So, of course, the “Rouge Red” pink running shoes Wendy Davis wore for her historic filibuster have become quite the fashion trend. Per Jessica Bennett at NYMag’s “The Cut” blog:
Alycia Burton laced hers up this morning with a silk blouse and pencil skirt — then headed to her job at a Forth Worth electrical distributor. Carol Moss, a Utah state representative, snapped a shot of hers propped up on a coffee table. Melissa Pierce, a Chicago entrepreneur, managed to get kicked out of a club in hers — pink sneakers peeking out from a sleek navy cocktail dress.
And David Teran, a tech consultant for IBM, hunted down a women’s size 12 (men’s 10) while on a road trip with his brother in Louisiana. Today, he is flaunting them at the Texas state capital — where thousands of protesters are rallying this afternoon as the legislature attempts, yet again, to pass a restrictive overhaul of the state’s abortion law…
“It’s like a secret club,” says Pierce, 36, who wore the shoes to work today with a black pantsuit. “It’s like, ‘Do you stand with Wendy? I stand with Wendy.’” Michelle Madhok, an online shopping expert and start-up founder, agrees: “These are not sneakers that will go quietly. When I wear these I am saying loudly that I support the sisterhood.”…
Nitpickers at the Fashionista blog have a quibble:
Mizuno does not seem too keen on milking or promoting or cashing in on the publicity–or even expressing support for Davis…
A search on the FEC’s political donations database reveals that Mizuno President Robert Puccini has donated at least twice to the Republican National Committee and voted for Mitt Romney in 2012. So, that could have something to do with the company’s lack of enthusiasm.
Fortunately, reports USA Today, honorary Texan Connie Britton is stepping up:
… Tami Taylor is the fictional character memorably played on TV by Connie Britton, and the actress is showing her support for Texas women with a special T-shirt as the state Legislature once again considers an abortion bill.
Taylor was the coach’s wife on the now-canceled show Friday Night Lights about a Texas high school football team. Britton is teaming up with the Planned Parenthood Action Fund for the month of July on orange or white shirts. On the front they say, “WWTTD? What would Tami Taylor do?” and “standwithtexaswomen.org” on the back…
“I have been inspired by how people around the country have united to stand with the women of Texas, and I can’t help but think that, in this moment, we all have the opportunity to join with and become strong, powerful Texas men and women,” Britton, an Emmy Award-nominee for her portrayal of Tami, said in a statement. Britton is now star of the ABC show Nashville.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund, which stood with Davis during her filibuster, sells the shirts at cost. ($32 for the orange version and $22 for white.)
While not quite as sartorially versatile as a nice pair of rouge-red running shoes, they should pair beautifully with, for instance, extra-large men’s cargo shorts and flip-flops…
The Snarxist Formerly Known as Kryptik
I’m glad people are getting behind Wendy. On a week where both Ohio and Kansas have signed in their own personal “Punishing Women for Sex Act of 2013”, we need support for those fighting the good fight down in Tey-has.
j
At least they weren’t Funky Monkey Eff Me Pumps like Palin whored around in (as long as someone else was buying).
I found them:
google.com/search?q=monkey+shoes+palin&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=f…
Redshirt
Brand until you can brand no more.
Cassidy
I haven’t tried Mizuno yet. I like my Adidas and the New Balance before that was comfortable.
burnspbesq
I think giving fashion advice to Cole may be the definition of a Sisyphean endeavor.
muddy
@burnspbesq: Look at the do-rag on him in the post upstairs.
? Martin
Merrells for walking, ugly-ass Brooks for running. But Merrells are the best shoes, by far, I have ever owned. Stand for 12 straight hours? Not a problem.
Anne Laurie
@muddy: To be fair, us Pasty People get sunburned scalps even when we’re young and have all our hair.
My red-headed brother was at Coast Guard bootcamp back when the first PABA lotions were hitting the market, and they hadn’t been CG-approved. He ended up in the infirmary with severe blistering on his newly shaven head…
Violet
@? Martin: Brooks are really good running shoes. Used to be my shoe of choice until they changed something and suddenly they didn’t work as well for me. Then I went New Balance. Then something changed there and last time I got Adidas. Don’t really like them though. About time for new shoes.
muddy
@Anne Laurie: I’m ginger as well, but when my head was shaved it was winter. I never got a sunburn on my head.
From what is below the rag, he seems to have plenty of hair. I think it was a fashion choice/bad hair day.
Anne Laurie
@? Martin:
Problem for me, Merrel doesn’t make many women’s shoes in wide widths — and the one pair I could find to try on was maybe a C. My flat little bear paws need a D, and the Spousal Unit wears EEE. Rockports or New Balance, for us (Easy Spirit for me).
burnspbesq
@muddy:
Oh, my.
Bobby Thomson
@Violet: Try Asics. Or something else. Just go to a local store that specializes in running shoes and lets you try them out on a treadmill.
? Martin
@Violet: Yeah, they’re good. Wearing the Merrells for the first time was almost life changing. I took a 5 mile walk the first day and had no fatigue, and no need for break-in. I keep thinking that somewhere out there is a running shoe that gives me the same sort of ‘OMG these are amazing’ experience. Brooks aren’t quite at that level.
Violet
@Bobby Thomson: I always go to a good store that lets me try the shoes and whose sales staff is trained in how to fit them. I learned the hard way years ago not to buy just whatever is cheap or on sale. Burned myself by doing that.
MomSense
I like merrells, keen, and clarks. I have a tough time finding sneakers. For years I wore canvas slippers for dance so I do better with less support. Unfortunately nikes just don’t fit my feet otherwise I think the nike frees would be great.
jamick6000
— Philip Sheridan
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
@Violet: That’s how the New Balance here in Rockwall really justifies their price: The employees could tell you about every shoe and the shape of every foot they fit.
? Martin
@Anne Laurie: Well, my feet are my best quality. (Yeah, you take what you can get.) So, shoes are easy for me – whatever little robotic foot mold the shoe manufacturers use to design size 11s are clones of my feet. But I can sympathize. Ms Martin needs wide widths and has terrible time buying shoes.
Jane2
Mizuno tweeted quite nicely….sales trumps politics. I haven’t worn Mizuno, but I’m getting a pair….I never thought I’d see the day when it was the 60s all over again.
nellcote
Connie Briton/Tami Taylor got a whole lot of shit for humanely counsoling a pregnant teen on that show btw.
Jane2
@? Martin: Love my Merrells. Wore Saucony for years until the blood blisters from a half-marathon…am now a Brooks gal, thanks to the knowledgeable staff at Scheel’s.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
Congratulations, Anne Laurie. Cole waited a whole 10 minutes to bigfoot you!
Mnemosyne
I used to love my Mizunos before my knee injury (unrelated — I injured my knee falling off a stepladder). I should probably give them another try. My current exercise shoes are all Asics, but I’ve never been totally happy with them.
I have a bunch of Merrells (they even make bicycling shoes), but I have the opposite problem of most people here — I have narrow feet, which is even harder to find. I used to buy Naturalizer a lot, but even they’re not making as many narrows as they used to.
becca
I live in Toms. I wear them everywhere. I must have five pairs.
I have a permanent Toms tan line. Makes wearing sandals unpossible, but saves on pedicures.
Life is full of trade-offs.
Matt
The reviews on the Amazon page are priceless. Do yourself a favor and read a few.
TCG
I was going to buy a pair, but I really don’t want to give another GOP 1%er more money to fund right wing causes and politicians.
AHH onna Droid
@Anne Laurie: Omg, another D. Wow! Its always hell for me to find shoes. NB for years until they started to suck. The outlet had a set of stairs to nowhere, so obsessed as a kid.
I once looked for shoes at a Target. No a single shoe in women’s men’s or boys fit me.
And walmart shoes…ugh…forced there briefly when Redwing dropped my size…crushed my toes and sliced them up. Have Wolverines now.
Amir Khalid
I haven’t worn running shoes in years. My health issues preclude running for exercise, and my finances preclude paying the absurd prices demanded by Adidas, Puma, Nike, et al. For the past few years, I’ve worn nothing but work boots with gel insoles. Tough, cheap, comfy. And ankle support is a wonderful thing.
I’ve found buying footwear a problem, also too. Apparently, a lot of shoe stores here consider UK size 9 freakishly large, and width sizing is unheard of. (I often find the normal width painfully narrow.)
? Martin
@Amir Khalid: Size 9 UK is like a 9-10 here in the US. Damn, that’s small. I’m a touch under 6′ and wear 11s. My son is 15, 5’5″ and in 13s. Ok, 13 is freakishly large, but 9-10 isn’t.
Amir Khalid
@? Martin:
My Caterpillar boots are marked UK size 9 and US size 10. For some reason, Malaysian guys usually have tiny feet relative to their height. My brother and I seem to be exceptions.
Rosalita
I got a pair, because Wendy, because I loved the color and now that I’ve tried them out I really like them. Cut slightly lower than my Asics near the ankle which is a good thing for me. Too bad the president of Mizuno is a GOP asshole.