My Shoe Chronicles — Vintage Gold Buckles
Not much of a story for these. They’re gold. They sparkle. They’re vintage. They’re perfect.
I picked them up at a thrift store and some of the rhinestones had fallen out of the buckles. One day while I was downtown in the garment district, I happened to remember that I needed some pointed-back stones. I had the clerk pull out a few sizes and then just guessed which ones would work.
I’m still amazed that I somehow guessed correctly when I hadn’t actually looked at the shoes for months before I bought the stones.
My Shoe Chronicles — Flower Boots
I saw these in the little boys department and saved a fortune on a great pair of boots. Who says only kids can have fun boots?
Yeah, little boys section. Had they been in the adult section, they probably would’ve been twice the price. They’re Doc Martens, too. I got them about 12 years ago now and they’re finally broken in. Docs always take awhile to wear in, but when they do, they’re some of the most comfortable boots on the planet.
And most durable, too. Well, the ones made in England at least. My husband got a pair of Docs that were made in China and they fell apart within a few months of hard wearing.
Over the years, I’ve collected eight pairs (2 pairs of shoes, 6 pairs of boots) from thrift stores and two pairs that were purchased new. Look for “Made in England”. They’ll last a lifetime.
My Shoe Chronicles — Aqua Dots
I love these shoes because they’re funky. I saw them and had to have them. They’ve even got stars and chains on them.
Another of the few pairs I bought new. They’re sort of nostalgic for the 80s and go with one of my favorite skirts. Oddly, I’d painted silver diamonds on the skirt to hide a few stains. The next week, I went to my favorite shoe store in Chinatown, and there these were on an end cap.
Yeah, as soon as I saw them, I knew they were leaving with me. My husband just rolled his eyes. He knew it to. In fact, he saw them before I did and then scolded himself for pointing them out to me. He’ll likely never learn not to point out silly shoes to me and I’m so glad!
My Shoe Chronicles — Red Keds
I’ve had these shoes for about twenty years and it really shows. I used to wear them almost every day. They’re much loved and I’ll probably wear them until they fall off my feet completely.
In fact, when I was in high school, I even marched in a few parades in these shoes. Depending what year, I played flute, piccolo or bells. When we weren’t in full uniform, we wore our band shirts, white pants and whatever shoes we wanted. Well, these were those. I’ve marched many a mile in them.
My Shoe Chronicles — Peacocks
I call these my peacock shoes. I don’t know what possessed me to buy them, but they sure are fun to wear.
They’re not the best quality and I don’t know that they can sustain a lot of wearing, but they’re definitely strange and that was the main reason why I bought them. It doesn’t hurt that they’re one of my favorite colors, too. Weird, loud and colorful. My ideal pair of shoes.
I got these at the same store in Chinatown where I got those simple olive green leather shoes, too. These aren’t as well made, but what they don’t have in durability, they make up for in strangeness. Plus, its not like I plan on wearing them every day. Believe it or not, I don’t have that many outfits I can wear with them.
My Shoe Chronicles — Antique Boots
They really are Victorian shoes. I collect antiques and I couldn’t resist these shoes being in a wearable condition after all these years.
They definitely have that witchy thing going on. It’s too bad the other shoes in the picture are for display only because they’re in such bad shape after losing a heel and then someone brutally hammering it back on.
My black ones seem to have hardly been worn at all. What amazes me most about shoes from this time period is the sheer amount of time required to lace them up. Like, I seriously have to allow a good fifteen minutes or so because they have so many holes. Once they’re on, they’re on and I don’t take them off unless I’m sure I’m not going out again. And if I do go out, I rarely put these back on. Yes, they’re that annoying to lace and unlace, but they fit like gloves.
And they look great. People stop me now and then, asking if they’re real. Because they’re so old, I only wear them maybe once a year on sunny days only. I keep telling myself that I’m going to display with some of my antique dolls, but I never quite get them set up. Oh well. Maybe someday soon.
My Shoe Chronicles — Black and White Flats
I wear these when I don’t know what else to wear. They’re fun, sporty and well worn in.
They’re similar to the black and white striped ones I posted about last month, but the big difference is that they’re so comfy and worn in that I can run a marathon in them. I’ve had these about fifteen years now and I try not to wear them as much because they’re really starting to show the wear, but I still love ’em. They go with just about everything in my wardrobe…and that’s hard to do!
They’re just a simple pair of flats with laces, but they’re weird and thus suit me fine.
My Shoe Chronicles — Sandals
I got these second hand and they instantly became one of my favorites. Closed toe sandals. They’re from the 80s, but when they die, I’m going to have a new pair made up. I love them that much.
Back in the day, so many girls had similar pairs, but I couldn’t afford them. So, of course, when I saw them in my size at a thrift store, I was practically doing cartwheels down the aisle. They were worth the wait.
Except since this picture was taken, something got spilled on them that I can’t seem to get out. I was on my way to an extra gig that day and not particularly paying attention to where I was walking in the garage. We had my ’68 Mustang Convertible apart and I bet I stepped in oil or some unfortunate concoction of oil, antifreeze, power steering fluid and transmission fluid.
I’m gonna see if OxyClean can help me out. Otherwise, I’m seriously going to make a copy of them. They really are my favorite sandals ever.
My Shoe Chronicles — Red and Black Boots
They’re suede and zip all the way up over my knees. And they’re just oh, so crazy. I wish I could wear them more often, but very few outfits actually ‘go’ with them.
I got them in the mid 90s, but they’re definitely from the late 80s. I have a blazer from that time period that goes with them, but seriously, wearing that much red and black…I gotta get up the guts because they attract a lot of attention. They’re more silly than they are sexy, but whatever.
About ten years ago, I wore them to a car show and the wife of one of the guys showing his car stopped me and regaled me with a story about her pair…except hers were electric blue and black. Since then, I’ve been on the lookout at every thrift store, but haven’t seen a blue pair.
Maybe I’ll start checking online because not only are they strange, they’re comfy, too…and warm because all that suede goes above the knee. Now, if I find a blue and black blazer that goes with them, I swear I’ll faint right then and there.
My Shoe Chronicles — Paisley Suede Ankle Boots
I wore these to my first serious job interview and got the job. They’ve been good luck ever since.
Sometimes I forget I have these. I don’t have a lot of outfits that really go with them, but of course that doesn’t stop me from wearing them. They sat innocently on a rack at a thrift store I’ve long since forgotten. Along with all the usual second hand shoes, these were easy to spot.
My husband jokes that the easiest way to figure out what to get for me is to find the ugliest thing in the store and buy it because I’ll love it. In fact, my brother just used that principle when deciding which slipper socks to get me for Christmas. As he stood there in front of all the choices, he said he picked the most boring ones for my mom and the loudest, silliest ones for me. Score!
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