Still Going for the Gold

Even though I did do a fun shoe customization project with vintage oxfords, I'm still searching for the perfect muted gold oxfords a la Kelly Wearstler on the Domino cover. 

I keep my eyes peeled all the time, and so do my friends it seems.  MilkGlassHeart spotted these babies in the September issue of Lucky and sent them my way.  And these look pretty close to what I want. A muted burnished gold, not too pointy, thicker sole.  All in all pretty spot on.  And from Banana Republic for less than $100.   I was excited.

They FINALLY made it to the BR site and I quickly went there to order them. But then I saw them like this...

They call the color New Bronze, and while it does have a metallic sheen, they look much darker than I expected.   Now I'm not sure if I should risk it. And they're $20 more.

Another option are the Marc by Marc Jacobs oxfords on Shopbop.  They are gold, that's for sure, but are they too shiny and too gold????  The husband says they look like C-3PO's tap shoes. Is that good or bad?

I'm thinking he doesn't mean that as a compliment.   Hmmm...

Shoe Customization: Gold Oxfords

I hate when I can't find (or afford) a pair of shoes that I totally fall in love with. Sometimes they don't have my size or they run out. Not that I usually accept those reasons at first. Typically I will still attempt to hunt them down. I'm very patient and will search all over. But if I've already done my shoe hunt and I still can't find them, I'll still try to find a way to get what I want.

The latest pair that I fell in love (okay obsession!) with were these boyish gold oxfords that Kelly Wearstler was wearing on the Domino October 2008 cover. Ever since then, I've been searching and searching for them or for a pair like them. This is how obsessed I was. First I looked at the magazine's "resources" section. Not there... hmmm... Then I tried a simple online search. Nothing. I then contacted Domino editorial. I mean they were bound to know, right? Nope! They said they were Kelly shoes that she had brought with her and that they were custom made. This gave me hope. All I needed to know was where she got them made. Time and distance are no barrier these days, right? Sadly, the Domino staff didn't know where they came from (and apparently they had received a number of inquiries besides mine).

Okay, now I was determined to find out. This was getting ridiculous. So I called her offices. Yes, yes, I have a problem, I. Know. This.

If you can believe this I actually spoke to someone on her staff (alright, I'll admit it. I made up a pretense of wanting them for a photoshoot or something. I told you, I am obsessed with getting something I want). They told me that she had them custom made somewhere in Italy or they were vintage from Europe or something but they/she didn't remember where so there was no further info they could give me.

Yeah. Sure.



I finally gave that all up as a dead end. I figured I would just need to do a search online and see if I could find a good substitution.

But you would think I was searching for the Holy Grail or something. I mean there is a serious opportunity in the marketplace because I found nothing. Well, I actually did find a lot of gold jazz shoes but not a lot of this style of oxfords.

The closest pair I found were this pair from Toast. They were pretty good but first of all they started at size 37, which is way bigger than my 35, although I did actually consider them. But they are around $300 and not quite the right color. Still, as a back up, not a bad choice, right?




Then I was sifting through the YOOX sale and found these Apepazzas. The style is pretty good, albeit a bit too pointy. They describe the color as gold. I'm not sure if I believe them, though. And still $130 plus shipping. Not that that is a huge amount, but it is a lot for a third choice.



Then I remembered I had a pair of vintage deadstock oxfords that I had bought on eBay a while back when I was looking for a off-white bucks alternative. I wasn't too thrilled with them at the time and considered reselling them. This would be a good option for another shoe customization project!

The shoes cost me about $15 and I bought black and antique gold acrylic paints, varnish and a gold leaf pen from Michaels. Total - $15.



The shape is slightly more elongated and these have holes where Kelly's didn't but I couldn't be too picky at this point.

Pristine vintage!

I love the heels on these.

Supplies...

I started out by testing on an interior spot if I could paint the gold right on them or if I needed to do the basecoat of black. I determined that I did need the black to get the right depth of color I wanted. I used the paint pen on lace holes which are metal.

One shoe done with the base coat.

I ended up doing two coats of the black and then I did the gold as each shoe dried. I was worried that the paint would dry and make the leather too stiff but so far that doesn't seem to be an issue.

Both shoes done...

I then did a coat of satin finish varnish to protect them. I could do a few more coats but I'm impatient. I don't put my shoes through too much abuse so I think they'll be okay.

Once they were all dry I had to lace them up. I had a vision of using ribbon laces but I still need to find the perfect color. After going through my boxes of ribbon I picked a few to use for the time being. But I think I'm going to end up getting a pair of black regular type laces for them. More cord-like.

For now I put the mauve-y wire-edged ribbons in, which I think are cute with the gold.

Bows! I edged the ribbon ends with some Fray-chek to stop them from shredding.

What do you think? Of course, they'll look closer to the "inspiration" pair when I get the black laces, but not bad, huh?

I think they are super cute! Now I just need to plan an outfit around them. And the good thing is I can swap out the laces and touch them up if I get any scuffs.

Now I have what I want (sort of), am recycling by giving a vintage piece a new life and saving myself a good amount of money. I like the customization projects I've done so far. Maybe I need to plan on doing more in 2009.

Haunting My Dreams

I have a new batch of shoes that are haunting my dreams. The worst part is, for different reasons, I know I may never ever attain them.

The first are these adorable boyish gold oxfords that Kelly Wearstler is wearing. Apparently they are no where to be found, made some where in Italy and possibly vintage.

Bah!

I even called her offices to try and track these down since Domino had no information. At this point it looks like I'm out of luck but I'm searching for substitutes. If I find a shoe in the right shape, I'm even considering gold-leafing it to get the proper sheen.



From the boyish and somewhat more practical to the ridiculously high-concept. I am in love love love with these illusion pointe wedges by Junko Shimada from his Spring/Summer 2009 runway collection.

I don't know if these will be made, if they will come in my size, how much they are or if I can even wear them. But I don't care, I want them.



Absolutely insane, yes, but I adore them.

You can see more images at The Coveted and Style Bubble, who were also intrigued.

The hardest part is waiting for months, not knowing if these will ever become a reality.



The other pair I am coveting are these spat boots from Chanel. They're so amazing and cheeky. I want to wear them with skirts, tights, and with jeans or leggings tucked in.

Okay, I'd probably wear them around the house in my pj's. I adore them that much.

These are Fall 2008 shoes. I could probably track them down. Why haven't I? I'm afraid. Afraid that I'll find them and then find out that they don't have my size, or they just sold out or something. If that were true, what would I do? I'd cry, that's what I'd do.

So maybe ignorance is bliss.



Oh yeah... I want Claudia Schiffer's hair (wig, I know) from the Fall campaign.