Chloé Wedge Shoe Modification
In early September, I bought an eccentric pair of Chloé green patent wedges as a gift to myself for my 27th birthday. Though they were amazingly perfect looks-wise, there was one major setback: they didn’t stay on my feet! I have narrow heels and the fact that these had a solid platform that didn’t flex and no laces or straps of any kind meant defeat.
The Chloé Fall 2007 wedges come in TONS of colorsThen, salvation arrived: Lee came up with the idea to add rivets and laces to the shoes. I’m not one for keeping items seen on the runway as-is and totally pristine, so I packed them in my suitcase and headed off to New York for vacation.
Once in New York, I hauled the Chloés over to Alex Shoe Repair (the best shoe repair guys I have EVER seen) in the East Village and in less than 15 minutes, I had a one-of-a-kind shoe that stayed on my foot! Thank god it all worked out because now I’m the proud owner of futuristic elfy wedges with a heel tap that resembles a goat hoof (by now, you’ve probably realized that I like really weird shoes).
So, thank you to Lee, Alex Shoe Repair and Chloé for not making me cry on my birthday!
Do you have any stories of shoe salvation? Please tell!
Tags: Consumption, Fashion, shoes
Get in touch: 
26 People have left comments on this post
Wow – They look better post-modifications.
I bet a million chloe wearers are going “Damn, I wish I’d thought of that first…”
[Reply]
they’re seriously cool! They look great now. They remind me of Doc Martens – not a bad thing at all! haha
[Reply]
oh you are brave modding chloes! but they look fantastic. great colour too.
[Reply]
They look great. And I agree with Song, possibly even improved.
Of course you should mod them. To go without otherwise would be unthinkable!
Luv
Poochie
[Reply]
Hurray for cobblers! They don’t get nearly enough recognition.
Your version of the shoe is MUCH better. After seeing it, the original looks incomplete. Kind of naked, really…
[Reply]
I got a plain pair of black heels but with the sheer height of them they wouldn’t stay on, so I cut lengths of tape measure and stapled them to my shoes. Lovely lovely.
[Reply]
What a fantastic workaround.
[Reply]
Oo I’m not really into shoes like that but they look lovely with the addition of laces!
[Reply]
mostly unique shoes = divine.
One of a kind shoes = more than holy
You rock those clodhoppers! They’re just pure sex haha.
[Reply]
Song: Thanks, I was a little worried about handing such an expensive pair of shoes over to have holes punched in them, but I like them so much better now!
carrie / wishwishwish: Yeah, that’s a good thing. Love Docs!
Alice: Thanks so much! It’s a little scary modding something so recognizable, but it’s also cool knowing they’re one of a kind now!
Lauren: Brave girl!
[Reply]
LOVE the shoes!
Weird shoes are the best
The laces do make for a great touch, and you can play around with different kinds. Beautiful!
[Reply]
They do kinda have the same look as Doc Martins!
They’re so adorable.
The sole of my black Converse AllStars fell off. And unfortunately, spending $40 on another pair of shoes was out of the question. I tried to staple it back on but the staples wouldn’t go through the rubber. So in the end I just used rubber bands around the shoe and wrapped black electrical tape. Needless to say they did not hold up
[Reply]
I know a good shoe shop where I live too, and they took my Miu Mui’s from the Fall/Winter 2003 collection (chevron tweed peep toes with ankle strap, suede heel) and shortened the straps and put better soles on then so I can wear them and not slide all over on thin leather soles!
I too have narrow ankles, and also high arches, high instep…blah blah. I swear by Foot Petals products when the problem is not serious enough to take the shoes in for “surgery”.
Your shoes turned out great! YAY for shoes!
[Reply]
Diana: Good point, I never thought of changing the laces up from anything but black!
Melissa: Haha! Best shoe repair story EVER!!!
dana: Sounds like winner. Good shoe repair places are hard to come by! I need to get thin black vibram soles put on the Chloes before I wear them much more…
[Reply]
I think I’ve managed to avert all major shoe crises with the use of one key product… super glue! yay for super glue!
[Reply]
I don’t understand how the original shoe would stay on anyones feet! Your modification makes it 1000x better
[Reply]
I’m glad you made them wearable, you will get so much more use out of them now and they look like they were made that way originally. My sister was just looking over my shoulder and saying, “Ooh, what are you looking at? Those shoes are so cool!”
[Reply]
Tiera: I’ve used super glue for everything but shoes! Nothing seems to ever break off, I just can’t seem to keep them on my feet!
Lor: Me, neither. The wedge is over 4 inches high and there’s no flexibility…they were the equivalent of trying to keep high-heeled clogs on my feet! Impossible.
Elizabeth: Aww, thanks. And now that they stay on, they’re shockingly comfortable. Your sister has good taste! Haha.
[Reply]
Ohmygosh. The shoes look absolutely fabulous with the mod on them!
Ahah, by the way, I saw this in the archives of Toothpaste for Dinner and was reminded of your Helvetica crush!: http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/083108/circumflex.gif
[Reply]
Casey-Scott: OMG, that Helvetica comic is awesome!!! Thank you.
[Reply]
I finally saw these in person – tried them on at Century 21 in New York – and I was amazed that they had a 35! Which was too big, so I took the insoles out of my own boots and put them in the Chloes to try, but they still fell off my feet with every step. Your mod is brilliant!
[Reply]
What a clever idea! What made you think of it? Or did the shoe guy make the suggestion?
The lovely wife likes to experiment with shoe laces with different designs and patterns. Just a thought for these shoes, different colors or patterns???
[Reply]
Chuck Simmins: my boyfriend conjured up the idea and the shoe guy magically pulled it off!
That’s a great idea…will have to look into some more laces.
[Reply]
I saw these Dolce & Gabbana lovelies and instantly thought of you, Nubby!
[Reply]
scourge simultaneous conducting irbesartan muenster peace construing priorities surendra anaudience exceptional
ambisoltersos makalavertonicos
[Reply]
1 Trackback(s)