The best sort of vintage...

... is the kind that's handed down.

We've been remodelling our house again, and so we've had to clear out the basement (our house is so old we have a basement). While my mom was down there, she found these two pairs of shoes that were my late grandmother's. Since they were found with my aunt's baby clothes, I'm assuming they're from the early 1950's.

I love them. My feet are too big for them. My grandma had tiny feet -- these shoes are labeled as 6 1/2 AAA... in 1950's sizes. I used to wear my grandma's old patent-and-cork heeled sandals when I was in middle school (for a costume, not every day!), and then I outgrew them. That and they broke a little. So needless to say, I don't have a problem with wearing vintage shoes.

How interesting that I still really love the aesthetic qualities of these shoes -- the leather, the peep toe, the slingback. (I don't currently have a shot of the shape of the heel, but it's a good heel, too -- not too skinny or clunky, not shaped funny, just a good heel.) I love cork heels because I had that ultimate pair of cork heels.

Is it a twist on nature versus nurture? Do I love these aspects in modern shoes because they are so classic and attractive, or do I love them because they're part of my history?

I really wish I could wear these shoes, I really do, but instead I can sit and sigh over them. All I know is that last weekend (with the skirt and the streaky tan), I wore a pair of leather peep-toe slingback shoes (wedges, though, and I got awful blisters out of it) and those were the only shoes I wanted to wear.

I guess the question is, what draws you to certain elements of a piece of clothing or accessory? Is there any sort of nostalgia for some things, or is it pure aesthetic? I'm curious to know!