New Shoes: Vintage Fluevog Moonies

Dress and cardigan: Old Navy | Maryjane wedges: Fluevog Mary (Moonies family)

Last month, I bought a pair of vintage Fluevogs through the FlueMarket, the neat online webpage that Fluevog has set up for those looking to sell or buy some well-loved vintage Fluevogs. I'd never seen anything from the Moonie family before, but I really liked the wedge heel and maryjane style, as well as the dark gray/orange colorway. When I received the shoes in the mail, however, I realized there were some problems that the seller hadn't disclosed:

I decided to take them to the Fluevog Melrose store so they could help me figure out what to do. The scuffs were fine and understandable considering these were vintage -- and a nice polish would do the trick -- but the straps seemed to be in a more-delicate condition than I expected from the photo (no mention of their state in the seller's note). And it was dealer Anthony at Melrose who figured out that the upper on the right shoe had separated from the wedge heel at the toe; I didn't even realize it when I first tried it on! Anyway, I had them take the shoes to their cobbler to see what could be done. Polishing the leather and re-gluing the upper were straightforward, but we were concerned that the straps would need major repair work.

Well, fast forward a few weeks later. I was finally able to pick them up last weekend (they were done almost two weeks before that but I couldn't come in until recently), and they looked like they got a facelift. Years younger! The straps were deemed okay, so the cobbler just matched the orange and recolored them. The scuffs are gone, and the upper is definitely back on properly. I think the only other thing I would have liked them to have done was recolor the pinstriping on the wedge heels. (I looked at the work order and that detail wasn't on it. Bummer.)

The shoes look fantastic under both pants and skirts/dresses. And because the wedge heel is the same color as the upper, the shoes look like flats but add height, which is a plus in my shortie book. :-) The casual style and color of these shoes fill a gap in my Fluevog collection, and if I take care not to be too hard on them, I can probably wear them on a regular basis the way I do my cream Amie flats and red Nzame loafers. Thanks to Fluevog Melrose and their cobbler!

xo, Gladys