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Wednesday 11 December 2013

DIY summer sandals into winter booties

I realized today that imagination and frivolity are often the mother of invention.

Two weeks ago, this was my mantra: "I gotta' get some geta!" Geta are Japanese traditional footwear which look a bit like a hunk of wood with little foot-sized platforms stuck on top. Of course I didn't want REAL geta; anything high and flat would do. (Pao brilliantly calls this style of footwear flatforms.) And the next day, there they were at a retailer marked down to $20 from $120. They were mine, and I stowed them away for spring.


Meanwhile, I had been planning a DIY to make little bootie slipcovers for my summer shoes so I can wear them in the winter. Why buy new boots if I can winterize what I already have? But this DIY has been lingering on my To Do list for over a year now. 

Then today [Monday] it snowed. As I was bundling up to go out, lamenting my lack of excellence in winter bootwear and my DIY slackness, I had an epiphany: I already have booties! - the kind you slip over cleats for road biking in the winter. They are battered but why not at least try them? In a couple of minutes my problem was solved. The booties fit perfectly over my sandals and, presto!, new winter boots. Or shoots? - shoe/boots.


Felt-lined, wind-proof, and waterproof, these booties kept my tootsies nice and warm, and the elevation of the shoes kept my feet out of puddles. Made by Sugoi, the covers have little velcro tabs that fasten together on the bottom of your cleats, but in this case, the tabs were perfectly aligned to nest between the heel and the step of my sandals. The fabric has a slight stretch and there is a rear zip, edged with reflective material, to conform to the shape of your shoes, although you can see that the booties stick out at the toe from my cycling shoes - the shape reminds me of a freighter. And who doesn't want feet like freighters?

I think this look, as is, black with yellow bits, is cool/urban/post-modern ironic?, but now that I know this method works and my feet will in fact stay warm, I'll paint these booties, or at the very least use them as patterns to continue my original DIY project, now wonderfully revived. Some thigh-highs are definitely in order. While I'm at it, maybe I'll colour my boring pants as well.


Of course I'm linking these up with Bella's Shoe Shine. These are my new LOVE shoe/boot/things. They are not very glittery but they do put a spring (in this case, a clop sound, rather like a horse) in my step, plus, my previous post already had sparkly shoe action. I look forward to seeing what the rest of you are wearing. You never know when frivolity and imagination will strike.

FREAKISH YELLOW SKIRT

Pao at Project Minima has been having her way with the Freakish Yellow Skirt. She is doing a multiple-wear challenge, which is still in progress, but already there has been a Sewing Rebellion! This is just an update - a proper post will appear after The Artist has realized her Magical Vision. Check out her story as it unfolds.

23 comments:

  1. amazing idea!, that covered up flatforms are really a warm way to wear your sandals in the middle of the winter!, you always surprise me with your inspiring ideas!!, ohhhh, that neon-citron painting project seems exciting!!!
    besos & colores

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  2. Those look pretty cool. Also, new-look website is nice too! (or did you change it before and I only just noticed?)

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  3. I love japanese inspired footwear - I have a pair of tabi shoes and a pair of old Irregular Choice that look just like the tabi.
    I also found recently a pair of old Irregular Choice shoes (when they started they made Japanese inspired footwear a lot, for some reason) inspired by zori.
    I also got a pair of Rocking Horse shoes knocked off from Vivienne Westwood - the japanese inspiration is obvious. I am so jealous of your collection too!
    I'm going to add the japanese themed footwear inspiration to my blogging to do list - it would be a great post! Thanks for sharing yours too!

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  4. I love japanese inspired footwear - I have a pair of tabi shoes and a pair of old Irregular Choice that look just like the tabi.
    I also found recently a pair of old Irregular Choice shoes (when they started they made Japanese inspired footwear a lot, for some reason) inspired by zori.
    I also got a pair of Rocking Horse shoes knocked off from Vivienne Westwood - the japanese inspiration is obvious. I am so jealous of your collection too!
    I'm going to add the japanese themed footwear inspiration to my blogging to do list - it would be a great post! Thanks for sharing yours too!

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  5. So inspired! And inspirational. These are genius and look so bossy. xox

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  6. Great idea brilliantly executed, thanks for the inspiration! Loving your new header.

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  7. Oh, oh, oh, I want some. Convertible sandal/shoe/boots. You are a Genius at work and play. Thanks for the honorable mention too!

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  8. Your brain works in such fascinating, brilliant ways. I would have never in a million years thought of doing that with your booties, of course that's why you are YOU! I love the picture in my head of you clip clopping along in your wood platform winterized footwear.

    Nice new header and background for the blog - you are bursting at the seams with creativity these days!

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  9. When this kinda stuff happens to me, I call it magic :o

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  10. BRILLIANT on soooo many levels, Mel. Much shinier than any dimestore glitter shoe.

    Also the meme: yellow skirt. I think you deserve an award for sticky fashion memes. I want in.

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  11. I love your new header and I really love your new footer- wear. You have really come to my rescue. I'm still having a bit of difficulty wearing shoes and my tootsies are freeeeeezing! I'm going to see if I can work this around my flip flops. You ARE a genius!

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  12. I CANT!!!! Those shoes!!! Love a wooden flatform! LOVE! The booty covers are insanely genius. Following Pao now, too!

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  13. This is clever and gives you something unusual. Good thinking. In times of "need" we get more creative.
    Greetje

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  14. Absolute genius!!! I am always confused by how I can have so much footwear but so few pairs that are both fabulous and impervious to weather.

    Amazing new header & profile pic too! Your vision is transcendent, execution divine.

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  15. Great new header, Melanie, and an inspired new footwear creation! The only time I ever wore flatforms (a pair of charity shopped sandals, I went arse over tit in them - fell over, in case you need a translation! - and they got re-donated sharpish. xxxx

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  16. I love the new header too! the 'shoots' are fab, you have invented a new word and new design for the shoe bootie, and I like it! makes me think I should get creative with my wellies (them and 1 pair of boots are my snow/cold footwear) x x x

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  17. Gotta get me some flatforms - yours are so cool, especially at that ganga price! I really like the lime green look of the bootie tops the best...ingenious!

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  18. There's something about these that makes me think - ever so slightly - of the small winter 'coats' that extra tiny dogs wear! What brilliant invention. I could do with a pair of these to elevate me above the mud.

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  19. I'm loving the shooties! You're brilliant!

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  20. Pretty good post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way I'll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon. Big thanks for the useful info. כפכף רצועות אופנתי איפנמה

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