I like my stompy shoes

I bought a pair of boots the last time I was at the thrift store, costume shopping for Festival with nennivian* and katiescarlett29*. I actually wasn't planning on buying anything, just enjoying their company while they shopped, but I guess it's true what they say about when shopping with your friends, their encouragement will make you much more likely to shell out cash for something. ;-) I may have spent money I didn't so much have to that day, but I'm glad I did. The boots I bought because they were perfect for my costume as an ex-military demolitions expert in Diamond Geezers-- stompy black combat boots, heavy and ankle-high. They're a bit heavier and clunkier than my typical choice of shoe, but I like the thick rubber platform soles that allow them to have a not-insignificant heel while still staying very comfortable. The toe is a bit more bluntly shaped than I like, but it's not terribly noticeable. They also suit any number of costumes-- I think, after four years, they're finally the right shoe to wear with my Alice costume. Though they were picked specifically because of their costume-appropriateness, I find I like them for their own sake and have been wearing them a lot lately. That may be helped by the fact that my standard black shoe, my suede Pumas, I believe are still in morethings5*'s unicorn box, left there after taking them off in his performance piece. Jonathan, if you see this, I really must remember to get those back from you. ;-)

Also, either Steph or Charlotte, I don't remember exactly who, found a blue dress they thought would fit me. As I said, I wasn't really looking, but it did look to be my size, and I did like it. It is slightly sparkly and has some pretty gathering down the bodice, leading to a lightly flounced skirt. Sure enough, it fit like a charm, and I decided to take it home. I actually really like it, though I wish I had more opportunity to wear it. But I don't really have many fancy dresses. It's nice to have one that isn't either too costumey or too slutty to wear to an elegant event. Maybe I'll have a fancy dinner and ask all my guests to dress up, and give myself a chance to pull it out.

This reminds me that I really need to figure out better ways to store my shoes and costumes. I'm always trying to find ways to make my space at Elsinore more efficiently utilized, for neatness and for ease of use. The costumes, at the moment, are stuffed into a bag under my bed, and the shoes are on the floor of my closet. valleyviolet made a good suggestion about getting a hanging door rack, but my closet doors slide rather than swing, so there really isn't room. I wonder if those little floor shelving units would be very expensive, or take up too much room. I'd love to have my shoes stacked on them, easy to access and kept from getting lost. I'm sure I could find some kind of box for the costumes, again one that wouldn't take up too much room but still have space for my various pieces.