Old boots before painting. Elizabeth Seward
DCL
I went down to New Orleans to witness the Mardi Gras festival for the first time in my life, first-hand. Mass media had always given me the impression that Mardi Gras was all about beads, booze, and boobs, but close friends of mine, 'locals' if you will, always reinforced for me that there was a whole lot more to the festival than the cliche. And they were right. If I had to sum it up, I'd say it's all about music, food, culture, and the most vivid of colors. (Ok, and booze.) My own style-pallet for color has been completely revamped since throwing myself into Carnival. Bright magentas and purples alongside warm golds and lush greens weren't the only colors adorning the French Quarter. More so, there were splatters of every color. And by far, one of the brightest things that came to my attention were shoes.
While New Orleans, generally speaking, isn't a 'style' city in the same way New York is, all of these colors opened my eyes upon returning to New York. The colors weren't exclusive to Mardi Gras. I started noticing bright colors in outfits on street corners everywhere from downtown to Queens—and mostly on shoes. Even The New York Times ran a photo gallery recently on their site displaying all of the color in New York fashion as of late. My first girly instinct was to get new shoes. But my better, more green and fiscally-minded half stopped me from doing so.
I rummaged through my closet and realized I have tons of shoes that I don't wear. Boring, scuffed up dress shoes. You know—the kinds of shoes that would fit in absolutely perfectly with this bright color fad if I just...painted them myself. And so I did. And I encourage you to revamp your old shoes with bright and bold colors, too!
The most important thing to remember is not to question yourself. Be careful, yes, but if you aren't really wearing the shoes as it is, what have you got to lose? You can always paint over a bad paint job. If you're nervous (like I was), start by painting your shoes a bright, solid color. You can always add intricate patterns later on.
How I turned boring old boots into bold red new ones.
1.I found a pair of dingy old gray boots that were going nowhere fast in my closet.
2.I mixed some red paint I had leftover with some green paint and got a neat shade of red.
3.I haphazardly dashed the paint mixture all over my shoes.
- Note: If you can find a water proof spray for your shoes after you paint them, that would be a good idea, too.
Painting the shoes yaou already have is a great way to reduce consumption, save money, and avoid the agony of breaking in a new pair of shoes. Start off your project by hunting down some reliable eco-friendly paints.
