Rain shoes, shine shoes

I bought a pair of rain shoes. Can there be a more utilitarian purchase?

The last rain shoes, bought ca. 1990 from Land's End, were so ugly that I wore them maybe three times. But after too many outings with wet, cold feet, I caved.
What I bought

My $80 got me stalwart Bogs Rue in green. I refuse to count these as new shoes, they are only umbrellas for my feet!

I would much, much rather spend my always-too-restricted shoe budget on sunny day shoes for spring.


What I waaaaant


These Marnis stopped me in my tracks passing a local boutique, Specchio, home shoe salon of the elegantly-shod Christine. At $750, I'd have to wear them for a decade (maybe life?) or display and charge for viewing. Those corkscrews of ribbon are a luscious shrimpy colour, an interesting neutral. 

Marni kiltie sandal


I also lust for the pearly blush and black Marni sandals. These are so me; the price tag ($525), not so much.
Plush suede peeptoes

Or... buttery suede to caress my feet; Marni again. Price, $550; these better not get wet, but I do have my rain shoes.

You get what you pay for in the shoe world; a stroll by popular-priced windows did not raise my pulse.

After I bought the damn rain shoes, I met my GF Mar for tea. We sat in front of Ron White's window and eyed these Lip Gloss pumps, $635.

Vavoom pompom pumps


Mar said she'd seen the very shoes on a woman our age the night before at the opera, worn with a close-fitting black knit dress. "She looked fantastic till she had to walk", said Mar, "and then she kind of teetered."

You can get a rain shoe with attitude. Example: Aquatalia's Golden waterproof heeled clog, in lime or black, $225 from Aquatalia or stockists.
Rockin' the rain



Or there's the red patent Grab bootie, $265, in deep ruby. If I could handle heels, I'd get these (but would still want the Marnis).


Grab bootie by Aquatalia


If you see me jumping through April showers in sturdy Bogs, supress a smile. By the time we see May flowers, I'll find a really pretty pair. 

Comments

Susan B said…
Duchesse I love your green rain Bogs! It's funny, I love to look at shoes like the Marnis and the other fancy ones, but rarely do I find them tempting anymore. My life just doesn't support shoes like that 99.9% of the time, and it's not worth the splurge for the other 0.1%.
dana said…
Dear Duchesse, I know, it's so tricky! I adore a flatform myself, although am finding i prefer to be a bit closer to the ground these days for stability and speed's sake.

Look what I found today! http://www.onlineshoes.com/womens-born-duchesse-t-moro-gold-metallic-p_id202780 I believe they're 20% off...

They're not Marni, but not bad, and how could they be, with that style name?
Duchesse said…
Pseu: I can tumble, but only for a low heel which makes those ribbony Marnis so alluring. Stilettos strictly for looking.

dana: Love the finish on those Duchess sandals, rather like (more pricey) the Michel Perry Nomade I featured here:http://passagedesperles.blogspot.com/2011/03/spring-shoes-michel-perrys-strict-and.html

My "piano legs"-without defined ankles- means no ankle straps, but if they made this finish in another style I'd want it!
Tish Jett said…
Green Bogs are such fun. I agree, it's hard to count them in the "shoe" category. At least they're purpose made and chic in their work.

An aside for you, dear Duchesse, in my post about Ines's book and some of the unkind reviews, I was referring to one in the the NY Times.

I thought your review was insightful, intelligent and measured. There was nothing mean about it. You were telling us what you thought and backing your opinion with facts. I appreciated your review.

My book is apparently in the mail. I can't wait to see what I think.

I love your stylishly intelligent approach to fashion.

Those red patent heels are terrifying and on us, that would make us about 6'2"-ish -- immediately before we fall down and break something.
Mardel said…
I love the green rain Bogs as well, although I also like the green mules. I haven't given up heels yet, but see that it is only a matter of time, and I am enjoying them while I can. At the same time, stilettos like the ones shown are mostly off my radar as well; my life doesn't really support them, and there is nothing more aging than older woman teetering around in heels which are too high. I hope I have the grace to recognize that when I can no longer manage a normal stride in a shoe, it is time to toss it and I have already been gravitating more towards flats and low heels.
lagatta said…
I love those rain shoes but would have to be able to try them on. I see that Walking on a Cloud has physical stores in Toronto and elsewhere in Ontario - unfortunately for me not here or in Ottawa. I'll look there next time I take a quick working trip to Toronto.

psst, I think your link was not fully copied - think it should be "walking on a cloud", not "king on a cloud", though I like the latter image.

The posts with the most