Shoe Review, Part I

Post #16                 Tuesday, April 7,20015

Because I do so many time periods, and I'm such a shoe whore (Yes, I said I was a hat whore...but I'm a shoe whore as well. Just remember....no matter what size you are, shoes and hats usually keep fitting...so buy awesome ones!!) this post will probably be one of several. I'm going to try and divide them by time frame, but I may find a pair here and there that may have slipped through the cracks of photographing them all (yes...I have that many...)
I do wear a size 10 medium. Not too terribly large, but you can definitely say I don't have "petite" feet. As far as "afflictions", I don't have any corns or messed up toes. The one thing that is distinct to me though, is the fact that I really can't wear much of a heel, in real life or in period attire. I'm a flats girl (usually) all the way...unless I want to show an EPIC flip and fall....which, hey, sometimes you gotta make an entrance
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But Before we go any further....just realize, this review of shoes is my own personal opinion. I know you all have your own opinions and your own favorites. That's great. But just realize, you aren't going to change my mind on what I have found as good or poor quality of shoes. I've been doing reenacting for almost 35 years and have come across MANY brands of shoes. Some work well for me....some not so much.  THIS IS JUST MY OPINION. It is NOT gospel...it is not law....it's what I have found to be best for ME. I hope my input will give you some more options to look at, and maybe some second looks on ones you've passed up.


I'll start with the "newest" time period shoes. I'll tell you where I got them (if I remember) about how much they went for (again, if my brain will let me) and how comfy they are.

fake victorian boots

fake victorian boots.

These are my shoebuy.com finds. They actually don't button, but snap! Awesomeness! Easy to get into, modern made, and VERY comfy, even with a slight heel! I can wear these for HOURS.  I wear them for steampunk/Victorian
Because of the steampunk factor, authenticity isn't a big deal with these. The fact that I got them for around $50 a pair makes them an even better buy!  Two pairs for still under the price of a pair of the American Duchess' ones.  Because it's for steampunk, I didn't want to spend a fortune.

my cheap "edwardian" shoes

Okay....so these are pretty modern looking. They should be. They were $5 at Goodwill. I couldn't pass them up. They are comfy with a very tiny kitten heel. I had them a year before I made my 1913 tea gown....and found that they were THE PERFECT MATCH for this outfit. Kismet? Maybe....but $5!!!!

See? Freaky fate.

my old stand by flats.

For just general use, when my feet get extremely tired, or I've tried heels for the day, I usually bring my back up flats. Both of these pairs I have gotten at Walmart (yeah, I know...boooo!!! hisss!!!) But for the price, I couldn't pass them up. I believe I didn't pay more than $10 for either pair. If you look closely at the black pair, you'll see that they have an extreme point to the toe. These have worked very well for Regency in appearance.  I found those a few years ago...but have yet to see the pointed toes again. Very lucky find. Yes, man made materials, but for doing pretty, pretty princess, or for after hours comfort...you can't beat the price or the comfort. I've also used these up to victorian, hoping noone would notice.

Now, for a newer time period that I'm doing, the 1830's, I did invest a bit of money into a pair of hand made shoes. I haven't worn them yet, but plan on doing so with my purple 1830's gown on May 31st for a time line fashion show in southern Ohio. I can't wait!! They are hand made by Robert Land, and run about $135 US. Let me point out....HAND MADE. For less than the mass produced ones that everyone is squealing over. Am I the only one who notices that?  Robert Land is kinda difficult to get a hold of, but now that his son, Abel Land (he's on Facebook) is doing the main portion of the ladies shoes, you have a better chance in getting them in a more timely fashion...about 8 weeks. I'll let you know how they go after I wear them.

these did make me SQUEE! and I don't squee.

I picked out the color scheme, of the pink and green. since this photo, I have bought some apple green grossgrain ribbon with a pink scallop trim on them to lace them up. Also, notice the square toes. AWESOMENESS!!! We'll see how it goes.

I think this is a good place to stop for now.  This is just the beginning of my shoe post, so give me a couple of days and I should have the next one out. I'm hoping to do another two posts to cover all the shoes.

Hope this has interested you so far!!