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The Red Shoes
Image provided by SurLaLune Fairy Tails (click for more information).
“…the little princess, in fine white clothes, stood before the window and allowed herself to be stared at. She wore neither a train nor a golden crown, but beautiful red morocco shoes; they were indeed much finer than those which the shoemaker’s wife had sewn for little Karen. There is really nothing in the world that can be compared to red shoes!”
-Hans Christian Andersen, The Red Shoes
When I was little, I used to spend one weekend a month at my grandparents’ house, and the only “children’s book” they had was a book of Hans Christian Andersen‘s fairy tales. As strange as these stories were to my single-digits imagination, I loved them. The imagery! The fantasy! The dismemberment! (For those of you that haven’t read Hans Christian Andersen, these aren’t your typical Disney stories; test them out before your bedtime before handing them to your kids.) Being a dancer, as well as the kind of girl who ignores the strict rules of religious-morality-infused bedtime stories, my favorite was always The Red Shoes. Reading it as a child gave me an affinity for all things crimson.
So, of course, it was only natural that this story was the first thing that came to mind when my boss announced, very pointedly, that I should tell the fashion world not to make “the red shoe mistake.” Mistake? How can red shoes be a mistake?
When you’re not wearing a stitch of color anywhere else, that’s how. My boss had seen an otherwise well-dressed woman wearing red pumps – nice red pumps, he’d like me to point out – with a black skirt and white blouse. In his words, that’s totally 1982. In mine, it’s boring. In my boyfriend’s (I had to get a third opinion) it’s trashy.
Why was her outfit so plain, you ask? In my estimation, this woman was probably thinking the same thing little Karen did in The Red Shoes: she wanted to have a little fun with her wardrobe without being too drastic, or too noticeable. The problem with that, though, is that in this day and age red has become cliche, and almost -dare I say it- a neutral color. The color may still be associated with sin and sex, but it just doesn’t make an otherwise bland outfit pop the way an orange scarf or a chunky chartreuse bracelet would. In fact, it’s almost begun to blend in with otherwise bland outfits. Wearing red is like wearing a short skirt: sure, it’s sexy, but what else is going on?
At the very least, that’s my take on what the boss-man and boyfriend think about the color. What about you: do you think red shoes have less pop, or are trashy when paired with a classic black skirt? What would you wear red shoes with…or would you wear them at all?
Tags: Fashion, inspiration, questions, shoes
What’s wrong with red shoes? Personally, I don’t own any, but I find nothing wrong with a pop of color on your feet, whether it’s red, blue, green, yellow, etc. Maybe if a woman were wearing garish red lipstick, too, and had a matching bag, then I would think it were a little much.
The Red Shoes http://tinyurl.com/cgh48g
Jen, I’d have to say that “red accessories are the new neutral.”
When I told my mother and her friends this, only one out of the 6 agreed with me, but it’s so true. Red shoes can add a little pop to the outfit, but the idea of having a red shoe match everything in your outfit does not have to exist anymore. I think the only color you can’t wear red with is orange… MAYBE yellow (depends. Do you wanna look like a McDonalds straw? Hah). Howeverrrr, don’t go overboard with red, as stated above. A red shoe and a red purse will do. Or red shoes and red lipstick. Never all three. That’s just too much pop for one outfit.
That was one of my favorite stories and ballets as a child too! I personally choose to make my color statement with my hair, not my shoes…which are all black. That being said, I think red shoes are something that have to be done just right to work. You can’t just throw them on, they must be deliberate and well balanced with your outfit, if that makes any sense at all.
Pamela Quevedo’s last blog post..Busy Brain
Pamela: Exactly! It can be done, but it has to be done deliberately and with flair. I’ve got a pair of red mary janes that often be got be paired with soft grey and art glass accessories.
I like wearing navy dresses with red heels.
Black skirt + white shirt is boring… and red heels don’t necessarily fix that. Unless her handbag or her coat is red, or she’s wearing a giant chunky red necklace, those shoes DO seem out of place. It does come off as “I was trying to sexy secretary-up this boring little outfit.”
Birdie’s last blog post..Combatting Casual Wear
Hmm. I’m very torn on this.
Really, I think it depends almost wholly on the style of the clothes being worn. For instance, skirts being a-line or pleated, etc… And a ruffled collar blouse or simple button-down.
I like whoever said that they wear navy and red. Those always look amazing together as do red and grey.
Personally, some of my favourite colours together in fashion are sunshine yellow, candy apple red, and a vivid turquoise that’s more on the blue side than the green.
I feel like that colour combination can rarely lose a fight.
It also depends on the shades and the look someone is going for, too.
But, in my opinion, when it comes to fashion, everything is relative.
The same outfit can look 1982, trashy, and/or boring on one person and look like the Hot New Thing on another.
All a matter of a perspective, I suppose.
I mostly agree with Birdie. As far as a black outfit with red shoes, the first thing that popped in to my mind (that I think would look good) is a black dress with dark purple tights and red heels. Red heels in an otherwise black and white outfit don’t make me think 1982 or trashy, just strike me as a little lazy, visually.
Michelle’s last blog post..Daily Outfit 4/6
I don’t think that black white and red is a boring, trashy, lazy, etc combo at all. It’s something I consider classic and beautiful — great way to be professional with a classic flair at the same time. In fact, I have to say that it’s one of my favorite combinations. I have 3 pairs of red shoes and they go with tons of outfits, usually providing just the right pop of color (granted, my favorite pair of red shoes are also shiny, adding to the pop). There are days when you don’t have to wear a crazy color to stand out, red works just fine. In a sense I would call them a neutral because you can pair them with many other colors, but they aren’t quite a neutral in that they usually stand out.
Isn’t there something just super glamorous about a black skirt, white blouse and red shoes? I think so.
Kristy’s last blog post..Enjoy the Weather!
New blog post: The Red Shoes – a Mistake? http://tinyurl.com/cgh48g
Personally I like wearing red shoes with an otherwise bland black/grey outfit. But I like that pop of color and contrast. So it’s not particular to red.
On the same line, I like wearing my red belt iwth my red ballet flats and everything else monochromatic. It’s just fun and gives the black and white a little bit of color.
Though, depending on the shoes and the rest of the ouftit I can see Richard’s point. Design counts there.