The Daily Pump Masthead

Si Si Penaloza
Editorial Director
The Daily Pump

My love affair with shoes started with classic cinema. The proverbial epiphany struck the moment I saw Audrey Hepburn reaching for her silk shoe in 1953’s Roman Holiday. It was the kind of teenage revelation you never forget: nothing reveals more about a woman than her shoes. Forget Cinderella – what with all those pious chores, backstabbing step sisters, leaving the parties before midnight. Dateless, and even more irritatingly, missing a shoe.

Glass slippers were never my thing. Playing dress up did not involve “invisible” shoes and waiting for an “imaginary” prince. I much rather fashioned myself wearing the 4-inch stiletto heels Salvatore Ferragamo designed for Marilyn Monroe in Some Like it Hot. Indeed, my love affair with Ferragamo started early, in my mother’s shoe closet in fact. As I grew up, I looked to Seventies-era Jane Birkin and Julie Christie as my absolute style icons. I love the strong women who influenced that period, where cool glamour was at its best and most effortless.

Like most women, I have an unhealthy obsession with footwear. The Duchess of Windsor believed a woman could never be too rich or too thin, but as I see it, the terminally aspirational female can never have too many shoes!

Si Si’s Shoe Stats
Shoe Size: 7 1/2
Ultimate Shoe Fantasy: Customized Salvatore Ferragamo
Motto: “1 Hour of Shoe Shopping = 1 Hour of Cardio”

email: sisi@thedailypump.com

Nadine Bells

Nadine watched her first movie at 4 years old. It was Cinderella. Ever since, she has been dreaming of that perfect shoe, waiting for Prince “Louboutin” Charming to change her life forever with one magical heel.

She quickly discovered that waiting for the prince of shoes to arrive can be exasperating, so she channeled her need for footwear into a productive little blogging habit, as evidenced at ShoeMinx.com.

A writer/editor/blogger, Nadine daily scatters her musings on entertainment and lifestyle throughout cyberspace. With a post-grad in TV Writing and Producing (she grew up without cable and had to compensate by embracing a television addiction later in life), her widely varied writing life also includes chronicling the quarter-life adventure at her own blog of exceptional goodness, on her toes.

In the event of power outages or screen failures, Nadine can be found playing the piano, writing (yes, sometimes by hand! Shocking!), cooking, walking to places not within walking distance (in great shoes, naturally), and tackling her ever-growing list of things she hopes to do before she dies. She has already stuffed a turkey, earned an IMDb credit and flown across the country. Next up, observing a wombat in its natural habitat. Or sewing a dress. Whichever comes first.

Shoe Size: 8
Ultimate Shoe Fantasy: Classic Christian Louboutins. The red sole makes me happy.
Motto: “These boots are made for walkin’.” Okay, so I stole that from Nancy Sinatra. But it’s true.

Nacie Carson

I love shoes with a sparkly red passion. When I was in the 4th grade I got to play Dorothy in my grade’s production of the Wizard of Oz, and from the moment I put those ruby red slippers on my feet - that were really women’s pumps doused in red glitter - I was in love. I got to keep the shoes after the play was over and wore them ever y day around my house until the glitter had all fallen off and my feet were barely fitting in. It was true shoe love.

While I have never been able to really replace my love for those ruby slippers, I have discovered over the years the sweet joy of a flirty sandal, the powerful spike of a black stiletto, and my new great love: the golden stiletto sandal. Let’s be serious - how can you be sad when you can look at your feet and think, “oooh, shiny!”

As a freelance writer I get to spend my time researching and writing about countless topics and events, but I must admit that nothing gets me more excited than to sit down and write about shoes. New couture, celebrity spotting, and red carpet fare are all some of my favorite shoe things.

And I will always and forever get a little lump in my throat when I see dress up ruby red slippers for little girls. Your first true love never dies.

Nacie’s Shoe Stats
Shoe Size: 10 - I know they’re big but I’m 5′11!
Ultimate Shoe Fantasy: Gold Brocade D’Orsay heels by Manolo Blahnik
Motto: “Nothing cures the blues like a new pair of shoes.”