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May 29, 2004
the ones that got away
tonight, mary and christa came over to help me suss out my wardrobe for the roswell trip. it can be a little tricky to look nice in an environment where the uniform is shorts (which i refuse to wear right now) and shapeless VW logo t-shirts (which, although i do own more than i would like to admit to, i also refuse to wear). i can't look too dressed up, and everything has to be practical for driving all day, or running around in the hot desert wind all morning. plus, how do you dress for an alien ball at a zoo, when you also refuse to wear an alien costume? well, we got it all figured out. they even convinced me to wear a pony tail with a pink scarf to further girlify the very cute PODVISION baseball tee that i'll be wearing during the car show.
anyway! of course, there was a shoe component of the whole fashion show thing. and that got me to thinking about the shoes that got away.
i was in high school. i'd grown up with one, maybe two pairs of immensely practical shoes being purchased for me each year. sandals for summer, something with a closed toe for winter. maybe some sneakers. the notion of having additional pairs of shoes was quite novel, but i did occasionally buy myself a really compelling pair with my babysitting money. i remember feeling quite extravagant paying $40 for a pair of heels that i actually still own, and wore constantly in high school.
at this time-- '84? '85? the vintage look was just starting to take hold in NC. the style that would eventually evolve into "shabby chic" was particularly of interest to me.
i spotted the magical shoes in a botique in north hills. as i recall them, they were black ballet slippers with some kind of beaded encrustment on the toes. they were delicate, beautiful, and little bit goth. i think i must have had a look at the price tag and been shocked. i remember that they were out of the question, even though i loved them so much.
obviously, i've never forgotten them. there's a few things like that from that era-- beautiful things that i couldn't afford, and never forgot.
i wonder if those shoes are part of the reason i seem to be drawn to ballet slipper style shoes that are flat and have a rounded toe? they're difficult to wear, yet i have many pairs.
i also gave some thought this evening-- out loud-- as to whether my shoe buying habit could be considered a problem. mary said, "don't ask me". christa declined to comment. my hunger for cute shoes seems to grow with every pair i buy.
Posted by lisa at May 29, 2004 12:23 AM | TrackBack
Comments
i think your "shoe buying problem" is only a problem if it's keeping you from doing other things with your money.
plus, i saw you put down a pair at DSW yesterday, so clearly you have the ability to stop yourself from making purchases you think are unnecessary.
the only thing i would suggest is that you make a specific point to wear everything you have, and not let them languish in the closet. wear the silver ballet slippers, even if you think they don't go with your outfit. (something i love about sarah jessica parker's character in SaTC... she wears, for example, 3 inch stilletos with cropped jeans and a baseball jersey.)
Posted by: christa on May 30, 2004 12:54 PM
yes, i totally love the way she does that. i always fear that i am kidding myself if i think i'm pulling something like that off.
nevertheless, i think it's a very cool shoe philosophy, and one i aspire to.
Posted by: lisa on May 30, 2004 09:44 PM
ok, so a) your comment won't post right away because i have to approve it first and b) you might get a server error but your comment probably posted anyway and c) previewing doesn't work so i've removed the preview button.