It was the night before fashion week, and a package of delight had arrived at my doorstep, all the way from Latvia.the most perfect pair of vintage brogues in varying tones of brown, a gift from Beta of Beta Pour Homme (Do check out her online store, filled with vintage men's pieces from around the Baltic area in Northern Europe. I think her selection is exquisite, and the prices very reasonable.)
I had two options. I could either get started on packing, or do a quick and easy DIY project. The shoes were beautiful as they were, but the one thing missing from my NYFW wardrobe was a pair of shoes that made a statement. I had some copper leaf left over from when I did that three-part painting, and I knew this was the time to replicate those Anne-Valerie Hash metal-toed shoes from a couple of seasons back:slanted (via The Cherry Blossom Girl)or straight across (via The Cherry Blossom Girl)
From experience, I knew I couldn't achieve the same wattage of shine with metallic paints, and I like the subtle crumpled-foil texture of metal leaf. And in my opinion, metal leaf is infinitely easier to work with than paint. This is how I did it:I taped off the edges of the cap toes, multiple times, just to be sure. I left the soles exposed because I wanted the copper leaf to extend all the way to the sides, as if the toes had been dipped in molten copper.I brushed on some metal leaf adhesive size, (available at most art supplies stores)and waited until it dried clear.I then laid on a full sheet of copper leaf (significantly cheaper and infinitely more interesting than gold leaf!), pressed it on with a soft brush, and with the same brush, sweeped off the excess. I waited for this to dry a little bit more, and repeated the process, laying on three sheets of copper leaf on each shoe.
I peeled off the tape, did a little cleaning up here and there, and this is what came out of it:close-up of the texturemy freshly copper-gilded vintage oxfords
I quite like the copper on this shoe: with the varying shades of brown, it is warm and pleasing to the eye, and much less stark than the ones on the Anne-Valerie Hash runway. I also think the traditional perforations lend a bit of masculinity to a pair of shoes inspired by (menswear-inspired) women's shoes.
I've learned that I just couldn't afford to pay full high-end price for statement pieces of this degree of weirdness. I don't end up wearing them often enough to justify the cost, nor do I have the funds to buy a new pair every time I get tired of the one I have. Times like these, I say, if you can't afford it, make it!
shoes courtesy of Beta Pour Homme