Granny shoes anyone?
My mom never usually comments on anything I wear, unless I ask her for a compliment, which I am never shy about doing. But the night I flew in from the airport, mind you it was past midnight by the time we got to our house, she asked me to pull up my pant leg. I was actually wearing boot cut jeans which usually hide the shoes I wear, which is why most often I wear straight leg jeans. As I was pulling them up, she literally gasped and yelled out, "those are granny shoes Alysha, I can't believe you are wearing them". I tried to defend myself by explaining that no, these are classic Clark Wallabee's and are all over New York. But it didn't matter, her mind was set. My feet looked like a bigger version of her mother's.
But I knew what I was buying. I actually liked how they looked sort of
orthopedic in a hip way. It didn't help that my best friend was routing
me on. We are sort of bad for each other that way. So I bought them. I
wore them around Brooklyn the last few months I was there and really
fell in love with them. I have never owned such a comfortable pair of
shoes, and seeing them on the feet of other girls gave me a sort of
giddy feeling.
What she did make me realize is that a lot of shoes I like right now have sort of a vintage/old lady feel to them. And yes, I too have these shoes, in black, although I really like them in this color. And of course just to get a reaction, I asked my mom what she thought. She hated them. But if the snow would just let up, I could actually wear them, and show her how cute they are, especially with my new dress.
I also have been coveting flat derby shoes. These are a lovely pair from Impulse Seattle. I surf ebay once in a while searching for a less expensive pair, but haven't had any luck.
And on one of my last days in Brooklyn, I saw a girl wearing these shoes with skinny jeans. I am not kidding, they looked so cute together.
If you are really in the market for some old lady/vintage inspired shoes you should check out this website. I especially love their selection of candy colored pumps. Thank you Russ for pointing me to it.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008 at 10:28AM
Reader Comments (11)
Those pumps are so pretty. If I wore pumps I would wear those.
i stand firmly by my love for the wallabees. yes, they are kind of orthopedic, but in the cutest way possible. and the fryes? come on, they're glorious. i love feeling like an old school marm every time i wear them. if i felt like my pregnant body could pull off the cream, i'd be really tempted.
and thanks to the internet i'll still be able to cheer you on in your purchasing from thousands of miles away. yay!
Well they are no converse so it's hard for me to like them. I don't hate them but they are granny shoes, which is actually what kind of makes me like them. And of course on you, they totally seem cool, on my big feet they would look laugh out loud ridiculous. But they aren't converse so we don't need to worry about it. You are who you are, and apparently so is Katie (far far away).
some ppl are just born cool
That's so funny, my mom never comments on my outfits either if she doesn't like them or thinks they are odd! I like the shoes and there's a lot to be said for comfortable. People are starting to permanantly damage their feet anyway with certain shoes (according to MY mom). Why not orthopedic? :)
Ummm Alysha. Do you realize you used "hip" and "orthopedic" in the same sentence? :)
it never fails to amaze me how easily trends start. after reading about the wallabees, i remembered i had to borrow my Mother's WHITE nursing type wallabees out of sheer necessity and wear them for a week when I was 13 years old.. eventually I saw girls my age walking around in them a few times. thanks for the memories!
You have got to check out muffys.com they have wonderful saddle shoes I like the leather sole look best but they have a good variety of colors. I remember coming back from Germany early in high school with a black pair of Doc Martins and getting teased about the old granny look. I love old clarks I have a couple pairs of the wallabees but haven't worn them in ages! Also I got some derby style shoes a long time ago through an army surplus store- I guess they were the men's oxfords? Anyhow they are matte black leather and have a beautiful shape with leather soles.
Okay so I have to make a comment. While all of you may think the shoes are cute ... what I see is not only an old granny, but one whose nylon knees highs are sliding down the ankle, the slip is showing, and she is more than slightly over weight! I don't care how much one pays for them or who makes them, there are just some things that leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. It was in the slums of my childhood, the impoverished, and those who couldn't afford anything more. The second pair of shoes although in creme remind me of what the nuns wore at the Catholic School I atended as a child and also pictures of my grandmother wearing a similar style. The third pair of shoes have a much happier feeling. I started wearing those in Elementary School. Saddle shoes is what they were called and I was really pleased with my self when I could afford to buy a pair with a little more fashion but similar to those black and white shoes.
As for comfort - I am all about that. However, there are a lot of beautiful shoes (and believe me I have my share of shoes - actually more than my share of shoes - and the majority of them were bought for comfort. Now the pumps - I would like one in every color - even though I actually have a couple pairs in those colors already.
I guess when you grow up on the east side and a designer puts their name to a shoe - it really doesn't matter - but for some of us who have lived long enough to see styles repeat themselves there are just certain things you can't embrace. I would always feel like a frumpy old woman in those shoes - so its really hard to see my fashion minded daughter sporting a pair. That doesn't mean she can't love them....I just can't!
they are all nice
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