Who has bought some new shoes

[Cali]

@mlroseplant A $30 lesson is better than a $100 lesson.  

[Jkrenzer]

4 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

Welp, I did. For about a block. ONE BLOCK. That's how long it took for me to lose a heel tip. Sigh.

 

I have replaced FSJ tips often, they seem to be bad. The shoes are likely OK once new tips are installed.

[Puffer]

8 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

... Not a deal breaker, but not my true preference--the peep toes are actually peep toes. They only show two toes, and I prefer shoes that show at least three. That's a personal thing, I think three just looks better.

And for the objective bad: These shoes are awful! Naturally at this price point they're not leather, but whatever these are made of is stiff and cheap looking ....

I agree about peep toes.   I cannot see the point of a small opening; open-toe sandals or shoes should be as revealing as possible at the front, commensurate with the overall style and practicality.

You suggested that these mules would normally be $100.   Surely at that price one might expect leather, and reasonable quality all round?

[mlroseplant]

I have purchased yet another pair of low heels. I really couldn't help myself, as I own this particular model of Söfft sandals (called Sorbonne) in a cork finish already, and I liked them so well that when I saw the same thing in black patent, it took only a week of mulling before I decided, "what the hell, I know I'll wear them."

I now have more shoes than I have designated storage space, and as I look through my collection, I see so many shoes that I bought because they were high, not because I thought they were super cool or anything. It is time for a thinning of the herd. These low heels are definitely cool, and I will definitely wear them. Actually, as of last night, I have already done so. I guess I'm no longer afraid of patent leather.

Anyway, 2 3/4" wedge heel, cool gold accent, 1/2" platform. When wearing them, they actually feel like flats. I would have worn my cork pair more, but I was concerned that they would get ruined easily if the weather or terrain was not fairly perfect. I know from experience that this patent leather version of the same shoe will take quite a bit of abuse (like walking through wet grass) and not complain too much.

[SF]

Hey now....   Nice looking sandals.  I have a pair of Payless "knock off's" that are very similar in style - even in patent - that I enjoy wearing.  Enjoy your shoes!!  sf

[StockingTop]

New pleasers

[Isolathor]

Pleased to see the pleasers ..... 👍

[mlroseplant]

I have purchased another item somewhat unusual for me--a pair of pumps. I was browsing through Poshmark and ran across these. The reason they caught my eye is because they are patent navy (more about that in a second). I figured I could use a pair of less-than-sky-high dress shoes for winter, which is something that I didn't currently own, these were slightly unusual, and they were cheap.

When I got them, I was somewhat underwhelmed. They were quite a bit more used than I had expected, and hadn't really been cleaned up. They were also black. Or at least they look quite black until you get them under very bright light, then you can see the bluishness of them, along with a slight sparkly finish. But most of the time when people will see them, especially in the wintertime, they look black. I cleaned them up a little bit with some Clorox wipes and a cloth diaper, and they looked quite acceptable after that, aside from a couple of small scuffs, which you will have to put up with in this price range.

Then.  .  . that's when I noticed that these were not actual leather. I guess the Steve Madden "Luxe" line must be the cheap one? No matter, this is not an all-day every-day shoe for me anyhow. And THEN.  .  . I wore them outside, and lost a heel.  .  . within one block. ONE. Is anyone else getting deja vu all over again?

[Jkrenzer]

2 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

I have purchased another item somewhat unusual for me--a pair of pumps. I was browsing through Poshmark and ran across these. The reason they caught my eye is because they are patent navy (more about that in a second). I figured I could use a pair of less-than-sky-high dress shoes for winter, which is something that I didn't currently own, these were slightly unusual, and they were cheap.

When I got them, I was somewhat underwhelmed. They were quite a bit more used than I had expected, and hadn't really been cleaned up. They were also black. Or at least they look quite black until you get them under very bright light, then you can see the bluishness of them, along with a slight sparkly finish. But most of the time when people will see them, especially in the wintertime, they look black. I cleaned them up a little bit with some Clorox wipes and a cloth diaper, and they looked quite acceptable after that, aside from a couple of small scuffs, which you will have to put up with in this price range.

Then.  .  . that's when I noticed that these were not actual leather. I guess the Steve Madden "Luxe" line must be the cheap one? No matter, this is not an all-day every-day shoe for me anyhow. And THEN.  .  . I wore them outside, and lost a heel.  .  . within one block. ONE. Is anyone else getting deja vu all over again?

I wonder if the seller knew the heel was bad. Too bad as those are, were, atractive heels. Not stilettos, but I'd wear them. 

[SF]

I hope you were able to find it......   smile....  sf

[mlroseplant]

20 hours ago, Jkrenzer said:

I wonder if the seller knew the heel was bad. Too bad as those are, were, attractive heels. Not stilettos, but I'd wear them. 

 

20 hours ago, SF said:

I hope you were able to find it......   smile....  sf

As my wife would say, "You silly, silly boys.  .  ." I didn't mean the entire heel broke, I simply meant that I lost the heel tip, or in this case, it broke up into little, itty-bitty pieces as I walked. I have already made the decision to have both these and the other previously mentioned shoes repaired and give them a second chance. More to come later in my thread.

[Jkrenzer]

1 hour ago, mlroseplant said:

 

As my wife would say, "You silly, silly boys.  .  ." I didn't mean the entire heel broke, I simply meant that I lost the heel tip, or in this case, it broke up into little, itty-bitty pieces as I walked. I have already made the decision to have both these and the other previously mentioned shoes repaired and give them a second chance. More to come later in my thread.

Oh, that's no big deal. I've had many do that. Sometimes the plastic tips become brittle. Those are larger than most so a good replacement should last for years. Do like the lines on them.

[RonC]

I like those alot.  Nice classic pump style,

 

[NrthEastHeel]

Purchased these recently, new unused on ebay for a bargain. Buffalo London, all leather, super comfortable too. The carpet im standing on is quite soft so they look lower than they are.

[Peeptoe]

Picked these up on sale at DSW while out Christmas shopping this weekend. I love so many of the J Simpson styles but find they usually run very narrow for my wide feet. These are cut low enough to sit below the widest part of the foot so they actually fit nicely. 

[SF]

Those heels look very nice, classy.  Hope you enjoy them.  Merry Christmas.  sf

[jeremy1986]

On 12/21/2021 at 11:02 AM, Peeptoe said:

Picked these up on sale at DSW while out Christmas shopping this weekend. I love so many of the J Simpson styles but find they usually run very narrow for my wide feet. These are cut low enough to sit below the widest part of the foot so they actually fit nicely. 

 

 

On 12/10/2021 at 8:13 AM, NrthEastHeel said:

Purchased these recently, new unused on ebay for a bargain. Buffalo London, all leather, super comfortable too. The carpet im standing on is quite soft so they look lower than they are.

loving both pairs

-------------------

welcome back to me, after quite a while.

My wife picked these up from a thrift shop, for a few pounds. what a win! She never wears heels, but claims she will wear these to an appropriate event. Somehow, i think i might get more wear out of them.

 

[Puffer]

4 hours ago, jeremy1986 said:

...

My wife picked these up from a thrift shop, for a few pounds. what a win! She never wears heels, but claims she will wear these to an appropriate event. Somehow, i think i might get more wear out of them.

I'm never sure what is the attraction of added clear vinyl panels (or straps etc).   They are not needed to strengthen what would be quite an attractive D'Orsay cutaway court like these and, to my mind, cheapen the overall look.     But if they get your wife back into heels ... 

[jeremy1986]

On 12/26/2021 at 5:07 PM, Puffer said:

I'm never sure what is the attraction of added clear vinyl panels (or straps etc).   They are not needed to strengthen what would be quite an attractive D'Orsay cutaway court like these and, to my mind, cheapen the overall look.     But if they get your wife back into heels ... 

Totally agreed.

She took them to a wedding we went to last night, but opted for another pair of heels instead. Been ages since she has worn heels, so was nice regardless. Sooooo many stunning heeled boots and heels there... OMG! 
When we got back, she said she'd have to check these heels out at another event. I asked her if I can check them out too, she said yes 🙂 

[mlroseplant]

On 12/26/2021 at 9:07 AM, Puffer said:

I'm never sure what is the attraction of added clear vinyl panels (or straps etc).   They are not needed to strengthen what would be quite an attractive D'Orsay cutaway court like these and, to my mind, cheapen the overall look.     But if they get your wife back into heels ... 

PVC is certainly all the rage with Asian women, usually combined with a Lucite block heel.

[SF]

Clear heels are OK, I would not wear them, but depending on the style etc, they are OK for whoever likes that style.

 But having said that, clear heels remind me of this classic from a few years ago...  Enjoy, then go wash your hands so you can eat....  ha ha    Smile....   sf

 

 

 

[Puffer]

I recall last summer seeing a girl wearing some shoes similar to those shown by Jeremy, with clear side panels.   It was a warm day and her bare feet were unsurprisingly sweaty.   The clear vinyl had misted-up and looked horrible; the whole effect was distinctly unappealing.   Clear heels are one thing - clear uppers quite another.   

[mlroseplant]

Isn't funny how some shoes catch your fancy, and some just don't? My latest pair is a "don't." There's nothing wrong with them, Franco Sarto navy blue suede and snakeskin print pumps, they just don't inspire me like the previous pair of new shoes did, introduced about 15 replies before this one. My newest shoes feature a 4 1/2" near stiletto heel and a slight hidden platform, making the steepness factor somewhere south of 4".

I say "near stiletto" because for some reason, even though the tape measure says otherwise, these just don't have the look or feel of a true stiletto. My personal view is that stiletto heels start at about 10 mm in diameter and go thinner from there. I could see where one could make the argument for 12 mm, but certainly no bigger than that. The heel of this shoe bumps up against both of these parameters but does not exceed them. The heel is 10 mm measured from side to side, and about 12 mm front to back, theoretically putting it in stiletto territory, but it still does not seem like a true stiletto to me. Perhaps it is because the heel doesn't slim down from top to bottom very quickly, especially from the side, it doesn't give the visual effect I feel a stiletto should.

I've worn these out in the real world once, and they are.  .  . unobjectionable. The one thing I discovered right away is that I don't own any navy blue socks/hosiery, so I had to wear black. I wore enough black with my ensemble, which also had brighter blue elements in it, to make it appear as though I had done the black socks on purpose. Even though that may have broken several rules of fashion, I think it went all right together. The shoes themselves are comfortable enough, and walking at an effective 3 3/4" or so, why wouldn't they be? I just can't get really excited about them.

[Henri1942]

As you said, they do not appear to be objectionable.  I would wear them with tan hosiery if they were comfortable.  

Henri

[Cali]

4 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

Isn't funny how some shoes catch your fancy, and some just don't? My latest pair is a "don't." There's nothing wrong with them, Franco Sarto navy blue suede and snakeskin print pumps, they just don't inspire me like the previous pair of new shoes did, introduced about 15 replies before this one. My newest shoes feature a 4 1/2" near stiletto heel and a slight hidden platform, making the steepness factor somewhere south of 4".

I say "near stiletto" because for some reason, even though the tape measure says otherwise, these just don't have the look or feel of a true stiletto. My personal view is that stiletto heels start at about 10 mm in diameter and go thinner from there. I could see where one could make the argument for 12 mm, but certainly no bigger than that. The heel of this shoe bumps up against both of these parameters but does not exceed them. The heel is 10 mm measured from side to side, and about 12 mm front to back, theoretically putting it in stiletto territory, but it still does not seem like a true stiletto to me. Perhaps it is because the heel doesn't slim down from top to bottom very quickly, especially from the side, it doesn't give the visual effect I feel a stiletto should.

I've worn these out in the real world once, and they are.  .  . unobjectionable. The one thing I discovered right away is that I don't own any navy blue socks/hosiery, so I had to wear black. I wore enough black with my ensemble, which also had brighter blue elements in it, to make it appear as though I had done the black socks on purpose. Even though that may have broken several rules of fashion, I think it went all right together. The shoes themselves are comfortable enough, and walking at an effective 3 3/4" or so, why wouldn't they be? I just can't get really excited about them.

@mlroseplant you just need to channel your inner Elvis with those Blue Suede Shoes.

[Puffer]

On 12/31/2021 at 12:06 PM, mlroseplant said:

...

My newest shoes feature a 4 1/2" near stiletto heel and a slight hidden platform, making the steepness factor somewhere south of 4".

I say "near stiletto" because for some reason, even though the tape measure says otherwise, these just don't have the look or feel of a true stiletto. My personal view is that stiletto heels start at about 10 mm in diameter and go thinner from there. I could see where one could make the argument for 12 mm, but certainly no bigger than that. The heel of this shoe bumps up against both of these parameters but does not exceed them. The heel is 10 mm measured from side to side, and about 12 mm front to back, theoretically putting it in stiletto territory, but it still does not seem like a true stiletto to me. Perhaps it is because the heel doesn't slim down from top to bottom very quickly, especially from the side, it doesn't give the visual effect I feel a stiletto should.

..l

 

I see what you mean about 'near-stiletto'.   Too many 'unqualified' shoes are described these days as having 'stiletto heels' simply because the heel is relatively slim and high.   I think that much depends upon the shape of the heel and the waisting at the top, particularly to the rear.   If yours had heels that were a little straighter and accordingly had a more pronounced waist to the back of the shoe, I think they could be called stilettos, even without being narrower front-to-back - although that would also make a difference.

This may illustrate what I'm trying to say - the straight heel with the curving waist gives a different and more delicate silhouette :

[mlroseplant]

Before I got a really good look at the after-Christmas bank account balance, I got a couple more pairs of new shoes in. Received last week is a pair of black Coach patent leather pumps, round toe. I was going for something that was a little bit conservative and less in your face than some of my other shoes. I'm not sure I succeeded with these. Here are my observations:

The first thing I noticed is that the soles are leather. I won't say I wouldn't have bought them had I realized that, but I have in the recent past promised myself that I'm not going to buy any more shoes with leather soles. They just do not stand up to the conditions around here. Yes, I could get a sole protector installed, but I've already dropped a bundle on doing that with several other pairs, and I don't yet know how much I will actually wear these.

The stats: 4 inch heel. I think we can solidly call this a block heel, though it does have some nice curvature up toward the seat area, making it more pleasing to the eye than just a plain ol' block. The heel tip measures 7/8" across, or 22 mm, so not too clunky or chunky. The patent leather is very nice, and that's what people seem to notice first, moreso than the heels. The shoes are very light in weight, almost like you've got nothing on your feet. Given their modest 4 inch height, I found myself not noticing I had them on several times during their maiden voyage, which was a total of probably 2 or 3 hours, something like that.

Overall, I am pleased with them, except for that fact that I can't wear them in the rain or snow, or on the overly salted sidewalks of our church. Since they are single sole, I can almost understand the advantage of a leather sole, but if they're going to do that, make the leather a little thicker, like you'd find on men's dress shoes. I've never ruined a pair of men's dress shoes walking 100 m on a wet sidewalk. I cannot say the same for some of my "finer" quality high heels.

[Isolathor]

High heels for sure, with a little bit of "antique" look to them. 👍

[mlroseplant]

I know this is quick turnaround, I didn't really buy two pairs of shoes at once, but I didn't get around to photographing and writing about them until now. This is actually a new pair of shoes for me, within the last few days. I feel like they will certainly gain @Jkrenzer's approval.

First, I'll have to apologize for the lack of drain pipe in the background. Our washing machine is currently under repair, and we're waiting on (that would be "waiting for" in most parts of the English speaking world) replacement parts. Hopefully before the next new pair of shoes, it will be up and running again.

I am not really sure why I bought these shoes. They are way too pointy and way too high. They just caught my fancy, and I hope I will get the chance to wear them someplace. I'm glad I did not pay a lot of money for them, because among other things, they are already falling apart. I have no idea how old these shoes are, but it's fairly obvious that they've been sitting on a shelf or in a closet for quite some time, even though they look unworn.

These are Steve Madden "Daisie" pumps, and they evidently contain no leather. Though they look immaculate on the outside, the first time I put them on, the outer layer of the liner started to peel off. This is not a huge deal, as I have a number of other shoes with the same problem, all it does is make a bit of a mess on your feet each time you wear them. Whatever material they're made out of just does not age well.

I've always fancied nude patent pumps, and now I guess I've got them. I understand that some people hate them, and that's ok, they're just wrong! I was surprised at how high the heel actually is compared to what I expected from the pictures. We're talking Louboutin So Kate territory here, at 120 mm, and the cross section is a mere 8 mm. They are very high, and very thin. And very pointy. I already see I can't even wear these to the grocery store until I 1) learn to walk properly in them, and 2) replace the heel tips. Although the shoes are unworn, the little bit of walking I've done in them tells me that the heel tips are very hard and very slippery. They will either break in short order, or they'll break me, one.

[Isolathor]

25 minutes ago, mlroseplant said:

 This is actually a new pair of shoes for me, within the last few days. I feel like they will certainly gain @Jkrenzer's approval.

They sure gain my approval, beautyful colour and shape! Sorry to hear that the quality is subpar.