ShoeSense

The Whimsical Shoe

The shoes I like are placed somewhere on a kairotic continuum (where kairos=opportune occasion), the high points of which are elegant, beautiful, pretty, practical, athletic, comfortable, cute.

Occasionally (for what is kairotic if not fit for the right occasion!), I feel none of the above. Instead, I feel whimsical. As in, ha-ha, you didn't expect that out of me, did ya? As in, I'm in the mood for fun, play, irony, and I don't really give a damn about conventional notions of style. Well, at least not today. The whimsical I'm talking about is beyond quirky or unusual: it's downright surprising, almost shocking, and eliciting comments without exception. I would wear whimsical shoes as a surefire way to attract attention--and épater les bourgeois, biensur!

On such (however infrequent) occasions, I might feel like wearing these L'Autre Chose 'Bali' wedges, which are nothing if not whimsical:
(and yes, that is a sculpted wooden wedge heel, complete with a hut and a palm tree. Guess what I'm in a mood for!)

Or of course, you can pick and choose from Camper's rather large collection of whimsical shoes; just make sure you pick from the whimsically pretty and not the whimsically ugly. For example, I might make you contemplate the rainbow of colors and patterns in these 'twin' loafers:

Nothing says "play with me!" like a pair of clown sandals from Anthropologie:
(yes, yes, it's clown perched on a red ball. Deal with it!)

As long as you don't abuse it, whimsy can be your friend. Go ahead and have fun with shoes every once in a while!

posted by Cristina Hanganu-Bresch @ 9:21 AM