In the past I blogged about my heart aching failure to find the perfect fluevog shoes for my feet. In the end I despaired and stopped looking or even attempting to visit the fluevog shop. That is when the miracle happened. My fluevog sole mate found me.

A friend gave me a pair of fluevog shoes as a gift. On paper, this pair is all wrong for me. For one thing they are ankle length boots, and I don’t like ankle length boots. The second fact is that they are suede and as a general rule I avoid buying suede shoes. However it was love at first wear. The minute I tried them on I fell hard and completely in love. Behold the bold character of my confident yet feminine Bellevue DeVere design.

These ankle boots feature diamond patterned laser cutouts running up the front and they are covered in an intricate paisley design that can leave you mesmerized for hours. The first thing I noticed when I put these boots on, is how amazingly comfortable they are. It is like wearing fuzzy socks. It is hard to fathom that high heels could be this comfortable, but wearing is believing. The second thing I noticed once I put them on is a strange bounce in my step. I felt a mild urge to dance that was mitigated with a strange sense of confidence. A sense of wanting to stomp in a straight line going towards a predefined direction. The opposite feeling of dancing

Like all fluevog shoes, mine have a message at the bottom of them. Mine say “Keep Pushing West And Beyond Your Imagination”. Well given where I started from, I would say I headed as far west as I could possible get. I live at the furthest point west of my country of origin. If I go any more west I would be going east. However there is always room to go beyond my imagination.

I did a little research and discovered that the shoes were inspired by the loud mouthed and inappropriate women of old western style women. In fact the pair I got comes with a story. Who can resist a shoe that comes with a story? … not me. So here it is.

In 1866, Indiana teenager Pearl DeVere (age 14) ran away from strict religious parents and ended up working the brothels of Denver. When the last great Colorado Gold Rush turned Cripple Creek into a Boomtown, Pearl started her own brothel there, employing several local girls. She was well known for wearing lavish clothing in public, and for never being seen twice in the same clothes. In 1895, Pearl met and married a wealthy mill owner – wealthy, until a fire raged through Cripple Creek’s business district, destroying most of the businesses, including his mill and her brothel. Her husband never recovered financially and moved to California, while Pearl stayed in Cripple Creek to rebuild her brothel. With construction finished in 1896, Pearl decorated with lavish carpets, hardwood furniture, electric lamps, and bathtubs with running water, making her brothel the most modern and successful business in town.

Who knows? Perhaps the spirit of Pearl DeVere reside in these shoes, or perhaps some other spirit. I have to say that I love the balance between feminine energy and strength and confidence that the design encompasses. The diamond shaped cut outs running up the front give it a certain delicate feel. The paisley design is an absolute beauty to behold. Yet the overall feel is of a woman who knows where she is going ….suits me just right!

They look smashing in jeans or dark pants. I am yet to explore and experiment to see how it would look with skirt or dresses to calibrate a suitable look. Feel free to contribute suggestion. At least I have a starting point to wear these new beauties.

If you live in Vancouver, sooner or later, Mr. Fluevog will come knocking on your door demanding to caress your feet. And you better be willing to open that door and say YES!

Life lesson of the day. It is useless to attempt to pursue love. Love finds you when and where it pleases. You can only pursue removing the obstacle that stop you from saying yes when it does arrive.

Many thanks to my beautiful friend who has given me this amazing pair of shoes. I probably would have never bought them for myself. Which goes to prove that I don’t always know what is best for me.