You might have seen me tonight on Fashion Team dishing celeb shoes with Lawrence and how to recession-proof your shoes with Daphne.  (Hint: Tights and Clips are the key!) so welcome!  

Check out my shoe videos , learn how to rock your stilettos, download some FREE chapters from my book.

xo

Meg

Check out Miss Meghan’s Shoe Shopping Tips for getting quality shoes in The New York Daily News:

“SIZING UP YOUR SHOES

Meghan Cleary, shoe expert and creator of shoetopia site Missmeghan.com, has these tips for testing shoe quality, no matter what the price.

Is it too flexible? Especially with flats, says Cleary, if the shoe bends too easily, the sole probably won’t last too long.

How do the seams look? Check the stitching. If there’s glue where stitches should be, put it right back on the rack. “If the seams aren’t 100%, then the shoe will just get worse and worse,” warns Cleary.

Is the sole attached firmly? Make sure there are no gaps between the sole and the rest of the shoe.

Is the heel sturdy? Wiggle it, jiggle it. However you want to test it, the heel should be firmly attached to the shoe. Also, check that the bottom of the heel does not wobble.”

People, I am still recovering from the hotness.  Not only were there about 500 people there, there were vegan cupcakes. Hello?  

Carson Kressley, Roshumba, Jess Zaino, Pam Pekerman, and Steve Kemble all agree with Kathryn that frugal is the new black.

Music was fierce, the drinks were flowing — it was an actual fun fashion party, with a real goody bag full of STUFF instead of gift certificates — which is so hard to pull off these days! I heart Febreze.

Check out Jess Zaino’s video here. Now, it may look like I don’t do budget from this video, but I DO!

ps. in Right Fit pants I am a size 5 TALL — how bout that?  I haven’t been a size 5 since I was 11.  I love it.

pps. check my big hair out below, photo courtesy of Frolabulicious.

Me-ow!

Check me out chatting on PLUM TV about my Stiletto Strategies.

Here’s the abbreviated version:

Put ‘em on!

Pad ‘em up!

Walk ‘em out!

Welcome to my new video channel, Shoe are you? (R) on Kyte.  All my videos are here and I will be updating frequently, so check back and let me know what you think! xo Miss Meg

Pinching pennies doesn’t have to pinch your toes!

With high gas prices tightening back-to-school budgets, even feet are feeling the effects of frugality. Almost half of respondents to a recent Deloitte survey say they’ll spend less on shoes this year.
“Conserving on shoe spending is kind of tricky because a lot of [kids] go through crazy growth spurts,” says shoe expert Meghan Cleary, of MissMeghan.com. “Know you’re in a challenging spot to begin with, so cut yourself some slack.”

Cleary advises setting up a yearlong budget for all of your kids’ footwear needs, including shoes for day-to-day wear, sneakers for P.E. class, heels or dress shoes for school dances and winter boots.

Be wary of cheaply-made shoes that’ll fall apart after a few skips under a jump rope. “You always want to look for value and sometimes value costs more,” Cleary says. “It’s not always about the cheapest pair possible.”

Instead, make an investment in one all-purpose shoe that can be worn everyday that’s more expensive, and shop “cheap” for shoes kids will wear less often. Cleary suggests leather ballet flats for girls—nude colors are big this year—and sneakers for boys.

“Online shopping is a great way to get a bargain,” Cleary advises. She recommends alloy.com for teen girls (most shoes and boots are between $30 -$50) and endless.com (AMZN) for boys and girls of all ages (most shoes are between $25 and $70).

However, if your tots’ toes aren’t too pinched, hang on to shoes from last year. Protecting kids’ shoes from the elements will help them last longer, and upkeep on their existing footwear is less expensive than a shopping spree.

“Salt is the number one killer for shoes,” warns Cleary. To protect against winter salt and year-round dirt, she suggests polishing shoes with Kimberly Clark Shine To Go (KMB) shoe polisher ($7.99 at drugstore.com) or Kiwi polish ($6.49 at acehardware.com), which is just for leather. Both polishes can be purchased inexpensively at drug stores such as CVS (CVS) or Walgreens (WAG).

If you do end up purchasing a lower quality shoe, Cleary recommends adding Dr. Scholl’s (SGP) in-soles for extra arch support ($11.99 at drugstore.com). That way you can potentially cross-off podiatry visits from your back-to-school budget, too!

CATCH ME ON CNN tonight at 6:55 pm EST talking about JOHN MCCAIN’S SHOES for the Situation Room.

What do you think it says about a man who wears $500, black, Ferragamo slip-ons with a fashion forward buckle?

See what one of our fave sites, Jossip, had to say about it, here.

See Huffington Posts’s outlook, and SCROLL DOWN to see the story on CNN here.

While you’re here, check out my story, or some of my TV appearances, my recent CBS Early Show segment on how to walk on Stilettos, or my Twitters (below) that I have been sending live from the WSA Shoe Show in Las Vegas. Yes, it’s true, I really am a shoe expert.

SOME of my TWITTERS:
Tune in CNN at 655 eastern to hear what I said about mccains $500 ferregamos…
14 minutes ago from txt
Just wrapped CNN phone interview on john mccain’s shoes - $500 ferregamos … about 1 hour ago
Going to bed about 12 hours ago
Jerome has never had coffee!! about 12 hours ago from txt
Hanging at cut in the palazzo on very furry grey cushions about 13 hours ago from txt
Jerome and I at barneys AGAIN - fave pics: aqua l’wren dress and black lanvin coat about 14 hours ago from txt
Just at glass slipper - just met behnaaz kanani about 16 hours ago from txt
Heading to glass slipper awards in 15 mins! Stilettos back ON. about 17 hours ago from txt
Albert and george are discussing the perfect wingtips for me !! about 18 hours ago from txt
Sitting with george esquivel - handmade men’s shoes - I think am going to rock wingtips!! about 19 hours ago from txt
Creme patent booties with cutouts at due farina. Yum! about 19 hours ago from txt
Sparkle cork at jean-michel cazabat about 20 hours ago from txt
TREND ALERT: LA based designers. Keep a close watch. about 20 hours ago from txt
At colin robertson - chatting and seeing nude pythons - my fave! about 20 hours ago from txt
Barbara bui doing intersting rubber soles on stilettos- maybe I could hike in them, yes? about 21 hours ago from txt Amazing lunch with shuzsociety.com - now to 5th flooor collections .. about 21 hours ago from txt Best lunch find in vegas -canyon ranch spa rest in venetian - me-ow about 22 hours ago from txt Just met up w/steph from shuzsociety - hit gigi favela - now to lunch! about 22 hours ago from txt
Heidi klum + modern vintage — sounds like a great combo! about 23 hours ago from txt
Still freaking about georgina about 23 hours ago from txt
Delman has a new president - and some hot tie dyed leather sandals about 23 hours ago from txt
Why is georgina goodman SO MAJOR ! about 23 hours ago from txt
Kalliste- wins award for most innovative heel treatment so far - grey indented w/cobalt patent about
Ruthie davis pop story - bright citrus - bright bright bright - about 24 hours ago from txt
Just had a major shoe moment at alexandra neel … Like passing out 02:03 PM July 29, 2008 from txt
Alexandra neel looking FIERCE 01:57 PM July 29, 2008 from txt
Luciano padovan - hot citrus sandals and amazing heel treatments 01:53 PM July 29, 2008 from txt
It is a first - I am still in pain from 12 hour stiletto marathon - the DAY after. 01:48 PM July 29, 2008 from txt Have coffee will travel. Off to Collections - excited to catch up with everyone! 01:07 PM July 29, 2008 from txt Its morning here in vegas - and the Palazzo wants to charge me another 10$ today for wireless! CONTiNue READING

Check out my Twitters — am twittering live from WSA in Vegas. It’s a very toned down show this year but still has a few highlights. Dinner with Jerome and J-miah tonight after the twoten party that had a quiz, Fergie at Brown Shoe (she wore brown gladiator stilettos — feeling her own power i’d say) and meeting the crew from Velvet Angels (charlatan in nude is my fave) as well as an amazing tour of Zappos this morning. Oh, ps J-miah and Jerome and I shopped Barneys here which was kind uh-mazing. The Isabela Capeto Selection is fierce - more than NYC. Also and amazing ALaia dress i am going to try on tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the Collections and Compass. oh! and maybe the Palzaao won;t charge $10/day for WIRELESS by tomorrow. Wondering if they charge also for electricity. Or to turn the TV on. Just askin’ that’s all.

My calves are ACHING from 12 hours in Alaia and Tashkent 4 inch platforms. But v. v. worth it.

xo
Meg

Did you check out my segment on the CBS Early show? We shot live from Los Angeles which meant a 3:15 AM call time for me. Yes that is an amazing amount about undereye concealer holding me up!!!

Dear Miss Meghan, how do we deal with the clackety summer sandals?

Read my answer in the New York Daily News:

Summer’s blinged-out sandals are ear candy, too

The hottest footwear for the summer is totally blinged out. Thongs are bejeweled and bedazzled, affixed with bells and whistles, and sandals are clunkily buckled up.

“From a trend perspective, accoutrements, bling, tassels, all this stuff hanging off shoes has become hotter and hotter in the last two years for summer,” says Meghan Cleary, shoe expert (missmeghan.com). “I think it’s fun, it’s a little musical and a real light-hearted way to be for summer.”

But as you strut your stuff to work through your marble lobby with your jewel-studded flip-flops, or head down a flight of subway stairs while rocking a pair of jingly-jangly sandals, you might be turning a few more heads than you bargained for. Because all that shoe bling is loud - not just visually, fashionably loud, but aurally, heel-thwacking loud.

“Any time you get into a mule kind of shoe, it’s going to make some noise,” says Cleary. “You’re going to end up clomping around a bit like a horse, whether the heel is high or low.”

For Cleary, whose favorite pair of sandals is a clackity pair of Lucite-heeled Vince Camutos, giving up on noisy sandals is not an option.

Her advice? Embrace the noise!

“It’s a great way to announce your presence in a room, without having to say anything,” says Cleary. “If you’re single, the guys will definitely notice you because they’re forced to pay attention. So it’s a great conversation starter. Any guy that’s got half a bone of humor in his body will ask, ‘What’s the story with those shoes?’”

But if you do find yourself a tad embarrassed by the racket your shoes are making this summer and you refuse to give up your loud sandals, here are a few muffling tips:

“Avoid surfaces that are amplifying,” says Cleary. That means staying away from marble, tile and lacquer. “Wood will absorb the sound a little better,” says Cleary, “but not much.”

And since New York City is lacking in carpeted surfaces, you can also test out your toe-gripping strength to prevent your heels from clacking behind you.

“With the mules and flip-flops, you basically have to clench your entire foot to grip the sandal so that it doesn’t depart from your foot,” says Cleary. “You have to go into that really intense toe grip but, even then, it’s really hard.”

So unless you’re bent on giving your toes a real workout, it’s probably best, when embracing this summer’s hottest sandals, to embrace the noise they bring, too. You never know whose head they’ll turn.