More Shoe Talk

"Oh, what a great calendar!" I said, spying one devoted to shoes a couple of years ago in Ottawa.  Happily, I found the same one out here last Fall and of course bought it for 2013.  Definitely my kind of calendar, featuring a different shoe for every day of every month of the year. 

They go back hundreds of years.  One features a middle-eastern stilt pair with mother-of-pearl intarsia (intricate wood-work, had to look that one up), 1875, most are of women's footwear from the 50s, 60s, 70s and up.  It's such fun to turn to a new month and see what they have, each beginning with a great quote from a fashion icon.

"The real proof of an elegant woman is what is on her feet," Christian Dior.  "Shoes transform your body and attitude.  They lift you physically and emotionally," Christian Louboutin.  "Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance," Coco Chanel.  Not wanting to spoil my surprises throughout the year by looking ahead, I'll leave it at that.

The funny -- but not surprising -- thing is that when I look at the caption of a pair I like, they are always from the 60s and 80s.  Shoe fashion and I parted company in the mid-eighties and except for the classics, I do not follow la mode.  In January I admired at a pair of striped, linen pumps.  The 60s.  Another feather-print textile pump?  The 80s.  A gorgeous pink leather pump with a suede rose ornament?  1988.  In February I adored an elegant embroidered canvas pump with a classic spike heel.  1962.  March revealed a stunning abstract floral textile, along with a lovely black satin pair, adorned with rosettes.  1980 and 1990.  April revealed a kidskin stiletto with lace print and another iridescent rhinestone evening pair, both 1960.  For May, I am keen on only two pairs:  an Oriental black and gold sandal, 2011(surprisingly) and a striped pieced-leather-and-snakeskin pump.  1980's.   

So, obviously I am stuck in the classics of the past.  Thing is, they never go out of style.  I still have 75 pairs of 20 and 30 year-old shoes that I continue to wear because they remain magnificently in style. 

Remember, you can get away with inexpensive accessories -- such as bright scarves and arresting earrings -- but you cannot get away with cheap shoes.  Ever.