I love fugly shoes

Okay, I'm really bummed out. Why? Because Crocs have become popular.

I have what I like to call my mommy uniform. Nine times out of ten, no matter what the weather, I am wearing capri pants and the same shirt. Assuming I've done the laundry (and that's a big IF) my only shirt decision is long sleeve or short, and color. Yes, I have like 1000 of the same shirt, and from Target. And do I mix it up with the color? Nooooo. I have 75% black, 20% white, and one each of red, light blue, brown, gray and eggplant. And the pants aren't much better. If I'm not wearing capris, I'm wearing jeans. But really what's the fun of shopping anymore when I'm going to be covered in something sticky an hour after getting dressed? And in winter I just top it off with any of my numerous black fleeces. I only wear makeup to weddings and don't get excited by jewelry. I never style my hair. But I'm still a girl, I swear!

Who have I become?

I'm not a totally lost cause though, because I express myself through shoes instead. Crazy colorful shoes! Comfy, hideously ugly shoes!

Back in Spring of 2003, the Cracker and I went to Boulder, Colorado for a friend's funeral. (That's where J and I were living when we met.) And, yes, back in early 2003 Cros were already out there. They started in a little town just outside of Boulder.

So an itty bitty Cracker and I were out walking on Pearl Street, and I see this woman walk by with pink Crocs on. "What the hell are those on her feet? Those are the ugliest shoes ever!"

WHERE CAN I FIND A PAIR?

Luckily we're already on Pearl Street, so I run as fast as I can to the Pedestrian Shop. And they have them! And they're only $40, which in my ugly shoe world is cheap-a-roni.

So I come back home and amaze my friends. Then I do a little traveling over the next year and amaze even more people. I even dare to take them with me to New England and Pennsylvania summer of 2004. My very proper East Coast relatives try to find the bright side. "Oh, they're like gardening clogs" that's she wearing outside in public. Nope, not gonna find these babies at Smith & Hawken! I don't see another pair on anyone until I leave the mainland for Hawaii in March of 2005. Then by the end of that summer, they start creeping into the stores. And you can find them more easily on the internet. But it's still okay, because now I've been able to snag a pair of the hard to get purple ones previously only available in children's sizes. Yippie!












But now...well, you know. Sigh. I start ugly shoe trends.

The Cracker even has a pair. And on him it's still cute, because at least where I live there aren't a lot of little boys wearing them. We started off with knock-off pair in dark blue, because I wasn't sure if he would like them AND I wasn't about to spend 30 bucks on a pair of shoes he might not be able to walk in. But he LOVES them. So then a few months ago I scored a "chocolate" pair of real ones. As of yesterday though he wants to wear one blue and one brown at the same time. And only the left ones. You know, two left shoes. My control freak self is having a hard time with this not because of the two colors or even his preference for the left shoe being on his right foot, but because the blue ones are fake and the brown ones aren't and they look ever so slightly different! I swear...

Another ugly shoe trend I started? Not as big, but I did start it. Keens. Mary Janes ones, first in black, then red.

















"What's next?" you ask. How can you too stay ahead of the fugly shoe trends along with me?

I have these, purchased early last year. Waterproof scores big with me, because we never know when we're going to find a puddle to jump in. I found them at Nordstroms in the kiddie department, but was able to get my size by going directly to Birkenstock.
















Honestly, I wish I'd seen these first, even if they aren't waterproof. Much better use of the print.




















Drumroll please... This is my absolute favorite pair of all time. The picture doesn't do them justice. They are by El Natura Lista from the Iggdrasil line. I bought them back in 2004, so they should be popular any day now. And my name is Heidi, so of course I'm totally drawn to them. You can't see it, but there is a little frog on the toe.
















And probably the funnest thing about these shoes? They're green, as in environmentally friendly. Except for the leather, I think everything about them is recycled, and while they are leather, most stores carrying them advertize them as "vegetarian." The recycled rubber soles smell like peppermint (or something) to help fight odor. LOL And then if that isn't enough, here's a description from their web site:

"(The leather) is tanned using vegetable extracts and ground tree bark. It is greased in a slow delicate process, by expert hands in an entirely artisan fashion, using animal fat and olive and sunflower oils. Once it is dry, the outer coat of the leather is minutely IMPREGNATED with olive oil."

I love it! them! whatever!

Besides fugly shoes, I love fugly purses. However, they are harder to find in my price range and I kinda stopped buying them when I switch-a-roni'd to a diaper bag. And while any fugly shoe goes with any of my Target shirts and capris, it's harder to match a bag, if ya KWIM.