Loafer Update!

Long time readers of this blog will know that I am OBSESSED with penny loafers.

And since coming out as someone who is loafer-obsessed, I have met many other people who have a similar ... enthusiasm. So I thought I'd share links to two styles I've found recently that, although not as nice as my favorite (and no-longer-made) Via Spigas, are pretty damn good.

First, Macy's has these, from Marc Fisher (which I think is one of their house brands, but I'm not sure):




Today they are $39! (They were >$70). Click on the image to visit the Macy's page. I bought a pair of these and they are comfortable, definitely.

Okay, these next ones are man-made materials (aka vegan). Many of you have asked if I knew of non-leather alternatives, and now I do! Plus, they're dirt-cheap: $29.99 at Overstock.com. (click image to visit site)




What I really want are these, from Marc Jacobs:




The worst part is that I already HAVE them -- I found a pair on eBay that weren't anywhere NEAR $260, and bought them. And found that they were the wrong size. (The seller translated a European 38 as "8.5" which it is NOT.) I relisted them on eBay, if you want them.

Of course, even though I wear penny loafers EVERY DAY, I don't really need any more pairs. Why don't I? Because THIS is my penny loafer collection:



(And yes, that is a pair of Liberty Jack Purcells on the edge there.)

Does anyone else wear a slight variation of the same damn shoe every day? (Anyone else who presents as female, I mean, I know most guys basically wear the same shoe every day.) Represent in the comments!

In Which I Buy More Shoes (But Not Loafers, This Time)

Since Winter will be here ANY MOMENT (I'm told, although it was 80 degrees in Chicago on Monday), I need, as usual, more shoes. Perhaps "need" is too strong of a word; perhaps I'm looking for something like "hankering for" or "appetency". Anyway, I found these on eBay: only $50! Which is good in these times of economic uncertainty, right?



I am also havering over these, which are a LOT more expensive, but still cheaper on Amazon than anywhere else:



And what seems like months ago, but was only weeks, I'm sure, I bought these, also cheap ($80! For leather boots!) on eBay:



The calves were a bit too snug, but that's no problem -- I took them to my shoe guy and he put little gussets in on either side of the zipper. It took him about a week (plus I had to go in for a "fitting" once he had the new bits inserted, to make sure they were exactly right). Now they fit perfectly, and it was only $50 to get them that way. Considering I've never, ever seen black leather boots I liked for under $250 (and thus have never, ever bought any) I feel pretty good about these!

All of these have heels under about 2", which is good, walking-wise ... since, after the collapse of civilization (ANY DAY NOW) I will be walking southward to avoid the zombies and/or cannibals.

So with one new pair of black shoes (okay, two pairs -- I bought a pair of Faryl Robins on sale at DSW -- marked down to $40! -- that I haven't taken a picture of yet), possibly one pair of wine, and a pair of black boots (plus I have brown J. Crew boots from last year that I bought at a thrift store for $7) I should be all set for autumn (if it ever gets here) and winter. So don't look for any more shoe posts from me until AT LEAST April. Right? Right.

Posts about *tights*, though ...


More sale notices: Holly at Lucite Box Vintage is having a sale: 10% off anything until October 20th with the coupon code ATCOLORS. Holly (or rather, her adorable apartment) is ALSO featured on the magnificent blog Apartment Therapy, for their Fall Colors Contest -- click here to check it out (and leave a comment)!

Ridiculous(ly Expensive) Shoes

I saw these shoes in a shop window a month or so ago, and they looked so cute. Then I saw them on the street, on a real person, and they were even cuter. So I went into the shop (Prada, a place where I don't remember ever going into before -- what would be the point?), took this surreptitious picture, and am now posting it. I would link to them but I can't find an online seller.

They caught my eye, of course, because they are RICK-RACK SANDALS, and as such, absolutely gorgeous. They're also $495, which puts them WAY out of my budget (that is, if my budget were at the Equator, this pair of shoes would be at Alpha Centauri) which is sad.

My hope is that I can outlast everyone else -- in six months, these shoes will be "so last-season," whereas my love for rick-rack knows no season. There will be pairs going begging, and I will snap them up, preferably on eBay. At least, that's my fantasy.

There's also a high-heel version, but I didn't bother taking a picture of those. (I was terrified of the salesladies, frankly.)

(If you look at the reflection in the chrome edging of the table, you can see my stripey seersucker dress. I'll try and post about that dress towards the end of the week.)

Ooh! Sneakers!

Are these, or are they not, insufferably adorable? Seriously, these are the cutest things I've seen since my son was two.

And I know, I know, I've sworn undying devotion to the shoes of Jack Purcell, but a girl can LOOK, can't she?

I think it's the extremely low vamp, which I think always looks feminine and dainty. (YES, no matter HOW big your feet are. Seriously.) In fact, this reminds me of a holy-grail pair of shoes: the very-low-vamp saddle shoe. There was a girl in my junior high who had a pair, and damned if I can remember her name, what she looked like, whether she was even in any of my classes ... but I remember the low-cut two-tone saddle shoes she had. In detail. It was a sad, sad day when I finally figured out where she got them (Thom McAn! Back when they had standalone stores!) and got my folks to take me to the mall ... only to find they were sold out of my size.

Anyway, nostalgic digression aside, these are some darn cute sneakers. (Click on the image if your first reaction is OMG MUST HAVE NOW.) And if you were one of the folks who emailed me last summer about what sneakers go well with skirts? Here's the answer. (But, purist that I am ... I'd put laces in 'em.)

Is it time to post about shoes again?

I just took these back yesterday (Macy's online had the best price, better than Zappo's, and *returning* things to the Macy's-that-was-Marshall-Field's doesn't violate my still-in-place boycott). I wanted them to work, badly, but they were too narrow across the ball of the foot, and the last thing you want in a low-cut shoe is overflow. Also, I don't like peep-toes where you only see one toe; it feels too "my talon, let me show you it," to me.

Other than that they were lovely. (And they come in this gorgeous blue, too.)

I'm still completely obsessed with these loafers, to the point of buying the gold-colored ones online in the hopes of dying or painting them black. Also, I'm toying with the idea of having a pair custom-made, although I'm holding back because it's 1) insanely expensive and 2) probably a guarantee that I'll lose my fascination for them immediately upon receiving said very expensive, custom-made pair. (That's what happened to my desire for pepperoncini once I bought the Giant Bottle of them from Costco.)

But summer is coming and perhaps I can distract myself from The Quest for Loafers by trying something like this:



I think they'd be really cute with (wait for it ...) shirtdresses. What do you think?

There's also these flats, and also these, too ...

Of course, it's still entirely possible we could get more snow here in Chicago. I have plenty of time to think about sandals and summer shoes ... what shoes are you thinking about for summer?

Pants at Boots

Reader Susan emailed me to ask how to choose the right boots to go with your dresses, and I had to admit to her that I am (as the Brits say) pants at choosing boots. I have boots, certainly, but I don't have any boots that I consider successful, where "successful" means that I wear them constantly (and am always looking for more excuses to wear them).

In fact, I think the last pair of boots I bought that I felt that way about were some brown Knapp farm boots that I saw in a spread in Jane magazine back in the grungey 90s. They looked great with vintage dresses, especially if you were nineteen.

(Of course, in my opinion, that was the last time a fashion magazine was helpful about boots: what is up with the current craze for deranged-elf ankle boots worn with jersey mini-dresses and all the jewelry you own, plus a knit scarf? Yes, Lucky, I'm looking at you.)

Anyway, not only am I pants at boots, I have realized that I'm pitiably one-track with other shoes, as well -- check out what I found when I tidied up my closet:



Yep, that's roughly a dozen pairs of round-toe ankle-strap heels. And I'm not even showing you the picture that's all flat black penny loafers!

It might just be that there aren't any boots that look "right" with 1950s styles, other than those plastic rain boots they used to advertise in the back of Parade, the kind that come with a matching bonnet to protect your hairstyle. So I throw the question open to you. What are the best boots to wear with vintage dresses?