The Pioneer Renewer in the Castro has quickly become my favorite shoe repair place in SF.

In the past year, I think I’ve already been in three or four times. So many heels worn down from so much walking!

The repairs I’ve gotten there have all been above and beyond what I expected.

So that I can continue to wear my favorite boots — vintage Frye, found at the Buffalo Exchange on Haight for a whopping $30 — every single day. (OK, maybe just five days a week.)

After I’d worn these for a few months, the soles were the only part of the boot that needed repair. Not only did the guys at Pioneer Renewer replace the heels, they also rebuilt the toe tip and reinforced the sole under the ball of the foot (which was previously all leather).

I love these boots so much — they’re a color I can wear with anything, they’re great quality that lends itself well to good maintenance and they’re a timeless style. One of the best pairs of shoes I’ve ever owned.

Here’s hoping you have your own favorite shoe repair shop for your favorite pairs! Do you get your shoes repaired much?

]]> http://fashionlovespeople.com/2011/06/08/boot-repair-at-the-pioneer-renewer/feed/ 1 http://fashionlovespeople.com/2011/02/04/timberlands-lucille-series/ http://fashionlovespeople.com/2011/02/04/timberlands-lucille-series/#comments Fri, 04 Feb 2011 19:24:16 +0000 Janette http://fashionlovespeople.com/?p=3058

During Alt last month I met a fantastic girl named Katie Richardson, who runs a small, smart industrial design company for baby products called Puj. (If you have, or buy gifts for, kids, check out this tub and these ambidextrous shoes!) She was wearing a fantastic pair of boots that I’ve been stalking online ever since: Timberland’s Lucille tall tan lace-up. At $300 they are spendy — but I think they might be worth it.

The good: The Timberland brand has completely impressed me over the past few years with its socially conscientious efforts, like its Nutritional Label on shoe boxes showing environmental impact (introduced back in 2006!) and its ongoing, ever-better corporate responsibility reporting.

The iffy: I remember them looking perfect on Katie. But after looking at these photos online, I’m not sure about the curviness of the heel and the ball of the foot. They might look more natural in person — I’d have to see it on.

The light-colored canvas and leather option above is on sale now at 6pm, marked down from $240 to an amazing $96. The more I mull, the more these are standing out to me, even without considering the sale price. They’re a color of shoe I don’t own yet — and will go with everything — and they look perfect for lots of walking around the city.

What do you think?

Through the end of January, you can get 25% off all fair-trade Osborn shoes with code SNOWFLAKE. They’re clearing room for their next order from Guatemala, so get your size while you can!

The styles shown are regularly $165 and $175 respectively, or $124 and $131 with the winter discount.

Look – the inner-workings of a traditional clog factory in Sweden! I love seeing the craftspeople in action. (Especially the rivets guy.)

I’ve always thought the price point of Swedish clogs were a bit high (No 6, Swedish Hasbeens), but now I get it — plus, Epaulet’s exclusive designs start significantly lower, at $185. Very nice!

Via Grechen’s Closet and Commerce with a Conscience

This is an official scoop — so grab these boots before someone else does! My friend Jessie, founder of The Concrete Catwalk style blog and Style & Pepper personal styling, will be launching her new vintage store tomorrow: The Spice Rack. These pairs are each $46, in impeccable condition and, sadly, too big for me. Happy shopping! :)

Although Evil Eye Vintage still has some other nice stuff for sale online. I’ve had some amazing vintage finds recently, and I’ll be going out for more this Saturday. Happy weekend! :)

At Pivot Boutique in 2008, during the world’s most incredible eco fashion sale you’ve ever seen, I bought a pair of Manimal ribcage earrings marked down to $10. They came in a kraft paper box, spray painted with a stencil in gold paint, with a little feather inside for awesomeness.

Aren’t sweet little touches like that the best? I could tell this brand was special!

I’ve gotten about a million compliments in the life of wearing those earrings, and after designer Kristen Lombardi was amazing enough to send me one of her scrap necklaces, I got about a million more on it.

People are always like, “is that suede?” And I’m like, “yeah, it’s from Manimal, it’s leftover suede from making moccasins.”

So this summer as I was planning the re-launch of my own apparel, knowing I wanted to partner up with some of my favorite jewelry designers for accessorizing my photoshoot, I was quick to ask Kristen to participate. She let me offer two of her necklace styles for sale in my store prior to the launch of her full fall line, Alaskan Winter. What an honor.

And here Alaskan Winter is now, in all its glory! Inspired by Inuit imagery — masks, totem poles — Kristen has created a color palette to die for and, to go ahead and get specific, a tote bag for the gods. (Isn’t it amazing?)

All images here are from the newly updated Manimal site, where pieces are available now for $30 (the pouch necklace) to $220 (the double fringe bootie). Something for everyone.

Oh and also: Baby moccasins!

More shoes made in Africa! EXTRASEED‘s classic flats are handmade in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The uppers are made from factory waste, either leather or vegan scrap fabric.

And the soles are made of recycled rubber from car tires!

The pairs range from $38-$55, depending on materials. Take that, Payless.

Shop EXTRASEED on Etsy!

Launched in March of this year, SAWA Shoes are the first 100% African-sourced and African-made sneakers on the market. Sporting a vintage-inspired aesthetic, the sneakers boast the easy familiarity of a true classic-in-the-making.

Familiar, and yet fashion-forward enough that some of the world’s most premier shops have picked them up, from Dover Street Market in London and Comme des Garçon in Tokyo, to Soula in Brooklyn.

SAWA was founded by three friends in Paris with a shared love for Africa and for shoes: Fabio Di Iorio, who worked in product development at Le Coq Sportif and Adidas Originals; Mehdi Slimani, who also worked in product management at Le Coq Sportif, and Frédéric Barthélemy, who still has a day job, but plans to devote himself to SAWA full-time in the very near future.

“In a nutshell, Fabio, Mehdi and Fred are people who love to create and live without boundaries,” they say. With a company as well-executed as SAWA, boundaries don’t stand a chance.

Read the rest at Commerce With a Conscience »

First things first: It is remarkable and amazing that TOMS Classics have become trendy not for their style, but for their cause. (I’m a happy owner myself, but we can all agree they’re a bit funny looking, right?)

But to add a heel and a peep-toe to that basic style? Not too shabby! I love the brand’s own description: “The newest and tallest member of the TOMS family, the Wedge. The world’s first heels with heart.“

Heel height is 3-1/4″, and for each pair purchased, a pair of TOMS Classics are given to a child in need. $69 each, in solid black, light green or yellow, or striped navy, orange or red.

Via Adored Austin!