Thursday, July 23, 2009

The shoe situation

Previously: My frustrating search for shoes moved online, and I ordered two pairs, which arrived 4 and 3 days before my wedding respectively.

Contender #1: Coloriffics Knotty, sold by DSW.com. Price: $29.95 plus $15 for two-day shipping.
Image from www.DSW.com

A little plain, but the knot in the front saves them from being totally boring. At that price, I couldn't pass up the chance that they might work. But I wasn't convinced they would. Would the heel be too high? (It's listed at 2.5", but the sites don't always get that quite right.) Would my ankles be too fat for the straps?

Contender #2: David Tate Rosette. Price: $71 plus free shipping.

Image from Zappos.com

Sparkly detail, sturdy 2" heel, and a lovely goldish color -- what's not to like? I'd had my eyes on these for a while. What stopped me from ordering them? The price, and my belief that I could score something great in Colorado for less. Ha, ha, ha. When the situation became desperate, these were the first shoes to hit my electronic shopping cart.

Contender #3: VANEli Modesta, sold by Nordstrom. Price: $95 plus tax.
Image from Zappos.com

In all my hours of shoe searching in Colorado, this was the only pair that almost became my wedding shoes. They were comfy, pretty, and even looked a bit like those Stuart Weitzmans that first caught my eye in Nordstrom. But alas, at $95, they were pretty spendy for me. And to make matters trickier, the store only had 1 pair of my size left, and it was clear they'd been tried on a *lot.* The soles were visibly scuffed and one heel had a nick in it. Normally I'd say "whatever" and just buy 'em, knowing I'd scuff them myself by the end of the night anyway, but I felt weird about spending so much on a pair of shoes that clearly weren't in top condition.

And the winner is ...

David Tate Rosette! This shoe looks so much better in person than on the website -- the champagne satin has just the right amount of shimmer, and the heel height is perfect.

I was sorely tempted by the Coloriffics, which made my feet and legs look long, slim, and sexy, but that extra 1/2 inch and the narrower heel made a huge difference in terms of how they felt on my foot. I feel like I can dance all night in the David Tates, while the Coloriffics had the balls of my feet going "ouchy!" within minutes of putting them on.

They're a hair tight across the instep, but I'm solving that by wearing them around my mom's house all day today. Next stop: pedicures!

7 comments:

Color Me Green said...

yay glad you've put the shoe worries behind you. it's all about comfort so you can dance and enjoy yourself!

LPC said...

I agree! 100%. Good decision:). Have fun!

Laura said...

I'm so glad you solved the shoe dilemma of 2009. Have fun dancing!!

anna and the ring said...

Yay for comfort

I hope you are having the time of your life (so far!)

Anna xx

Words and Steel said...

hope your wedding day was beautiful!

E. said...

Did these have a lot of padding in the soles for the balls of your feet? I have really really really picky feet (and podiatry problems that prevent me from wearing anything higher than 2 inches) and I have to have padding/shock absorbency on the soles...

Bride in Exile said...

Ellie, I thought the David Tates had a nice amount of padding, and several of the Zappos reviews were from women who have some foot problems and said these were a good buy. As heels go, they're the most comfortable ones I've ever owned!