[Ansteorra] Cheap footwear.

[Darlene Burns]

*Warning. Some snippage is about to occur.*

On Wed, Dec 30, 2009 at 9:39 AM, Casey Weed <seoseaweed at gmail.com> wrote:

>
>
> Ren faire gillie/mocca-SINS with grammaw's coin purse toe suck.  They let
> water in better than a Trimaran crab trap, the soles are thin, the thongs
> break, they're neither warm nor cold, and the only academic reference to
> the
> design as it stands are in Harlequin Romance's Annual Wedding Magazine that
> pixies foist on you at the Scarborough Grove of Plumpy Nuptual Bliss.  No
> support in them and no room to improvise support.
>
*I will out myself, since anybody reading this thread has already figured it
out t'was me. :)*
**
*I have owned 2 pairs of the "coin purse toe" shoes, one of which I
eventually (after 15 years) wore out the heels and necessitated the second
pair. Before you say "So sorry for you", I want to say that yes, they are
not a wet weather shoe at all...I don't wear them where it is wet...or sandy
for that matter for similar reasons. I wear these where the grass is mowed,
the dirt is packed well,  or in the indoor hall type venue. I found that an
arch support worked quite well in them and I have *never* broken a thong. I
have always found them to be very comfortable. *
**
*As far as the academic reference goes, they are better than sneakers and
almost all of the time are unseen because my skirts are more than floor
length in most cases. When they are glimpsed they do not scream
"NIKE!!!!!!", do not light up, nor have day-glow orange strips on them
somewhere.*


> Or... you can spend $80 and get these:
>
> http://www.revivalclothing.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=9
>
>
> *Nice boots. I agree that they look very nice. Not a bad price either*


> But the real moral of this is: THERE IS NO SUCH BEAST AS A BARGAIN SHOE.
>
*I tend to agree with you. Several pairs of shoes that I own are much more
expensive than what you mention.*
**
*However, if I read the original thread correctly, the thrust of this is how
to dress on a budget that is tighter than what I have had to deal with in
quite some time. There are folks that a $20 difference is not "4 happy
meals" but enough gas to get to work that day and back. While *I* have
reached a stage of my career and pay grade that I have the luxury of
actually buying from artisans who do the research and make the
products...there are still enough folk in the SCA who can't that suggestions
for what alternatives are available is worth discussing.*


> It's not worth the grief to risk it and it's too cheap to even consider it.
> If you are unswayed imagine cold, wet, feet.  Imagine blisters.  Imagine
> broken laces and flippy floppy soles.  Imagine the secret sniggering of Sir
> Alexis and Sir Gaston as they judge you by your inauthenticity with all
> those other judgey knows-what's-period laurel types.


*At the risk of starting the old debate of compulsive authenticity vs.
creative anacronism, the Society only requests that an attempt at period
clothing be made to attend Society functions.  *
**
*I have observed that most who can afford to get items that are closer to
what was in period (or those who have the interest and skills to research
and make their own) have grown up enough through the years to be much more
tolerant of the foibles of others around them.  I still occasionally run
into new folk that tell me of some run-in with an authenticity maven, but
most of the horror stories I hear come from those who entered the Society 20
or more years ago. *
**
*It is my opinion that people finally got the message that dissing
somebody's good faith attempt at a period look is not a "good thing" either
for their karma, the person being dissed nor the society as a whole. Mainly
because many of those so dissed said "Hey, I can get this in the real
world...I don't need it from my hobby!" and left the Society never to
return. Who knows what marvels of art or courtesy were thus lost to us
forever? *
**
*Besides Sir Alexis is one of the nicest gentlemen it has been my pleasure
to know. "Secret Sniggering" at someone else's garb is just not his style! *
-- 
Annes
It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion, It is by the beans of Java
that thoughts acquire speed. The hands acquire shaking, the shaking becomes
a warning. It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion