You know, it’s funny. I was thinking about walking. Not for exercise, but in general. When out and about during the summer, my main choice of footwear is sandals. I love them and my feet are always happy to have some much-needed freedom during the warmer months.
Whether I’m wearing my Rondini sandals or..
My Palm Beach sandals–my feet love the freedom that the summer allows!
When at work, I love my pointy-toed heels or ballet flats or perhaps a shoe with an edge. It depends on my mood and if I’m going casual or all-out professional.
Heel to the Queen!! That’s what they say when they see me coming into the closet every morning!
During the winter, it’s pretty-much the same, I don’t wear boots as much as I used to. They feel very cumbersome on my feet if worn too long. I keep the boots for short-term wearing.
Sneakers? I have one pair. Converse All-Stars. A special low-top slip on. They are comfortable and, in the fall, and spring I wear them quite often. But—after long periods of time walking around, the comfort level subsides.
These cute Conversa All-Stars are the only sneakers I own and I love them, but they aren’t the most comfortable for walking around ALL day!
Loafers? Yes! I adore my old, broken, in Bass Weejuns and wear them on a constant basis. As you know, I’m not a socks person so in the winter my feet get a bit cold—especially when we’re in New York or DC or even locally in Philly hoofing it on city streets.
These Weejuns are twenty years old. Purchased in 1998 and I need to bring them to be repaired. I can’t let go. They are just so broken in but not the best shoe for walking around without socks in January or February!
And so…I started to think some more.
Hmmmm. Let me think…….
Trust me, my closet is full of footwear and I don’t even need to make any purchases for the upcoming fall/winter season. But…I wanted a shoe that would be comfortable for walking and yet fashionable. A shoe that I could tie—being that my feet are narrow, I don’t want anything that’ll slide right off my feet. In addition to that, we’ll be walking all over Paris in November. I swear to you, I can’t stand sneakers—and I don’t want to spend the day walking around in Repetto ballet flats either because by the end of the day, the dogs can start to bark.
I love my Repettos and wear them constantly but won’t spend the day walking in them!
What to do? What to do? And as I pondered, I thought about the shoes of my life. The shoes I wore as a child to school. The shoes I wore with my uniform. And it hit me. Why not saddle shoes?
Why not? Who says that only schoolgirls can wear these?
These black and white oxfords have always looked good. Wearing them with a uniform skirt, they were never “on trend” but they were never hideous enough to despise.
I dunno what school she goes to but the nuns would not allow us to wear red sweaters or tights because they were the color of the devil. I think the “bad” color has changed to orange!
In the Forties and Fifties, they were a staple in both young girls and mature women’s wardrobe. Maybe they were never considered chic or elegant, but they were more than a trend. They were a classic look.
This photo was taken in 1939. We all know who the cool girl is here–don’t we?
How come they aren’t popular anymore? And what did I care if they were popular or not? The saddle shoe seemed like a very pragmatic choice for me. They could be dressed down, or casually dressed up a notch.
Now these ladies have a sense of style. Loafers and saddle shoes–right up my alley, especially the brown oxfords–I had a pair of those one year that was worn with the uniform. And those blouses–I want one!
And so, I hit the internet to see what, if any, kinds of saddle shoes could be found. I found them alright. And the price was a lot different than back when I was a student at St. Patrick’s School in Bay Shore, NY!
If saddle shoes were still $3.98, I have multiples!
The more I looked at them, the more I wanted a pair.
Imagine. I could play “A My Name Is Alice” with a pink Spalding ball while wearing Spalding saddle shoes!
And didn’t I hit pay dirt at Nordstrom Rack! The day after I perused the net, I ran to Nordstrom Rack after work—it was by chance, actually. I had to pick up some makeup at Ulta, and being that Nordstrom Rack is next store, I sauntered on over.
Being more of a “miss” day in the clothing department, I headed over to the shoes. And what did I see? In a box? In the size 8 ½? The Eastland Saddle Shoes I saw on the net. For a fraction of the price!
Look what mommy found!!!
I tried them on. They fit beautifully. I ran to the cashier and upon entering my whip (that’s cool talk for car), I took them out of the box and caressed them like a mother caresses a newborn. They felt so good.
And what happened when I wore them? Due to the “Active Memory Foam” the shoes are lined with; my feet were miraculously comfy. But the best is that I received compliments by the tons.
Oh look! Eastland shoes are the same age as me!! But boy is this Active Memory Foam comfortable. It’s almost like wearing slippers!
And the foam is lined throughout the shoes!
The first time I wore them, I expected an eye-roll from the Frenchman. However, Bonaparte mentioned that they were rather nice on my feet. And when I went into Wegman’s to do some grocery shopping a couple of women stopped me to tell me that they loved my shoes because they brought back memories!
I’m dressed like a human Saddle Shoe! White shorts. Black Tee. Saddle Shoes!
When I wore them to work—everyone had something nice to say about these special shoes! Again, women smiled as they said the shoes reminded them of their school days. Quite a few women wanted to know where I bought them.
True. I wore them to work and everyone was so happy! These shoes put everyone in a good mood!
And on our recent trip to DC (which I’m still working on another post about), I had a woman at the hotel go crazy with delight over the shoes. At the Holocaust museum, my saddle shoes were the bright spot of a very somber visit. Even at a quiet, reflective museum that tells a horrific story, women smiled and came up to me to tell me how much they loved my shoes.
I wore this outfit to DC and the next day to the Holocaust museum. It is very unusual to have so many random strangers approach me so favorably about my saddle shoes! They need to be a little dirtied up though!
It dawned on me that these saddle shoes I bought made people happy because these plain, and rather unfashionable shoes brought memories to many. Good memories. Memories of a time when the only stress we had was if we studied enough for a test.
Ha cha cha cha cha!!! I love these shoes!!!!
It’s amazing how one article of footwear can make so many smile—isn’t it? And you know what? I’m glad that I bought these. During the winter, my saddle shoes will be getting a lot of wear, and I think they’ll make me, my feet, and everyone who spots them happy!
It’s fun to wear something that brings good memories. These are for the bit of nostalgia in us all!
Don’t be afraid to wear something that isn’t presently in style—chances are, at one point it was. Besides that, it may make others smile!
This song reminds me of how I felt when I first put these shoes on as an adult. Huey Lewis and The News. It’s Hip to be Square. It certainly is!!
