadelphia-based company Zivile Art by Zivile Pupinyte) to pocketbooks (B's Purses, started in 2004 by stay-at-home mom Susan Gullien) to plus-size clothing (Philadelphia entrepreneur Danielle Charles recently opened PHAZE in Bala Cynwyd, Pa.).

Sometimes the women design the pieces themselves. Other times, they sell items wholesale. Either way, the businesswomen offer a service they enjoy, and busy working moms cut down on the time-consuming hunt-and-peck shopping process.

Moms Biggs-Wyatt, 31, and Johnson, 36, met at Philadelphia University eight years ago. Soles by NioShe - a combination of the women's first names - spans three states. Biggs-Wyatt, who lives in Blackwood, recruits business in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, while Johnson, who lives in Bear, Del., concentrates on her own state.

"I wanted to open my own boutique," Biggs-Wyatt said. "But the cost of the overhead was just too much. This is the next best thing."

"We saw this as a business opportunity," Johnson said. "We love it, and our friends love it, so why not?"

A business venture

Biggs-Wyatt, who graduated with degrees in fashion and apparel, ventured out on her own in May 2005, after working as a technical designer at QVC in West Chester, Pa. Armed with the contacts she made there, she contacted several companies and spent $1,000 of her own money on merchandise. Stilettos, pumps and T-straps, she said, were her secret passion.

For her one megasale, Biggs-Wyatt rented out a room at the Wyndham in Center City, Pa., printing out flyers and giving them to friends. More than 200 people came.

"I was there for five hours, and I made $6,000," she said. But further retail dreams were put on hold for nearly a year after she got pregnant with son Xavier.

In April 2006, Biggs-Wyatt decided to sell through the season instead of just at one event. She soon realized that lugging boxes of merchandise door to door was too much for one woman to handle. So she asked her friend Johnson to help.

Johnson had worked in marketing for J.P. Morgan Chase, and her son Myles was 18-months-old.

The duo hosted their first show together at Bethany Baptist church in Lindenwold. The show didn't go as well as they planned.

"I think it was the presentation," Johnson said. "... We didn't put them out in pairs. Display is so important."

At the next party, in a home in Delaware, however, they made close to $1,000.

Now the two women visit footwear markets in New York twice a year, where they order boxes of merchandise the same way free-standing stores do.

And twice a week, the women load up their SUVs with boxes of favorite mall brands: Steve Madden, Chinese Laundry and Two Lips. Prices are reasonable, ranging from $25 to $60. The women usually split close to $1,000 a show.

It takes an hour for Biggs-Wyatt and Johnson to set up displays at the churches, offices or homes that call them for parties. Once they are ready - boxes marked sizes 6 to 11 neatly tucked under tables - they wait for women to trickle in: oohing and aahing followed by charging and check-writing.

Source: Savannah Morning News, 10/30/07