My love of shoes can be traced back to a pair of blue patent Mary Janes. The closest matches I found on Google were these "Maloles" (above) ($295 at Piperlime) and these "Pour La Victoires" (below) ($154 at Zappos). Yet unlike these contemporary Mary Janes, unless my memory is playing tricks, mine had a multi-cutout pattern, including a triangle behind the strap on the outside of the foot. The next time I get out my family albums, I'll scour the shoes. In the meantime, these Peacock (Aqua) Alice Crocs ($34.99 at shop.crocs.com) represent a less serious aspect of my first shoes. I don't remember if blue was ever a favorite color of mine; it certainly isn't now. But I know I put them in a prime spot on the floor of my closet so I'd see them first every time I looked in. And the peep-toe patent heeled Mary Janes from Chadwick's ($24.99 on sale)? I would never wear them now, seeing as I am not a high-heel wearer, but they would have been perfect for dress-up.
