In love. IN. LOVE.

I've spent around $100 on good leather boots that will last, so actually buying these? Not happening. But man, do I want them.

My Doc Marten steel toed Mary Janes are magical. They're solid, heavy but not uncomfortably so, and do a sort of femme dowdy that I really like.

Which reminds me, I need to get the straps on my old character shoes fixed, because the new character shoes just aren't comfy. What a waste. My feet don't make their mind up until a few days into wearing new shoes.

it would almost work as a neutral.

I sort of see what you mean. They'd be so cheerful on grey Mondays, too.

These are the boots I almost bought at Saks. For $99, perfectly workable.

I will spring for flues and bras, pretty much. Though I am still surviving on wrongfit bras. I'm a 34G at last check and none of those tried are oriented right, while my old lane byrant's, with their wrong band size and cups suffice. They are at least located where my real estate is. But they slip around too much.

Next year I'm getting Doc Marten winter boots. The regular ones are completely water tight. Sometimes I'll think for a second water has gotten in but its just cold.

Lined ones? It'll be like I done died an' gone to heaven.

$99 for those boots seems very reasonable. Last time I was in Saks (which may be the only time I've been in Saks) I just kind of drifted through in a daze whispering to myself how I couldn't even think about affording anything. It made an impression.

Oh my, ita. Those are gorgeous. You should have splurged, lady.

One day, I'm going to get a regular old pair of Timberland work boots like these again. They were hugely trendy in junior high -- we all had them, and wore them pretty much daily, which is not really a fashion statement I need to make anymore.

But! Once they're worn in, they're comfortable as hell, and they withstand everything. Mine lasted until after Jake was born, which was a good 10+ years after purchase, and I wore them in the snow all the time.

I bought new shoes today! I got these sneakers at my friendly neighborhood running shoe store (this awesome independent place called Run with Us). The service was awesome. The salesperson watched me walk, measured my feet in terms of width and length, and put me in about eight different pairs until we found these. They even come in narrow, which is awesome for me; sneakers are always too wide for me. I was stupidly overdue. I don't even remember when I bought my old pair, but after they gave me a blister on our hike yesterday, I decided it was time. I wore the new pair all afternoon and LOVE them.

ita, what are character shoes?