Variety’s a Shoe-In for This Spectator Sport
Dear Fashion Police: When I was 10 years old, I couldn’t wait to grow up to be able to wear spectator shoes. I finally got my wish and bought them in all colors. Lately, however, I have not been able to find spectator shoes in any color at any store in the United States or Canada. Do you know where I can find them? I’d like to have pair in black and white and brown and white.
--SPECTATING
Dear Spec: What a stylish little girl you must have been! When we were 10, we couldn’t wait to grow up so that we could write a column about people who dress badly. Oops--we mean helping people who dress badly.
As for your spectators, have no fear, they live! This classic shoe (for both genders) became popular in the 1920s, enduring eight decades and several variations, looking stylish all the while.
A basic spectator has dark strips of leather (usually black, blue or brown) on the toes and heels, and the rest of the shoe is usually ivory or white. Variations include pumps for women, and lace-up oxfords for men and women. Spectators are usually thought of as a summer shoe, but for cooler months we’ve seen black-brown combinations.
At Nordstrom’s online store (https://www.nordstrom.com), we found the Mezlan Astaire, an oxford in black and bone or brown and bone, for $140. For a funkier look, try the thick-soled Doc Martens spectators in black and white, for $125.
At Shoedini.com (https://www.shoedini.com, there is the Mezlan Miranda, an oxford in blue and white for $140, and the Mezlan Baker, a spectator mule in blue/bone and camel/bone for $135.
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Dear Fashion Police: Please let me know what brand of lipstick lasts the longest.
--NEEDS LIP SERVICE
Dear Lip: If we posed that question to the vast number of cosmetic companies, it’s a good bet that they’d all claim their brand lasts the longest.
Wading through the maze that is the makeup department will probably leave you horribly confused, so here are a few things to keep in mind:
Sheer lipsticks, lip tints and lip glosses have a lot of moisturizers in them, but not that much pigment. Ergo, your lips will be nice and soft, but the color won’t last very long.
Long-wearing lipsticks (each brand has its version) are formulated to stay a while, but several factors will determine their longevity, including how much you talk, eat and drink. Even your body chemistry will affect how long the color stays. We’ve tried some lipsticks that were touted as lasting all day, but after an hour, our lips were chapped, and most of the lipstick had flaked off.
Here’s a trick that the pros use that will help keep your lipstick on your lips: Line your lips with a lip pencil, then fill in the lips with the pencil. Don’t just leave the outline; that looks horrible.
Next, apply your lipstick with a lip brush. Applying lipstick directly on your lips and circling around and around and around is a huge waste--you just don’t need that much. After application with a lip brush, blot gently with a tissue and you’re good to go.
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Write to Fashion Police, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012, fax to (213) 237-4888, or send e-mail to socalliving@latimes.com.
