Shoes to Dye For

Courtesy of OakNYC

I’ve always loved LD Tuttle and this Parabolic Slip on Heel is one of her greatest creations. It’s turquoise with a soft, slouchy lambskin ruffle and a stacked wooden heel.

I snapped up a pair as soon as they went on sale, but soon found that there’s a drawback to beautiful blue leather. It fades. After a few months, my shoes turned from a brilliant turquoise to a sort of aqua, with tinges of pale green and yellow. Not good. I also had a couple of water marks that spread when I tried to get rid of them. I suppose I might have been able to get the shoes  replaced, considering that they have a serious design flaw, but I had other plans for them.

After looking up info on shoe dying, I found lots of pictures and  real-life stories of people painting Christian Louboutins on the Purse Forum. This was enough to give me the courage to go for it with my LD Tuttles.

Freshly dyed LD Tuttles

I ordered Tarrago self-shine shoe dye in sky blue off of Amazon, and painted my heart out. The end result: a uniform, smooth color, and the lambskin ruffle is a bit more sculptural than slouchy.

Admittedly, the leather does feel a little tacky, but I’m hoping a few applications of leather conditioner will help with that. The upside is that my blue shoes are a lot more durable now and I can wear them without shying away from a few raindrops or little patch of sun–and all of which is priceless.

Fashion Reimagined

Reworked vintage can be a lovely, covetable thing when it’s done right. Think beautiful, psychedelic patterns and prints, vintage fabrics and delightfully distressed leather that can be remade into stylish playthings for you and me. It can be done and to prove it, I’ve gathered up the best of internet “trashion” for your shopping pleasure.

1. Novella Royale: Vintage jackets find new life as leather purses. All are hand-crafted; no two are the same.

2. The Glamourai: Delicious confections in jewelry form. These pretty baubles are made from charms, brooches, and buttons picked up in vintage shops.

3. Sara Claire and Esther: A collection of glamorous dresses, inspired by the idea of little girls’ tea parties and playing dress up. They are made from bits and pieces from pre-owned garments and cloth-covered buttons and trim.

4. Glenda Gies: Delightfully old-school, framed handbags and totes made from vintage fabrics. The materials are rare and hard to find, so most of these purses are limited-edition or one-of-a-kind.

The Fine Art of Necessity

(From left to right) photo courtesy of farfetch.com, Meredith's Eyes

Say hello to the pretty! It’s the S/S 2009 Ann Demeulemeester open front, lace up sandal boots (left) from Farfetch.com, very sexy, highly coveted and sold out everywhere.

Then there’s this beautiful imposter, the Black Leather DIY gladiator lace up booties (right) by Meredith’s Eyes, a girl who clearly doesn’t have $725 burning a hole in her pocket, but who is in possession of a box cutter and mad sewing skills. To which I say, Bravo!, and can I get a piece of that?