November 27 Rediscovering good shoes - kind of a big deal when you've had trouble walking for so long!

SHOES! I can wear shoes that are good-looking! I can more and more easily and safely wear my swing dance shoes - purchased because I needed some attractive heels to wear with a dress, but most heels were impossibly painful. Dancing shoes - these are Aris Allens - are built to be immediately comfortable without having to break them in. they are wonderful - and I love mine. But they are not winder shoes (Peep-toe spectators), so I needed some practical shoes for winder (mostly for work, but also for other times). The flat, chunky rubber-soled Maryjanes I had found are getting beaten up, and they are not handsome, just utilitarian.

The other, heeled Maryjanes I bought last year are all right - sometimes not super-comfortable after more than a few hours.

Flats are the best for simple safety and comfort - but they can be so ugly. Ballet Flats are terrible or a wide foot - they have no support and are not pretty with your foot spilling over the edges.

For a flat, I prefer a brogue or a good black oxford. But they are not the current style (Even though they are sort of an eternal look), so, hard to find, especially on a budget. Enter the good internet!
After a goodly bit if searching, I found a pair of brown simple lightweight but well-built wing-tip brogues, and a brown pair with a little more decorative leatherwork. Beautiful shoes, well-built, found both pairs for a total of $32 including shipping! And I suddenly feel like I have a little style happening again, whether I'm in a dress, leggings or trousers. I love them - and life feels that bit more fun and normal at the same time. Because my normal life IS fun! They are light enough to feel almost as though I am walking barefoot - my favorite, yet not-work-appropriate way to be. hey make walking with a lighter, smoother gait so much easier - and they're great for dancing, as well :)

Reminds me - being boot season, I need to find a good pair of flat-or-short-heeled boots for Pirates of Penzance! The costumer is also a good friend, and she suggested I look for them now, and she can purchase them in advance! Taran-tarahhhhh!!!!

The Wing-tipped Brogues in question.