Home About Me Press Heyday Recommends Contact Us

Wednesday 16 February 2011

Just some bows on shoes

I thought I would talk about bows on shoes.
Who doesn't love them?
(Sorry, left pesky super stuck label on cos I was in a hurry)
But sometimes the shoemakers get it a bit wrong in trying to be funky.  These office shoes originally came with rags as laces:
I can see what they are trying to do, a distressed finish to modern up these lacy lovelies, but skinny cheap cotton rags tend to rip, in fact a bit ripped off when I even tried them on in the shop.  So now that they are safe at home with me they have their new grosgrain bows that are just the right amount of floppy to be lush and just the right amount of form to be ladylike. I love grosgrain ribbon.
I also have this pair from Hush Puppies (a year old now) and their original satin ribbons with false leather on the end comes undone all the time, and sits out too stiff and proud - making them look like witchy shoes to me. 
So now the navy ones have been grosgrained too, and they no longer come undone.
The 4 year old in me really liked the idea of contrasting ribbons, say melon or red or even cream. Or maybe some with spots on them (this might yet be re-visited). But then I remembered that I am closer to 40 than 4. Damn. They have enough girlish-ness to them already I think.
I am a funny one for finishing off the ends of bows.  They either need a diagonal line or a shape "V" cut into the ends.  For these bows I made a diagonal cut and then sealed the end by holding it really close to a candle flame. This melts the synthetic fibre and seals the edge so it won't fray. My dad used to do it with bits of nylon rope and things like webbing straps on backpacks, so that must be how I know about it. 
I feel the need to do a disclaimer now: it won't work on natural fibres, they will just catch fire. Don't do it if you are not an adult. Be careful of your clothing/hair/cat catching fire. Be sensible about it. A candle is manageable since you need to get close to the flame, bonfires: not so easy. Have a bucket of water, a loaded fire extinguisher or a topless fireman handy.  I recommend the fireman; they tend to be more effective, but he MUST be topless. Not advisable to melt ribbon while drinking. Definitely advisable to melt into fireman after drinking. Do not melt and drive. Wear a seatbelt. And finally, have a little practise first on a scrap piece of ribbon

21 comments:

  1. What a brilliant idea!!!! And so interchangable! I say give into that 4 year old and have wonderfully contrasting ribbons if the mood grabs you or the outfit calls for it! You have inspired me :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Pretty, pretty, pretty!
    And can you look into writing safety warnings professionally please? People may just start to read them if you do!

    ReplyDelete
  3. How adorable! I love the idea of interchangeable ribbons depending on your mood. Grown up does not have to equal boring.

    Very nice safety warning. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. gorgeous shoes! and excellent advice about firemen :]

    ReplyDelete
  5. Such a cute idea! You could always use a thin dab of clear nail polish on the end if the ribbon contained natural fibers. Maybe not as nice as a cute fireman? ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I bought a pair of shoes with bows last year and I always feel so good when I wear them. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Both pairs are very nice, but I have to say I love the blue ones ;)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Lovely shoes and comical post. x

    ReplyDelete
  9. Shona,
    With your posts it's always crucial to read all the way to the very end. You're so funny...

    I've never melted into a fireman after drinking. I'll have to give it a try sometime!

    Susan

    ReplyDelete
  10. Love both pairs of shoes and love the ribbon idea as well. Just getting into vintage stuff (planning to pur-chase from you soon) so shall have to keep an eye out for ribbon shoes.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh oh oh my dear Lord, I just neeeed to have the black pair! So gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Really, really cute shoes! Love the bows!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Grossgrain ribbons looks great, doesn't it? I really need to tidy up the ends of my hair ribbons. I like doing it with a 'V' and sealing it with nail polish, because I'm a bit wary of fire. =\
    -Andi x

    ReplyDelete
  14. Those shoes are relly lovely!!!

    B.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Those black shoes are to die for! I love them sooo much.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I have the sudden urge to hand my husband a fireman's outfit, put on some strange sexy 90s music, and tell him to get busy. A gal can dream...

    Anyhoo, love those ribbons! What is the style of those blue shooes called? With the ribbon tying them in the front. Love those :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Lovelypinup - they are hush puppies but I no longer have the box to tell you the style name. I got them last summer in the sales. Maybe they will be around in ebay

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh my lordy, those shoes are to die for and made all the better with your fabulous bows!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wow! Beautiful! Beautiful! Want them!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to comment! I love hearing from you, even if I don't always have time to reply

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...