.and then there were shoes.

Whew… getting my shoes was a struggle, without any exaggeration. I first took them to a reputable store, which I’ve heard was expensive, but come on…how expensive can it REALLY be?

Well, here is how my conversation unfolded at store #1:

Me: Hi. I’d like to get this pair of shoes dyed to match this fabric swatch. And can you fix the heel on the inside, they flop off.
Guy at the store: Ok, sure we can dye them. That will be eight each. And the heel, well they will have to rip it apart and reconstruct it.
Me: No thank you. Ok, can you also dye this other pair to match this other fabric swatch?
Guy at the store: Sure, (taps calculator)…. That will be One hundred sixty dollars.
Me: HUH? (Look of shock and fright on my face) I thought that you said, “EIGHT EACH?!?!?”
Guy at the store: No, I said EIGHTY.
Me: Grabs shoe boxes and everything and runs out the door, saying, “no thank you.”

When I was in high school, dyeables were all the rage for proms and homecoming. Taking them to Thom McCann and having them dyed cost all of maybe $12 back in the day?? And now you want to charge me $80? To be honest, that is more than I paid for each pair of shoes.

So I use the Google and find another place. When I show up, to say that I was shocked at the goods for sale in this establishment would be an understatement. On the left side, they sold hookah pipes, in the middle they sold handbags and shoes, in a display case, on the right; they made keys and fixed shoes. When I presented the store owner with my swatches, he was kind enough to test out the colors on some fabric. The green was a no brainer; it was the purple that frightened me. I really wanted something dark for my reception dress…. So I left the green shoes, walked out with the purple shoes for another week.

Long story short, he dyed them both for $40 each and they look great! The colors look amazing and I am thrilled to have this checked off of my list!

.my shoes have arrived.

To much delight and dismay, I received my shoes. They arrived via USPS on Monday in a lovely little box for shoes that has since made it's way to my box pile for keeping. Here is my problem with shoes:

1. I HATE, despise, would rather pour lemon juice in paper cuts than be around feet. I am sooo anti-foot it is bizarre.
2. I hate my feet too. Their size and shape. They are a secent size for my height by they are wide. And my arch can reach the moon, it is that high.

Having a to the moon and back arch means that I have to put lots of stuff into my shoes to make them comfy. They need arch supports, padding on teh ball of my foot and usually a good heel wrap also. There can be no cute shots of the inside of my wedding shoes because they will be a mangled mess.

Anyway, the shoes that I settled on:

Liz Rene Couture, Giselle.

Here is how the shoe arrival unfolded:

.bridal beauty in the making, part dos.

This trip for the MOB and FOB has been quite productive. Since they booked their tix, I wanted MOB to have her hair turned fabu by my stylist, Andeen, and she obliged. MOB is a girlie girl like me, but she doesn't get to come out to play too often. So we took our before pic....and went to get our hairs did.

Andeen is the most talented hair guru I've ever met and what I enjoy the most is that she will take the time to ask what you normally do with your hair, how you normally style it and then create something new that will not conflict with your lifestyle or willingness to be high maintenance. She also takes the time to teach you how to curl, style, dry, whatever your hair. Everything that I've ever learned about cute hair was taught to me by Andeen. If you need a stylist here locally, she is who I recommend, hands down. Hair tools, will travel.

What she created for MOB was amazing.... And here is our "after" photo, before GNO (Girls Nite Out)

I also thought that it would be nice to start looking at shoes for MOB's dress. I should have known that the first pair she tries on would be the winner, just like her fabu dress. I will show pics of the shoes....but not the dress. Is it just me or are MOB dresses soooo matronly these days?? Anyway, I delivered several boxes of silvery shoes to MOB and she gracefully tried them on. Like with the dress, I will give my opinion but the decision truly comes down to what makes MOB feel the most glamorous and most comfortable. It will be a long day in a dress that constricts breathing and makes you squirm.

So I leave you with this..... some fabu shoes.... that quite possibly after the wedding will be a new, something old just for me!

.shoe me baby.

There is a saying about putting a cart before the horse and not to do it. I’m guessing that you also shouldn’t put the shoe before the wedding dress?? Lately, I have been obsessing over a certain style of how, inspired by a Christian Louboutin that is nowhere to be found on line. Anywhere. It must not be real then because we all know that if it’s online then it is true, real and correct. Not being able to locate this shoe is probably a good thing because I’m 995 dollars, I mean percent, sure that they would fall out of my shoe budget.

I browsed a few sites and found several variations of the style over which I obsess. The true test will be trying on this style and confirming comfort. The closed back looks like a heel wound waiting to happen. Luckily, I have quite sometime left before needing to find and purchase shoes and scrutinizing their level of comfort. Oh…yea, there needs to be a dress first, also. So in the meantime I share with you my current love of this shoe.

PS By the way, if you are a bettor, I’m making odds that they won’t be in white, ivory, diamond white, eggshell or any other neutral!

.shoe by touch ups.

.shoe by benjamin adams.

.shoe by liz rene.