Pilates

Pilates in Heels: The Experiment

Filed under: Shoes

New York City fashion. In most ways, I feel like I've nailed it. How to pair black and wear color, how to sport statement pieces, vintage finds, silk, leather, carryall bags, tiny clutches, you name it. And yet when it comes to heels, I'm as clueless as a Wisconsin dairy farmer.

Don't get me wrong. I love a gorgeous pair of heels and I would love to pull them off effortlessly. I'd love to meet a 7-foot-tall guy and wear 6-inch stilettos 12 hours a day. But honestly, I find it hard to wear anything over 4 inches for an hour. It's remarkable how many girls in New York can pull this off. And like me, they're not all fashion editors with a car service. Like me, walking is their primary mode of transportation, and they clock miles a day without a change of shoes.

There are stories that heel masters like Victoria Beckham wear stilettos on the treadmill. (Don't worry it's a rumor; she only just started exercising). And sure, they admit, no pain no gain. But there's a difference between suffering a little pain for fashion and walking around like a defeated hobbit after the workday is done.

Is there something I'm missing? Is there a way to train your feet to withstand the pain? When it comes to learning, I'm an immersion type of gal. So I, with my friend Bryce Gruber over at TheLuxurySpot, decided to try a little experiment for the sake of fashion. In a new series, we're going to try out a variety of vertigo-inducing heels in the most inappropriate situations possible. An activity that's totally insane to do in anything but flats? We're there. Could we find out the hard way some tips and tricks for wearing heels? If I were to run a mile in stilettos, would it make wearing them to the office a breeze?

For the first run, we decided to start out simple, something active, but not too strenuous. What's the one place we regularly frequent that would draw stupefying glances our way as we treaded on $4,000 machines in sharp heels? Pilates. And to go all out for our stiletto workout look, we donned some fabulous leotards, courtesy of American Apparel.

Tags: Fashion, heels, pilates, stilettos

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oGorgeous Workout Mat Bags: Style and Practicality

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

The holidays are here, and you know what that means ... New Year's resolutions are right around the corner. Promising yourself you'll work out more, maybe try yoga or Pilates? You'll need your own mat (gym mats = germs), and no doubt, as a Luxist reader, you'll want a mat bag with style. Look to oGorgeous for bags that are practical but won't look like anyone else's in the locker room.

The Pleated Pocket bag is shown; take a gander at the gallery for some other styles. All bags feature 2 side water bottle pockets, 1 inner zippered pocket, 1 inner cell phone pocket, 1 MP3 player pocket, 2 pen slots, a satin silk lining, and the oGorgeous golden emblem. The bags can fit the standard 1/8" mat, as well as 1/4" mats, with room to spare for shoes, towels, a change of clothes, and other personal items. $85-$109

Gallery: oGorgeous Workout Mat Bags: Style and Practicality