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While I have always had a pretty robust wardrobe, I never considered myself shoe obsessed. Despite watching Style with Elsa Klensch from the time I was a child, I never pined after designer goods in an I’ll-eat-ramen-to-own-Hermès way. For some reason, after Mr. Mink and I got engaged, I became shoe obsessed.
It honestly started with one picture.
Image via The Wedding Chicks / Photo by Dave Richards Photography
I prowled around the web looking for that shoe. I seriously considered figuring out who that bride is and emailing her about her shoes. I did it with another bride after a Google image search landed me on her wedding website. Thankfully, she totally understood the importance of shoes and let me know where she got her shoes (clearance at Lord & Taylor, darn it) and that they were dyed to get that perfect teal-blue color on them.
Deciding that dyed shoes must have progressed since my days as a bridesmaid, when my feet got dyed after wearing dyed shoes, I decided to look at dyeables. I was surprised to find that there are some pretty awesome dyeable shoes out there! I hastily ordered a pair of Badgley Mischka dyeable shoes from Rue La La a couple days later. When they arrived, I was a little surprised by how tall they were…
Four-inch Badgley Mischka heels / Photo by Miss Mink
And I wasn’t too happy with how they were finished. They didn’t look particularly well made to me.
Open-toed Badgley Mischka shoes / Photo by Miss Mink
Back they went to Rue La la.
My search continued. I was still a little leery of the dyeable shoes, though. I know a guy up in Boston who is a “master dyer” who will do my shoes for me off of any swatch (so I won’t be limited to the colors in a book, which is how the local bridal boutique operates). However, I haven’t had dyeables since 2003 or so.
Has anyone had them more recently, either as a bridesmaid or bride? What was your experience?
Oh wow - I’m really surprised at the quality! Yeah - def keep looking. I haven’t worn dyeables in years but they do have a lot of cute styles!
@Miss Sunhat: I hope it’s a fluke! I got those shoes for a great price through Rue La La, but I would hate to think that some brides are buying them for full price and getting those rough edges.
Hi Miss Mink!
I don’t know if you are still looking for teal shoes, but my mom bought me these naturalizer ones and I adored them. They were the perfect dark teal and not too high of a heel. The sadest thing is I left them on the bus on the way to the hotel- oops! Anyway, here is me and my hubs with our shoes: http://www.lauraleighphoto.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/COLLINS.jpg
and here is the link to the website in case you want to browse! Plus I think they are having a cyber Monday sale!! http://www.naturalizer.com/en-US/Product/EC0227547-3008799/Naturalizer/Kingfisher+Teal+Sde/Collette.aspx
Hi Miss Mink- I’m not sure if my post went through, so I’m going to send you a link for the shoes my mom bought me for my Sept wedding (and a link to a pic with me and my hubs with my colored shoes and his playful socks!)
Hi Miss Mink! I had dye-able shoes for my wedding & so did 3 of my 4 bridesmaids & I don’t think anyone had a bad experience! I didn’t anyway & I found some stores in my area (NJ) with a great dye-able shoe selection
Good luck in your search!
@kmnowlan: I love them, but I’m almost obsessed with having an open toe! Those are the perfect color!
@jackiet314: Good to know! I will never forget having blue feet after wearing blue dyeable shoes years ago!
My shoes were dyed and i loved them! They look great! I had them done a few weeks before the wedding though to make sure they were definitely dried 
Ditto to Sunhat - surprised at the quality of the Mischka’s! And I’m so impressed that you found the bride that photo belongs to.. that was (still is) my go-to inspiration for teal/turquoise shoes and I hunted for that exact pair (or one very similar) for the longest time. I then moved to a dyeables search, but wasn’t successful in finding a style that I loved, that could come in a color that I loved. I hope your dye guy works out!
I can completely understand the shoe obsession that comes with weddings. I stalked the internet for weeks to find the perfect pair. I never even thought about dyeables! I hope you find the PERFECT pair.
I’ve thought about dyeables - where do you get them done? Anywhere that fixes shoes?
@Miss Fox: I actually didn’t track down the bride in that original picture. I stalked a totally different one.
Someone told me that the ones in the picture at the top are a very old version of the J. Crew Martine shoe. They redesign the Martine fairly often, but the one above looks too tall to be a J. Crew shoe. Their shoes don’t seem to have tall toe boxes.
Okay, can you tell how shoe crazy I am?!?
@Mrs. Ticket: I think I *might* have found something. Might!
@laurenmck: The guy I used in my Boston days was Ron at “Shoes to Dye For” in Framingham/Natick, MA (just west of Boston). When I lived in Boston, I would just give him my shoes and swatch and let him work his magic. I know people shop to him!
@laurenmck: I should add that plenty of places dye shoes, but not many will match a swatch. Most make you pick a standard color off a color card.
I’m thinking of doing dyed shoes too, but I don’t even get how that works. Does the manufacturer do it? Or do I have to find a “master dyer” around here? So many things I don’t know about the world…
@Miss Unicycle: Many bridal salons do it and some shoe repairs do it as well.
I like my guy in Boston so much that I’m prepared to ship shoes up to him.
I wore dyeables in a wedding two years ago and they held up fairly well. It was an outdoor wedding and it rained - after I got home, I noticed small water spots on the shoe where the dye had started to fade and the heel and part of the shoe that actually touched the grass was lighter with water marks. Not too bad considering it was wet out.
I have been trying to decide about dyeables too because I want yellow shoes and there are just a few options out right now. I’m hoping that with the Spring coming, they’ll release bright colored shoes.
Good Luck! I can’t wait to see what you decide.
@thePYT: Ah, but your feet didn’t get dyed! That’s a good sign!
I have heard that spring is the best time to buy colored evening shoes because of proms.
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Miss Mink, Charlottesville, Virginia Age and Occupation: 34, College Administrator Fiance's Age and Occupation: 40, Craft Beer Consultant Engagement Date: November 26, 2010 Wedding Date: June 2012 Venue: Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards About Me: I left a pre-war brownstone in Boston six years ago to live in a funky, Southern city where Thomas Jefferson, Dave Matthews, and urban chicken keepers enjoy equal social standing. I still love my Patriots and Red Sox, but have fallen in love with Virginia. I work in education and specialize in integrating technology into my work to improve the student experience. I’m a diehard blogger, animal lover, jamband follower, and DIYer. I paint to relax and have transferred by energy from home projects to wedding projects in recent months. When Mr. Mink and I started talking about marriage, we knew our wedding would be outdoors, that my golden retriever would be part of the day, and that the music would be fantastic. We’ve taken a few risks during our planning process and we’ve been enjoying the process immensely!
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