Miss Thrifty

There’s a feature in the Daily Mail about vintage shoes: the “latest celebrity fashion fad”, according to the newspaper. The piece provides a rundown of the “top six iconic shoes”, with a credit-crunchy theme:

Vintage shoes are in general still cheap compared with other items of clothing: you can pick up a pair of Chanel shoes for a fraction of the price of a blouse or a belt.

There are still plenty of retro shoes available, many of them by iconic designers, for relatively little money.

It’s an interesting read; although, being a contrary Miss, I take issue with the “latest celebrity fad” angle and the thrift argument. The great and the good have been wearing vintage shoes for yonks (I was going to write out a short list here, but refrained after realising that I would expose myself as an uber-shoe geek), and some of the featured shoes are on the dear side. Louboutins for £400 and 1960s Courreges ankle boots for £200, for example.

I do like vintage shoes and I have some much-loved pairs. My silver shoes (pictured above) are probably my favourites - I like the classic shape and the sparkles - and if you know what to look for, you can pick up some good bargains. 

So here’s my whistlestop guide for the more (ho ho) down-at-heel vintage shoe buyer:  (more…)

…Don’t bother with commercial patent leather cleaners. All you need is a little olive oil and a couple of soft cloths! Dip a cloth in the oil and rub it over the shoes or bag. Leave for 20 - 40 minutes, then wipe off with a clean cloth.  This cleans the leather, keeps it from cracking or scuffing - and costs practically nothing. Seriously: this works a treat.

We have a black leather sofa and armchair in our sitting-room. They are cast-offs from the in-laws and they are old old old, but you can’t tell because I take care to keep the leather soft and polished. This sounds like a Stepfordian pain in the butt, but it isn’t really; it takes about ten minutes, once a month.

I used to use a cream called Leather Food, which is a blend of waxes and oils costing about £8.00. You dip a clean cloth into the pot, then apply it to the leather. It stops the leather from drying out and cracking. Leather Food smells delicious - but it is pricey, and the pot empties quickly.

So now I opt for a more old-fashioned method: (more…)