LiftKits is providing an alternative to the toning footwear category with its latest line of inserts, called LiftKits for Chicks. The product fits into boots or sneakers for women and not only adds height but is said to provide the toning benefits of a workout. Similar to the various lines of toning footwear, LiftKits activate your muscles and work the glutes to the core during every step. The inserts come in two models, the low-top and the universal (3/4 inch and 1 1/4 inch respectively), and are available for $20 at myLiftkits.com.

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If you spent the 4th like we did, eating and drinking more than humanly possible, you might have a problem looking put together this week.

Height: LiftKits insoles
More Nike Dunks than Dr. Scholl’s, Lift Kits are sporty insoles that boost the Tom Cruise-sized up to a full two inches. The cushioned neoprene gel insoles also relieve pressure on the spine, forcing your back to stand up straighter, adding extra (natural) height.
$20-40 at myliftkits.com

Weight: Spanx Undershirts
Spanx — those spandex sausage casings that girls use to smooth out and slip into into bridesmaid dresses — are now available for men. Compression T-shirt, V-neck, and tank top styles sculpt your gut, make your pecs pop, and are invisible under clothes.
$55-58 at spanx.com

Girth: Equmen Precision Underwear
Equmen makes briefs and trunks that lift and streamline your junk, giving a Wonderbra-like effect in the pants. Moisture-wicking mesh fabric and anti-microbial properties keep your team dry and chipper.
$49-65 at equmen.com

TheRundown

[OK Magazine - May 2010] Derek White’s days on The Hills and rumors of dating Audrina Patridge are over, but he’s still getting a kick out of watching the new season and is working to take his career to new heights.

Derek was once rumored to be dating Audrina, who then started dating Justin Bobby.

“Well Justin and I go back 13 years now, Audrina about four years and the rest only for two years,” Derek told OK! about how knows The Hills cast. “I worked in the surf community when I first came to California, and Justin was one of the youngest kids surfing on our surf team, that’s where we first met.”

Now Derek’s former rumored girlfriend has moved on to Ryan Cabrera.

“Well, to be honest I don’t know Ryan well at all, but I know that for the first time Audrina is actually happy. And from what I understand he treats her really good and they are really happy,” he explained to OK!. “I am stoked for her. She is a good girl with a good heart.”

And Derek is happy working on his business LiftKits, a height-increasing shoe insole.

“I first started modeling and acting when I first moved to California at 19. I was going to school at the time for finance. Shortly after, I started working in the real estate finance arena for nine years as a mortgage broker,” Derek explained of how his business came to be. ”

“After a short time back in L.A., I was up and going again booking acting and modeling gigs, and studying with Chick Vennera at Beverly Hills Playhouse. At this time I booked a few modeling gigs, one in particular in Miami for fashion week, I was modeling for Marceau jeans when I saw another one of the guy models backstage with a homemade lift in his shoe. I had never seen anything of the sort before,” he explained. “That’s where it all started, the idea to start a business soon followed after I realized that there was no one out there making anything like this. I saw an opportunity to make accessible something that could change people’s lives.”

In Hollywood, it sometimes helps to be tall.

“At 5′11 , I am very comfortable with my height. I am also very honest with the fact that society has placed a status quo on being tall, that’s also always been associated with men over six feet. So yeah, there were times I’d wear my dress boots out at night because they had a bigger heel on them pushing me to that 6 foot mark,” he admitted. “I couldn’t help but to think how many other guys out there do the same thing.”

Read the entire article at okmagazine.com

[TheToiletPaper.com]… Chicks wear push-up bras and fake eyelashes. Your uncle Dale stuffs his Speedo® with a kielbasa. So why are you still answering to nicknames like “tiny” and “small fry?” Would being a bit taller boost your confidence? Would an extra inch or two benefit your relationship with your girl? LiftKits™ can’t pimp out your pisser, but you will definitely get a rise out of them.

LiftKits™ are height-increasing insoles that can add .75″ to 2″ to your height. Feel weird using them? Don’t. You know that shrimp Tom Cruise? The guy who has nailed the likes of Nicole Kidman, Mimi Rogers, Penelope Cruz, and Katie Holmes? Word on the street is homeboy doesn’t leave home without ‘em.

LiftKits has been featured in the “His, Hers and Ours” San Francisco Examiner 2009 Holiday Gift Guide – Thursday December 17, 2009 page 29. A list of gifts for that special gal or guy in your life – or something for both.
To read the article scroll to page 29 of the San Francisco Examiner.

Los Angeles (myFOXla.com) – In Style File with Jillian Reynolds heads up to the Malibu Lumber Yard where Alice + Olivia owner Stacey Bendet to show us her new shop and favorite summer styles. Jillian also takes time to highlight new shoe insole maker LiftKits and their height increasing shoe lift as a hot summer item, at the same time poking a little fun at Steve and Bono, saying that they would need four pairs of shoe lifts to be the height of a normal guy. Check out the video!

There haven’t been many options to do something about your height that aren’t that noticeable but we’ve brought with us some LiftKits that will give you an extra inch to two inches of added height. Tyra, in conjunction with Thrillist offer guys tips on gaining an edge and some style over other guys. Watch the video

I used to go umbrella-less and hat-less in the hopes that a little rain and sun would make me grow. But, instead of a growth spurt, I got bad hair and a burned nose. If you’re looking to add a few inches to your height without resorting to limb-lengthening, get yourself a Lift Kit. Already a big hit with men like Tom Cruise and the oompa loompas, these orthopedically-designed sole inserts are now available for women’s shoes.
See the entire article

Ladies have depended on padded bras, Spanx and platform shoes to help flatter their figures for years and now guys are getting in on the action. Hollywood hunks such as Tom Cruise, Shia LeBeouf and “Entourage” stars Jeremy Piven and Kevin Connolly are wearing LiftKits shoe insoles to get an extra two inches of height ($20-$25; myliftkits.com).

Read the entire article
Watch the show

Women have a number of style secrets – from Spanx and padded bras to platform shoes – in their getting-dressed-up arsenal. Now Tinseltown’s leading men are catching on. Tom Cruise, Shia LaBeouf and Entourage’s Jeremy Piven, Rex Lee and Kevin Connolly have discovered a discreet way to add a little lift to their look, thanks to LiftKits shoe insole. With the offer of up to two extra inches of height, this is one of his style secrets I just might steal!
$20-$25, myliftkits.com

Source

Audrina and model Derek White were spotted lunching together recently at L.A.’s Breadbar. “It had a bit of that awkward first-date vibe, but there were definitely sparks,” says a source. But there’s a catch: Derek is Audrina’s ex Justin “Bobby” Brescia’s BFF. Awkward!
Derek, who is set to appear on The Hills, has an interesting claim to fame though. He cocreated the line of lifts that Tom Cruise wears in his shoes!

Read the article

Hows this for an elevated sensibility? Hollywood-based LiftKits is now providing polyurethane shoe insoles for dudes, like Entourage’s Rex Lee (5′7″) and Miami Dolphins cornerback Nate Jones (5′10″) who are looking to add an extra inch or two to their height. Co-founder Derek White came up with the idea while strutting his buff at Miami’s Fashion Week a year a go and seeing his fellow model slip a pair of homeade, duct taped insoles into his sjoes. “I called him out, Dude, thats cheating!” he says. “But as models, we had to be 6 feet tall, and I realized that I lost alot of gigs because I wasnt tall enough. I am just barely six feet.” – Chau Tu

These hobbit-pleasing, comfortable neoprene insoles slide subtly into your shoes (anything from loafers to trainers), to give shorty some extra height, with the “lo-top” version adding 1″ to your stature and the “hi-top” giving you an extra 1.5-2″, depending on the thickness of your foot, and the thickness of your depression.

A new exhibition at the University of California, Davis, is bringing what the world puts on its feet up to eye level. The UC Davis Design Museum’s current show, “Stepping Out,” features shoes from across the globe and from bygone eras. The event was researched and curated with the help of university students, including Nora Cary. “Shoes do more than complete the perfect outfit,” Cary said in a statement. “All shoes have something important to tell us, whether it is about function, fashion or folk life.” The exhibition includes footwear from places as diverse as Iran, India and the U.S., and will be on display through July 12. Justin Fenner

If women can step up into sky-high heels, why can’t men add an inch or two to their height? California-based LiftKits offers an affordable and immediate way to make a man a tad taller through its height-enhancing shoe insoles. The product comes in two versions: the Hi-Top, which adds as much as 2 inches in height, and the Lo-Top, offering 1 inch of boost. The creators claim that in addition to adding height, the inserts can improve a wearer’s confidence and even their posture. LiftKits are sold online at Myliftkits.com, priced at $20 for the Lo-Tops and $25 for the Hi-Tops. They also will be available for wholesale purchase in late 2009. J.F.

http://www.wwd.com/footwear-news/fn-picks-uc-davis-steps-out-men-add-lift-2196881?gnewsid=a6ac832d606a47e0aaa88d5857dcc19a

Ever want your man to be taller than you in heels? Well, I uncovered the secret to his new stature with the unique insoles called LiftKits. This new vivacious find was founded by three Hollywood guys on the mission to grant average men a step up. LiftKits give men the ability to naturally and comfortably increase their height up to 2 inches. It’s been proven that taller men are more successful. Now little men can use lifts for heading out on a Saturday night to pick up the ladies or stand taller at an important job interview.

I discovered this new sensation at the LRG- Creative Recreation Gifting Suite at Sundance 2009 and LiftKits proved one of the more popular booths. Becoming quick favorites with actors like Tom Cruise to celebrity DJ’s such as DJ Irie. LiftKits are quickly becoming a celebrity must-have. I hope they sent a pair to infamously cute, but vertically challenged Kevin Connolly.

You may think that these are a cheat for little guys to hit on you, but face it woman have push up bras, SPANX, fake eyelashes and hair. Everyone cheats a bit and height doesn’t matter when you lying down…

http://www.vivaciouslychataigne.com/2009/02/vivacious-find-of-week-liftkits.html

Trying on a mother’s heels is a time-honored gay youth tradition. Whether the experiment results in a lifetime of drag queen ferocity or merely a moment of realization, for those gays who grow up to not have grown up, the highness heels provide will always be cherished. Not to boast, but as adults we have yet to find a pump (of the footwear variety) in our size. Instead, we were patiently waiting to have our knees done in Malaysia; that was until a simple new product allowed us to remove our names from the waiting lists (at least until the prices come down).

Lift Kits are helping us shorter gays give a beautifully manicured middle finger to nature. The inserts add up to 2” of height via a comfortable air-cushion insole that fits into most shoes.

Don’t get us wrong; there are aspects of being vertically-challenged that we enjoy, such as: less height reads better on camera (Tom Cruise, anyone?); a shorter stature often lessens the frequency of knee rug burns; and it’s easier to read price tags at the breakneck speeds required during Barneys Warehouse sales.

But there are those times when a girl just wants extra inches.

We’ve been tramping around WeHo and Silver Lake with the inserts for a week, and have noticed that the Lift Kits conquer two birds with two inches – not only do they give us a boost in height, they also enhance our confidence.

That was until our “friends” failed to point out that our jeans became floods thanks to our unfamiliar new height, letting us suffer through an entire week of snickers.

Those jealous, short bitches.

$20 – $35

You’ve probably rad stories that tell you that guys like Tom Cruise and David Spade – not exactly the tallest guys in Hollywood – stand on apple carts or platforms when acting . You’ve probably read stories that tell you that guys like Tom Cruise and David Spade – not exactly the tallest guys in Hollywood – stand on apple carts or platforms when acting opposite tall ladies like Katie Holmes, Nicole Kidman or Charlize Theron. And let’s face it – how is a guy of normal height supposed to deal with ladies wearing 4 and 5 inch heels for the last few years? They say women are okay with towering over their men – but we’re always wondered how the guys feel about it

Now we know. Three (smart) Hollywood guys just invented a great product to level the playing field, called Liftkits (Myliftkits.com) For somewhere between $15.00 dollars and $35.00 depending on the style of the insert, men can now be a full 2 inches taller. Like every other beauty product, Liftkits become hot by being on the celebrity circuit – and actors were grabbing them at one of the Oscar gifting suites like free botox. There are hi-top and lo-top models, they fit right into any men’s shoe, and allow the average guy to now be the longer, leaner guy – which gives him the advantage in the job world, the dating world – and what other worlds matter? You can buy them on the site, and as women who love to wear Louboutins, we are all in favor of guys grabbing these!!! They’ve got to be more comfortable than 4 inch high heels. And they’ll even make you look better in your clothes. But you might need to wear longer jeans!!

http://fashionrules.com/2009/03/a-new-product-for-men-that-makes-them-look-taller-and-were-not-kidding/

Of course, size matters! There isn’t a man alive who doesn’t dream about maybe being a little bit taller. Okay, maybe Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t but the average Joe would love nothing more than to peer above his peers and be able to give all the men in the room the once over, without having to get on his tippy toes. For that matter, a short man doesn’t want to give a room the once over and find out the women in it are towering over him. Awkward!

Well, no more. A helpful device, available on the website MyLiftKits.com takes care of the problem.

No more looking for the nearest box to stand on and now it’s not just women who enjoy the benefits of a heel of a good time!

Liftkits says it can make any man 2″ taller and in a world where size definitely matters, that competitive edge could make a difference

Watch the video!!!!

Not wanting to leave any product undiscovered, I managed to visit nine suites this year. Whew! (But two actually had nothing new to write about, thank goodness for me.) So, let’s get right to all my wonderful discoveries. Plastic surgery is here to alter one’s face from what was intended by the powers-that-be, Spanx takes care of the body and now Lift Kits was invented to…make you appear taller!!! Height-challenged Hollywood guys will love this–no more old-fashioned standing on a crate next to your leading lady. Now I can do a scene with Al Pacino. – Karen Slakin

Not all guys stack up next to their lady when she’s in heels. Now men have a secret weapon that lets them stand on equal footing. Lift Kits are designed for men who want a little more air. Unique insoles are worn that add up to two inches in height. Anybody who’s ever worn big boots with a nice, thick heel can attest there is an immediate sense of grandeur when suddenly popping up a little taller than before. Even if you’re already tall like me; at naturally 6-feet, I get added ego with elevation. Yes, an even more inflated ego than usual!

Blowing up at Sundance, the Lift Kits proved one of the more popular booths. Becoming quick favorites with actors like CSI’s A.J. Buckley to professional athletes such as Nate Jones from the Miami Dolphins, Lift Kits are quickly becoming a celebrity must-have.

This new shoe sensation is the brainchild of 3 Hollywood dudes who wanted a step up. They started with a simple thought: Why not add a little something extra to the game? Men want to look good and feel attractive, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to look your best. Like it or not, the world has only the outer shell to make a first impression. We can’t see your winning personality from across the room. But a man who stands with confidence gets attention.

Changing not just physical height but also state of mind, Lift Kits seek to boost that confidence – as well as the ability to scan a crowd.

Made for any guy in any kind of shoe, the Kits are available at MyLiftKits.com.

Wes Ferguson is a lifestyle expert and entertainment writer living out the Young Hollywood dream in beautiful Westside Los Angeles.

Read the article and see the video from Sundance Film Festival.