I'm on a Shoe Hunt

Okay people.  I'm on a shoe hunt.  I need to know who made these gold heeled oxfords.  Any ideas???

Le Sigh - Christian Louboutin Unbout Illusion Pump in Neon Yellow

I hate when there is a "one that got away"...

I'm very sad I didn't get a pair of these Christian Louboutin Un Bout (or Unbout) Pump, especially in the neon yellow.

*sad face*

Want the Joules Posh Wellies with Bows?

I get tons of hits and questions regarding finding the Joules Posh Bow Wellies shown above and shared here last year. I don't blame you!  They are adorable and I love wearing the pairs that I got.

Sadly this exact style was for last year, but you are in luck!  I do have some options and ideas to share with you if you are dying for a pair with the saucy bows.

First up is a beribboned style from Joules called the Evedon.  This comes in the red with navy you see below, a purple with purple and a navy with gold.   They're $105, which is pricey I know but I know you ladies want them!.  Joules also does tons of other cute wellies, so check out their selection.

From Next in the UK is this similar to the original option.  They're only $31 which is pretty on par for most wellies. These are listed in the Girls section, so make sure to confirm the sizing first!

If you can't find what you w

ant, one option is to make them. Here's a quick video tutorial to help you out. -

                          


Of the DIYs that I saw, I liked the results from Style Your Life the best.  She did a great job and even added grommets too!  Very professional.  I'll take a pair!

I know the Shoe Hunt can be frustrating, so persevere!

Blinded by the White

Again, a photo of shoes has ignited a shoe search.  I now need and will not be complete without a pair of white wingtip oxfords.

I saw this image and was instantly smitten.  I love the classic oxford detailing paired with the chunkier sole.  I'm trying to be frugal so I don't want to pay a fortune for them, ideally. If I could find these exact ones, I might cave to a higher price tag but for a stand-in I'm looking at $100 or less.

Except I have no idea who makes them or if they are for men or women.  I'd never fit into a men's size but trust me, I searched. Every site I could think of and even a Google image search.  Heck, I searched the kids' departments too. I didn't find the pair above, but I did come up with a few options.

1. Crown Vintage Jazzy Oxford flat at DSW.com - $39.95

They're not bad but they don't look bright white and they do seem more jazz shoe than oxford.

2. Comme des Garcons oxfords on YOOX.com - $365

Oh, I love these.  They're not wingtip but their simplicity is stunning. The shape is perfect.  If these came in gold they would be my dream oxford.  But the price tag is putting me off for the white pair I'm settling for.

3. Rocco P. oxfords on YOOX.com - $250

These are great as well.  What I love is the whimsical nature of the wingtip design.  Instead of the traditional pattern, the perforations are in fleur-de-lys/butterfly/floral scroll. So charming.  The toe is a bit more pointed than I want and they are also a bit more than I want to spend... but I'm tempted.

4. Steve Madden Miltie on SteveMadden.com - $69.95

These are pretty cute and very close to my inspiration shoe.  They don't have the cool sole but they do have the fun kiltie detail and the price is well in range.  

Lots of options, with some compromises. Which ones would you get?

On The Hunt

I get a lot of questions from folks on how to find a certain shoe.  It's great to be thought of as a resource and I do remember a lot of different brands and the shoes that belong to them, but I think there is a belief that I have a possibly secret resource for finding shoes.

Sadly, this is not the case.

If you are asking to find a shoe the answer I give you is going to vary by how "old" the style is.  If it's a current or just passed season, I'm going to go straight to Google and/or ShopStyle. When I'm in Google I'll look at the results for Shopping, Web and Images.  Sometimes the links vary so I try a few different paths.  ShopStyle is a good resource for all the online vendors which are aggregated in once place.

If the shoe is recent, I may check the brand/designer's site, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstroms, Amazon and Zappos. This is because each store gets different stock, color and sizes.

If the shoe is more than a year out I'll still give a quick search on Google - mostly because some may be in a sale stock or because Australia runs behind us on releases.  Shipping may be more costly or difficult but if you really want that shoe, you do what you have to do!

At the end of the day though, I go to eBay - US and UK.  When in doubt, that's the place to go and where I'm going to direct you.  There are tons of resellers who don't need to clear out their stock like stores do so the styles can "live" and are available to find for far longer. Or you may just be lucky enough to find a one-off of the very shoe you are looking for.  I've had that magically happen a few times.  Shoe kismet!

So there you go.  No secret resource or access.  Just patience, time and a bit of investigative work.  Now get shoe hunting!

Bolt from the Blue

Sometimes you just don't know where it comes from.

Who has ever had a craving that just pops into your mind, and in spite of your rational self saying you know you can't have it at right now (like wanting a favorite food IMMEDIATELY), you still can't help yourself.

I think it's how obsessions are born.

While brushing my teeth this morning, it suddenly occurred to me that I HAD TO HAVE sky blue patent shoes.

Maybe because I have always loved the sky blue Miu Miu double strap mary janes. I have them in silver. I so should have bought them in blue too! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!




What was I thinking not to get these???



So I put the call out and started a shoe search of my own.

These are the right color but they are pretty pointy. I think I want a more rounded toe. The price is right though.



These are interesting and I like the shape (no idea on price) but a bit too electric blue for what I want.



I kind of like these even though they are not sky blue or patent. Must not get distracted!




So no luck! What the heck? Is baby blue out this season? Bummer.

What I did find, to tide me over are these - the Melissa and Vivienne Westwood collaboration Lady Dragon heels.



Adorable, right???



They're kind of hard to find and only start at a size 6, so I hope they fit okay.

These come in a few other colors although availability is limited. I got mine from Epaulet.

I actually need black flats much more than I need sky blue patent heels, but now I can't get them out of my head.

Obsession!!!!!!!!

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.