As I mentioned in my previous post, we went to Lenox Mall while my family was visiting friends in Atalanta. As I live in a small town with a minuscule (no exaggeration) mall, this trip was a major shopping thrill. We went into Neiman Marcus and touched $1000 shoes, and I fell in love with a pair of flats at Kate Spade. Unfortunately, at $200, they were out of my price range. Although, as I have said before, I am most definitely not a label snob, it was nonetheless fun to see designer shoes and clothes at the mall. I would have been happy just drooling over everything, but I  happened upon a really cute pair of shoes in Macy’s.

They were on sale for $30, and I just couldn’t resist splurging on them.

This week, my family went to Atlanta to visit some friends. We had a great visit, and true to my shoe maven self, I came back with two new pairs of shoes. I will write two posts to cover each pair.

The first shoes came as a graduation present from our friends. They know I love shoes, so they got me a really cute pair of Havaianas. In case you don’t know what they are, they are really special flip-flops; the brand originated in Brazil. If you’re interested, here is a link to the official site: http://www.havaianasus.com/  In addition to being cute, they are super comfortable.

The store our friends bought the shoes from is an official Havaianas dealer. The store owner added Swavorski crystals to this pair, so they are extra special. I love them! I wore them all around Lenox Mall, which we visited the next day. (The next post will be about that trip!) Here is a picture of the shoes:

You know you are a die-hard garage saler when you even go out on the 4th of July! Despite there being only a few sales over the holiday weekend, my mom, sister and I set forth at 6 AM as usual. The second yard sale we went to was full of antiques, something we hardly ever buy. As I was walking through the tables of stuff, my eyes fell upon a fabulous pair of black patent leather peep toe sandals. Here they are:

I slipped them on, and it was a perfect fit. And for only $2, they were SOLD! See, you never know.

These shoes are also great because they make my feet look smaller. (Always the goal.) This is because of the slight heel, which visually curves the foot. So, instead of the feet flat on the ground so you can see their whole length, your feet have a shape, which is much more flattering.

I suppose we all have times when we wore the wrong shoes for an occasion. In my case, my wrong shoe choice almost cost me a broken arm!

My family and friends all know that I am a stubborn about wearing fabulous shoes regardless of their practicality. On this occasion, it had snowed 18 inches on Sunday. The snow got slushy, then froze overnight, creating an icy mess on the streets and side walks. I had classes the following Monday, and knew it would be cold outside. My feet are frequently cold, especially in the winter, so I had the bright idea to wear boots to class, so my feet would stay warm. However, these were not the sturdy rubber boots you might imagine. No, they were ankle boots with three-inch heels!

Setting off for class on Monday in my cute boots, I neglected to take into account the thick slush that had hardend into large slabs of ice overnight. This ice was impossible to chip off sidewalks, and right in front of the door was one such slab! As I started across the ice in my boots, I began to have second thoughts about my choice of shoe for the day. Slipping and sliding, I eventually made my way safely through the door.

Suffice it to say, I will always take the weather into account in future shoe choices. Although I probably had to most stylish shoes on the campus that day, I envied all the other people with their sturdy boots!

Rachel

There are many, many people who live for the label. They only buy shoes, (or any other item) if it features the name of a prominent designer or company. I say, “who cares?” I prefer to focus on how the shoe looks. If its cute and I love it, who care if the pair is from Target or by Prada? I’m never impressed when someone tells me who designed their shoes. In fact, I’m more likely to ooh and ahh if you were to tell me you only paid a few dollars for those gorgeous shoes on clearance at T.J. Maxx! 

To make my point, here are two shoes from my personal collection. (Click on the My Shoe Collection link at the top of the page to see the whole thing).

These cost me a mere $7 dollars at Target, but I love them! I think the combination of the patent leather and suede is really striking, but they don’t look gaudy because they’re monotone. They are very flattering, which in my case translates to “they make my feet look smaller.”

These were a garage sale find that only cost me $1. They are a great way to add pop to a summer outfit. I have lots of red in my closet, so they go with a lot. Again, it didn’t take a fancy label to make a great pair of shoes!

I’m not condeming desiger shoes altogether; I think the vast majority of them are fabulous. However, they are not the only shoes that are any good. There are millions of shoes that have much lowlier labels, but are just as cute and original.

Rachel

I’ll be the first to admit it. I have big feet. My shoe size is 8 1/2 or 9, depending on the shoe. With the wrong shoe, my feet can look quite large. Now, I’m not obsessed with making my feet look really small, but I do try to avoid having them appear big! If you have similar size feet, then you know how it is to see a cute shoe on the shelf, pick it up, and see a number “6″ on the bottom. So, you reach down, and pull out the box marked “9,” and take out the shoes. What happened to that cute little shoe from the shelf?!

Although I find it daunting to look at the larger size in comparison to the tiny shoe on display, I never stop there and shove the shoe box back onto the shelf. You see, I am tall, so my feet are in proportion to my body. Most shoes look just fine once I actually get them on. However, that’s not to say I don’t make an effort to find shoes that make my feet look a bit smaller. Over many years of searching for flattering shoes, I have become an expert on what styles will serve that purpose.

As this is one of my special areas of expertise, I plan to do several posts on this topic. I will get started now by listing two shoe silhouettes that make your feet look smaller, and a brief  explanation of both.

• Flats- I have found these to be some of the most flattering shoes I own. Their very nature seems to evoke a cute, sweet idea. There are only two issues you have to watch out for with flats. First, watch for shoes with a wide opening across the top of the foot. This can visually widen your feet, which of course is not goog at all! The other thing I try to avoid is shoes that have completely flat soles. If the flats have a slight rise at the heel, they look shorter than otherwise.
• Wedge Heels-Although not as comfortable or versitale as flats, wedge heels are still very flattering. Think about this: because the heel is higher, the distance from the toe to the heel is smaller. With a wedge heel, that distance is actually the sole of the shoe; smaller than normal. Look at the picture below:

There’s my first tidbit about shoes that make your feet look smaller. Hope it’s helpful!

Rachel

Let’s be frank: although fabulous, shoes are often expensive. As a student, I have limited finances, and just can’t afford to frequently spend $20-$40 on a pair of shoes! How, then you may ask, did you end up with over 50 pairs of shoes you mention in your bio?

The secret is garage sales. My mom is an avid garage saler, and she has passed that love along to me and my sister. Every Saturday, without fail, we head out at 6 AM to find bargains. Of course, I am always on the lookout for shoes. The standard garage sale price for shoes is generally $2-$3, which is certainly better than store prices. There is rarely a Saturday when I don’t return home without a pair or two. About 90% of my shoe collection has been obtained at yard sales, and that is truly no exaggeration!

When friends inquire where I got such cute shoes, they are often shocked when I answer “I found them at a yard sale for only $2!” Among those who don’t go garage saling regularly, there seems to be a common misconception that yard sales are full of old, nasty junk, and that it would be impossible to find a cute pair of shoes at one. I am living proof that is just not so! Although I have been to yard sales that are full of old junk, the vast majority of them have perfectly nice, often almost new things that people just don’t want anymore. I have purchased several pairs of shoes that were still in their boxes with tissue paper around them. The owners always say, “I just never got around to wearing these, so I figured I might as well sell them!” Just last Saturday, I found two pairs of shoes at the same yard sale. One was a pair of bone patent leather peep toe heels, and the other was a pair of black patent leather pointy toed sling back heels, with white tops. Both cost me two dollars.

Another perk about buying shoes at yard sales is that you can buy shoes that at a store you might think are cute, but not want to spend alot of money on. They may only go with one outfit, or you just might not LOVE them enough make a major investment. But, at a garage sale, it’s fine to spend a couple of dollars on the shoes. If you don’t wear them, or decide you hate them, then, sell them at your own yard sale.

The next question I get asked about my garage sale shoes is, “How do you find them? I’ve gone to a few garage sales, but never found any.” The simplest answer is GO! Bargains don’t come to me, I have to go to them. By going out consistently, My mom, my sister and I have learned what neighborhoods have good yard sales, and which ones are losers. You can look at the classified section to find ads that mention shoes. They may not be your size, but its a good place to start. Almost every yard sale has some kind of shoe item, so go to as many as you can in the time you have. The week before last, for example, we went to a sale that was full of kid’s toys and men’s clothing. But, sitting on a table, I found a fabulous pair of pink flats, for only $1. Yes, an almost new pair of shoes for $1. See, you never know.

The last piece of garage saling advice I have is start early. I know its the weekend, but think of all the other people who are getting up and snatching up the shoes before you are even out of bed! Most people have their stuff out before or around 7:00, so grab some coffee and go!

I hope I have inspired you to find your own bargains at yard sales. Even if you are not normally a bargain hunter like me, you may find yourself bitten by the garage sale bug!

As you can see, this is my brand new shoe blog. I hope to fill it with many fabulous ramblings about shoes that you will enjoy reading. I will be working to fill the site with pictures and posts in the next few days, so check back frequently to see all the new stuff. Check out the About Rachel page to read about me and my love of shoes. Enjoy!