SHOES NEWS
lk
Hello Stiletto Shoe Club Newsletter
September 2007
STRAPPING SOLUTIONS
Muleos Founder,
Michele Hickford
One night in 2006, Michele Hickford was having a party and wanted to wear her new
backless shoes with long, wide-leg jeans. Every time she took a step, the jeans
caught underneath her heel. It looked terrible. She asked her boyfriend if he had
any spare shoelaces, fiddled around with them a bit, wrapped them around the
shoe and then her ankle, and then tied them in a bow. Voila! The shoes were
fastened securely to her foot with no flip-flopping.
As a smart, business-minded individual, Michele realized that if she needed to solve this problem, then
there were probably a lot of other women who did too. So she designed a prototype of what is now
her "Muleos" product line - a simple solution for making backless shoes stay snug against your foot,
and her business was born. After securing a patent, identifying manufacturers, and building a web
site, she started selling them in January of 2007. They are available at www.muleos.com
Muleos come in two varieties, one made of leather and a buckle, and another that is simply an
embellished ribbon that can be fashioned into a bow to secure at the ankle. In both the "strap" and
"tie" versions, Muleos are available in a variety of different colors to go with almost any pair of shoes
you own. There are even delicate white Muleos specifically for bridal shoes.
Muleos not only stop your trouser legs from catching under your heels, they transform the look of an
old or existing shoe, taking them from a mule to something a bit more sophisticated, strappy, and
updated. For example, Muleos can be used with flats to get more of a gladiator look out of a simple
slide. They can be used with heeled flip flops to make them more substantial-looking and eliminate
their "slap slap" noise. In terms of functionality, they also help make shoes safer and less precarious for
activities such as dancing or brisk walking.
Michele has graciously provided several pairs of Muleos to the Shoe Club to be used as prizes at
upcoming shoe parties throughout all of our club locations. Shoe Club members can win a pair
through our best shoe competition or purchase them on-line at www.muleos.com
Priced between just $9.99 and $11.99 each, they're well worth the investment.
Tame your mules
and secure your
slides with Muleos
shown (from left to
right) in gold Strap
version (Orabella),
black Tie (Cosima),
and ivory bridal
edition (Perla).
Shoe Club Expansion
(Continued on page 2)
The Hello Stiletto Shoe Club began informally in 2004 when it occurred to a bunch of friends that they
owned a lot of shoes that they never got to wear. The first meeting was in Somerville Massachusetts…
(Club Expansion…continued from page 1)
Below: Camileon Heels offers high heels that transform into flats.
and eight people attended - in
fabulous shoes of course. We knew
we'd struck gold with the idea
when waiters were pouring
champagne into our mouths and
other restaurant patrons were
asking how they could get invited
Trend Watch: Convertible Shoes
to the next "shoe night."
by Melissa O’Shea
Over the course of three years,
I've noticed what I'm hoping will become a full-blown trend
through friends telling friends and
to make my shoe budget go further. The trend is what I'll
the media getting wind of the
call "convertible" shoes, shoes that can be modified to give
concept, we now have over 1600
the wearer more than one look from a single pair.
people in the Shoe Club in four
Muleos are a perfect example of a product that will help
different locations: Atlanta, Boston,
you achieve a 'convertible shoe.' However, some
Chicago, and Naples Florida.
designers are actually building the convertibility factor right
Thanks to Clockwork Design Group
into the shoe itself.
( www.cdgi.com ) we have a
beautiful web site. Shoe vendors
One such example is Camileon Heels. These shoes are
and stores are clamoring to host us
classically styled pumps with three and a quarter inch heels
and the events just keep getting
that can be folded and stowed up into the bottom of the
bigger and better.
shoe. Doing so converts them into flat (or nearly flat) shoes
with one and a half inch heels. For a demonstration visit
I'm pleased to announce that we're
continuing to expand and will soon
have Shoe Clubs in Maine, New
Other than the obvious perk of being able to run as well as
Hampshire, Providence Rhode
look good in them, I love how simple they can make the
Island, Boca Raton Florida, and the
chore of packing for business trips. Traveling light with one
greater Princeton New Jersey tri-
pair of shoes instead of two (or in my case, five pairs
state (NJ/PA/NY) area. If you have
instead of ten) is so appealing. I like the idea of being able
friends in any of those areas or
to wear a pair of shoes as high heels with a suit one day
other places where Shoe Clubs
and as flats with shorter slim leg pants the next.
currently exist, please tell them
about us and encourage them to
On shoewawa.com, I recently learned about The Jour &
sign up at
Nuit interchangeable shoe. This is really cool for all you
glamour fiends. Check out www.journuit.com
The more members we have, the
These shoes transform not in heel height but in terms of
better the perks... fun parties, free
accessories, featuring "interchangeable straps that can be
giveaways, special shopping
removed completely and transferred to any sole in the
discounts, and more.
collection." Change a basic lizard skin shoe for day into a
sparkling jewel-laden shoe for night and get two very
different looks in one fabulous shoe.
Along the same lines, a recent edition of Footwear News…
(continued on Page 3)
Above and Right: Shoes that go from day
to night by Jour & Nuit
2
(Convertible Shoes… continued from page 2)
announced that designer Rupert Sanderson will offer in his 2008
collection, shoes that feature a detachable T-strap. What appear to
simply be decorative studs embellishing the removable straps are
actually snaps that allow you to easily pop the straps on or off the
base shoe, specifically so you can enjoy two different looks. Two
styles are expected to be offered beginning in January, a Ramola flat
and a Xanadu high heel sandal. Although Sanderson's boutiques are
based in London, the collection is expected to be available on
One of my favorite Boston designers, Kristina Kozak
Lucky Stripe by Kristina Kozak
( www.kristinakozak.com ), also offers some convertible options for her
custom handmade shoes. My favorite (which I've recently ordered
and cannot wait to receive) is a shoe called Lucky Stripe, which
features an enormous bow that can be clipped at the back, side, or
front of the shoe depending on what look you're after. I'm excited to
try all three.
Of course none of these are as intoxicating as Reef's "Dram" sandal.
Although not really a convertible shoe, it's footwear with a dual
purpose. The sole houses a container in which you can store three
Flip Flop Flask: The Dram Sandal
ounces of liquid. It's essentially a flip flop flask.
by Reef
Someone's gotta be working on one for wedges.
PRODUCT OF THE MONTH
Insolia High Heel Inserts
By now it's no secret. Many of you have
probably heard of Insolia, the company that's
designed a new type of shoe insert to make
high heels more comfortable and easy on the
body. Designed by rocket scientists at MIT,
the inserts use special technology to
redistribute your body weight so that all the pressure of being in heels is not concentrated onto the
ball of your foot. There's more to it than that, including enhanced ankle stability and reduced leg
and back fatigue, which you can read about at www.insolia.com
The wonderful folks at Insolia are donating free inserts and coupons to Shoe Club members at shoe
parties across all four of our club locations. Come to a shoe party and you might just get a
chance to try them out. The inserts are also available for purchase at both CVS and Walgreen's
and on Insolia's web site.
JOIN THE SHOE CLUB
3