Gudang Starlounge

Even an experienced packing pro like myself must admit, Phootlery puts my on-the-road accessorizing theories to shame. Here's how it works: You buy one simple, neutral, nondescript shoe sole (flats and wedges are both available, and high heels are in the works), and then you buy a bunch of uppers that snap in and out and let you transform your entire shoe, just like slipping on a piece of jewelry.

Chris Ann Phelan, a seasoned traveler who shares my passion for packing light, came up with the idea a couple of years ago when she got tired of hauling around half her shoe closet. "I was traveling a lot for business and pleasure and hated carrying bulky or many shoes, and I was just not satisfied with having limited options," she says. "I think of it as luxury with a purpose--I can have more than six options of sandals for a weekend, all different looks that I can carry in a jewelry bag!"

So instead of being stuck on vacation with a.) Enough luggage to make Mischa Barton look like a minimalist, or b.) One pair of flats and one pair of heels that you'll be bored of by day two, Phootlery gives you a wide array of options. "Basically it is a way for me to match my sandals to my mood, clothes or situation," Phelan says. "So for example, I've got one upper for a casual day of walking /site seeing, and then wear the same sole with different Swarovski Crystal uppers for a fancy dinner; making me and my look unique."

And don't think the idea will be forever relegated to just the feet. Phelan already has her eye on expanding the line into other accessories. "I'd like to expand Phootlery's engineering concept," she says. "I'd love to design pocket books or carry on bags that have hidden compartments to hold my different jewelry uppers and soles." Now if only she'd come up with a dress that has interchangeable hems and sleeves...

Head over to phootlery.com now to check out the goods. What do you guys think of this concept? Would you wear them when you travel? Or even when you stay at home? Do you think this idea is as brilliant as I do? Discuss!

PLUS
Check out another genius fashion invention you simply have to see to believe...

Three years ago, the most popular size bra at Wacoal, one of the country's biggest purveyors of support systems, was a 36C. Today, it's a 36D and it's looking like 36DD will soon sweep into first place. So what gives? Are women getting bustier by the minute? Nope. According to an article in today's New York Times, we're just finally being fitted for the right size (mostly thanks to an initiative by Oprah in 2005, urging girls across the country to get measured).

A bra is an incredibly personal thing, and it turns out that for a long time, most women would rather have permanently suffered in the wrong size than submit to a fitting that could have dashed their hopes of being bigger or smaller or anything in between. In fact, the article estimates that eight in ten women are wearing the wrong size. I'll confess, I believed myself to be a 34C for many years (and still own plenty of 34C bras), but after a little visit with the lingerie experts from Calvin Klein, it was decreed that I was, in fact, a 32D. I was devastated. It just seemed so...big! Especially for a girl like me, who is rather...small. And while I've already gotten used to plenty of unwanted male attention (the building across the street from my apartment has been under construction for about two years, which means I've gotten to know the guys on site much better than I'd ever care to...) and certain dudes forgetting to look at my face for minutes at a time, the prospect of being a 32D just made me want to cry. In fact, while my new bras are much more comfortable, supportive, and flattering, I can't bring myself to throw out those old 34Cs, because I'm still really married to the idea that that's my size.

The article quotes a lingerie shop owner here in New York who really spells it out: "'Most women are in bra denial,' said Rebecca Apsan, the owner of La Petite Coquette in Manhattan whose biggest sellers last year were 32D and 32DD. 'They think there is some mistake. That’s why I never tell them what size I am putting them in. They don’t want to believe it.'"

Let's hear it ladies...have you recently discovered that you're a different size than you always believed? Are you bigger or smaller than you originally thought? And are you like me, disappointed to discover your breasts are bigger than you believed? Or are you still avoiding a proper fitting because you want to believe your size is right? Time to get personal and share those bra stories!

Check out your fellow STF readers' bra issues here, and find out about the new bra I recently fell in love with!

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