Well, I stepped into Schuler Shoes and strolled past the new styles directly to the Discount Room where everything is marked down, and in some cases, marked waaaaay down. I like those kinds of shoes best, don't you? Have you ever been in Schuler's Discount Room? It's a special place that is separate from the main room where you can find the current styles at the current prices. The Discount Room is like the Island of Misfit Toys where last season's styles and those odd shoe rejects are discounted again and again until someone like me comes along to adopt them. The Discount Room's shelves were covered in shoes of all kinds from boots to flats and heels to slippers. Some were conservative and others - well - not quite what I would wear. I can't remember the last time I could wear a spiked heel, let alone one that exceeds 4 inches. What fun, though! I was in a candy store of footwear!
Since I didn't NEED shoes, I played with them - after taking a serious look first to see if there were any shoes that I discovered I had needed after all. Seeing none, my playtime began. I only played one game: Find the Ugliest Shoe in the Room. There was a spiked heel studded with sparkling gaudiness, but since the heel would put me in a precarious position where I could actually break my ankle, I left it on the shelf for an adventurous young woman to discover. The fringed flat sandals resembled an overly-frilly pair of moccasins, so I tried them on - funny! I felt the fringes tickling my feet as I strutted to the mirror for a closer look. No way. Again, appropriate for a much younger foot. Then the perforated, dusty-tomato-red flats caught my eye. They were seamed on the outside, so there was a ridge that followed the circumference of the shoe, and the perforations actually made an interesting folksy design that brought the ugly color to a level of interest that caught my fancy. I tried them on. The heel was a bit loose, but not too much so. I generally do not like flats because they square off my appearance more than my preferred one to two inch heels do.
I wore the tomato shoes to decide if I actually liked them, and then something that resembled my grandmother's orthopedic shoes jumped out at me. Oh boy, were they UGLY! And there were THREE pairs! The one that looked most like Grandma's shoes were beige, another pair was peacock blue and the third pair was mint green. They were a wedge sandal with leather supports that had pinhole perforations - just like Grandma's. They laced up the center with wide cotton laces - just like Grandma's. HIDEOUS! The mint green shoes had obviously been there the longest as they were marked down the most. The original price was $178.00. The beige and blue shoes were marked down to $89.00, but those poor mint green ones - the ones that had languished on the shelf the longest, were marked down to $44.50! I just HAD to try them on, poor things! Then magic happened. Much like Rudolph with his shining nose became a valued member of Santa's team of reindeer, those mint green orthopedic-like sandals became beautiful, foot-slimming, statement shoes! They embraced my feet like they were hugging their long-lost mother. I couldn't leave them in the Discount Room! Yes, they came home with me. And guess what! They go with a lot of things!
This season's cabi collection is all about showing the shoe. Cropped and ankle pants are the thing! These mint green sandals are a nice complement to the bright colors in the tops as well.
The green "olives" in the Martini Top pop as they catch the green color of the sandals below the white Destructed Slim Boyfriend jeans.
The Cliffside Jacket has hints of green and pink in its pattern and coordinates well with the green sandals. With the Go-To Trouser as another crop that really shows these shoes off, the white Asymmetrical Tank plus the sandals give this otherwise conservative look a noticeable edge of style. Add some funky jewelry, and away you go!
There are many more outfits these shoes coordinate with. Who would have thought green could be neutral? Granted, they don't go with EVERYTHING, but they go with more than I expected - and they are FUN! I cannot imagine why these shoes lingered in Schuler's Discount Room long enough to be marked down by 75%, but I'm glad they waited for ME! It pays to play - even if I adopt shoes I didn't need before I went out to shop. I need them now, and I'm so happy to have them. I bet my grandmother would like them, too!
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