I didn't even realize she was sketching me! (in which fred shops for shoes)

We all have our favorite "street" fashion bloggers, those who take snaps of people who are dressed well, or interestingly, or in a challenging manner. Garance, naturally, comes to mind, as does the Sartorialist, who not so long ago took a picture of my friend's 96-year-old great aunt. True. And if you don't follow Bill Cunningham's street fashion photos in the New York Times, you can arrange to do so on the web and it is well worth the effort.


Not so well known are those who stroll about with their sketch pads. There's much more room for interpretation in a sketch than there is in a photo, Instagram notwithstanding. Despite artistic license and interpretative flair, I have recognized myself or my outfits in a few sketches that have been called to my attention. As in the OMG that's got to be you! kind of attention. For example, right after I took possession of my famous "little" navy trenchcoat, a friend sent this. I think she detected the resemblance in the pleased smile, because I don't carry backpacks in real life.


from the New Yorker
This next was handed to me in response to a suggestion that my friend Bobbi and I drive up to Woodbury Common on a chilly day last fall. Woodbury Common looks like a little Alpine ski village, in winter and late fall when it gets dark early, it is surrounded by blue and blue-gray mountains, and you want to put your shopping bags down and have hot chocolate. Which you could, except there are always another 50 stores you haven't been through. There are four - four! - Ralph Lauren stores, Collection, Home, Other and -- I forget. Woodbury clouds the mind. There's an Etro outlet! There's an enormous Armani outlet! There are shoe stores. Oh, yes, there are shoe stores. And there are stores with shoes. And apparently there's someone with a sketch pad listening to the whines of a determined shopper who doesn't want to go home yet. With my gift for stating the obvious, the first time I was there in winter I pointed out to my friend that the place looked like a cute Swiss village, only with stores. She patiently replied, "No, it looks exactly like a Swiss village. What did you think people do in Switzerland? Ski?" Oh. Who knew. So that is how Bobbi thinks I shop for shoes.
This is how I like to think I shop for shoes.
This is probably more like how I shop for shoes in real life. My aunt loved shopping trips, and when she wearied, we'd head for a shoe store or shoe department. If we had to, we'd pick out a few shoes to try on, but it's a little-known fact that if you need to sit down and rest for ten or fifteen minutes, the shoe department of a major department store is the best place to do it. Ask for 2 or 3 pairs of shoes in different sizes, take your own shoes off your aching feet, and lean back. It's "better than twelve to seven" that you'll be undisturbed. This is a good tip for marauding your way through Woodbury Common when you need to sit down but have spiritual objections to being caught in a food court.

I know I make funny faces when I put on mascara, and I'm afraid to ask what my face looks like when I'm trying on shoes. Hasn't stopped me, though.

15 comments:

  1. Will Missy, I think you have been "caught out" - I never dreamed of using the shoe department as a resting spot, but it is a great idea!

    For many years, there was a department store in Saint John New Brunswick called Manchestor, Robertson Allison Ltd (known to far and wide as MRA). It was our equivalent of Macy's albeit on a smaller scale. But it did take up a city block (although same said city blocks are decidely NOT the equivalent of a city block in NYC!)

    I digress. My mother and her friend would visit the MRA shoe department every day after school. Because they loved shoes that much? No.... Because in the 1950s in MRA, the shoe department at MRA had an X-RAY MACHINE IN THE SHOE SECTION. Yup - you could just stick your tootsie in and see the wonderful bones that Mother Nature had given you! Little wonder my mother developed thyroid later in her life!

    For some reason, your post made me think of this! Do you think the street sketchers could do that, too! There has to be a book in there somewhere...

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  2. Yes, it was called a Fluoroscope, and shoe stores that had invested in them were reluctant to junk them, so they lingered long after they were banned or disfavored or whatever. The big appeal to parents was that if a kid hated the shoes his mother had picked out, and said they pinched or were too short or whatever, into the machine he went to see if he was making it up! My mom used to wish that those machines were still around when she took us for new shoes.

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  3. Wow!

    Isn't that interesting?

    I would have loved it too, since we all made photocopies of our scrunched up faces.

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    1. I don't think you got prints or films from this thing, but there's noone left I can ask. Maybe Mr. Google, when I get back to the big computer?

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    2. we are bringing out each other's inner geeks! I am going to look it up, too!

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  4. WFF, you are cracking me up!! I am visiting my father in New Jersey in a couple weeks, and he is planning to take us to Woodbury Common. The thought of a Prada outlet has me extremely excited but my husband is threatening to hold on to my credit card for the day.

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    Replies
    1. Hi, Louise (it is you, isn't it?), you probably know this but there are mall maps and discount coupons available online. And you must check out the Etro outlet. On a good day it will make you totally rethink paisley. It is truly the stuff that dreams are made of.

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  5. When I was young and peppy, I could shop in malls for hours or days without stopping. At some point I discovered the shoe department as a good rest stop. Now I cannot fathom driving, parking, going up and down escalators, walking from store to store and trying on things in cramped dressing rooms (I think my face looks like that last one just thinking about the entire process). Now I let my fingers do the walking.

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    1. Hi, tiffany rose, a ladies' shoe department would be a great setting for an "exchange" scene in a spy story, because the minute you sit down you become invisible.

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  6. Bill C.'s little videos are gems-- that yoice! Would be fun to be chosen to be in one of these. Now this could happen to you,Fred.

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    1. Wouldn't that be fun, Lane! I think I'm too short for his demographic. Oh, well.

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  7. Bahahahah! Hilarious. I don't think I could go into more than a couple of stores at a time. I can't stand it any more. So for me J. Crew and Madewell in one trip is all I need.

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  8. Hi, Rose, the part of me that regretfully looks at card balances every morning is wishing I would say that.

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  9. I wish I could go shopping with you Fred. I know we'd have loads of fun.
    This swiss village shopping place sounds divine!

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    Replies
    1. Dani, I'm convinced the day will come when we'll find out we're going to be in the same town at the same time WITH our credit cards! I think it's meant to happen, I really do.

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