Bibbidi bobbidi shoes

P and I went to the Macmillan Cancer Support vintage sale in Oxford. I was looking forward to some shopping, but once I was in there I didn't really feel like it. You know the feeling? It wasn't oppressively crowded, but there was a fair number of people, enough that you felt embarrassed to be standing in front of a rack for too long. Not so much Angels sale, but quite a lot like Marble Arch Primark on a Thursday night.

I didn't want to buy anything black, and I didn't want to buy anything too experimental -- working seems to have revived my interest in simplicity. I didn't want to have to try anything on because the fitting rooms were basically a part of the room sectioned off by screens where people tried things on -- not that semi-public same-gender nudity bothers me so much; it was more that there probably weren't any hooks for me to hang my coat on while I was at it. And when it came down to it, it just seemed like it would be nicer strolling around in the sunny, blue-skied outdoors than fighting off some mum to get to a vintage Jaegaer dress.

(One thing that was nice about the sale was that there was a good range in terms of ages. I have a feeling that if it'd taken place in London it would have been way more hipsters in their twenties and thirties, and way fewer mums and grannies stocking up on cheap clothes.)

So it was really good luck that I saw what I wanted within the first five minutes.

White oxfords with lilac ribbon ties! I love how they have this twee ballerina colour scheme, smacked onto the no-nonsense long-toed shape of a men's shoe. They definitely scratch the itch for masculine shoes in sweet colours that I've been having ever since seeing these pink Irregular Choice brogues on Susie Bubble.

I really like the idea of satin ribbons as shoelaces, too.

They've certainly had better days -- they don't seem to have been worn much, if at all, because before I got them they didn't have the horizontal creases along the front that happen when you walk in oxfords. But they're a bit grimy, and the leather on the tips of the toes is flaking off. But hey, I figured a bit of wear wasn't a big deal for £5.

And the best part? Actually, the best part is just that the shoes make me smile, but it does add to the smugness factor that I saw this on the sole when I picked them up:

This is the second time I've scored a Branded Item for £5 without hardly trying! 5 must be my magic number or something.

(If you haven't heard of Robert Clergerie, don't worry; I wasn't sure what he was either. I suspected he was expensive, though, and it turns out I was right.)

- Zen