Every pair of shoes has a story to tell. My history is not that of a shoe obsessed diva. I could have gone there but my feet won't allow it. I often wonder if my feet have a recessive "duck" gene. Where all the cute shoes taper in, my little duck toes taper out.
In a fit of pain years ago I made a pledge to myself not to wear shoes that hurt. Now I hunt and hunt and hunt and when I find a pair that fits my little heart goes pitter pat. I buy them and wear them and wear them and wear them and wear them. Because it is so hard to find shoes that fit I have included shoes as part of my "underwear." In other words, they are the boring blank canvas over which the cute stuff goes. Winter is black shoes, pants, shirt - and a really cool jacket. I have a black pair of clogs for winter, black boots for church, and black sandals for summer. I have cute black flats for when I know the summer AC will chill my tootsies. I did keep one pair of pointier dressy sandals for emergency situations. Sigh.
It's not too bad. I make up for the lack of shoe cuteness with funky jackets.
Oh, and my purple and lime green glasses.
Photo by Julia Wade
And my artist-made-earring addiction.
My latest favorites - by Blue Bus Studio
But now - I think my life is about to change! I've found a brand (NAOT) that fits most of the time. A pair of their clogs made my feet smile for the first time in a long time. They have a removable cork footbed - comfy for walking. Replaceable so even with almost daily wear for the past three years they are still holding up.
But the poor things have been through a lot. They started out a nice subdued olive green. A couple years ago I was teaching at IQF in Houston and decided my feet needed comfy clogs instead of the dressy boots for the day of teaching but the green didn't match my outfit. No problem. I was teaching a painting class so.... they acquired a nice coat of black textile paint. They lived as black clogs for the next year but even with touch-ups they started looking shabby.
Not any more.
Makeover number three has turned these drab little girls into DIVAS in the first degree!
Curious? Want to see the whole thing? Want to know how to transform your favorite thrift store find or your most comfy ratty pair ever? Come back on the 17th and I'll show you how.
