Woman at the revolution

The Arab Spring appears to have produced its own Marie Antoinette ― brighter and better educated than the original and with a much tougher husband, but with the same acquisitive tastes.

She is Asma al-Assad, 36, wife of Syrian dictator Bashir al-Assad, and all through the yearlong uprising that has left more than 9,000 of her countrymen dead in the indiscriminate shelling of neighborhoods, whole cities even, Asma has been ordering tens of thousands of dollars' worth of luxury goods from Europe.

The Syrian opposition somehow got hold of emails detailing her extensive purchases ― such as handmade furniture, expensive jewelry, ornate candlesticks, a pair of Christian Louboutin patent-leather pumps with towering heels for $1,230, a custom dining-room table with seating for eight.

After 12 previous rounds of sanctions, these purchases persuaded the European Union and Turkey to finally get tough. "It is perhaps this that persuaded us to toughen the sanctions," said French foreign minister Alain Juppe.

Her credit cards, and those of the other womenfolk in the Assad family, have been blocked in the EU and they, with the exception of Asma, are barred from traveling there.

Asma, British-born but of Syrian descent, is a British citizen and can still travel there, however. She just can't spend any money. A look at her purchases indicated that this might be a real hardship.

The Guardian posted online  some of her shopping trophies. Not that she was totally profligate. She boasted of her agent getting a 15 percent discount on a $3,445 glowing red Ming Luce vase. Just what one needs, along with a silver fondue set and a gold-leaf mirror decorated with butterflies, to ride out a revolution.

Only twice do her purchases indicate any sense of danger ― a bulletproof twill blazer and bulletproof barn coat for her husband.

The woman is no dummy. Born in England, her father was a London cardiologist. She graduated from a prestigious college with a degree in computer science and went on to a successful career as an investment banker.
She married Bashir in December 2000, and the couple have three children. But her husband's tight cocoon of family members and fellow Alawite tribesmen, plus that unlimited expense account, seems to have divorced the entire Assad clan from what was happening in the Arab street.

According to an email obtained by the Guardian, she sought a friend's opinion of a pair of $4,900 shoes with crystal-encrusted 6-l/4-inch heels. The friend replied, perhaps presciently, "I don't think they're going 2 B useful anytime soon unfortunately."

May we suggest a good pair of running shoes instead? Better for beating the mob to the airport.

Skinny Jeans and High Heels

Skinny Jeans and High Heels: What Health Dangers Lurk in Your Closet?

High fashion has a cost — and it's not just on the price tag. Sky-high stilettos and skin-tight jeans may actually jeopardize your health, say experts who cite various health conditions, from bacterial infections to leg numbness, as evidence of the hazards of being fashion forward.

Here are a few fashion risks to be aware of, so you can avoid the worst faux pas of them all: self-injury.

Fashion culprit: Tight jeans
Health risk: Squeezing into tight pants (or cinching belts too tight) can cause nerve compression, numbness and digestive issues. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, internist Dr. Octavio Bessa of Stamford, Conn., coined the term “tight pants syndrome” in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 1993, after seeing many patients with abdominal discomfort, distention and heartburn due to ill-fitting clothes. According to Bessa's report, “the diagnosis can be made easily in the office by comparing the size of the trousers with the abdominal girth. There is usually a discrepancy of 7.5 centimeters or more.”

Fashion culprit: Stilettos
Health risk: The narrow toe box and high heels of stiletto shoes wreak a lot of havoc, including bunions, hammer toes, nerve damage, bone death, stress fractures and ankle sprains. As New York City-based podiatrist, John E. Mancuso told me (at More magazine) last March, the higher the heel, the more a person's weight is thrown forward and placed on the balls of the feet, which causes pain. “The key is either limiting stiletto wear or finding a shoe with strong arch support and good weight distribution,” Mancuso said.

Fashion culprit: Thong underwear
Health risk: Rough seams can cause chafing and small breaks in sensitive skin. This allows for fungal growth and bacterial infections, according to Dr. Deborah Coady of SoHo Obstetrics and Gynecology in New York City, a problem that may be exacerbated by tight-fitting skinny jeans. And, as Coady told More, the “heat and friction of sexual activity can make these infections worse.” She recommends protecting the skin around clothing edges with products like Aquaphor, vitamin E oil, safflower oil or olive oil.

Fashion culprit: Neckties
Health risk: Tight ties and shirt collars (67% of men buy shirts that are too small at the neck) can cut off circulation to the head, causing blurry vision, headache and tingly ears, the Wall Street Journal reports. They can also limit neck movement and increase muscle tension in the back and shoulders. Worse yet, since ties aren't washed as frequently as other clothing, they may be laden with disease-causing germs. Another good reason to go casual.

Fashion culprit: Earrings
Health risk: The Wall Street Journal reports that about 20% of body piercings develop a bacterial infection, according to a review by Northwestern University dermatologists. Also, any jewelry or accessory that contains nickel — even in tiny amounts — can cause rashes in people with nickel allergy (you might develop one in adulthood, without warning). Further, heavy, statement earrings, if worn too often, can stretch out the earring hole making it difficult to wear studs, or possibly even tear through the earlobe altogether, an injury that takes a long time to repair and heal.

Pumps are one of fall's biggest shoe trends

High-heeled shoes are a lot like mango ice cream.

How, you ask? Has the writer taken too many dips into the frozen-food case?

Think about it. You either love or you hate mango ice cream. Most women, some with more zeal than others, either love or hate wearing high heels. But since the court of Louis XIV -- maybe even dating to Neanderthal women trying to gain dominance over their chest-thumping mates -- heels are here to stay.

As with any other fashion element, the size, shape and height of heels change, sometimes dramatically, from year to year. What should women expect in heel trends for this fall?

"Fall 2011 sees the return of the PUMP!" says Ken Downing, senior vice president and national fashion director for Neiman Marcus stores. His emphasis is clear due to the capped lettered words in his email. "Sexy stilettos, kitten heels, chunky heels with a '70s influence, peep toes, closed toes, on a platform, or a single sole, the PUMP is the shoe of the moment and addresses the 'lady chic' message that many designers embraced."

Style, personal taste and need all help in the buying decision, he says, but elegance is a timeless trend. "Classic elegance defines the return to a single-sole pump, often with a mid or kitten heel," says Downing.

"I think that heel shapes and heights are really all over the place right now," says Amy Puchowicz, owner of the popular and stylish Amy's Shoes in the Old River shopping district in Rocky River and Eton Chagrin Boulevard in Woodmere. "There is not one dominant style. Kitten heels have definitely made a comeback this spring, especially in a sling back. I saw a little bit of the kitten heel again for this fall, but I just got back from my buying trip for spring/summer 2012, and I only saw a few."

French heels are popular because "a midheel is sometimes hard to find in a fashion-forward shoe," said Puchowicz. "The curved-in heel gives interesting detail."

Sometimes, the deciding factor in the size and shape of heels comes down to a very basic personal decision. "I have discovered that everyone is different," said Puchowicz. "Give me 20 ladies, all the same size, and let them try on the same shoe, and they all will have different feedback."

When it comes to heel styles, French heels may have a higher comfort level for some women. "I would say that many people find a heel with more substance more comfortable because they feel more stable," says Puchowicz. "Also, a midheel can definitely be considered more comfortable because there is less pitch. A curved heel can also position you (and your back) a little differently, which might feel better for some because the heel is sitting a little underneath."

In addition to comfort, kitten-style heels work well with many of today's fashions. "Kitten heels can be worn especially well with pencil skirts, skinny pants and jeans," says Sherri Knuth Bryan, co-owner of Knuth's shoes, fashion and accessories stores in Pepper Pike and Westlake. "They offer a sexy silhouette, but a manageable heel height. All ages can wear them. They are classy and classic."

That said, "They are not always best for general fall wearing because they are trim and delicate," says Bryan. "I do not see French/Louis heels as a strong trend. Fall is full of heels of all shapes and sizes. The biggest trend I see is the wedge heel, which can be low, mid or high, and also prevalent on a platform."

The wedge heel, says Bryan, is "comfortable because of the support of the wedge and can look trendy and contemporary."

"The wedge continues to be an important fashion heel," agrees Downing of Neiman Marcus. "On shoes and boots, the wedge is chic and very of the moment."

Color-wise, the trendiest colors in shoes will be black, white, stone, metallic, beige, burgundy, dark blue, chocolate, deep violet, khaki and red, according to FashionTrend.me. Top materials are leather, patent, faux reptile, suede and satin.

"Today's footwear designers consider comfort as well as design," says Downing. "Beauty and comfort can co-exist in today's fashion footwear."

So what should be the overriding "Buy it!" factor for fall shoe shoppers?

"An individual's style, personal height, need and desire all dictate the style of shoe she embraces," says Downing. Pick the height and style of heel, he says, in which you feel most comfortable and beautiful.

Now that is fashion forward.

Students walk a mile in heels

A group Towson University students strapped on high heels and walked a full mile---all for a good cause.

It's National Sexual Assault Awareness Month. And for the second year in a row, members of Towson's football , soccer and golf teams participated in Walk a Mile in Her Shoes marching a mile on campus to stop violence against women.

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes: The International Men's March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault and Gender Violence was founded in 2001 by Frank Baird, a psychotherapist and marriage counselor.

Men march to support sexual assault awareness

Walking in four-inch high heels is something even many women have an issue with, but 200 men took on the daunting task of walking a mile in women's shoes Saturday for the Lubbock Rape Crisis Center.
The LRCC planned Walk a Mile in Her Shoes to raise money for the support the center provides to sexual assault survivors in Lubbock and the surrounding counties.
“I hope this brings awareness that sexual assault occurs and it’s a very serious thing,” said Leslie Timmons, community educator and volunteer coordinator for LRCC. “Most of our assailants are males, so we really want to get guys involved in prevention of sexual assault.”
The event began at the Lubbock County Courthouse with a men’s march, followed by a women’s stiletto “dash for cash.” Saturday evening the LRCC hosted a dinner and an auction.
Liza Hooser, a senior social work and music major from Houston, serves as an on-call advocate at the LRCC. She said she enjoyed watching the march because of all the men who supported a cause with which she is very involved.
“You have guys that are repeaters who come every year, and they are pretty comfortable and have the strut down,” she said. “We try to help the (first-timers) out and tell them how to walk in heels.”
Men of all ages participated in the event to support the LRCC during the month of April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Hooser said. The women’s event consisted of four heats of four women, with the winner receiving a $500 cash prize.
At the after party, the LRCC honored four Lubbock police officers — Bill Carter, Ross Hester, John Lofton and John Thomas Gomez — for their involvement with sexual assault prevention in the community.
Timmons said the LRCC honors men each year who have spoken out against rape.
“I always tell the victims your body is like the church, and it’s very sacred; nobody should be abusing your body in any means or forms,” said Bill Carter, a detective with the Lubbock Police Department.
Carter said he works in the crimes against persons unit and is a supporter of sexual assault prevention in Lubbock and on the Tech campus. He emphasizes that male students need to set the example for other students about how to treat women.
“It’s a big deal to be able to stand up and say no and know what’s right,” Hooser said.
The LRCC provides a 24-hour hotline to assist sexual assault survivors and their family and friends, assistance at hospital visits following a crisis, and free counseling. These services are available to Tech students as well as residents of Lubbock and the surrounding areas, Timmons said.
Last year the LRCC helped more than 300 survivors and plans to provide their services in the future with funds raised at the event on Saturday.
“(The LRCC) is important because we have to support the victims,” Carter said. “They need a support system through family, counselors, the police department and anybody that knows about the situation.”