shoes!

I guess it's that time of year, when you're supposed to reflect on the last twelve months, in order to better appreciate the new year to come.  Blerg.  I'd rather continue to hide away on the couch, thank-you, and confront the truths and meaningful realizations only when forced (hmmm...can you tell I went back to work yesterday?).  I am also super sick, so no outfit shot today- though there was one, and it wasn't bad!

Anyway, I'm old and unchanging in my ways.  I'll never learn to be tidy- for every sock and shoe I remember to put away, I am blind to the piles of sweaters and dresses-to-be-tailored that dot the landscape.  sigh- much to my long-suffering neatnik man's chagrin.  I don't pick up a lot of new habits. So I will say that my 'real' 'accomplishment' last year was to embrace wearing heels like a real 'grown-up' 'lady' (another would be actually keeping a blog regular-ish for a year!).  I've just never been able to find the right shoes that didn't hurt or fall off.  Or I just felt too self-conscious clickety-clacking down the hall.

A couple of years into dressing primarily in remixed 50's and 60's dresses however, and I was ready for some glamour.  or at least those super cute old-lady booties from the 30's.  which is pretty much my shoe collection...!

Last christmas, Santa gave me a gorgeous pair of Camper low-heeled ankle boots (she wears a lot of Camper too. Thanks ma!) They actually say 'heels for beginners' on the sole...

Then I discovered that Camper ships to Canada for a mere $10, which is awesome, since Camper stores in Canada generally mark the price up about 30%.  So I ordered another pair in January during the sales...

This spring I really needed to find a similar workhorse to get me through the non-tights-wearing seasons. I keep meaning to find some fun coloured laces to replace the grey...

By then, I had also been doing this bloggy thing for a few months, and had discovered so many amazing style blogs, among them some folks with  excellent taste in shoes,  (as well as clothing) who introduced me to a lil' lady named Chie Mihara. These came to live with me via Ebay...

Plus a few other friends from around...

Fornarina Bow heels

Ash booties, courtesy of Wardrobe Resale

My summer shoes from Clarks were awesome, and migrated well into some early fall tights-wearing

Clarks Artisan Erda sandal

until 'Santa' gave me an early gift in October while out shoe shopping together.  These booties are amazing and go with everything in a funky kind of way, and I feel great in them

Indigo for Clarks Water Row boots

I've been keeping an eye out for the Water Row boots in black, since I figured they were likelier to go on sale.  Sure enough Softmoc had 'em for $62 with an online coupon code to help cover shipping costs.  That was good enough for me! (keep in mind that all the lovely options in the states like Endless, and Amazon.com etc won't ship their wares to Canadians...really should look into one of those mail-box forwarder things)

Ahem, and then today, well, I didn't mean to, but I was walking by Brown's and they had their big 70% off sale, and I knew I'd seen some cute Chie's there several weeks ago...and next thing you know these lovely babies are mine.  I think your footwear should always bring a smile to your face.  These certainly do!  What was I saying about old lady shoes?

edit: I just realized how misleading my babbling is- heh, I just bought the one pair, featured below!  The catalog shots are for comparison/inspiration! 

steel grey leather Luar but with round heel, 'exclusive' to Browns shoes in Canada

Chie Mihara Quentin Fall 2010

Chie Mihara Luar Fall 2010