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!
My Shoe Chronicles — Black Funky Boots
I’d never seen another pair of shoes quite this odd yet simple. I’ve got a few wild pairs, but this one, well, this one threw me for a loop. They’re simple black, but shaped so strangely I had to have them.
When I first saw them at at Goodwill while on vacation in my hometown, I almost didn’t buy them. They were almost a little too strange. Yeah, that’s strange in itself: the fact that I wouldn’t get a pair of shoes because they were too weird. But that’s one of the reasons I knew I had to get them. They were my size, weird and $10 or less, therefore I must own them.
And, y’know, they’re just right for spunking up a boring outfit. The picture doesn’t really do them justice. I’ve never seen another pair quite like them. I get stopped by complete strangers asking where in the world I got them. I have no idea what year they are from, either. I suppose they’re timeless!
My Shoe Chronicles — Olive Leather
I’ve gotten more compliments on these shoes than many others in my collection and I don’t know why. Maybe it’s that they look as comfy as they feel and they’re a little odd. I really don’t know, but I love ’em!
They’re also a unique color for my wardrobe. I don’t have any other pairs in this shade or shades near them. They’re one of very few pairs that I bought new simply for that reason: I don’t have another pair like them.
It’s uncommon for me to buy anything new. It’s gotta be truly unique and awfully cheap. The way I see it is that if I can go to a thrift store and buy four pairs or more for the price of those shoes, they better be totally awesome! In the case of these, I think they were somewhere around $25 in a quirky little shoe store in Chinatown of all places. It was definitely money well spent.
My Shoe Chronicles — Black and White Striped
I love these quirky shoes. They’re strangely shaped yet still comfortable. I’ve worn them to concerts and the grocery store and they just seem to go with everything.
However, they just don’t seem to break in. That’s most likely why they landed at the thrift store I bought them from. Standing in them is fine, but walking around the block? No thanks. Socks seem to help, but not much. I wear ’em because they’re funky, but if I know I’ll be walking a lot, I opt for one of my other black and white pairs. There’s only so much torture I’ll put my feet through!
My Shoe Chronicles — 80s White Cyclist
I got these shoes eons ago from a thrift store. They were pretty cheap because the laces were missing. I had a pair of laces from the same time period sitting around collecting dust (they were a gift when I was in third or fourth grade). They don’t exactly match style-wise, but I really don’t care. They get the job done and let my eclectic taste shine through.
Somehow, I’d lost these for about ten years and only recently rediscovered them, smashed, at the bottom of a box of random old stuff. I have no idea how they got separated from the rest of my shoes, but whatever. I’m glad to have them back.
My Shoe Chronicles — 80s Brown Flats
I took pics of some of my shoes for a project that has now run its course. Rather than file them away and forget about them, I’m blogging them. Why not? I mention my extensive wardrobe, but I don’t always put my money where my mouth is. So this is my chance.
I am the same size I was in high school and I don’t get rid of as much stuff as I should. I love vintage and second hand shopping, but I’ve had some stuff so long it’s now considered vintage anyway! I’ve got more than 250 pairs of shoes and boots spanning many decades. The ones I’ve photographed aren’t always the strangest, they’re just some of my favorites. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
They’re cute, they’re funky, they’re like totally 80s and they only cost me a couple of bucks second hand, but they are one of my most comfortable pairs of shoes for summer.
I’ve worn them on a few extra gigs, too. Strangely, though, I wasn’t playing 1980-something. They were modern day shoots. I suppose no one really pays attention to what extras have on their feet, but still, I thought it was strange that the costumers had me wear them. That was one of those days when I just slid on the nearest pair of shoes as I headed out the door. The other gig, I simply didn’t have another brown pair of flats that matched the outfit I was bringing.
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