Dear Manolo: Southern Charm

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Dear Manolo:

I've going to Thanksgiving dinner at my new boyfriend's home in Richmond. But I'm a New York girl, and it sounds like his family is still waiting for the South to rise again. Please help.
— RACHEL
MANOLO SAYS, to the Manolo this it sounds like the setup for the dreadful romantic comedy.

You know the sort; the boyfriend's stern-but-essentially-sweet father is known to all as "Daddy Frank," and the mother is the sassy-but-wise Southern lady enacted by the Sally Fields. Add in the fat boyhood friend named Bubba, the pining old flame Ashley Sue and the usual assortment of the wacky-but-lovable relatives, played by the well-known character actors, and you have all of the elements of the perfect Matthew McConaughey/Jennifer Aniston flop.

Happily, the Southerners, like everyone else, are much more complex and interesting than the usual stereotypes allow. So the Manolo would tell you to relax and be yourself, although he would also tell you to moderate the edgy New York hipster all-black with something more lady-like, perhaps like this playful Mary Jane wedge from the Cordani ($220, zappos.com), which would look good with either the pants or the skirt.

Each week, Manolo the shoeblogger answers your pressing shoe questions. Ask the Manolo a question at manolo@shoeblogs.com. Visit the Manolo at shoeblogs.com.

Photo courtesy zappos.com.