Five months after my super intense excitement of the pre-order of my American Duchess Astorias, they have finally arrived! Luckily, I still have events coming up for which they will be great, though they did miss out on being worn at the Titanic Weekend back in April. Despite their innate cuteness, however, they are going to need some adjusting before I wear them. Here they are, unadjusted.
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Reasons I love them:
- The straps are just so cute! There were a wide variety of shoes with this kind of detail in the Edwardian period and this modern shoe does a fantastic job of capturing that perfectly Edwardian spirit!
- They are super comfortable! It hardly feels like there is a heel on them and the shape of the toe box is just right for comfot.
Things I’m disappointed with and want to change (and my plans for doing so):
- Due to my very narrow flat feet at least half of the straps are about 1/2″ too big, causing unattractive gaping over my foot (the crossed straps look really outstanding when held taut against my foot, but when they gap the shoes just looks messy). The plan: to remove the buttons from their original location and restitch them at the point where the straps want to be when tight. Overall, it’s a pretty simple solution that just takes time to execute.
- I ordered the ivory color of the shoe, and to my eyes it looks very white. Since I plan to wear the shoes with many clothes where ivory is a featured color, it is important to me that my shoes are ivory and not white. In the photo below you can see how different the shoe looks from the ivory silk background. The plan: to paint my Astorias with Angelus Leather Paint from Dharma Trading Company to be a suitable color.
Well, that’s the plan. Time to start–I’ve got two weeks before I wear them!
The Quintessential Clothes Pen 
Very cute, indeed! And I am very impressed with your plans to customize them to suit your needs. Rock on!
Thanks! My leather paint just arrived today, so there will be an update coming soon on the customizations* I have planned! (Good word choice, by the way!)
How is the fit? I have wide feet at the ball of my feet and short toes that won’t got into a slim toe. What do you think? By the way, hello. I found you via another blog. Will peek in at yours. Cheers.
Hello Angela! The Astoria fits me very well, aside from the strap problem I pointed out in this post. My feet are flat and narrow, so I would think that there is plenty of room for someone with a wider foot. I also have long toes and they fit into the toe box just about perfectly, so I would think that short toes would have no problem at all. The toe box stays pretty wide before coming to a point–I would not sat the Astoria has a slim toe box. I’m so pleased that you found my blog. Thanks for commenting!
Inate cuteness is right! Have fun re-fitting.
Ooo, thanks! I do hope it winds up being fun, and not frustrating!