Posted by Stitchy McYarnpants On October - 9 - 2005   ShareThis

Today I have shoe p0rn for you. Charlene and I are going to Spain early in November (more about that in the coming days), and I needed some good shoes to traverse the narrow streets of Seville.

No, wait, wrong Seville. I meant this one. The one littered with frilly Flamenco dancers.

I also needed some to stroll in the rolling farmlands surrounding our pension in Andalucia.

Sometimes when I look at that picture, I think I’m just going to pass out from sighing so much. I mean, should anything be allowed to look so peaceful and welcoming? ~sssiiiiigggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh~

*thud*

Whoops! There I went. OK, enough fooling around. I’ll write all about the trip soon. But for now, let’s get to the good stuff. New shoes. I’ve finally decided that I’m done spending smaller amounts of money more often on cheap, crappy shoes that fall apart after the first couple of weeks. I will never again slip my feet into what smells like a pair of day-old carcasses. And no. More. Blisters. EVER!!!! Nope, I’m going to spend that money on fewer pairs of well made shoes that will last longer and provide more support than a couple of empty Kleenex boxes.

And so I started this magical shoe odyssey with Dansko, the mother of all comfortable shoes. I give you Folly. This photo isn’t all that great, you can see them a lot better on their website. One of the things I love about Dansko is that they come right out and call it a bowling show. A lot of companies would shy away from this comparison. I happen to love the look of bowling shoes, which is why I picked them out immediately. These babies are right up my alley. har har.

And then I stumbled upon the NAOT display. Wow. Comfortable, practical, and most of all, adorable. May I introduce Camila. These are like hugs for your feet from the second you put them on. They have a removable cork insole that molds to your feet. When it wears down, you can just get a new one. Amazing! I love the little pattern on them, and it’s highlighted with a bit of stitching for extra fancy goodness. I really liked them in brown, they look great with jeans. But I also wanted to wear them with a skirt, and as stupid as it sounds, I don’t know how to wear brown shoes with skirts. Since I can’t pack too many shoes for our trip, I needed a shoe that could be casual or a bit dressier, so I had to order them in black. And yet the brown were so pretty. So they came home with me, too.

I dare say that these are the types of shoes I’m likely to have cobbled. What a concept, shoes worth repairing. Hot damn! I’m going to take them for a test run at Rhinebeck. Give ¢â‚¬Ëœem a little work out to break them in.

But the day of decadence didn’t stop there. I also happened to be in Porter Square, so I popped into Mind’s Eye yarn shop and nabbed a little treat for myself. I got three balls of Marks and Katten “Dream”. It’s got just a pinch of angora, hopefully not enough to make my nose twitchy, but just enough to make me want to pet my future scarf all day. I set up a little threesome to show just how hedonistic I was feeling after buying such lovely things for myself.

And then Mike got bored with the shoes and the yarn, so he brought his toy to the door and said “Heeeeere’s Mikey!” in a very sinister way. He also claimed that all work and no play makes Mike a dull boy, so I decided it was best to do as he said.

17 Responses

  1. jane says:

    I’ve had those Dansko bowling shoes on my mind all week since I saw them last Monday. I think they had some that were purple and some other color?? I think I really NEED those! Love both pairs! Jane

  2. Beth Smith says:

    Do you know of any yarn stores in the Rhinebeck area? Nice shoes.

  3. Colleen says:

    I love those danskos! I need a pair of my own (I’ll fight Jane for them, even thought I don’t even know who Jane is! I’m sure she’s a nice person, but if she tries to take my shoes…)

    I digress. In my ‘sperience, Danskos need serious breaking in. I hope that you’re wearing those puppies around the house.

  4. tabbytuxedo says:

    I love Danskos!!!! Own two pairs of them myself. Yours look very cute.

    Spain… Ahhhh… Sounds like a wonderful trip you have planned.

  5. claudia says:

    Which store around here has shoes like that?

    Clearly, I need Remedial Shopping 101.

  6. ErLeCa says:

    Holy cute shoes! I love them! They’re going to be perfect for your trip to Spain. It sounds like it’s going to be an awesome vacation!

  7. Clara says:

    I like how the Danskos have all those different color combos to choose from!

    Also, if you hadn’t already…you could have always bought shoes IN Seville, since Europe has the best shopping! Just a thought…:)

  8. Laurie says:

    Excellent shoes! I learned something today about brands to look for.

    Andalusia? Fabulous. It looks like nirvana to me, from my rain-soaked, seaming hideout.

  9. Mo says:

    thanks to you I just plopped down the bucks for those NAOT shoes. Can’t wait to get em on my feet!
    I know you will have a great vaca!

  10. I love Børn shoes. Those are comfy. And, Spain’s got some nice ones to offer, as well. You may want to check them out while there. My favorites are Pikolinos (their motto is “Andar es bueno” which means “Walking is good”.). Then, they have Camper, which is known for making Europe’s most popular bowling shoe style shoes. That place is a regular shoe heaven.

  11. K says:

    I LOVE LOVE LOVE dansko. I only have 7 pairs.. and need more. more more more!! I just got some new ones too.
    these babies. 😀 http://www.dansko.com/Product_Detail.aspx?StyleName=Mel&ID1=7105&ID2=0002&VID=530

  12. Carina says:

    I second the Born shoes recommendation. You can get them for a good price at DSW, my fave shoe store ever. I have a pair I got there last year that I practically live in. No breaking in–fit like slippers from the first wearing.

  13. Wendy says:

    You will be happy to have Dansko’s on your feet in Spain!

  14. Kellee says:

    Spain…Dansko’s…yarn….*sigh*

    When I grow up I want to be just like you.

  15. Oh my god, I LOVE NAOT! I haven’t seen them in years, but had a pair of sandals that lasted me a good 10 years before my dumbass ex took them to the thrift store on accident.
    I almost arranged an “accident” for him for that one…
    They so rock!

  16. Audrey says:

    I L.O.V.E. my Dansko Follies. I have the brown ones – they wear well and of course they’re Dansko comfy. Good choice!

  17. PaMdora says:

    I like my Danskos, but just got some new Born just before coming to NYC and I’ve already walked miles in them with no problems other than a patch of poison ivy (Had that before I left home though – don’t ask me how.) You’re so funny! Love the Seville photo.

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