Sunday, September 10, 2006

Shoes, shoes, shoes!

Betina here.

Blame Michele Hauf for the content of this blog. She got me started looking for Louboutin shoes on line and when I spotted these red ones. . . well, my devout vow to give up excess and materialism went right out the window! Just look at these babies. Who could blame me?



Oooooo, baby. I want these shoes. Temptation in red satin, complete with snake!


And these make my pulse race, too.


And then there are these for. . . you know. . . more sedate occasions, like PTA Meetings and invitations to the White House Correspondents Dinner:



But it didn't stop there. I went in search of Jimmy Choo's. And lo and behold. . .

What is it about shoes that grabs us and makes us feel so passionately about them?

Do you remember your first pair of heels? What color were they? How high?

Mine were 2
inch black patent leather heels for Easter. Very plain and classic. I think I was 12 or 13, but I looked like 16, so I could "get away with it." Not long after that, I got some snazzy bone colored ones for summer. Skinnier heel. More grown up. I was thrilled.

By the time I was in 10th grade, I had half a
dozen pairs of heels. . . all worn to church. . . including a great classic pair of red leather pumps with fairly pointy toes. I also had a three-inch pair of black shoes that would have made Hollywood proud. Looking back, I guess my mom was fairly liberal in allowing me to have so many heels and such high ones. She loved shoes and shopped sales so she could afford several pairs each year. My sister and I benefitted; when she found a good sale, she was always in the mood to be generous.

Memories. So very, very sweet.


I'm probably more daring with my shoes than with the rest of my wardrobe, which isn't saying much. I'm pretty boring sartorially. But I can dream, can't I? Like when I look at these Manolo Blahniks. . .

Oooooo, baby.
I have no idea where I'd wear them, or even if. But I love the colors and the dangles and the heel. . . But see, in the interest of a thorough blog experience for you, I kept searching and tada! These little numbers took by breath away!

So, what is your shoe passion? Do you remember your

first heels? Do you have a daughter story to tell. . . her first heels? Wedding shoes?

Funny shoe "date" stories? Shoe tragedies or tales of unrequited shoe desire? Come on. . . live a little. . . indulge. . .

They say every woman should have at least one pair of Jimmy Choo's in her life. . .


9 comments:

Debra Dixon said...

A shoe tragedy is your favorite beloved pair blowing a strap and the repair guy saying, "I can fix it but it will never hold up to any serious wear."

He usually tells me that from behind bullet proof glass. He also made the pass-through opening smaller so I can't get my hands around his neck again.

Unknown said...

Ha! Deb Dixon, welcome! And LOL at the image of you throttling the poor shoe repair guy. I've felt like that, too. . . only the potential victim was my new schnauzer puppy who chewed a brand new pair of bone colored pumps with stacked leather heels that were not only classy, but comfortable like old PJ/s.

I didn't strangle him. (Lucky for him he was "cute" and I'm a sucker for "cute.") But just thinking about it 8 years later makes me look at him with blood in my eye.

Helen Brenna said...

Hi, Deb. We're so glad to have you here!

Betina, when I pulled up the blog and saw those red shoes, I thought, "Ooooh, baby!" And all of the pictures are gorgeous!

I have to admit I'm a newcomer to the whole Imelda Marcos shoe fetish business, but have found myself moving more and more in that direction. My daughter has had a definite influence. Purses too, all of a sudden. What does this mean?

And don't get me going on dogs. Our Aussie is just a year old and destroyed 4 pairs of MY shoes, 2 brand new, within the first 4months.

Unknown said...

Helen, I believe dogs are God's way of telling us to not get too attached to shoes. My private theory, however, is that shoes may be the Devil's way of telling us not to get too attached to dogs!

;)
Betina

Melissa McClone said...

I can't wear heels that often. I'm just too much of a wuss. I like to be comfortable.

But my shoe passion are boots. I love boots. I cannot have enough boots. I just saw the American Idols concert and I wanted Kellie Pickler's black boots. Next on my list are a pair of brown slouch boots I saw at Nordstrom.

I don't know why I like boots so much. I think it dates back to when I was backbacking through Europe. I was Cannes. I was 21. I had my dad's AmEx card for emergencies which I'd already used it for two emergencies in London-a dress at Laura Ashley's and tickets to Wham's final concert at Wembly Stadium so I was trying to be a little more discriminating as to what constituted an emergency since I still had eight more countries and a month and a half left to travel.

Anyway, the Cannes boots. Light suede with fringe. I didn't buy them, regretted it so much I couldn't sleep, went back the next day, but the store was closed. I was heading to Rome that night so I couldn't go back. I still miss those boots.

Unknown said...

Ah, Melissa. . . a woman after my own heart. The angst of shoe opportunity lost. I have been there, my sister. I still occasionally think of a pair of shoes I saw in Rome nearly five years ago. . . buttery caramel leather, heels so high they'd have made my nose bleed, pointed toes with these elegant laps of leather with buttons on them. . . very chic. I fell victim to my own practicality. "Where would I wear them?"

bah. Should have bought them anyway and mounted them in a frame!

Michele Hauf said...

I didn't realize I had a fetish. As a housewife living on a budget, I drool over Target shoes. Hey, sometimes getting a sweet pair on clearance for $5 is just as great a thrill as an expensive pair. Though, they do occassionally toss in a nice spike heel (my downfall). And I got my goth flats at Target, little black flats with a silver rhinestone skull at the toe. Nummy!
My favorites were a pair of black velvet spike heels (not from Target). I always felt sexy wearing them, and wore them often. I pride myself on having high-heel feet (high arch) and can run in them if I have to, or just if I want to. I wore the velvet ones to pieces, literally.
So I knew I liked shoes, but until I did research for a recent book and discovered Louboutins, I didn't understand what 'fetish' meant. I do now. :-) Haven't gotten a pair of Louboutins yet, but just say the word to any male in my family, and he can tell you what pair I want, the price, and the color. (Hey, I don't talk about them THAT much.) :-)
M

Unknown said...

Ohhhh, Candace, leave it to you to know the best shopping around. "Zappos" it is!

Unknown said...

Hey these shoes are very cute likeTimberland shoes....Blog is superb.....nice pics!!!!!ohhhh