Shoes, shoes, shoes

I love the fall. Time to pull out the fall shoes and, more importantly, to invest in new ones. The best shoe store in North America is to be found in Winnipeg. Yes, it is true - winterpeg has the most awe-inspiring shoe collection and it remains a shoe destination point for women living in New York and Paris.

Ronald's Shoes is still run buy Ronald. He chooses the shoes, orders them straight from Donald Pliner's Italian elves (among others including plenty from Stuart Weitzman), and fills his little shop on Osborne with the most beautiful shoes. Strappy, sensual, sexual shoes. You may choose Manolo - I'll take Ronald.

Another fabulous thing about Ronald is that he goes narrow all the way. 4A - need I say more you slim shod women? It is rare and wonderful. Even if you don't have narrow feet, after you've been suitably advised by Ronald's shoe counselors, your feet will slip into something beautiful and assume an elegant, even aristocratic bearing.

Let's be clear - these are definitely shoes for l'age moyen. No platforms, no 6" spikes, these shoes are made for women of a certain age and they make all the desirable bows to fashion without being a slave to it. We have to keep up in the accessories department of course, without looking as though we're aspiring to be 28 again. Nothing worse.

If for no other reason (and there may be none) when in winterpeg, take the longest stop-over possible, hop in a taxi and head straight for Ronald's.

If it were 3 women ...

I've had a little hiatus. I'm back. Enough said.

So, I'm glancing through the New York Times Online and there is a photo of Henry Paulson, Ben Bernanke and Chris Cox, and I can't help but think, if it were 3 women up there holding the world's largest economy in their hands, and who have clearly taken their eyes off the ball over the last few years, do you think there might be some questions around competency and gender? Do you think that might be more than a slight possibility?

It's just amazing to me that all of these men well into l'age moyen have really mucked things up through greed and sheer wanton hubris. I suspect this calls for a little gender discrimination and we should just say, get off the stage you men - you have been toying with matters beyond your bald comprehension and it is time to turn it over to the more rational sex.

And could Hank Paulson get himself a suit that actually fits? If he were a woman we'd be transfixed by the ill-fitting suit, and this from a guy who left Goldman Sachs with $38 million.

All these men with all this experience and what a mess it is.