definatalie.com » shoes

Breaking the rules for fashionable boots.

Natalie — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:16:02 +0000

Apropos of having absolutely nothing relatively important to blog about while living in a state where much of it is a disaster recovery scene, here is a post about shoes. I feel guilt that I’m safe, Nick’s safe, our families and friends are safe and our belongings are safe while thousands of people are mourning loved ones, livelihoods, homes and treasured possessions; however most of my readership is overseas and might be wondering why my blog silence stretches on and on. It’s just simply because everything I start to write about seems far too trivial. On the other hand, as people sometimes cruelly put it, life goes on. And it does go on for me even though I feel useless guilt that manifests itself in buying shoes. But yes, most of my readers are not victims of a natural disaster right now and they want content. So please enjoy this post wherein I juggle my guilt and my responsibility to blog about stuff, in this instance shoes.

I have big, wide feet that are attached to sturdy calves. It’s always been this way, even when I wasn’t particularly fat. When Mum took me to buy school shoes I’d dutifully slot my feet into the cold metal foot measuring contraption and the assistant would sigh and mumble something about going into the back of the shop to find the EEEEEEEEE fitting shoes. Upon finding out about my big, wide feet people would usually say something about me probably being a strong swimmer, and it’s true I am a pretty strong swimmer, but it’s really frigging hard to find fancy shoes for these flipper feet!

So when I started seeing ’90s style fashion trends all over the internet, with the lovely mid-calf lace-up boots, I started salivating. But I knew that it’d be a trend I probably couldn’t participate in. There was a time when I could say, “bugger the consequences!” and buy regular shoes but in the last few years I’ve realised how useful my feet are for carrying me around and I’ve only ever bought shoes that are wide enough for me. Finding shoes wide enough across the foot is one thing, but finding boots big enough to fit around my burly calves is another.

First I found a pair of stompy boots at Evans that fit me, and even though I made a concession on the colour (I would have preferred black) these grey and purple coloured boots have been serviceable and comfortable. They don’t have arch support unfortunately and the shaft is almost too big and boxy, like they weren’t cut to the shape of a human leg, but I wear them frequently with dresses. They provide the perfect hard edge to a femme outfit.

I bought these boots last week after searching for affordable, wide fitting witchy style boots for a few months. They’re from New Look‘s wide fitting range so I assumed they’d fit much like Evan’s shoes. (I really have relied on Evans in the last few years for affordable shoes that actually fit!) They were delivered today and half asleep I ripped open the parcel and tried to put them on my legs… it was a hugely arduous task. These are not for wide calves and while my foot fits in the shoe it feels quite tight. To get these on my foot I had to undo all the lacing and the buckles, yes even though there is a huge zip up the side, and Nick got on the floor and helped me shove my feet in! I have been wearing them for a few hours today to break them in, and I’m going to persevere but they sit rather precariously on the verge of breaking my “no uncomfortable shoes” rule.

This all emphasises a point I keep making: people with bodies that fall outside the regular sized range that fashion retailers stock are not catered for and have limited choice, and this can lead to compromise and not maintaining that well-kept appearance that our culture rewards. It’s why fat people are characterised as slobby and unfashionable. When it comes to shoes one really shouldn’t take too many chances with fit as it can lead to injury, and being diabetic I must be careful with my feet at all times. It’s just hard to do when you have big, wide feet with wide calves and a limited budget.

Attractive people, fancy headwear and blooming boots.

Natalie — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 02:04:51 +0000

I always love coming across this photo, Club Allegro Fortissimo by William Klein. From my years of musical training (cough, makes me sound more knowledgeable than I actually am!) I think that translates to Club Fast and Loud, which is badass. I have been busy/ overwhelmed in the past month and haven’t organised another Aquaporko in Brisbane, but this needs to happen again and soon! Why am I so terrible at organising things, uhhh!

Boots and flowers totally go together, yes?! I am sensing a strange urgency to acquire a pair of stompy black boots and put fake flowers all over them. Reminds me of this post on Outsapop, I’m loving all the foot accessories!

HELLO floral sunnies, get on my face. Janz & Cooper‘s online shop is still under construction, and I have a feeling I wouldn’t be able to afford these anyway, but I looooove them so much.

Camille Roman’s Le Tour De Force label is full of stunning pieces with clever and intricate fabric manipulation, and her latest headpieces are gorgeous. I like this piece because it performs dual functions as a mask and fascinator. Perfect for the Spring Racing season in Melbourne when you drink a bit too much and need some kind of disguise to get you home unrecognised…

The fabulous Marcia, as photographed by Advanced Style, is a perfect style role model. I need swathes of purple and big sunnies and head wraps like stat! That purple is beyond royal, my eyes enjoy it very much. :D

ALSO!
I am doing a regular guest post for Dangerously Luxe each week where I redraw a look.
Go over and check out my Badgley Mishka/ 3.1 Phillip Lim redraw!

Those shoes are mine, betch.

Natalie — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 14:08:15 +0000

Before we start you need to watch Shoes by Kelly to get you in the right frame of mind. Forget about all those other blog posts you were just reading, this is all about shoes. My shoes. Ok… hit play and I’ll twiddle my thumbs until you’re done.

So, I’ve been inspired by Memily’s Shoetember and Marianne’s “It’s never just about the shoes…” and decided to do a stocktake of my shoe situation. Footwear is a difficult issue for me as I’ve got large and wide feet with high arches, scarred and destroyed ankles as well as large calves. I have never just been able to go into a shoe store and pick out any pair of shoes. I thought I had a pretty modest shoe collection until I actually went through my wardrobe…

I thought I had about 10 pair… turns out I have double that. This doesn’t even include the 6 pairs of shoes I need to throw out because they’ve either been worn to death or are simply too narrow for comfort!

I have such a tortured relationship with shoes. Those that fit my feet are very hard to find in brick and mortar retailers, and the very select stores that do cater to my flippers stock footwear that is very much out of my price range. Finding online retailers was a huge revelation for me, in particular Evans who stock wide fittings (in E and EE) in larger sizes for very cheap. I think my shoe collection doubled after I started shopping there!

Let me tell you some stories.

The boots that changed my life.

In 2007 I was so frustrated with not being able to find any boots to fit my calves that I decided to go ahead and buy a pair of boots from Torrid. It was a big deal for me because I’d never bought shoes online before much less from another country, so I did a huge amount of research before settling on these black shiny boots. A friend in the States actually went into a Torrid store to purchase them for me and shipped them over, so I didn’t have to pay the ridiculous shipping charges that Torrid STILL want Australians to pay. The delivery person came, I actually yanked them out of their hands and ripped the package open and put them on straight away. I had ordered a size too big, but they actually FIT my calves! It was a revelation. I still wear these.

The most special shoes.

I wore these Prevata shoes when I got married in 2008. Let it be known that I have 10cm on Nick when we’re both barefoot, so I actually towered over him on our wedding day. I’d been searching for wedding shoes for weeks and out of desperation went into Peter Sheppard in the city. They’re apparently known for catering to “hard to fit” feet and for that you pay a huge “hard to fit” tax, so it was definitely a last resort situation. I don’t know if the Myer center store was fresh out of size 10 E fittings that day but the sales assistant swore they only had like three pairs of shoes that would fit me including this pair. She also swore black and blue that I was a size 11… something that hasn’t been true in any other store but theirs, curiously. Anyway, I really loved these. I had to put them on layby to purchase them because they cost a metric buttload, and even though I haven’t worn them since my wedding day they’re still my most special pair of shoes.

The most badass boots.

These Evans boots are only relatively new to my collection but they have been long anticipated. In the 90s I had a pair of Doc Martens but they were never comfortable because I needed a wider fitting and because my foot was so high (due to my arches?) the top of my feet were usually bruised after wearing them at uni all day. When I saw these boots on the Evans site I was like BUY BUY BUY! I look forward to wearing these with mini skirts and lace tights. It’s a pity winter has run out, but there’s always next year…

Oh god, just throw them out already.

I found these sparkly zippery boots in Bourke St Target when I was in Melbourne earlier this year and was filled with glee when I found that they could accommodate my foot. I wore them to death. I literally actually wore them to death. And I still don’t want to throw them out. In fact, I shall call these my zombie boots. They have a huge rip in the back of them but I’m going to hand sew them and restore life to these boots because I always have fun when I wear them. I’m not a superstitious person but it’s just a simple fact: These boots make things better.

I have walked so many kilometres in these shoes.

Before buying these New Balance trainers last year, I’d been wearing a pair of 10 year old Adidas joggers. I realised I’d have to trade them in when I saw that when they sat on the floor you could tell my ankles roll in when I walk because the sole was worn down in a very slanty way! So, we toddled off to whichever sports shoe shop that does the imprint thinger to tell you just how much money you need to drop on a pair of fancy exercise shoes, and we spent about $250 EACH on a pair of these trainers. And we did actually buy the same trainers, funnily enough! Nick’s pair have a dark blue “N” and mine have a light blue “N”. Do you wanna vomit yet?

These are some of my favourite pairs of shoes. I don’t wear them all as much as I probably should, but I’ve had problems with my feet in the last few years and tend to wear flatter and more supportive shoes just because, well, I don’t like being in pain. I damaged my ankles and arches quite badly wearing stilettos as a teen, and since then I’ve never been able to last more than a couple of hours wearing heels. One of the things I always think about when considering a pair of shoes to wear is, “will I be able to run in these if the need arises?” I tend to let the answer guide me in my footwear choices more and more as I get older!

Friday Fance: A jumbled assortment

Natalie — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 01:22:22 +0000

Tassels. I’m totally thinking about tassels lately. Flett Bertram’s tassel dresses (seen on Style Bubble) remind me of my Nana’s house and how she’d have these tassels hanging from the old keys stuck in the doors of her display cabinets. I actually have one of those display cabinets now, and a long tassel dangles from the old key!

The YFF Conference took place in New York City over the past weekend and I was sad that I couldn’t make it there, because the ladies looked like they were having so much fun! My ego was suitably assuaged when I saw the girls on live chat and they said they missed me :D

I really like the work of Kelie Bowman, and was kind of weirded out to see how similar some of her new work is to some of my old work (particularly Riddled with Paisley).

I’m sure Helen Furber‘s sustainable shoe designs have done the rounds in the last fortnight but I couldn’t not post this! I love the stalactite style heel, especially when it’s encased in clear material.

My friend Pete shared this gem of an “Inspiration Pad” on his Google Reader shared items. I can’t read French but I think the pad was designed by Marc Thomasset – you should go see the other spreads in the pad too!

I’m checking out this new image collecting community called Pinterest. Are you a member? I’m over here! If you’re not a member and you like the look of Pinterest, I have five invites. First five people to comment will get an invitation! (You need to make sure your email address is included in your Disqus account though!)

Tempted by Jeffrey Campbell

Natalie — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 01:47:20 +0000

Nick never understands how I can call shoes pretty. He thinks that they are functional objects that are designed to act as a barrier between your feet and the earth, objects that should be comfortable but rarely ever are. I think shoes can be pretty. They can also be magnificent, ridiculous, fantastic, even drab… but I do agree that they’re rarely as comfortable as they ought to be! Always having had a wide foot, my relationship with shoes is difficult. I love them, they can help you punctuate an outfit and describe exactly how you feel (or want to feel!) but so many wider fitting shoes are rarely fashionable. In recent years I have promised myself that I will only wear properly fitting, comfortable shoes that don’t contribute to grumpy moods and crippling calf aches that wake you up in the middle of the night. But I can look.

Recently I was turned on to Jeffrey Campbell shoes by Christina and Hayley, and I am pretty much so in love that I am willing to jeopardise my foot well-being. I think I will start off with a flatter shoe like the fuchsia Roller 2 or the taupe Warrier but I also adore the 99!

When I have enough dollary-doos saved up, I will contemplate this more seriously, but until then I will gaze at this incredible footwear and daydream.

Pendragon Shoes at KiLN

Natalie — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:12:03 +0000

If you read this blog you are familiar with “the fance” and going OTT with pride and dedication, which is why I am sure you will love the creations of Sunshine Coast cobblers, Pendragon Shoes. Recently used in an editorial shoot by Steven Meisel for Vogue Italia, the Pendragon star is rising with amazing fancy people like Helena Bonham Carter counting themselves as fans!

KiLN are exhibiting Pendragon’s new collection, To Have and To Hold, in November. Go and check them out (and if you’ve got someone who loves you very much, they might buy you some lovely shoes!) If you’re not able to get to KiLN for the show, you can browse the Pendragon website and facebook page longingly.

Making shoes would be such an amazing job! I wonder if they need a ~~model~~ *cough* intern…?