A Shoe Acquisition

My favorite running route loops through one of the most beautiful cemeteries I’ve ever seen. (Yes, I’m a bit of a ghoul with my graveyard cardio.) With Halloween lurking around the corner, here’s a rare shot of moi in running gear, with perhaps one of my best summer finds ever. In my quest for better thighs (note: that hasn’t happened yet), I’ve practically lived in these Saucony trainers since I bought them:

I loved the muted silver and gold detail, plus the support is pretty awesome, considering I run on pavement (bad, bad, bad for the knees!). Hubby snapped this with his nifty new flash setup over the weekend. Athletic shoes aren’t my favorite purchases as the designs are usually overwhelming, clunky, or too bright for my taste. (I also detest white shoes in general, so that adds even more boundaries when choosing running gear) I must say, Saucony makes an affordably cute line of women’s trainers - even for ladies with morbid workout regimens.

It’s an unusually warm autumn this year, but I can’t help trotting out my fall accessories while waiting for the first chill. These are purchases made via happy mouse click, in an attempt to make my quirky writer’s wardrobe more "corporate." I still string verbs for my daily bread, so the corporate armor now languishes in the back of my closet. I do adore the accessories I acquired during that short cubicle stint.

Photo by Hubby. Bayo Top, American Apparel Tee-Skirt, Shoes and Purse from Target.
 

I know I haven’t posted in a while. Apologies. The well-heeled must work hard. And that’s the end of my sole-spotted pun.

Kicking off the fall season with a Kenzie T-Strap Wedge. This most adorable shoe has the loveliest cognac-colored leather and is surprisingly comfy. I haven’t tested the wedge on long walks through the museum, but I have a feeling they’ll be just fine trekking for oils and sculptures.

Classic, comfy and rather cute - just the way I like it.

There’s that scene from Gone With the Wind, where Mammy laces up Scarlett as she clings for dear life to the bedpost. Since then, I’ve had this thing for stays and lace-up shoes. I used to own a pair of satin-ribboned Nine West platforms you could tie up in festive criss-crosses nearly to the knee, making one some sort of after-hours Amazon. I haven’t found a replacement for my Amazon shoes yet, but I did find a rather cute flat from Sugar designed with the same principle, only the laces are made of shoelace material…very Sesame Street!

I see kids give me a double-take at the supermarche when I’m in these shoes, with their mothers reassuring them about a future pink-lace purchase. They’re incredibly comfy, and great for wet or warm weather, with the canvas material and rubber soles.

Let’s play! 

Unlike most brides, I didn’t choose my wedding outfit. I’ve never been one to ooh and ahh over bridal gear, not really into the whole living-meringue-cake going down the aisel experience. Eventually, hubby got online and chose a pretty silk wrap dress from Banana Rep - just my style. The only problem was, it was the dead of winter, and while I’m certainly not traditional, I didn’t relish the thought of me clomping around in winter boots on our special day. So hubby and I drove to the nearest DSW and hunted among the half-price clogs and stompers for a suitable wedding pair. 

I was just about to give up, when hubby spotted these satin pumps:

The design was so interesting, how the elastic T-strap extended from the heel detail to the gently-pointed toe.

I loved the subtle grey color, which perfectly complemented the soft grey of my dress. And, as hubby has composed in the following photo, the shoe details and color echoed the metallic feel of a very familiar tool of my trade: the microphone.

It was a happy day, wearing these shoes as we held hands as husband and wife for the very first time.

Sometimes, during these summer days, you just have to let go. Do something you’ve never one before, indulge in a forbidden pleasure or explore a random detail on the map. Summer is about freedom, the happy teenager of the seasons. Let your hair down, fill your closet with color, and enjoy every single flavor.

I never really got that until I moved to a place where one really has to wait for summer. Now that it’s here, I find an extra spring in my step, enjoying the blasts of sunshine and the comforting contrasts of thunderstorms breaking through the heat. It’s been the perfect sort of weather lately, though I can’t wait for another rainstorm…because of this recent purchase:

It’s a seriously SWEET Sugar boot, one of my favorite brands because of their way with marrying durability and adorable feminine designs. I adore this pretty graphic pattern on the boot, somewhat like a sketchbook tear-out, selectively-colored, carefully-inked.  I call these my "doodle" boots - they’re made of canvas with rubber soles. I think they can withstand quite a bit of wet weather.

What really gets me is the buckle on this shoe - not just for decorative purposes! You can adjust it to the narrowness of your ankle, or expand it to accomodate those big warm socks for cooler weather.

I have a mind to wear it to the symphony picnic this upcoming weekend. I think this will go nicely with a picnic of strawberries, rosy wine and Gershwin tunes, n’est-ce pas?   

As the days got warmer, the color red seemed the right color to celebrate the sunlit seasons. I’m not really a pastels sort of gal (though I have made some efforts to integrate more than black and brown into my shoe closet). For me, it’s all about extremes - light or dark, restrained or completely baroque…the abscence of color or the fiery blaze of the day’s last send-off to the sun. So it was no surprise that my first spring purchase to get away from the confines of winter boots and snow-caked sneakers was a beautiful pair of red open-toed pumps from Kenneth Cole Reaction.

They still look good after three months of skipping through melting slush (yeah, I took ‘em out as SOON as it got bearably warm) and sunbaked sidewalks - here interpreted by hubby’s enthusiastic photography (which means it got QUITE technical with lots of light thingies…bits I leave up to him until I get a better grasp of numbers and f-stops):

I absolutely adore the saddle-like feel of the leather, as well as the material’s intense color. It’s "not quite red" - so there’s opportunity to dress up or dress down with this shoe. And if you think walking through museums or traipsing through bazaars will be difficult in these shoes, think again:

These crooked kittens (and the RUBBER sole) are VERY kind to summer-worn tootsies.

As I mentioned in my previous post, this red obsession carried over into summer, with my latest acquisition in the form of a medieval-like Report flat:

I think this is the effect of watching way too many Disney cartoons with princesses, coupled with a more mature fascination with Tudor-era fashions. It feels rather…Snow White meets Henry VIII.

Technically, it’s NOT a flat - note the cute little hidden wedge…adding lovely subtle height. I do love a bit of heel, which explains the rather small showing of flats versus the small army of stabby, wedgey shoes.

As if this wasn’t enough…this shoe has an adorable Japanese floral pattern on the inside, remniscent of washi paper patterns - an exciting revelation!

I restrain a girlish squeal every time I look at the detail.

Red hot choices indeed.