25¢ Shoes

I think I was 15 when my brother and I went back to Kansas City to visit our Aunt Bernice. She was a widow with no children. One time she and I went shopping and she got a big kick out of walking into a swanky women’s store with absolutely no intention of buying anything. The prices were way too high. But she pretended to be looking for a fancy bathrobe. That was back when sales clerks got credit for selling stuff. Aunt Bernice asked the clerk all sorts of questions about the durability of the fabric, whether it was washable, etc. Then she thanked the clerk in a kind of snooty manner and we moved on. I got a kick out of her little “acting” job.

We then went to a shoe store and looked at the shoes on sale. There was a pair of screaming loud pink flats. (This was 1968, BTW) They were on sale for 25¢. I had absolutely NOTHING to wear with these shoes, but Aunt Bernice insisted on buying them for me. After all, TWENTY-FIVE CENTS!! WHAT A BARGAIN!!

These shoes soon became absolute favorites with me. I wore them until the soles started separating. My favorite combination was these shoes and a burnt-orange plaid dress. At that time I loved the color combo of hot pink and orange. I kinda cringe now in my mind thinking of this ensemble. I wasn’t exactly fond of this dress, but it had a wide shiny black belt that went with it, and I loved wearing it with the pink shoes. Once the shoes bit the dust I don’t think I ever wore that dress again. I think I saved the belt, though, to use with other outfits.

This is not a picture of my shoes, but one I got from the Internet. This is about the right color, but mine were more of a Mary Jane style. Loved those things. *sigh*