If the shoe fits...

Yesterday was my attempt to create a pair of shoes to wear to our Titanic Dinner. I forgot how much fun it was to do something crafty and had a lot of fun trying different things.

Before shot:

I bought these shoes at Payless Shoe Store. They retail for $17.99, but I purchased them for half-price due to their sale. Not bad looking shoes. They are very comfortable, too. The heel is all wrong, but I couldn't be too choosy. I picked them because of the higher front that sorta reminded me of a low boot which was the look I was going for based on the photos of Rose's Titanic shoes.

After shots:

So not a huge difference, but enough that I hope they look slightly vintage/Edwardian. I first wrapped a wide black satin ribbon around the leather band and metal buckle. I knew I had to cover that up right away. I used the satin ribbon due to the pics of Rose's shoes. I experimented with putting ties to make them look like lace-ups, but that was too difficult. I finally decided less was more. (Okay, I was running out of time!) So I glued a beaded, embroidered trim where the satin band fell. I then tied a bow where the buckle was.


I tried two different kinds of ribbon for the bow: satin and a wired sheer. I actually liked the look of the wired sheer better, but the satin seemed more authentic. When I wear these again (probably the RWA Conference in Dallas), I'll use the sheer bows instead.


Approximate cost: $9.99 shoes + $7 ribbon supplies = $16.99 plus sales tax

So what do you think of the shoes? Titanic worthy or not? Would you have done anything differently?