Sandal Scandal

Last summer I had to regretfully throw out some beloved sandals because I had worn them to death, but at least I could reflect that they had served me long and well. They were so worn out they couldn’t possibly be donated to charity – they went straight into the bin.

But what makes someone get rid of a perfectly good pair of designer sandals that they had just had re-heeled? A temporary leave of sanity? I cannot else answer this question.

I spotted (pun not intended) these Gorman chocolate brown and cream pony-hair sandals in a Salvos Store three weeks ago. Admittedly they are a size too big for me, but done up on the tightest hole they are wearable – not to mention very cute on! They are in excellent condition, with only one bit of faint wear along the edge of one vamp, and the heels had been completely replaced. (I must own I have cleaned up the insoles in Photoshop for the picture, but they also are not too bad.)

When I showed these to one of my friends, her jaw dropped slightly as I told her I paid $15 for them. “You got a bargain,” she told me, having tried them on new in Gorman. “They were very expensive.” That information does not surprise me. I normally don’t even bother entering the portals of this famous Australian designer store, for I can’t afford to shop there myself (neither can my friend – she was just in there admiring, but I prefer not to torture myself in such a needless fashion).

How to Clean Second Hand Shoes

A lot of websites will tell you to clean with rubbing alcohol, which is iso-propyl alcohol, and can be difficult to find in Australia. Methylated spirits (ethanol, or denatured alcohol) are perfectly adequate for the job. My sandals, being open and not much worn, did not need more than a wipe out with the methylated spirits.

For detailed information on how to deal with problem shoes (sneakers, or closed, smelly shoes), visit Wikihow.

Photo: This month

Dancing Shoes & Don’t Forget Me Blues

Somehow, red shoes always find me. I don’t go looking for them – they dance before my eyes and bedazzle and bewitch me with their loveliness. And then I wear them out, knowing more will throw themselves at my feet before long.

Here is the most recent pair that paraded before me in a Salvos Store. Soft leather with 2½" cone heels, the shoes by Akira have never been worn, and still had their price sticker on the soles – €65. I paid only $12.65 (or some odd price like that), which is a pretty good bargain. I call that a height fairly comfortable for walking about in too, without feeling hobbled by the end of the day.

The 1960s gloves are vintage, and are more of a deep periwinkle than they look in the picture. As much as I love the look of gloves, I often tend to forget to wear them, unless for warmth in winter. Made from nylon, these are certainly purely decorative, rather than practical – although mere decoration does not normally hold me back. What I need is a pair in forget-me-not blue!

Photo: August 2016

Scots x Italia

A couple months ago I visited my sister in the country, ahem – OUTER MELBOURNE (I like to tease her about the distance as often as possible) – and we spent a day together op shopping. We zipped around to four or five different stores, large and small, chain and independent, and I managed to snag quite a few bargains.

One of these good finds was this wool pink plaid scarf for which I paid around $4. It comes from Italy, in one of the typically traditional tartan designs that country is renowned for … Wait, what?

… och, I do love plaid, wherever it hails from.

There is an embroidered insignia at the end (right about where the fingers of my left hand are holding it), and at first I thought it said ‘Castle Something’ until I brought it into brighter light and read ‘Carlo Visconti, Italy’. I suppose there is nothing new in the designers of one country appropriating the traditional styles of another, and – och, I do love plaid, wherever it hails from. (I’m not convinced the label’s name has anything at all to do with the fifteenth century assassin of the same name, but maybe it does! You can read all about the court official’s colourful history here.)

Why would anyone get rid of such a lovely scarf, I wondered? Did they find out about the womanising, murdered Duke of Milan and conceive an unreasoning distaste for the scarf? Unfortunately, I can’t find any less apocryphal information on this Italian label, and have only spotted men’s ties and cufflinks, and fountain pens online.

It must remain an eternal – and possibly unsavoury – mystery.

PS. I am not wearing my top inside out. In case you were wondering. Ok, I am. Also, apologies for the disturbingly fluffy hair.

Photo: July 2016

A Little Lunchtime Miracle

A couple months ago I was attending an Opening Night during the week, and as I usually do on these occasions, I wore something a little special to work: a favourite red sequinned vintage 60s top. (Of course, I could have carried it and worn more conventional daywear in the office, but I can get away with this kind of outrageousness working at a theatre.) By mid-morning however, I realised I had forgotten to bring an evening bag with me, and I certainly did not want to spend the night carrying my unmatching giant tote bag around.

I decided to make a quick trip to the local thrift store at lunchtime in search of a evening bag. I didn’t have high expectations – I just wanted something respectable and inexpensive, as I already own so many evening bags I didn’t care to spend a lot so unnecessarily. I intended to donate it right back, or give it away to some lucky recipient. My work colleagues, hearing about this hopeful mission, scoffed humorously and wished me luck.

I decided to make a quick trip to the local thrift store at lunchtime in search of a evening bag.

In due course I ventured off on the trail of this unholy grail, and upon a thorough search of a Sacred Heart Opportunity Shop, by divine miracle I came upon a quite inoffensive pleated-look black satin clutch bag. And amazingly the ticket price stated a mere $6 – what luck! (Or it could even have been $4; I can’t quite recall.)

But that was not all: not only was it a completely innocuous clutch bag, there was a convenient cord strap curled up inside. I don’t actually like little bags on very long straps, so I carried it as a clutch that evening. I was extremely glad to cloak my heavy tote, and my colleagues were all very impressed with my thrifting prowess. Truly, a last-minute lunchtime miracle – saved by the bell, as it were. Now … whom can I fob it off on?

Photos: July 2016

Match-making

One of the most enjoyable aspects of treasure-hunting in thrift stores is when serendipity conspires with persistence and rewards unites two things long separated that were clearly meant to be together. Once such example is these two wooden sculptural bangles, bought months and miles apart. I came upon the brown wood bangle first, in a Sacred Heart Opportunity Shop in South Melbourne, and then many months later, its candy pink mate, in a Savers thrift store in Berwick.

It was a delightful surprise to discover how well their twisted asymmetrical shapes blend. They are, clearly, quite cumbersome however, so are not practical workwear; they are still waiting for their night to shine.

Photo: July 2016