Adventures on Two Feet: The Emerald Slippers

From The PM Collection by 9.2.5; balange and other man made materials with a recycled leather sole and rhinestone studs; photo by Christine Stoddard. Yes, that is my foot, if you are so curious.

I know what you're thinking ---I just took photos of yesterday's shoes and altered the colors on Photoshop. But you're wrong, my dear. I do indeed own an emerald pair of yesterday's 9.2.5 beauties, as well. Why do I own both a red and a green pair? Well, I could spin many eloquent and noble answers to that question but the only one that you'll believe is that my mother is shoe-obsessed (and if I denied that I inherited that quality from her, I'd be a liar).

Anyway, on to my quaint little narrative. I've never worn this pair of shoes outside of dress-up situations. Just as I did with the ruby slippers, I trotted around the house in these heels, convinced that I was very sophisticated. Of course, when you're in kindergarten, clown red lipstick smeared around the button fourth of your face is ultra-chic, same goes for gaudy "diamond" rings the size of ping-pong balls. The difference between these shoes and the poorly applied lip color or the tacky rings, however, is that the shoes actually are as chic as my innocent 5-year old self dubbed them. For that very reason, I regret that I haven't made better use of these shoes but preserving them for appropriate occasions is what keeps them special. Because my lifestyle doesn't involve attending princess balls every weekend, the only time I distinctly remember wearing these heels was for Halloween in 8th grade.

Sometime in middle school, my love of the Victorian Age emerged so it seemed natural that I would want to parade around like a Suffragette for my favorite holiday of the year. I characteristically dug through my mother's closet to find the proper dress and eventually came across an over-white, almost light gray, lace dress with leg-of-mutton sleeves. The fabric matched the rhinestones on these emerald slippers perfectly so it was obvious that I should pair them. Trust me, though---the costume didn't end there; I went all out with a long strand of pearls, tights, ladylike gloves, and a matching handbag. I'm not certain but there may have been other accessories involved. Too bad I don't have any photos but I guess that's a good excuse to wear the outfit again this year and have someone take a couple. After all, I never turn down a photo op...and that's not a statement that anyone can prove false.