2024 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

Laura_Elsewhere

It was a dramatic shock when my parents paid for me to have a pair of shoes made for me, for each individual foot, from scratch, by a proper shoemaker, for my 50th birthday- on occasion, I have walked over six miles on hard stone pavements and with lots of hills, and then next day 3-4 more miles on similar terrain, and although I've been glad to get in at night, I've not been in pain, despite having bunions on both feet and "tailors' bunions" on the outside of each foot too! 
They are mid-heeled lace-up brogues, and the lacing comes all the way up my foot- have you noticed how many modern shoes have lace-up that stops halfway up so your foot isn't held properly? 

PollyWollyDoodle

A sore point (no pun intended!) with me at the moment. I’ve recently had some new orthotic insoles, and I think my future is really limited to trainers or boots - although lace up shoes like you describe, @Laura_Elsewhere would also work. 

I haven’t worn ‘ballet’ type shoes for years or indeed anything that doesn’t have a strap or fastening over the instep.  No fashion is worth having sore feet!  It does make it harder in hot/summer weather though.  Fortunately, trainers with a skirt seems to be a trend at the moment.  

I’m awaiting an x-ray to find out the cause of pain in one foot, I think it’s arthritis, but podiatrist thinks I may have a bone spur.  I’m so aware that mobility is absolutely key to quality of life when getting older, so I’m determined to get this sorted out. Your comment made me laugh @Sarahspangles

I have had so many pairs of shoes over the years.  I recently listed several on Vinted because I’m just never going to be able to wear them again.  

Someone (quite likely Laura!) posted a link quite a long time ago to a site that makes authentic historic shoes, I remember thinking some of them looked very comfortable.  

PipneyJane

It was @Laura_Elsewhere, @PollyWollyDoodle.  Fortunately, I have the relevant website open on a tab in my iPad browser:  https://www.andyburke.co.uk/index.htm 

They’re on the list of things to which I may treat myself, next year when both DH and I are back at work.  (The Ministry is taking forever…. Once I’m back at work, I expect to be the sole wage earner for the rest of 2024.)

I’m glad that I’m not the only one who prefers an ankle strap/instep strap on their dress-up shoes.  I find that court shoes stretch with wear.  True story:  I once manned a trade show stand for an ex-employer, at the Islington Design Centre, so was all dressed up in my best suit, etc.  Had to go upstairs for something and left a court shoe at the bottom of the stairs!  (Fortunately, I’d only gone 2-3 stairs, when I realised.)

- Pip

Laura_Elsewhere

@PipneyJane - these ones from Andy Burke's "20th century" catalogue-page would look gorgeous with trousers... he does them in lots of colours, blues and greens and reds...! 

PollyWollyDoodle

That’s the one, thank you @PipneyJane and @Laura_Elsewhere.  And I’m delighted to see they are British made (been reading Patrick Grant’s book Less).  Not cheap but I reckon they’d last for years. 

I haven’t worn court shoes or ballet style since my early 30s, when I learned how bad they are for your feet. Basically they’re either too tight or you have to scrunch your toes up to make them stay on. Lace-ups or straps are best.  

Laura_Elsewhere

PollyWollyDoodle said:

That’s the one, thank you @PipneyJane and @Laura_Elsewhere.  And I’m delighted to see they are British made (been reading Patrick Grant’s book Less).  Not cheap but I reckon they’d last for years. 

I haven’t worn court shoes or ballet style since my early 30s, when I learned how bad they are for your feet. Basically they’re either too tight or you have to scrunch your toes up to make them stay on. Lace-ups or straps are best.  

Oh definitely British-made- each pair is made by Andy himself!! he’s a lovely chap and very knowledgeable- if you have any questions, do ask him.

Sarahspangles

Laura_Elsewhere said:

Oh definitely British-made- each pair is made by Andy himself!! he’s a lovely chap and very knowledgeable- if you have any questions, do ask him.

That’s a fascinating site! Some of our urban sketching trips have coincided with Roman or Viking re-enactment days. I always look at the footwear. Viking and medieval shoes and boots seem quite practical and comfortable but the Romans are always hobbling! Perhaps the centurions had to get used to marching in leather soled sandals over time.

The costumes are interesting too. I watched a ‘Viking’ woman making yarn on a drop spindle, she was also talking to visitors and helping with a display. But kept spinning. She was obviously used to wearing her outfit and had multiple places for “stuff”, including a belt purse that was more like a pocket, the belt itself, her apron and sleeves. When I’m sketching I’m always juggling pencil/pen, rubber, brushes, napkin as well as the usual purse and phone. Coat and jeans pockets aren’t as versatile as something that can be swivelled towards the front of the body. [Goes off to design a sketching belt with moveable pockets]

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, I have spends to declare. Both are birthday presents for men. A cotton shirt and a polo shirt. As the polo shirt has a collar I will count it as a shirt so 5 coupons each. So 85.5 - 10 = 75.5. Once again while shopping for these I was struck by the difference in the quality of the fabric compared to that in the womens section. Both of these things will last for years and quite honestly were about the same price as similar things in the women's section, so annoying.
On the subject of shoes I can only wear flat shoes. Anything with a heel gives me blisters on the ball of my foot as even with laces my feet slide forward down the slope. I have even had to stop wearing some orthotic insoles as the heel was about half an inch higher than the toes. I did tell the man who made them this would happen when I tried them. He assured me they wouldn't but after wearing them for half an hour my feet were blistered. He also told me I should never wear the boots I had taken along as they were too hard, sometimes I feel I just can't win with shoes. I have never been able to wear ballet shoes or court shoes as I could never keep them on. I once lost a Kicker shoe, which was laced nearly to my ankle, while stepping on to a train and had to ask a kind guard to retrieve it from the track between the train and the platform. To this day I have no idea how that happened as I wore them regularly and had never even felt they were loose They were very comfortable and you could send them back for repairs at that time, not sure if they still provide this service though. I might check that next time I am looking for shoes I
Take care everyone

Laura_Elsewhere

Sarahspangles said:

Laura_Elsewhere said:

Oh definitely British-made- each pair is made by Andy himself!! he’s a lovely chap and very knowledgeable- if you have any questions, do ask him.

That’s a fascinating site! Some of our urban sketching trips have coincided with Roman or Viking re-enactment days. I always look at the footwear. Viking and medieval shoes and boots seem quite practical and comfortable but the Romans are always hobbling! Perhaps the centurions had to get used to marching in leather soled sandals over time.

The costumes are interesting too. I watched a ‘Viking’ woman making yarn on a drop spindle, she was also talking to visitors and helping with a display. But kept spinning. She was obviously used to wearing her outfit and had multiple places for “stuff”, including a belt purse that was more like a pocket, the belt itself, her apron and sleeves. When I’m sketching I’m always juggling pencil/pen, rubber, brushes, napkin as well as the usual purse and phone. Coat and jeans pockets aren’t as versatile as something that can be swivelled towards the front of the body. [Goes off to design a sketching belt with moveable pockets]

I enjoyed my years of re-enactment (mid-17th century), but I don't miss the bickering and power-struggles that went on- I think some people viewed it as an actual war, not a re-enactment!! I was always a civilian woman, no interest in the soldier side- but oh, so many things I've kept from it! Some are actual things that I use, but a lot is better understanding that means I've now bought or made better-quality versions of a modern thing (kitchen knives and pans, my shoes, and all the stuff about fibre-length and cloth/knitting...). 

And people have this weird idea that modern stuff is always better!   I mean, I wouldn't want to be without my modern stuff- but I have learnt over time that the modern stuff isn't *always* better!

My latest bit of entertainment has been a very long term friend, ex-military, very very practical, very outdoorsy, discovering that he is in fact more comfortable wearing a tweed jacket and moleskin trousers with leather shoes over wool knee-high stockings than in his fancy hi-tech hiking kit which is of course all basically made from plastic  
I'm pleased he's sorted out kit he feels comfortable in, but it does amuse me that it's basically what was worn by generations of rural folk before the plastic "waterproofs" came along, all needing replaced every few years as it wears out!
He has always worn a kilt a lot, but sadly with ticks now carrying Lyme's disease in most part of Britain, that's not a safe idea any more for hiking, etc. 

PipneyJane

Today, I shall mostly be wearing…

• My 25-ish year old Levi 501’s
• A 20 year old, white, H&M t-shirt
• Hand knitted socks knitted last year, made last year with yarn purchased in 2017 and 2006.

Anyone care to play along?

This morning, I went through a box of jeans and shorts that I’d set aside, 12-ish years ago, because they’d become too small.  Found a several of pairs of wearable jeans including the 501’s; a pair that needs a button sewn on; a black pair that, sadly, has gone in the upper thigh; a dark, denim-blue pair; and a grey-green, wide-legged pair that are definitely the latest fashion.  No, I don’t think I’ll be buying jeans for a while.

- Pip