My Favorite Subject - Shoes!

People have been embellishing their clothes, their accessories, and even themselves since, well, forever. But I'm always so excited when something is easy, creative, and cheap! Here's a pair of shoes I got at Payless for $10 on sale. They're a perfect fit, a deep burgundy color, and a classic almost-retro style. And the V shape and the pointy toe add to the length of the leg. As soon as I saw them I knew they would look great - with a little embellishment.

I went shopping. Craigslist, eBay, Goodwill - I hit 'em all. What was I looking for? A pair of vintagey crystal brooches (matching) or some gaudy old sparkly clip-on earrings. I found these old Avon earrings at eBay for under $5.

Not sure how anyone wore them on their EARS - they're huge! But I think they transform these shoes from ho-hum to hot!

Maybe I haven't found just the right pair of clip-ons (that's another nice thing about this technique...you can change it up for every mood!) since I was looking for rhinestones rather than pearls, but I still think they look quite special.

Ideas for embellishing shoes: add jewelry, crystals, paint, feathers, silk flowers, fabric, leather, tassels, bows, trim, coins, paper, buttons, beads, or gems! Here are some sites I found - but there are a million out there!

http://www.mjtrim.com/Centers/Projects/23.aspx

http://shoes.about.com/od/boots/ig/Embellished-Shoes/

http://nostalgiaatthestonehouse.blogspot.com/2008/03/embellished-shoes.html

http://www.zimbio.com/Shoes+And+Fashion/articles/848/Hip+Trend+Embellished+Shoes

Me & Jessica Alba: Different People, Same Sole

I was leafing through the November 2008 InStyle magazine... (I know, I know, it's January, so why am I just now reading November when InStyle is one of my favorite magazines? Well, my sweetheart loves to tidy up after me, and tends to pick up any magazines I leave lying around and stash them in strange places. So I just re-found this partially read issue plus the December People Style Watch which I never even cracked under a couple of blankets in the storage chest in the living room!)

...Anyway. This photo was featured in an article about the charming and talented Jessica Alba. I immediately sensed in her a kindred spirit! She converted her 4th bedroom into a closet. I converted my 3rd bedroom into a closet/dressing room. She has built-in, wall-to-wall shoe display shelves. I have not-quite wall-to-wall shoe display shelves (see my own poor-man's version below.) She has a bazillion pairs of fabulous shoes, appropriate to a movie star. I have an embarrassing number of shoes, probably inappropriate to a middle-income workaday schmuck. To top it all off, she stores her shoes right-shoe toe out, left-shoe toe in. I store my shoes right-shoe toe out, left-shoe toe in!! Could we be "brutha's from anutha mutha?" Perhaps!


Here are my shoe shelves. I bought inexpensive Walmart bookshelves ($30-ish on sale), and took one of the adjustable shelves to my local Lowe's Home Improvment store. I picked out long planks of similar-width shelving material, and asked the helpful hardware man to cut me some lengths to exactly match the sample. Lowe's also sells shelf support thingbots, just make sure to get the right diameter - I had to go back twice.

I arrange my shoes right-shoe toe out left-shoe toe in so that I can easily choose the style (do I want pointy toe or peep-toe today) and heel height (am I giving a presentation, running all over tarnation, or just sitting at my desk all day?) to match my outfit and needs for the day. I also exhibit my shoes caringly to justify having so many pairs. They're not just footwear for me, they're treasured possessions. Art even.

Maybe everyone displays their shoes this way and I wasn't aware. Or maybe it's just me and my new BFF Jessica. Either way, it gives me joy.