July 20, 2013: Fancy Shoes

A girl always needs to pop her wardrobe

I wrote a blog recently about my love for varying accessories and a great pair of shoes. My mom commented that I certainly didn't grow up with an abundance of shoes. Then she pointed out a prized pair I owned; blue saddle shoes.

We chose them for my First Communion. I am quite sure I was the only First Communicant with blue saddle shoes. The other girls wore white patent leather strapped sandals. Theirs were considered traditional church shoes, mine were not. And I was thrilled.

My mom gets credit for all of this. First off, she allowed me to wear the bright shoes on that important day (most moms wouldn't have for the sake of not wanting to be different). It was my mom who instilled in me a desire to pop a wardrobe and dare to be different. Together we created fashion with a sewing machine and a shoestring budget.

This is where my mom gets the most credit. Those cool pieces of purchased clothing were many times bought off of sale racks. Items deemed to too different for other people's taste, but within our budget. I never felt like we bought the cheap stuff. Instead I felt like we scored with these great special-priced finds. And different was fun.

My mom taught me at a very young age that it's all in the presentation. I loved those blue shoes. I wore them with confidence as a happy Second Grader making her First Communion. I was the envy of the white patent leather crowd.

Did I mention the white Keds I owned; covered with yellow smiley faces? My mom found them in the back clearance room at Vollmer's Shoe Store. My friends still remind me of these shoes that I wore and they wanted. They had a pop alright, with smiles that looked up at me every day of my eight-year-old summer. I wonder if I can find an adult pair on Zappo's....