fitness · holidays

Easter feminist finery: these shoes were made for spring(ing)

catherine w

It’s springtime, when a woman’s fancy turns to…. shoes?

Our bloggers have been full of new-shoe-talk lately. Christine bought a new pair of hiking boots, letting herself experience “doing well”, instead of “doing fine” (from the ankles down). And my friend Pam guest-blogged about her new shoes, which were really, truly made for walking. Yay!

Sometimes, however, we want to spruce ourselves up or spice things up a bit. We here at Fit is a Feminist Issue love kicking our heels up, and many of us have a variety of shoe styles to aid in that activity.

Also, today is Easter Sunday. For those of you who observe this holiday or grew up participating in some of the traditions of Easter, new shoes are often involved (hats, too, but that’s another post). My favorite fancy shoes from childhood were a pair of lemon-yellow patent leather flats with mother-of-pearl buckles on the toes. Sadly, I cannot find a trace of them anywhere on the internet, nor do I have any pictures of us (the shoes and I) from that period. After some extensive searching, the closest I could come up with was this shoe:

medium-yellow patent-leather flats with yellow buckles on the toes. Mine were lighter and springier-looking.
medium-yellow patent-leather flats with yellow buckles on the toes. Mine were lighter and springier-looking. And don’t forget the mother-of-pearl buckles!

All that searching for my elusive childhood shoe was not for naught. I found all sorts of lovely yellow patent-leather lovelies for you to enjoy this fine morning:

  • A sedate lemon slingback with a demure tan bow.
  • A mustardy yellow low-heel number with brassy buckles.
  • Yellow flat with gaudy rhinestone-y bauble on the toe
Bows, buckles and baubles, all multiple-shaded yellow patent leather flats.

If your taste runs to multiple contrasting colors or textures, try these on for size:

  • Yellow patent leather flats with cut outs in abstract flower pattern.
  • These are yellow, white and black, with the word Taxi and black and white checkers.
  • Yellow patent leather flats with black patent toe caps and heel backs, with spectator-like piercing work. Very pretty.
Cut outs, Taxi themes, and toe-cap spectator flats, all with yellow patent leather as their foundation.

Some of us just aren’t flats people. Maybe we want a loafer, or a shoe with more substantial support. Fear not, folks, I found some styles just for you– in yellow:

  • Laceless oxford (they're designed to be that way) in lemon yellow and butter yellow.
  • Laced up but raced up cut-out oxfords in butter yellow.
Oh, the oxfords! You have your choice of laceless (yes, they’re designed that way) or laced up (but raced up, with little cutouts).

There’s one more shoe I have to show you all, which is the one I bought today. It’s called lemon sorbet, but my friends Martin and Andrew think it’s more pistachio. We shall see when they arrive, but either way, I’m delighted.

A pair of lemon-sorbet but maybe with a little pistachio green mixed in Kate Spade patent leather loafers.
A pair of lemon-sorbet but maybe with a little pistachio green mixed in Kate Spade patent leather loafers.

Yes, we all need and want hiking shoes, running shoes, climbing shoes, lifting shoes, water shoes, wrestling shoes, court shoes, dancing shoes, etc., for all our specialized movement needs. Today, as Easter arrives and spring is either here or on its way, maybe your thoughts will turn to a new or new-to-you pair of pretty colored shoes.

What shoes say spring to you? Let me know.

Published by catherine w

I'm a feminist public health ethicist (yes, that's a thing). I'm interested in heath behavior change, particularly around eating and activity, and how things other than knowledge affect our health decisions.I'm also a cyclist (road, sort-of-off-road, commuter), regular yoga-doer, occasional swimmer and kayaker and leisurely social walker.

3 thoughts on “Easter feminist finery: these shoes were made for spring(ing)”

  1. Last night I wore a pair of flats that are all sparkle. Just to feel like spring. What a delicious cornucopia of shoe candy you’ve offered us.

    1. Shoe candy! That’s what we all need. Glad you and your feet sparkled last night!

  2. A new pair of Merrell Siren Hikers arrived in the mail last week. Joy! Joy! These are my all terrain doing fun things shoes and their arrival marks the beginning of camping, warm weather hiking, gardening, and tooling around town. They are la pretty blue and are light, grippy, and most importantly come in wide widths! https://www.merrell.com/CA/en_CA/siren-edge-3-wide-width/635841992162.html?gclid=CjwKCAjw6qqDBhB-EiwACBs6x8qGeTuQi1_blREHAhwqsVo_G3x6n_blpF0uJW3yGfNk7UqaIeTvjhoCVscQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

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