Make an old pair of comfy shoes look new
By Paula Rath
Advertiser Fashion Writer
New sandals not in your budget?
Sigh. If you're in Carrie Bradshaw "I've got to get a mortgage and stop buying shoes" mode this summer and eschewing yet another pair of Manolo Blahniks, join the club.
I'm on a shoestring budget in the aftermath of my Europe jaunt, so new sandals are a no-no. Instead, I decided to embellish my own to make them work in 2003.
First I checked out the spring issues of Lucky, Vogue and Elle, as well as catalogues from Neiman Marcus.
Next I pulled out two pairs of sandals from my shoe shelf, each at least five years old, still serviceable but rather blah and dated: one white, the other camel.
Next I rifled through my sewing room to see what I had on hand. Voila! Scraps of earth-toned Ultrasuede, a bouquet of silk flowers and some vintage coconut buttons.
For the white sandals, I chose the silk flowers: I cut them off at the thinnest part of the stems and stuck the stems through the pukas in the woven upper. (I had to use a needle to push open the weave a little to allow the stems to go through.) With sturdy upholstery thread, I sewed the flowers and stems into the sandal straps to anchor them. For those who don't like to sew, I think a glue gun would also work.
For the camel sandals, I made a template out of a piece of cardboard and cut flowers from Ultrasuede in several sizes to get the proportion right. I used two sizes, each a different color, and played with them until I liked the look. To anchor them and add texture, I used the coconut buttons.
While Ultrasuede is expensive at $60+ per yard, it can be purchased in increments as small as 1/8 yard. There are also other suede look-alikes for $7 per yard at Fabric Mart or $32 per yard at Kaimuki Dry Goods. Sometimes craft stores carry fabrics that might work.
Caution: These sandals have not been tested in rainy weather. Ultrasuede should survive rain, but other look-alikes may not.
And the silk flowers? I think I'll take them off and run barefoot in the rain, just like small kid time.
