Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Practical Wedding Shoes

(Photo by Arthur Elgot for Vogue, styled by Grace Coddington; Via Nibs)

I'm a brat. I went shoe shopping for Meg.

She says she doesn't need a new pair of shoes. She says she's happy to get married in the silver heels she already owns. But I detected a hint of something wistful in this post.

It's very A Practical Wedding not to buy new shoes. Very. But there is something undeniably fabulous about slipping on a new pair of shoes the day you get married. A kick-ass pair. A pair you will wear again and again with all the lovely vintage cocktail dresses in your closet.

So for you, Meg. A few ideas just in case.

First up, the Lawrence from Nine West in natural, on sale for $59.99. (Thanks kidchamp!) These bring a vintage-inspired wedding dress into the modern.


Next, Spirit (okay, seriously barfy name) by Cynthia Rowley in black satin, on sale at 6pm.com for $115.00. A classic. And a sensible 3" high. I have to say I like the look of the black heels in the Vogue shoot pictured above.


And finally, the pink Open Toe Pump from Marc by Marc Jacobs, on sale at shopbop.com for $192.50. More ladylike. More... Meggy? But, again, the angular heel adds a modern touch. I think this pair has just the right "Bite me. I'm a feminist and I'm wearing pink pumps." vibe.*


*Meg, what the eff are your wedding colors anyway? Do we even have this information? Or are such things as wedding colors too silly for you to bother with?

26 comments:

  1. cute shoes...but practical? Not really. And the least practical thing to do would be to wait until the day of the wedding to wear them! Ouch! I looked and looked for the perfect shoes, then realized that what I was searching for (an ankle strap so I can really dance in them, 1 1/2 inch heel which is the perfect heel height and so hard to find, soft rubber sole, beautiful bright color) were already in my closet.

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  2. there's an extra 30% off the nine wests right now, so they're down to $41.99. which i, er, might have found out because i just got 'em in grey.

    my wedding shoes were so-ludicrous-they-worked braided gold sandals with a 4" wedge heel, and i picked them up at the last minute for $20 at a skeevy beach boutique in the OC. fate smiled, i guess: they lasted through the ceremony, a mile-and-half walk across town (on cobblestones), and a four hour reception w/dancing. practical comes in all shapes and sizes, y'know? (and those pink pumps are exceedingly meg, i say. need to break them in? wear them every day until the wedding, too.)

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  3. You ARE too cute.

    But, um, hello? I'm spendier then that when it comes to shoes, my dear. I mean, with wedding shoes I figure you should go big or go home, right.? Also: I can pick out the most expensive shoes in Nordstroms from across the store when I say "ohhh, I like THOSE ones." It's why I don't shoe shop very *often.* Basically, while I'm thrifty, I have very expensive taste (ie, I have one bag, but it's a EXPENSIVE one, and I got it at 75% off. But I sort of want to eat it it's so pretty).

    And our colors are 'jewel tones,' as it were. Achem, what were YOUR colors?

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  4. She wants a Part II. I see how it is.

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  5. Excactly. And I want your wedding colors.

    Actually, this post made me happy enough :)

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  6. Colors were the forest. Greens + browns.

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  7. you two are hilarious. I <3 you.

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  8. Yeah $385 shoes on sale aren't spendy enough for Meg. Whatevers I'm not hurt. They're not "jewel tone" anyway.

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  9. ESB and Meg, you two are like an old married couple.

    I say this with nothing but love and affection for both of you.

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  10. I know, who's she trying to kid with the whole 'practical' thing? Pfff.

    And I totally see her in the barbie pink ones.

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  11. BARBIE. Sigh.

    Come to think of it, those are the shoes I sought in vain for the dress I didn't wear.

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  12. Cut Meg some slack. She comes by it genetically...

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  13. I think you need to get these for the dress you didn't wear, actually. Did you return the earings, because they TOTALLY GO? Whatever when we have our wedding graduate party where everyone has to wear their dress, we'll let you cheat and wear your extra dress. I think we should have that party in the Chapel of LUV in Vegas.

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  14. The earrings are fuchsia. (Ahem, JEWEL TONE, if you are seeking a pair.) And no way will I effing wear the reject dress, are you crazy? Though I did kind of have Vegas in mind when I bought it.

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  15. A) I just bought those Nine West shoes (on the top) in black and they are so beautiful it makes me SICK. They also have nearly 5" heels, so at 5'10" I am still working up the guts to wear them out. Hey, I DID get them at Buffalo Exchange for like $22 so I justify owning a pair of shoes I may never actually wear. (My husband and I do not see eye to eye on this).

    B, and more importantly) The last time (and first time in literally like maybe, I dunno, 6 years? 7?) I bought myself a *new* new pair of shoes was for my wedding, and I cannot stress enough the thrill of opening the box (shoes don't all come from vintage stores? How freaking NOVEL.) and having tissue stuffed in the toes, and that new smell, and knowing that no one else's sweaty toes had sullied my sacred toe space. And I cannot stress enough how furthermore thrilling it was for me to put them on for the first time on my wedding day and being like "NEW SHOES ARE FUN AND GORGEOUS". I tried to wear them out for my bachelorette party but my friends kiboshed that idea and I'm so glad they did. Having new shoes for my wedding day ruled, and I have worn them close to 1000 times since then, with everything from fancy dresses to jeans, so it's not like buying new shoes is crazy and wasteful. It's just special.

    THE END!!

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  16. I think the pink ones would suit Meg perfectly!

    Why is wedding shoe shopping so difficult? I also seem to manage to pick out the most expensive ones by accident. Not good when it's one of the last things in the budget...

    A Part 2 (and maybe a 3) would be great!

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  17. I finally decided on these for my wedding. Well worth it!! LONGEST LINK EVER..............

    http://www.endless.com/Pura-Lopez-Womens-N601-Peep/dp/B001AYYLP0/ref=sr_1_14/?cAsin=B001CWRDAA&fromPage=search&qid=1245327910537&sr=1-14&asins=B001OC7DEE,B001SN7VT6,B001OC7EOS,B0010TA9O2,B001SN7W3Q,B001AYV1DK,B001AYUYJW,B0013UB1RC,B0010T0W1M,B001KOUL1S,B0010TEBSC,B001SN7VUA,B001CWRDQO,B001CWRDAA,B001U88DUU,B001IDZI32,B001CWRDHS,B0010T8LW4,B001SN7VCI,B001AYWIW8,B0010TDYOY,B0013U7LZ8,B001OC7EQQ,B001AYYMF4,B001AYYMNQ,B0013U7LNU,B001KOULAY,B001SN7VRI,B001M5UFRK,B001KOUL9A,B001IDZID2,B001M5UFKM,B001ACNTLY,B001CWT22M,B0014TQ15O,B000XN60CG,B000XNBO2M,B0014TS4PE,B000XNJ4D8,B000XNF01S&asinTitle=Pura%20Lopez%20N601%20Peep%20Toe%20Pump&contextTitle=Search%20Results&page=1&size=40&dept=242169011&node=242169011&nodes=242169011&brands=Pura%20Lopez&sort=shoesbrowserel2

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  18. esb, maybe you need to re-direct your career aspirations to "personal shoe shopper."
    xox

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  19. %$#@!
    east side bride...
    i just purchased a pair of PRADA suede peep toe heels for my wedding. AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!

    thank you. thank you. thank you.

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  20. I am bursting with pride + guilt at the same time.

    you're welcome?

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  21. I too love the wedding shoe dilemma, I finally found my perfect pair at Piper Lime, ankle strap for dancing, soft leather, peep-toe with a big bow and bright pink. It was so worth it.

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  22. I also have Genevieve to thank for the purchase. After reading this post, I started hunting for a different pair of yellow shoes. The ones I had purchased recently were from Victorias Secret (weird, right) and they were just OKAY. Little yellow mary jane wedges in yellow, but I wasn't thrilled with them. I came across the Prada yellow suede peep toes, on sale at Barneys, and the only size left was mine. I was debating when Genevieve pushed me over the edge by saying, "Afton, ask yourself this, are you having a Victoria's Secret kind of wedding or are you having a PRADA kind of wedding?"

    That did me in. Goodbye Vickies, HELLO PRADA!

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  23. So many times I see brides kick off their shoes at the reception because their feel are hurting - mostly because it is the first time they wore their wedding shoes. I say always bring a backup of comfy but cute heels to throw on just in case!

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