Crushed Velvet Opera Heels for Vegan Christine Daee s

For some reason velvet heels have been a fantasy of mine. Whenever I see them, I think “grown ups going to the opera.”

I’m not really sure where this idea came from. Maybe it has something to do with me watching my mom dressing up and piling on the velvet in the eighties when I was young, or maybe it has something to do with my memories of the sumptuous velvet curtain in my favorite show when I was young–The Phantom of the Opera.

Indeed, these black crushed velvet heels from the vegan section of lulus.com for a mere $26.00 would make one feel at home going to any opera, and if you let your imagination wander…you might begin to feel like the beautiful young Christine Daee herself, who belonged there in the back wings. Here are some pics of L’opera Garnier in Paris to set the mood:

What an incredibly beautiful place. I can totally imagine how the romantic and profound tale of the Phantom of the Opera was inspired by this building.

Mary Janes for Vegans

Wish You Were Heel

34.99 Modcloth

A brief history of Mary Janes from wikipedia:

Mary Jane is an American term (formerly trademarked) for a kind of strap shoe or sandal that typically has low heels, broad and rounded closed toes, and a single-buckle strap across the instep and/or around the ankle. They are traditionally made of black patent leather, although some current incarnations can be in a wide array of colors and leathers.

These styles were especially popular in theUnited States in the late 1990s and early 2000s, within punk rock, psychobilly, and goth subcultures. Many times the wearers would accent the look with knee-high knit socks in dark-colored stripes or patterns and/or some form of hosiery (stockings/pantyhose), and often complete the look with a plaid, pleated schoolgirl-style skirt.

Traditionally Mary Janes are a variety of shoe worn mainly by young girls. In modern times they are worn by women of all ages. Mary Janes are typically considered formal for girls and informal when worn by women.

These shoes remind me of one of my favorite bloggers, bardot in blue. She is a young girl who moved to Paris to go to school there, and stayed on, setting up a business of sorts in the form of her lavish website, vintage store, and fashion blog documenting her life in Paris. She takes her main inspiration from Brigitte Bardot and really seems to live La Dolce Vita with the emphasis on the Joie de Vivre. Here are some pics of her:

wearing Mary Janes

Check out her blog. Thoughts?