QVC teamed up with the Fashion Footwear Association of NY for their 19th annual “FFANY Shoes on Sale,” to put a foot forward in the fight against breast cancer. Over 120,000 pairs of designer shoes from 90 different retailers were sold at half price, with all proceeds going to breast cancer research and education.
Fashionistas like Nicole Richie, Kristin Cavallari, Katrina Bowden and Helen Mattsson were among the celebrities who came out to support the cause, and we asked them to share their high-heeled secrets.
What’s your secret to surviving in high heels?
Nicole Richie, the PSA spokesperson for the event, has no tricks up her sleeves for strutting all day long in high heels. “You just have to learn to walk, or you suffer through it,” she says.
New mom and reality star Kristin Cavallari has a little more sympathy for heels and toes — she suggests avoiding heels at all-night events. And also, “Bring flats in the car so you can put them on before you get out and when you get back in,” she says.
Katrina Bowden, star of “30 Rock,” agrees. “I often carry an extra pair of shoes in my bag so I can change out of my heels,” says Bowden. “I’m not the girl that can walk around on concrete for hours and hours wearing heels.”
What does your shoe closet look like?
“It’s all condensed and my shoes are packed into the closet,” says Bowden. "I kind of roughly counted the other day, not including flip-flops and stuff like that, probably about 40 pairs of shoes.”
While Cavallari doesn’t know exactly how many shoes she has, she admits her shoe collection is “very big,” but she has a few favorites. “My favorite pair of boots are a black suede pair that I just wear with everything” she says. “They go with everything — you can wear them with a dress, leggings or jeans.”
Have you ever had a shoe disaster?
Lucky for Richie and Cavallari, they’ve never had a nightmare heel situation, “but knock on wood,” says Cavallari. “I have to present tonight and I’m really nervous about walking out on stage!”
“666 Park Ave” star Helena Mattsson says she had a shoe disaster just last week at her show’s premiere. “I was wearing shoes that were a size too small — that’s always a disaster!” So how did she solve her shoe fiasco? By taking them off. “It’s not so fun walking around barefoot,” she says.
Bowden’s latest heel mishap happened to be with her brand new Prada shoes when she was coming out of a cab in New York City. “My heel went through one of those grates and it completely tore up the back of the heel,” she says. “It had this gold fabric over the back of it and it all came off,” she says regretfully. Thankfully, the shoes were able to be repaired.
Fun stories about food, relationships, the great outdoors and more.