shooooooooooes

i got new shoes today! 
this would not be such a celebratory thing, except that they are GORGEOUS and quirky and lovely.  don't believe me?  here they are:

"charm school" by poetic license

i looooooove them, even if they are a little bit higher heels than i normally wear and were a bit pricey, but so worth it.  as i sit here admiring them, feeling a bit like judy garland in "the wizard of oz" (except the green polka dot version instead of red sequins), i have to admit the striking differences in my shoe collection.  yesterday i went for a hike, so i was wearing my nike alvord 8 trail runners.

quite a difference, right?  this happens time and time again in my shoe closet: for every pair of fancy schmancy, sparkling toe-tappers, i've got a pair of rough & rugged, made-to-work shoes.  some might think i have bipolar (compulsive) shoe-buying tendencies, but i 100% believe that my shoes convey my personality better than the rest of my clothing.  i love the pretty ones, i love the user-friendly ones; hot pink and basic brown; knee-high and barely-there.  which is why i love these two paintings i bought and received last year:

"ketchikan girls <3 the rain" by suzan thompson

"stilettos & xtra tuffs" by maida kelley marksheffel

stilettos & xtra tuffs are what i do (in ideal anyways - how anyone can walk in anything higher than 3" is beyond my understanding!).  i'm alaskan, and xtra tuffs are considered "alaskan sneakers" because EVERYBODY has a pair....they are admittedly pretty bland looking, which is why some people are starting to spice them up a bit with SLUGS (http://www.etsy.com/shop/WithTheRain).  These brown rubber boots symbolize the tomboy in me, the side that's not afraid to go out in the woods for a hike, or go wade through tidepools on the beach - the side that won't hesitate to get a little dirty.

the other side, however, is alllllll about the sparkle and sass!  i can't help it, i grew up playing with barbie dolls & loved her extensive closet.  one of my favorite jobs was working at the local clothing store, looking through catalogs, and putting out new stock - i got to see what the new fashions would be earlier than a lot of people, and then get to see our new merchandise before our customers.  my knowledge from working there (as my manager was awesome) hasn't left me, and i still keep the corner of my eye on fashion.

one of my favorite things to do is find pieces that are a tad crazy, unique, and not commonly seen.  usually this isn't a problem in ketchikan since fashion isn't very high on the agenda of a large segment of the population (the above-mentioned xtra tuffs are paired with carhartts or jeans & sweatshirts or fleece and/or rain jackets - always with hoods due to the massive amount of rain we get).  some of the more notable pairs of shoes i've acquired that fit this bill are...


r2 flamenco sandal



el naturalista iggdrasil














aaaaaand my favorites:

vibram fivefinger bikila

i've got kind of a diverse collection, but it only serves to portray me in a more physical and fashionable way.  i'm far from being imelda marcos, but i do love shoes!