There's no ideal place to get into a tiff with your significant other, but at a black-tie family wedding just before his birthday and Valentine's Day has to be on the list of most inconvenient. But that's what happened with my guy and me this past weekend. We sparred over something which I knew in retrospect would seem really silly: My shoes. I had put together my entire ensemble for said wedding at the last minute, and that meant I was wearing adorable, sexy, but completely new, stiff, and uncomfortable patent leather peep toe pumps all night. When the band started grooving, my instinct was to slip off those bad boys and party rock barefoot. But the BF said it was inappropriate to be sans shoes at a black-tie event ...

After an unfortunate 20 or so minutes filled with me stumbling around whimpering and us trading curt words, I figured out what was really at the heart of his issue with my attempt to ditch the heels.

How awesome is it that more and more women are hopping on the whole wearing flats instead of heels bandwagon? Don't get me wrong -- heels are absolutely adorable and make our legs look amazing. But blisters and sore feet are kind of a high price to pay for looking fashionable.

Granted, there are quite a few gals who have figured out of the secret of how to walk in heels without wanting to cry after 10 minutes, but for those of us who can't master stilettos to save our lives, this new flats-are-sexy trend is like a breath of fresh air. It's also a huge win for moms in particular. Let's face it, not all of us are able to pull a Victoria Beckham and successfully carry a baby without dropping her while wearing 6-inch-high strappy sandals.

Aside from flat shoes being more comfortable and easy to walk in, a new study suggests that wearing flats is better for the health of your leg muscles, and that heels may actually make you more prone to injuries. 

It's February and we can't help but dream of jetting down to Miami and leaving the cold, gray skies behind. Ah, sunshine would be nice, wouldn't it? The rays could crack off this layer of dry skin and ice that's been covering us since early December. But alas, here on Groundhog Day, that god awful rodent weatherman let us down and saw his shadow, which means there are six more weeks of winter. Thanks oodles, Punxsutawney Phil. I guess all we can do is dream about the summer, and shorts, and tanks, and flip flops.

Speaking of flip flops (like that segue, do ya?), I saw these and I think we need to talk about them. They're from Sazzi, a self-proclaimed "toe motion footwear" company, and they're so hideous, they make those five-toe running shoes look stylish. How could they do this to summer's coolest and most casual accessory?

A brave scientist in Australia was motivated to study the effect that high heels have on feet after seeing a woman teeter precariously in her stilettos. Using a group of women with the average age of 25, Neil J. Cronin and his fellow biomechanic researchers studied the difference between chronic heel wearers (women who've worn heels for more than 40 hours a week for more than two years) versus non-heel wearers (ladies who generally wear flats), and the proof was in the pudding. Or should I say, the proof was in the footing.

The high heel wearers' feet, calves, muscles, and tendons were royally messed up. Even when they took off their shoes, they habitually walked less efficiently than those women who generally wear flats.

Told you heels were the devil.

'Tis the season for sales -- you'll never find lower prices at your favorite online retailers than now, as they move out their fall/winter merchandise in order to make way for spring.

Now is the time to pick up your staple pieces -- items that will never go out of style. If you go to work, it's a great time to pick up some basics for your wardrobe. If you work from home, this is my favorite time of year to get pieces that look good at the gym and out running errands.

One of the best sales going on right now is over at Express, where an additional 50% has been taken off all sale items.

That makes these basic black boots just $25!

Want to see more great sale items from Express?

Keep reading!

Don't you just love fashion spotting while watching awards shows? I absolutely adore every opportunity to channel my inner Joan Rivers (minus the plastic surgery). Last night's People's Choice Awards at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles had its fair share of glammed up leading ladies, but I couldn't take my eyes off of Glee's own Lea Michele. The actress, who snagged the award for Favorite TV Comedy Actress, beating out Tina Fey, co-star Jane Lynch, Kaley Cuoco, and Courteney Cox, looked AMAZING.

Her white Marchesa gown was so not what I expected, with beautiful draping and so many intricate layers. It fit her like a dream! Accented by a strappy pair of Jimmy Choo shoes and jewelry from Lorraine Schwartz, Lea did Rachel Berry proud.

BUT we haven't even gotten to my fave part of it all, just yet. I'll give you a hint: Pretty in pink.

I'll admit, I was amused to hear that Skechers replaced Kim Kardashian with a French Bulldog in their Super Bowl ad. It had a nice ring to it, didn't it? Kim replaced by a dog? The only problem is that it's not exactly the truth. Yes, there will be a dog in the Skechers' ad come this February 5, but it's not Kim's replacement. Ms. Kardashian isn't in the ad because her contract expired, not because she was fired when her image allegedly took a nose dive after her divorce from Kris Humphries.

It's a less exciting reason why Kim and Skechers aren't working together anymore; it's way more banal than what all those salacious headlines promised, but their separation proves one, very important point.

Kim Kardashian is such a good big sister. The second Khloe picks up and moves to Dallas to follow her newly traded Dallas Mavericks hubby Lamar Odom, Kim follows en suite to keep her company. The duo was spotted out yesterday pregaming Odom's night game with a little bit of afternoon shopping. Sorry I'm not sorry, I just can't stop staring at Kim's fierce ankle boots!

Now that it's suddenly frigid here in New York City, I'm on the hunt for some warm boots to keep my tootsies warm. What I love about Kim's is that they're just the right height and have some fun, funky detail. Kim's boots don't make her legs look big, which in my book is practically a miracle. Not to mention, they totally play up her otherwise average (yet still totally cute) outfit. Major success, Kimbo!

Want to style it up just like Ms. Kardashian? Then check out these 5 pairs of look-alike ankle boots that will make you just as trendy: