Sew Distracted

Boots

If you had told me a month ago that I would be buying green boots for fall I would have laughed in your face.  I wasn't looking for green boots.  I've owned green shoes, but I don't think I've ever owned green boots, and frankly I never really missed them.

And yet, I ordered a pair of green boots, all the while telling myself that I really wanted black boots, that I really wanted seriously dressy boots with killer heels, and that they had to be black, and yet.......

They are perfect.  They are just what I wanted, although I hadn't realized it yet.  

I love the fact that they look like hiking boots, except for that heel.  And the heel is definitely a killer heel, but it is not too narrow, and the platform helps with comfort a bit.  It looks higher than it feels on.  These are shoes I can wear for those "I need a stylish pair of heels" days.  And although they are not comfortable walking boots, I have lots of comfortable, practical, walking boots.  Sometimes the soul just needs a little something extra, a little attitude, a little style, a killer heel.  Yes, it is true; I am rationalizing a bit here, but it doesn't really change anything. 

Although they can be laced to the top, I love them like this, with the tops folded down.  In this form I can even imagine wearing them with a skirt and tights.  I can imagine them with a pencil skirt and a fitted cabled sweater.  In fact they remind me of a cabled sweater I had for 20 years in a deep dark olive, much like this olive.  Unfortunately I felted that sweater last year trying to remove some impossibly recalcitrant stain.   I consoled myself by turning the felted sweater into Christmas gifts, telling myself that the sweater was worse for wear anyway.  But now, looking at these boots I wish I still had it.  

The boots may be telling me that I need to knit a fitted cabled sweater in deep dark olive green.  It wasn't in the plans, but sometimes you see something new and suddenly realize it is just what your wardrobe has been missing.  Fabulous new pieces with attitude are like that; you add them to your closet and they make themselves right at home, making friends with all your existing garments.  But it is not long before they start causing trouble, inviting all their friends to come in to play.  And there you are again -- shopping, sewing or knitting and finding you need things you never imagined needing.  It is quite possible these boots are going to be troublemakers.  If so, I'm up for the challenge.

New Shoes and Empty Spaces

 Not that long ago, the shoe closet was bursting at the seams.  No so anymore.  In fact it is looking rather bare.

I finally faced the fact that somewhere between the winter after my 50th birthday and now (1 month before my 52nd birthday) my feet have grown and are not likely to return to their former size.  Oh I realized they had grown; how could I not?  I had to buy bigger shoes. Whereas my feet were a solid 8 1/2 in flats for 20 some years (since shortly after my 30th birthday), they are now quite solidly a 9 1/2, which is really not at all unusual for my height.

But I kept hoping all those old favorites would somehow stretch to fit my growing feet.  

Finally I gave in and eliminated anything that was not comfortable.  There are still a few pairs that are probably questionable, pairs that seem comfortable in the house and pull too strongly at my heart strings to be abandoned quite yet.  The entire purge was traumatic enough.  Yet the proof will be in the wearing.

Of course, I can't refill the entire closet right away, and I am not even inclined to do so.  In order to ease the trauma of looking at a sea of empty shelves, it has occurred to me that I could easily convert this closet to accommodate shoes and handbags, freeing up space elsewhere.

 In the meantime, there have been a few shoe purchases, mostly practical and functional and one more frivolous.  I'll start with the frivolous pair because you can also see them up there in the shoe closet photo.  (photo from Zappos.com) I love these shoes and they are comfortable to wear all day, at least in this suburban area where transportation is primarily by automobile.  Besides, I am rather partial to cone-shaped heels.   

 

Here there are on me during the great purge.  It was nice to have something new to put on the shelves as so many shoes were taking their leave.

My other recent purchases have been completely practical; replacements of missing or worn items.

 My favorite converse slips.  I still get a thrill when I wear these without the laces.  It is juvenile I know, but they make me happy nonetheless.  Something happened to my pair near the end of last summer and it was too late to get the light color in my size.  Just as well, I was probably somewhere between my previous size and my new size and would have had to replace them again anyway.

 And another pair of converse. Lovely worn with "nicer" pants, they also work well with rolled up jeans.  Yes, it is true.  After saying I didn't like rolled up jeans, or ankle length pants on me, I bought a pair of converse and changed my mind.

A woman's prerogative, right?