If you have ever in your life been obsessed with finding the perfect pair of shoes, then you will feel my pain when reading this post. I am totally aware that the pursuit of the perfect shoe might seem trivial to some, but you should know one thing about me: when I want something, there are only very few things that can stand in my way: death, illness and that's about it (knock on wood neither happens, thank you).
For about 2 years now, I have been looking for a pair of simple vintage brown lace up oxford shoes. Not brogues, I don't want any detailing, just plain old 80's granny shoes. I know there are plenty available I have seen them on people, and in several Etsy shops. "Why don't you just buy them, you silly goose?" I hear you say. Well... this is the bane of my life. I cannot find my size anywhere. I would understand perfectly if I was looking for 40's or 50's shoes, since women seemed to have considerably smaller feet then - both in length and width. The thing is I am not looking for 40's or 50's footwear but for 80's shoes. And I know women had the same feet then as we do now. Before you start gossiping about how Mademoiselle Robot wears shoes in a size 23, I will tell you I am a UK 7 (which is probably a US 9.5 or 10). Not exactly Bigfoot, but not small feet either. Mind you, if my feet were any smaller, I would tip over when I walk. I am 5'8" I need my size 7 feet to keep me balancing. But enough about my feet and back to the shoes, I just know they would make my whole wardrobe come together seamlessly, they would go with everything and I would most certainly wear them all year long. So I am not being a spoilt brat here. I just need those shoes. I already made lists of outfit combinations:
Outfit 1: brown shoes, high-waist trousers, vintage tee-shirt, denim jacket.
Outfit 2: brown shoes, white socks, denim shorts, Victorian blouse, black blazer.
Outfit 3: brown shoes, 50's day dress, giant hair bow, vintage boy cardigan, stripy socks.
The list goes on and on, using all the items in my wardrobe, so I will spare you the details, but you get the idea.
Needless to say, I am very angry with vintage shoes at the moment and we are *this* close to fall out forever - even if in my quest for the perfect Oxfords I did find a really cute pair of beige dancing shoes.
Recently, I decided I couldn't carry on without some kind of replacement, so I started looking into some alternatives. I found two: the plimsolls and the jazz shoes. I am not a fan of Ked's and co, so I opted for some white leather jazz shoes (from ASOS, I needed a break from vintage). So far, so good, I have been wearing them a lot, and they go with all the outfits I mentioned above. I do look at them and wish they were brown and vintage but they really are the next best thing.
The morale of this tragic story: sometimes, a girl has to compromise her wishes a little to reach style nirvana.
However, because I am relentless, if you do come across the shoes I have described in this post in a size UK 7/US 10/ EU 40, do let me know.
If you email me (mellerobot@gmail.com) with a link, I will be your slave forever.
- Mademoiselle Robot
Photo: Greg Kessler
