by Guest Blogger Fashion Citizen
Visit him at http://fashionwithasideoflife.blogspot.com

I am Fashion Citizen and I’d like to school you on the one essential to every woman’s wardrobe. The black pump. While it comes in many incarnations, there are 4 essential ones. You need a low heeled black pump, mid heeled black pump, high heeled black pump and a black sling back. You may be wondering why I didn’t mention peep toe or open toe pumps and there is a good reason. Those are styles that while chic, are not as essential as the four named above. So without further ado, let’s get into the shoes !

The first pump is the low heeled black pump by Kenneth Cole Reaction. It’s called “Skill Set”, available at Zappos.com for $56.95. This shoe would be most appropriate for the office or a nice weekend luncheon outing. A low heeled shoe works with any length of skirt, especially shorter ones. Low heeled pumps will do the most work in your shoe collection because they go with everything, be sure to select a shoe with style, comfort as well as an affordable price tag.

The second pump is the mid heeled black pump by Nine West. It’s called “Nuncio”, available at Zappos.com for $68.95. This shoe would also work for the office and take you to evening with ease. A mid heeled shoe is very similar to the characteristics of the low heeled shoe except that it can be dressed up depending on the material and style of the shoe. The pump above is a black leather and could easily work for dinner or a night at the opera. Mid heeled shoes, depending on your occupation, will be your go to shoe for meetings, presentations and even job interviews. Make sure you go with a leather shoe from a reputable designer.

The third pump is the high heeled black pump by Calvin Klein. It’s called “Sydney”, available at Zappos.com for $97.95. High heeled shoes are the jewels of your shoe collection and are most often your “going out” shoes. A high heeled shoe needs to have comfort above all else, except design. You never want to own high heeled shoes that are uncomfortable, it will show all over your face and it will reak havoc on your feet. The pump above is a reptile print stunner that is 4 1/4 inches sitting on a 3/4 inch platform. When we apply high heel math (subtracting the platform height from the heel height) to find out how much heel you’ll actually be standing on, we see that with this shoe you will only be standing on 3.5 inches of heel. In the case of high heels, either go for it or stick to mid heels. Higher heeled shoes are not for everyone and there’s nothing wrong with not wearing them.

The final pump is the black sling back by Charles by Charles David. It’s called “Pomade”, available at Zappos.com for $112.46. A sling back is a shoe that says business. It’s great for a power suit or a very structured dress. A black leather slingback like the one above is great to kick up a work outfit a few notches or even dress up a pair of wide leg jeans.