I need to know more about this dress! All of Fashion Bug's bridal gowns are $109.99, with a single white suit about $50 more. Will the quality work for the price, even on a special day? I'm definitely going to try to find out.

Photo (c) Fashion Bug

I had a chance to hear back from Rebecca Zazove, the Marketing Manager of Barefoot Tess, and she addressed some of my concerns about their wide width selection. It turns out that many of their "average" shoes actually accommodate a wider foot quite well, and all you have to do is contact them for assistance. I definitely feel better about what they have to offer.

From Rebecca herself:

"I do want to mention that while there are only a few styles listed under our "wide" category (those are the shoes that are manufactured as wide, complete with the "W" stamp on the size), we have a tremendous selection of shoes that run wide or can fit a wide foot. As of yet, we have not included these in the "wide" shop by size category as women with wide sized feet have voiced concern over shoes being identified as "wide" without the "W" stamp on the shoe."

I also got a glowing email from one person who shopped at Barefoot Tess with wide feet, so I will be incorporating that in an upcoming review, too. Have you bought anything from Barefoot Tess before?

I could complain about the whole "Fat-shionistas" thing (can't we be regular fashionistas?!), but this article at The Daily Beast is far more positive than anything I've seen in a while, so I'm going to give it a pass. In it, Rhiannon Gammill from Manolo for the Big Girl provided the best quotes of the day, including this one which deserves to be embroidered on a pillow:

“I want the woman who can say ‘This is who I am, you don't have to like me and you don't have approve of me, but I've been to this pony show before and this time I'm getting what I want. I've got one voice, two chins, and more style than should be allowed by law and I'm not apologizing for any of it’ and then, I don't know, puts her cigarette out on her arm.”

Hear, hear!

I love these sandals, but while I was over at Barefoot Tess shopping away, I realized something upsetting. While many a shoe blogger (and myself) have championed their size selection (up to 15, depending on the style!), their wide shoe offerings are dismal.

Sometimes I'm willing to compromise, because not all of us have wide feet, and not all of us have big feet, either. However, Barefoot Tess is a great go-to company for the woman with larger feet, and their wide foot, larger size selection is abysmal. When I went on there today, they have 9 pairs of shoes that match the 10W search feature: one pair of moccasins, a few sad pairs of rounded-toe heels, a pair of winter boots. . . you get the picture.

I want to love Barefoot Tess, but they're making it really difficult right now. Sure, I can by those gorgeous Corso Comos up to size 13, but my wide-footed sisters are left high-and-dry at a 10W. Are you surprised at this discovery? We've talked about Barefoot Tess before, but I was sure they would turn it around for summer. Where do you shop for wide shoes?

Photo (c) Barefoot Tess