Shoes

[Anonymous No.8551639]

Let's talk shoes for lolita fashion. I noticed people were complaining in Rufflechat about the low quality of shoes made by brands, so let's get talking. All budgets welcome, whether you shell out for VW or trawl taobao.

I'll start with the Look Out Fascination heels by Fluevog.

[Anonymous No.8551640]

>>8551639
Better shot of the heel.

[Anonymous No.8551650]

Moonstone in brownish orange by Fluevog. Could see in a Jack-o'-Lantern themed coord for Halloween.

[Anonymous No.8551654]

Odette in blue and black by Fluevog. Could see in a witch coord.

[Anonymous No.8551665]

And Nefertiti. Could see in a mature sweet coord with pink and black.

I should mention that this, >>8551650, and >>8551654 are also made in black.

Done with my Fluevog dump, otherwise I'd go on forever and include designs that are not made/sold anymore. (Caravaggios in red, how I yearn for thee.)

[Anonymous No.8551679]

>>8551639
I wouldn't say lolita shoes are necessarily poor quality for the price. Compared to other things in the lolita, they are priced much more in line with normal fashion items. Most brand shoes I've purchased are in the $100 to $120 range, which is also how much I would pay for nice heels for work or good quality running sneakers. Like any normal pair of heels you can pick up at Macy's or a standard mall department store, they're going to tear and scratch if you're rough on them.

[Anonymous No.8551698]

>>8551679
Yeah, but for their price, brand shoes are really just not made well. Poor materials and weak construction, and rarely any kind of support at all.

[Anonymous No.8551726]

Are these loliable?

[Anonymous No.8551758]

>>8551679
What? Lolita clothing items are in line with normal western mainstream brands. Have you ever shopped anywhere but Forever 21? The shoes (and bags and plastic jewelry) are utter shit for the price. They cost as much as a decent pair of real leather shoes with much better construction that will last you years. I bought one pair of lolita shoes years ago, and they looked like crap after being worn twice.

[Anonymous No.8551798]

>>8551758
I'm not sure what you're defining as "mainstream," but I'm talking about standard adult clothing stores in American malls (Gap, Loft, The Limited, Macy's). Maybe it's just me, but I work in an industry where the standard work dresses women wear are from Banana Republic and J Crew, and those are new (not on sale) for around $150. New lolita dresses from brand websites run in the range of $250 to $450, so I would say there's a pretty big difference in price. I'm sure if you're working in finance or law, you're probably dropping $600-$1000 on a suit, but I don't consider that mainstream.

[Anonymous No.8551830]

>>8551798
Non-OTT lolita JSKs often retail for ~$180. That's only about $30 more than you'd pay for the average retail price dress at J Crew or Anthropologie, and those dresses aren't trimmed with lace. Yes, you can also spend $500 on crazy OTT stuff, or buy from brands that are more expensive like JetJ, but even then those pieces are not more expensive than either fancy western special occasion dresses or the next step up in cost from J Crew. The average lolita might have one expensive OTT dress the same way the average decently paid office worker might own one $400 Diane von Furstenberg dress.

[Anonymous No.8551853]

>>8551665
I impulse bought the Caravaggios in burgundy. I then had to buy a couple dresses to go with them. They are gorgeous. I got talking into the Karyn boots last time I was in the store and I'm looking forward to coordinating them with classic and country-ish looks. I don't think I would have really noticed them on the website, but they are super flattering and nice in person.

[Anonymous No.8551871]

>>8551654
My dream shoe. Unfortunately, I can't wear a 3 inch heel anymore because of knee problems.

[Anonymous No.8551897]

Can anyone recommend some low heel (almost flat) shoes? As much as I love really fancy high heels, they kill my feet after walking around for a while. I thought that my heels just need to be broken in, but they still hurt even after a few wears. Maybe my feet just aren't used to them, since I wear flat shoes typically.

[Anonymous No.8551906]

>>8551798
Can we stick to talking about shoes, please?

Lolita brands make great dresses, yes, we can all agree on this. But lolita brands making quality shoes is an entirely different statement.

Mary Jane or Oxford heels from, say, Clarks, are considered pretty high quality for the price (real leather, arch support, etc.), and can last quite a while even if you wear them to work every other day. But it's a bit strange when a lolita brand like IW slaps on a single bow on a mary jane heels, uses pleather, gives none of the foot support, and wearing it once every other week will make the shoes fall apart within one year.

To be fair, it's not just lolita brands who make cute-but-low-quality shoes. It seems to be across the board for all shoes sold in Japan. Shoes there tend to be very cute, kind of expensive for the materials, and are tossed after one season.

Another annoying thing is the sizing offered in Japanese shoes. If you're a woman in Japan with feet that are larger than US size 8.5, you either have to buy from abroad online, or stick to men's shoes. It sucks for us Western lolitas, but think of how much more it sucks for Japanese women who just want to wear cute heels but happen to have larger feet than the country's average.

I have a suspicion that the poor quality of shoes in Japan may be related to Japan's Buddhist history. For a long time, leatherworkers (along with butchers) were considered the lowest of the low of society (now the term for their descendants is Burakumin) because they dealt with death as a profession. And good Western-style shoes tend to be made with real leather. People who aren't used to real leather shoes and don't know the increase in comfort/durability, won't demand them.

Contributing Ciera Brine by Clarks, in burgundy leather.

[Anonymous No.8551913]

>>8551853
OP here, I know how gorgeous they are since I have them in black. Perfect with all my gothic and black-based classic items.

But I recently got more burgundy pieces in my wardrobe, and I just want the same pair to match. I'm a greedy, greedy person.

I love how the bows are removable from the Caravaggios, too, to transform them into a T-strap.

[Anonymous No.8551927]

>>8551906
I didn't know that about leatherworking. I'd heard that leather was just expensive in Japan (which may also be true). Makes me wonder what working professionals do? A cheap patent woman's heel is one thing, but cheap mens shoes are horrid and stick out like a sore thumb. Do Japanese businessmen really wear shitty shoes?

[Anonymous No.8551929]

>>8551726
The suede material and the mary jane design isn't bad, but the shiny pleather lining makes it look a bit cheap.

It could work in a gothic or punk coord if there are already other details in the outfit that have the same sort of shiny pleather lining. Does the brand that made these shoes, also make matching accessories like chokers or belts? If not, you could still scout out stuff that matches, but it might take you a while.

Also, just a warning, suede doesn't stretch. So shoes make from it won't conform to your feet's shape the way that real leather shoes will.

[Anonymous No.8551966]

I would say Hotter, Clarks, and B.A.I.T. footwear are all good options. I know the first two use real leather and are great for walking around all day. Pic related is a Hotter shoe I recently picked up in red, but the gold is a nice soft one too. They carry cute victorian-looking boots later in the season too. I don't wear brand shoes anymore, given how poorly made they are, and you can't even shine them when they scuff.

[Anonymous No.8551977]

>>8551897
I think you're not wearing the right type of heels! I bought a pair of Naturalizer heels just as a last minute thing because I was going on a school project trip to Washington, DC and I don't think I ever took them off, even though I had also packed some comfy Clarks boots. I was walking around for hours climbing stairs and running to catch the subway, too!

I would suggest looking into good quality "comfort" brands like Clarks, Naturalizer, and Aerosoles for heels, especially secondhand. Some of my favorite pairs of heels are thrifted real leather shoes with great support that cost me under $20

If you're still opposed to heels, I would check out those brands anyway because sometimes they have flat shoes that might look pretty good with classic/gothic

[Anonymous No.8552007]

>>8551927
Honestly, I'm not sure what kind of shoe brands the average salaryman goes for in their work getup. But none of the shoes worn by businessmen in the Tokyo subways looked cheap. Almost all of the businessmen wore the uniform of black suit, black shoe, and a solid-colored tie. Occasionally I saw some people deviate from this uniform, like one older gentleman who rocked a herringbone jacket and navy shoes, but he was probably high enough in seniority at his company to not worry about conforming to the uniform.

The few business people who have the dual bonus of being well-paid and well-travelled will likely buy nice leather shoes from Europe, and take care of them accordingly. But they're a very small portion of the white collar workforce in Japan.

I do remember seeing among the businessmen an unholy number of square-toed shoes (which flatter almost no guy), but there were some nice lace-up designs as well.

Sometimes there are factors other than design and materials that businessmen may think of when buying shoes, though. For example, whether the shoes can slip on-and-off easily. This may seem weird at first thought, but it sort of factors in if your workplace still does important business decisions in drinking socials after official work hours. The more traditional restaurants will have tatami mats in their serving area, so patrons must take off their shoes before entering. Taking off your shoes in front of your coworkers/boss will be less awkward if they're designed to slip on-and-off easily to begin with, and lace-up shoes will be a little more annoying.

[Anonymous No.8552057]

Historical recreation shoes are a nice option.

[Anonymous No.8552063]

>>8551906
>woman in Japan with feet that are larger than US size 8.5,
Most large department stores have a 26cm+ shoe section

Leather shoes are expensive and therefore less in demand because there isn't much leather domestically produced due to small land mass meaning less cows. If you check import tariffs they are quite high for leather items as well

>>8551927
Majority have some variation of the black or brown pointy-toe lace-up or slip on, cheaply available in synthetic materials

[Anonymous No.8552065]

>>8552057

[Anonymous No.8552069]

>>8552057
from American Duchess

[Anonymous No.8552950]

>>8551977
ok, thanks anon! I'll definitely check them out.

The first pair that comes to mind that kills my feet every time I wear them are the Dolce by Mojo Moxie ones. I only worked a 4 hour shift at work the other day and my feet were absolutely dying! My other heels are from Payless and AnTaiNa, and I think that in itself explains their quality. I'll definitely save up so I can get myself a better pair soon, especially now that >>8551650 in black has become my dream shoe.

[Anonymous No.8552959]

>>8551966

>hotter
>comfortable shoes
>metallic colors

Holy shit anon, you're a godsend. No wonder Fanny Rosie loves that brand. Thank you for introducing me to the brand!

[Anonymous No.8552965]

I'm sure that everybody knows this by now, but Antaina are just as good and often better than brand.
I wore my Antaina TPs over a 16-hour-day at a metal festival in at least three pits. They got the shit stomped out of the toes and immediately sprung back, looking exactly like I'd just bought them.

>They did accidentally send me the wrong size, which is a negative.
>But that is how I learned that I've been wearing shoes 2 sizes too small for years because my size isn't commercially available in Aus.

Better than buying drag queen heels, that's for sure.

[Anonymous No.8553009]

>>8552965
>>They did accidentally send me the wrong size, which is a negative.

If they sent you the correct size after that, how would you describe the fit? I plan on ordering a pair of shoes from Antaina since I too have big feet (correct me if this assumption is incorrect, I just assumed so since you mentioned drag queen heels).

[Anonymous No.8553024]

>>8552057
I wish kitten heeled shoes were easier to find. I hate that the standard heel is 2". Any good brands that make cute low heeled shoes? Shops that carry wide width shoes are also welcomed!

[Anonymous No.8553061]

For those down under, Ziera and Minnie Cooper (online only) make excellent shoes and often wider widths as well to a size 11/UK 9. Briarwood is a normalfag brand but occasionally have the most amazing tooled leather boots that are very loliable. And, as mentioned, Hotter, Clarks, Hush Puppies, Fluevog (although I find their sizing really variable), and Naturalizer make fairly comfy shoes. Other brands I like are Josef Seibel and Born, but they're mainly normalfag too. Irregular Choice are pretty but painful, Melissa occasionally loliable, and there's always the good old goth staples with TUK, and Pleaser subbrands Demonia, Funtasma and Bordello

[Anonymous No.8553079]

>>8551665
Their cabriole leg shoes are all so nice. I have two pairs now and I absolutely adore them. I'm also looking for a nice pair of caravaggios

[Anonymous No.8553088]

>>8553009
The 'wrong' size actually fit much better on me! I ended up selling the replacement pair, so basically free shoes.
I'd heard that all coloured leathers run a size large when I chose -

The 'right' size was a 42, which I didn't get measurements for. I assume that it was the equivalent of a 46.

The 'wrong' size, which I kept, was a 44 with a 29" sole (Which apparently makes it a 48, according to online charts?)

They're fairly narrow, but the toes are rounded and super roomy. There's zero sole padding and they're still really comfortable, but because of the toe room I can easily fit a plush sheepskin innersole in them without making it too cramped.

[Anonymous No.8554078]

>>8551654
I checked out the Odette in-store. The tiny skulls in the buckles are amazing to look at.

Thinking of getting the Rococo Taco for my gothic coords (and just having a cool-looking boot for my regular outfits), but I'm a bit worried whether the pointed toe looks too "sharp" and would contrast too much with the ruffled clothing.

[Anonymous No.8554172]

Ah, yes! This is exactly the sort of thread I needed to see. Can any of you lovely ladies with Fluevog, Hotter or Clarks shoes (specifically this one >>8551906), tell me exactly how comfortable they are and for how long?

I live in a city and walk about 25 minutes to my university, walk around there all day, and walk home. Can any of these brands handle city walking, or are they only meant for people who drive to work to wear around the office? The other problem I notice with crappy heels is that I can't stand around in them for long periods of time or it feels like the soles of my feet are burning. Has anyone else experienced this?

I'm getting a lot more extra income soon and I want to buy quality shoes that won't crumple or leave me cute-but-in-pain all day.

[Anonymous No.8554228]

>>8554172
Here are some that I'm pining over, just to contribute to the thread.

[Anonymous No.8554241]

If you have the money, Vivienne Westwood has some gorgeous shoes right now. Excluding the iconic rocking horse shoes, here are my favorites
Roman three strap, also available in black
Even more expensive than the similar Jane Marple shoes

[Anonymous No.8554295]

>>8554172
Clarks are a comfort shoe brand. Fluevogs are generally pretty comfortable, but it depends on the design and heel height and your own comfort with heels. I find their rounded toe shoes to be pretty generous in the toebox and width, which makes them a lot more comfortable for me than other brands. Most heels, expensive or not, I can't walk further than a taxi to a restaurant in because of toe mashing, blistering, and that horrible burning on the ball of the foot, but I can put 3 or 4 miles on my mid-heel Fluevogs in a day. My feet disagree with heels in general so they're a little stiff by the end of the day, but it's a massive difference. They're probably super comfortable for people who do okay with heels. Fluevog's low/no heel shoes are as comfortable for me as Borns or Eccos, etc.

[Anonymous No.8554305]

>>8554241
My kingdom for a $200-$300 version of this or JM's.

[Anonymous No.8554306]

>>8554172
Clarks are just school shoes, they're the brand your mum takes you to every year to get fitted. If your mum trusts it you can trust it.
Plus their sales are absolutely brilliant. I just got a pair of leather cream oxfords (the Hamble Oak style) for £20 and they're SO comfortable and stylish.

tl;dr I've been wearing Clarks for 25 years now and they're still comfortable now as they was back then.

[Anonymous No.8554322]

>>8554306
I have the Clark's oxfords as well in patent black and they're crazy comfortable, no breaking in needed. Having said that I don't think they're going to last me years, the padding on the sole is already starting to feel a little worn down and I've had them maybe 4 months now.

[Anonymous No.8554331]

>>8554322
Agreed on the quality. Clarks are comfortable but I tend not to buy them because spending the same/slightly more on different brands gets me a much more durable shoe of better quality leather. The insoles in the Clarks I've had have been particularly bad (fabric/synthetic instead of leather with mediocre finishing). They're not terrible shoes, but I can get comfort and quality in other brands.

[Anonymous No.8554363]

>>8554331
Do you have any recommendations then on a good durable oxford? Preferably with a wingtip pattern.

[Anonymous No.8554664]

>>8554306
Clark's are great for nanchatte

[Anonymous No.8554701]

>>8554241
Holy mother of god the wings on these are gorgeous. I wish the base color would come in non-nude colors, though.

[Anonymous No.8554828]

>>8554172
I have 2 pairs of Clarks, both the 2-strap Mary Janes in the picture; one pair in brown, and one in black. The black ones I picked up on Ebay fro about $30 and the brown at Goodwill for around $8. They are great, plain shoes that go with a lot, the heel makes my cankles look almost slim, and I walk A LOT since I don't drive. They are very comfortable. I found a Clarks store first, went in person, tried on different sizes to find mine, scoffed at the $90 "sale" price, then found them on Ebay. The only better walking heel I've found is Hotter. I have their Clarissa in pink and it's my go-to shoe. It's definitely more for classic or otome styles, though I did wear it with a sweet coord and they looked cute. They were a little tight at first but they stretched nicely and feel great to wear all day. Hotter shoes are seriously worth the investment. I got my second pair recently (florielle in red) and they are jut as comfy, and the red looks awesome with classic pieces.

[Anonymous No.8556295]

>>8554295
>>8554306
>>8554828

Thank you all so much for the information! I really appreciate your help. (I'm counting the days until the first new paycheck.)

[Anonymous No.8556311]

I ordered these in black, and I'm super excited for them to come in. Anon from the coord help thread, if you're here, thanks a ton! (Dark Night Guardian anon here)

My dream shoes are a nice pair of Fluevogs, but goddamn if I can never find them on sale in my size.

[Anonymous No.8556317]

>>8554228
Where are the T-strap shoes from? And the one with the buttons?

[Anonymous No.8556329]

>>8556317
Both of those are from Hotter. The T-strap is called the Michelle heel, and the button one is called the Nicola heel.

[Anonymous No.8558781]

>>8551639
I'm so sad that a lot of the styles I wanted from 'vog have been discontinued. I have the Caravaggio and Elizabeth but I wanted the Lorrain as well and couldn't afford another pair before they were all gone. The new Elisabetta is really nice, though- I hope they'll expand the colors on it because I think it'd look great in brown, maybe navy. I'd like Murillo to come in solid black too.

>>8556311
I love that one strap version, great choice anon.

[Anonymous No.8558813]

>>8551906
I've actually found Clarks to be pretty bad quality for the price. A good few years ago I had a pair of school shoes from them literally fall apart after just a month of wear. We'd paid out a bit for them because they were supposed to last me through school (my feet haven't grown since I was 11/12). I thought it was just a bad stroke of luck, but a few years after my mum chanced buying a pair and the sole started coming apart after a handful of wears, so it really put me off buying from them pretty much ever.

[Anonymous No.8558934]

Does anyone have experience with tuk shoes? I'm looking for more variety to wear in boystyle but don't know about the quality.

[Anonymous No.8559396]

>>8553024
I feel you. I also wish they used more of this kind of heel instead of the tiny 1cm square one.

[Anonymous No.8560125]

Sorry for bad english and obvious newness but does anyone know where I can find cute oxford style pumps with a rounded tip and a cute heel that is thinner at the bottom? Pic related.

I've found a number of shoes like this on sites like ebay but they're invariably cheap, poor construction and quality and uncomfortable and I'm looking for something that will last me longer than a year of frequent use.

Good places/brands to look for?

[Anonymous No.8560210]

>>8554228
Where are the two pairs on the right from?

[Anonymous No.8560220]

>>8560125
Pretty sure I own the shoes pictured and they're from Aeropostale. They're uncomfortable but they've held up well- I've had them for about a year or more now.

[Anonymous No.8560237]

>>8560125
Clarks have some, I bought a pair last year and as everyone said above found them really comfortable.
I also replaced the laces with ribbon laces to make them more cutesy.

[Anonymous No.8560257]

>>8558781
Pretty much all styles from Fluevog are discontinued after the first production. They do rereleases but it's rare.

>>8560210
Both Fluevog.

[Anonymous No.8560272]

>>8551654
>>8551871
>>8554078

Well, they just added a burgundy colorway to the Odette.

[Anonymous No.8560300]

>>8560220
>>8560237
sorry to ask but do you happen to have a link? I've scoured the websites but cannot find the type of shoes I'm after. Either way, thanks for the help!

[Anonymous No.8560363]

>>8560300

Look for "Clarks Women's Brynn Marina Oxford" on Amazon

[Anonymous No.8561151]

>>8558934
They're pretty similar to demonia my opinion, so basically what you'd expect of pleather shoes. I find their heels really unbalanced and uncomfortable though

[Anonymous No.8561237]

>>8551966
I second BAIT. If you have wide feet you're kind of screwed their shoes run narrow but they are good quality for not being leather. I have the shoe pictured and I've had them for about six months and there's almost no glitter loss.

[Anonymous No.8561307]

>>8560363
thanks!

[Anonymous No.8561462]

>>8558934
I do, i have the leather smiley face creepers.

the material quality itself is nice, and the comfort is great, though the laces are worth changing out, very boring and thin, and the d-rings that they used to hold the laces feel shoddily connected to the body of the shoe and have to be tightened with some force for a good fit if you're a half size like me. and on my pair, there is visible smudging of some of the printed smiley faces, so there's that.

[Anonymous No.8561501]

>>8553061
Still haven't found pastel pink, blue or purple flats off of any of these brands in my size (11 US)

[Anonymous No.8562356]

>>8561501
Pastels are difficult to find from normal brands because they generally don't tend to be a seasonal colour for closed toe or loliable shoes. You're probably stuck with antaina

[Anonymous No.8562419]

Thoughts on using some of ModCloths shoes for classic cords in particular? In thinking about purchasing these for a coord I'm still working on.

[Anonymous No.8562427]

>>8554305
Lockshop is making a knockoff in that price range.

[Anonymous No.8562925]

>>8562427
really? sauce please

only shoes I could find were those chunky stripper heels

[Anonymous No.8562961]

>>8551758
What so you guys do with your shoes that makes m bad so soon? Sorry but even if my shoes are cheap from Bodyline or Ebay, I take care of them, I also try to watch where amd how I step when I'm walking in lolita even when I'm quite clumsy. I don't know how you can ruin it in two wears.

[Anonymous No.8562973]

>>8562419
Do those shows have the word "dancing" in the title? If so, I have them in cream and they're really nice

[Anonymous No.8562979]

>>8562356
Well I would settle for shoes that would go with larme or sweet casual jfashion outfits
I'm desperate to find some, aliexpress sucked me over with the last 10 pairs I bought because they were half an inch too short, and I measured my foot. (I wear 11 us and my foot is about 27cm)

[Anonymous No.8563115]

>>8562979
That seems short for a size 11. Are you sure you measured properly? (Standing up, trace around on paper, measuring the heel to toe length)

I think the sweetest flats you will be able to find from normal stores will be tan or possibly white/ivory oxfords

[Anonymous No.8563130]

>>8562961
This, holy shit. I have some cheapo sneakers that I bought over a decade ago that are still fine, and I wore those fuckers to go spelunking. I don't understand how you can absolutely ruin a pair of shoes after just a couple of wears unless they're being held together with glue.

[Anonymous No.8563327]

>>8562979
Have you tried the hush puppies website? You can sort by size...

[Anonymous No.8565970]

bump

[BrittanyVenti No.8566018]

>>8563327
It doesn't have pastel colors, I'm looking for light pink, purple and blue shoes.
>>8563115
I'm definately size 11 at most places, sometimes I fit 10.5 like at vans for example
The 10.5's (26.5cm shoes) from aliexpress never fit me

[Anonymous No.8569320]

>>8551639
go bear footed

[Anonymous No.8569384]

>>8563130
Uh, a lot of lolita shoes are really shittily made and pleather is the actual worst material for shoes. Cheap nylon sneakers will be more durable than cheap plastic fake leather mary janes.