Often when I post a photo on Flickr or Instagram that have my feet in them, one of the first questions is “Where did you get those shoes?”
So I wanted to create a blog post where I shared all that info (and can refer people to). I clearly have an obsession with pretty yet practical shoes and from the comments, I can tell I’m not alone!
And if you are wondering….why do people take so many selfies of their feet…or why might I want to? This post called ‘Why take self-portraits of your feet’ is for you!
So here they are….the shoes!
The Slippers
I think if I had to choose one pair of shoes that felt most me, these would be them. I first started wearing them years ago when I spent a few months in the SF Bay area. That adventure was definitely a pivotal point for me where I had a few months in a world outside of my usual to deeply dive into self-discovery.
As a big reader of Sabrina Ward Harrison’s books, I went down to Chinatown in search of some Sabrina-inspired slippers (that you so often see in her work) and I found this style of shoe which is even better than an indoor slipper. I was smitten. You can see my first pair in this pic (on the day I first got them).
I confess that a big part of why I take a yearly trip to the Bay Area (other than that my heart feels at home there and I usually need a mid-winter California break) is to stock up on these shoes! I wear ’em out pretty quickly with a lot of walking! I’m sure I could find them online too, but part of the fun of these shoes for me is the adventure to find them!
I have a car-free life, so my everyday shoes need to be comfortable enough to walk for hours in (because sometimes I’ll go on grand walking adventures) as well as be cute enough for a selfie when the moment strikes!
I’ve always found that Camper Shoes meet that need. These ones from a few years back were also campers and had me hooked.
I got these boots earlier this year after yearning for a pair of boots with a light brown colour. For folks with big calves, boots can be hard to find and while I had coveted finding a taller pair someday, these ones caught my eye and are tall enough to be great with skirts or even skinny jeans tucked in but stopped just before my calves.
Fluevogs are amazing, a Canadian company but easily found in the U.S. too. They definitely don’t cater to the bigger calf part of the population but these ones worked and I love ’em. I’m prone to wearing out the heels of boots with all this walking, but I love that I can replace the heels on these ones and keep them lasting for a decade (as they were pretty pricey…I hope to make them last that long)!
Turquoise High Heeled Clog Sandals by Cape Clogs
This are an absolute favourite these days. I’m not that adept at wearing anything with more than a little heel, but I’m amazed at how comfortable these ones are!
You can see them on the Cape Clogs website but I actually got them through a website called Zulily that has amazing sales on lots of different brands I love. These clogs seem to go on sale there every few months for way cheaper than their website so I definitely recommend keeping an eye out for them over there!
While perhaps not my fanciest pair of shoes or boots, these are one of my favourites. I started to notice last year that pretty much everyone I knew wore Blundstones
and started to ask why (okay, it might be very Pacific-Northwest-casual and maybe even a bit hipster to wear blundstones).
The response I always got when I asked that was “Because they last forever and feel amazing” and I was so craving a pair of good boots that weren’t going to wear out in one season so I went for it and I’m definitely a blundstones convert now.
It was SO painful to wear them in but once I did they are truly so comfortable. They are fully leather so I can walk through deep puddles as though I were in rubber boots and also they are my go-to boots to go hiking in!
Love them!
Dansko Clogs
Oh Clogs. I love the softness of the round toes, the mary jane style and the comfort of a pair of clogs. These ones are made by Dansko but there are really so many clog manufacturers these days that are equally fabulous.
I bought these years ago at a point in my life where I just felt really lost and like I didn’t know where my life was going. These shoes felt beautiful and hopeful and they still do when I put them on. I especially love when these shoes find themselves with love notes. That combo feels really right.
Dansko Sandals
These dansko sandals
are one of my favourites and while they are super similar to my other ones, I wanted to share them with you separately as these are a pair that I thrifted for about $20.
Many of my favourite boots and shoes over the years are ones that i have found in thrift stores like the good will or value village. I’m amazed how often I see amazing shoes in thrift stores (especially clogs) and while they aren’t always in my size, once in a while (like this pair) they are!
So you don’t necessarily have to pay full price for amazing shoes!
Birkenstock Gizeh Sandals
I’ve always been a birkenstock kind of gal (its in my folk-fest-loving blood) but just got these gizeh style birks and now dream of having them in many colours (but am holding back for now because…well silver goes with so much)!
Something about having nearly bare feet is a simple thing that makes me ridiculously happy. I so wish I could wear these all year round. Wearing them in (if you aren’t used to thong style sandals) was truly unpleasant but like the blundstones, once my feet got used to them they became totally heavenly!
Miz Mooz Boots
These are the one pair of footwear I have that I got the most emails about…well, because they are something else! The miz mooz siri knee high boot
is pretty dreamy.
There are definitely some pros and cons to these boots. The pro, with all Miz Mooz boots, is that many of them come in ‘athletic calf’ size which is a saving grace for us gals with big calves. Few companies do this and they need to start to. To have a pair of knee high boots that actually fit, well you can see why I was smitten! If you are more adept at walking in pretty tall heels, you might LOVE these boots but I soon realized after buying them that while they are babe-a-licious and would be great for a date (and one with minimal walking around), they simply are not practical for me.
I also (here comes the truth) think that they are way too expensive for the quality they are. While I am glad I got them, I would totally recommend taking the time to find deals when buying Miz Mooz. Lots of folks sing the praises of this brand and I think some of the flat boots are much more practical yet totally gorgeous! Here is a flat version
of the same style that is so lovely.
There you go my fellow shoe-appreciators! Now, I definitely don’t think you need to have fancy shoes in order to turn the camera on your feet as it is such a great way to start inviting yourself into the frame!