You've got to be kidding me...

OK, so I was at the doctor's office last week and saw a J Crew catalog on the table. The only thing I knew about J Crew was that the First Lady wore something they sell. So I flip through the catalog and notice these:

You might be asking why I was so bemused about them? Well, for one thing, the 2006 catalog had a price tag of $198. And for another, I bought the same style of shoe (albeit with a more round toe) at Target in 2006 for a mere $14.99.

Granted, my shoes are gold metallic pleather and not the real mccoy, but still... For a shoe you wear knocking around to the grocery and playgroup? Almost $200? Even if I won the lottery, I STILL would NOT PAY that kind of money for a pair of every day, regular shoes. I wouldn't even pay that much for a pair of ballroom shoes in actual real gold leather. I did pay $99 for a pair of silver ones once upon a time, though. Nadia by International Dance Shoes.

Which apparently are now over $150 depending on where you buy them. My, my how time and money flies in the last 12 years...

OK back to the topic at hand. My Target house-brand shoes have been used and abused over the last three years. They've weathered pregnant lady feet, gardening and all kinds of abuse. I think I've got my $5/year out of them. The real question is "Would their high-ticket cousins have stood the same test of time?"

If the shoe fits...

Shove it in a box until you find the "perfect" outfit to wear it with...

Anyone who has known me for a long time, knows that my former nickname (like before "The Empress") was "Imelda" for I have collected shoes of all kinds for many years. It didn't even matter if they fit or I wore them more than once. If I found a quirky pair of shoes, they must be mine.

Eventually, however, I became a more discriminating connoisseur of footwear. However, I still can't resist a retro-inspired pair of shoes ... or three...

Here they are - my three personal faves - in all their glory:

Check out the detail on these:

These I've worn maybe three times. I'm still looking for the perfect 1920s/1930s outfit to go with them. I've ordered this:
from Patterns From The Past because it looks like a good fit. I can't wait to get it and make it up.

On to my most worn (out) pair of shoes:

This picture shows the little ivory button but not how worn out they are. They even have a matching handbag.

As for the delightful brown shoes? I've got some fabric set aside to match and a pattern that I'm not really committed to it yet. Maybe something better will come along.

pediped shoes

Their claim is that they are the next best thing to bare feet. And they can make that claim shamelessly! Not only are they shoes excellent in quality and workmanship, there are enough styles for the fashionista in all our little ones.

Now let me say that BP (before pediped shoes), I was anti-soft-sole shoes. Not because I didn't believe the studies about them, but because they are the fugliest things I've ever seen. And I will not apologise for feeling that way about Robeez, Jack and Lily and their ilk. They look like leather socks. And I have a thing about socks. Can't stand 'em. So when an online acquaitance turned me on to pediped™, I was hooked. My only complaint is that I did not know about them when the girls were tiny because I could have spent a mint on them as many shoes as they've had.

Lorenzo has these three pairs:

I love these shoes. I will sing their praises from the rooftops. And I will buy more. Oh yes I will. Because you can never have too many pairs of shoes.

Let me also say these shoes are incredibly durable. The leather bottoms can take a beating and still look like new. The shoes are so well constructed that you can abuse them and they will last. Lorenzo wears a 0-6 months size at 13 months old. He's been wearing the brown and black ones since he was 6 months old and they look great. The leather is buttery soft despite being thrown in the bathtub! Don't ask. Lorenzo has a habit of throwing things into the bathtub while his sisters are bathing. Gel inserts for my shoes, books, his own shoes, you name it. So even with being completely submerged in bathwater, the shoes still look and wear great.