Most of us girls played dress up at one time or another when we were little. We’d imagine ourselves as princesses, all decked out in our moms’ fancy dresses and costume jewelry. Or, if we were enterprising, the real jewelry, and then we’d lose an earring down the sink drain while we were admiring our reflection in the bathroom mirror and get in big trouble afterward and not be allowed in our mom’s closet for weeks afterward. Come on, that can’t just be me. Anyway, we’re older now, and when we dress up, it’s in our own fancy clothes, but maybe we can still feel like princesses when we do. That’s the first thing I thought of when I saw the Giuseppe Zanotti I96208 ballet flat.
How can a shoe make me think of royalty? Look at that fuchsia band of fabric over the vamp, adorned with a crystal brooch. Doesn’t it look like a sash a princess would wear to a coronation? Only that brooch would be diamonds, not rhinestones, but still. What pops into my head are royal portraits of Grace Kelly after she married Prince Ranier of Monaco, in her long, flowing gown, with a silk sash draped over one shoulder, secured at the opposite hip with a jeweled pin. Even after all these years, she is still the epitome of what a princess is supposed to look like. Sure, Diana was also beautiful, and quite a clothes horse, but she never quite carried herself the way Princess Grace did. Maybe it was a lack of maturity, maybe it was that Diana spent 15 years kicking herself for marrying Charles. I mean really, what was she thinking? While we’re on the subject, why is it so often some young, hot chick hooks up with an old, ugly guy? Yeah, I know he’s a prince, and he’s rich and all. But they had two kids. The things she would have had to do…ew. I can’t even go there. That’s one thing Diana and Grace had in common, though, aside from the other, tragic commonality. Anyway, this Zanotti flat makes me think of the good parts of being a princess. Pretty dresses, beautiful jewelry, and royal bearing. Slip these shoes on and see if you don’t feel regal. The upper is all fabric, and I love the fuchsia on black—another of my favorite color combinations. The lining and insole are leather, so the shoe will conform to your foot. The toe is rounded, so there should be some wiggle room. You’ll also need a royal budget, though. They go for $654 at Zappos.com.
Budget Saving Alternatives
Speaking of feeling regal, what color is more regal than deep purple? Have you ever wondered why that’s so? No? Well, I’m going to tell you anyway. Way back in olden times—what? That’s an actual time period. There’s yore, bygones, olden times, and way back when, not to mention in my day, but that’s mostly used by grandparents. Anyway, in olden times, the purple dye for Roman togas was extracted from the mucus (Ew!) of some kind of mollusk, and apparently, it took a LOT of mollusks to get enough dye for just one toga. Because of the time, effort, and expense needed to create that much dye, only the richest people could afford to have their togas dyed purple. So it became a status thing. Any Roman walking around in a purple toga was either very wealthy, or a clothesline thief. At some point, some ruler guy or another issued a royal decree made purple the Official Color of Royalty. So there you have it. Now where was I? Oh yes, shoes. Purple. Which is also a very popular color this fall, even if you’re not Roman. Check out the Betsey Johnson Keith II peep toe flat. I’m digging the peep toe, but I do wish the big ol’ flower accent on the vamp was a little smaller. There’s a lot going on at the front of this shoe. Still, it’s a great color, it’s suede, and it has a peep toe! Who says you can’t show off your pedi in the fall? The footbed is quilted and cushioned for comfort, and the shoe is lined with leather. And hey, wear them with a toga, if you want to. Remember, it’s ok to wear white after Labor Day now. Try them out for $150 at Zappos.com.
If you’re looking for a fancy flat with a little more flash, you have to see the Good Times sequined flat from Chinese Laundry. While they may not have the most PC brand name, Chinese Laundry makes some awesome shoes. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pair from them I didn’t like. What’s cool about these shoes is the double-sided sequins are sewn on in such a way that they’re reversible with the sweep of a hand. Flip them all over to one side for either a black or silver shoe, or mix it up a little for sparkle with every step. In fact, these are very similar to another pair of Giuseppe Zanotti flats I featured a while back with the same flippy sequins, just in different colors. And guess what? Those Zanottis are now on sale for HALF what they cost when I first wrote about them. Might want to check them out again. If the half price is still a bit too steep for you, consider the Good Times since they’re only $70 at Piperlime.com.
Related Posts
Sponsors
{ 3 trackbacks }
{ 0 comments… add one now }