mr. quickie shoe expansion and sole protectors

i got these mulberry oxford lace-up shoes for 380 pesos at my local thrift store.  i decided to have them professionally stretched out, as well as to add extra sole protectors at mr. quickie, sm molino.  they fit me fine, but as with all my shoes, i wanted them to have a little room so i could wear them comfortably for longer hours.  i also didn't think twice to request for sole guards because i will be using these shoes for years and years.

the shop girl informed me beforehand that they can stretch out leather shoes for only about 1 cm.  i paid 100 pesos for shoe expansion, and sad to say, i didn't feel any slight difference.  i hope you would skip shoe repair shops for this kind of service because you can easily do this at home with a pair of thick socks and blow dryer.  or, by submerging them in a bucket of water.  please click here for tutorial.

the sole  guards (TF3) are definitely worth it though.  i paid 390 pesos for this service.  this was nothing as compared to the brand new price of these mulberry shoes, and the amount of wear i can get from them.

you may also ask mr. quickie for free (free!) belt hole punching service.  pretty amazing customer service, too.   the best part of all?  it took mr. quickie less than 24 hours to finally finish all of my requests!

thrifting: mulberry shoes in pictures

thrifting: king bhats 11/29/14

i was at king bhats molino branch at exactly 9:40 am today.  i guess the store opened earlier than that because the place was heavily picked over.  i saw fellow thrifters leaving the store with boxes upon boxes of carefully chosen thrift goodies.

i started at the bag section and there was really nothing to hype about.  there was a vintage courreges in patent leather, but i found it to be too feminine for my taste.  i felt like a loser at this point, but i had to move on.

after a few good minutes, i proceeded to the shoe section.  there were loads of italian leather shoes and running shoes in bigger sizes.  i thought to myself, there's got to be some treasures left here.  i then started scavenging and found these super handsome mulberry oxford lace-up shoes.  i inspected for cracks and loose stitches, everything was a-ok!

i scanned the thrift store for the second and third time around.  unfortunately, nothing special caught my eyes.  maybe i'll come back again tomorrow.  or, maybe not.  i'm still glad i didn't go home empty-handed.

mail day: 10-eye dr. martens leather boots

oh boy, i've been wanting a pair of 10-eye doc martens for years!  i can hardly contain my happiness today.  these leather boots have the most perfect worn-in feel.  i'm not exactly sure why, but brand new-looking doc martens are less appealing to me as compared to vintage.  to each their own, i have to say.  these lovely doc martens are made in england, which is quite rare now since the brand began most of its productions in china, thailand, and vietnam on 2003.  i got them for a fair price of 1950 pesos from steamy finds of facebook.   there was a superficial burn mark on one shoe though.  but, it didn't really bother me because i can easily restore it.  authentic 90s vintage, style 1490, made in england, doc martens leather boots for less.  i definitely couldn't have asked for anything better.

thrifting: timberland boots and pollini lace-up shoes in pictures

timberland boots - 550

pollini lace-up shoes - 380

uhm...need i say more?

thrifting: king bhats 11/22/14

it was new arrival day at king bhats dry goods located near 7-11 imus, cavite.  so, obviously, i went without hesitation.  i decided to try my luck for "new" shoes because i needed semi-formal black shoes that i can pair with anything.

i arrived earlier than expected because there was zero traffic.  i grabbed a drink at the nearby convenient store just to kill time, and then hurriedly went back to join the early pickers in line.  the thrift store opened ten minutes earlier than its usual operating hours.

i got extremely lucky with two shoes in great to almost excellent condition.  one is by timberland and the other is by pollini of italy. i spotted florsheim brogues in like-new condition, but unfortunately, were a little too tight for me.  i also found another timberland boots that i had to let go because they were too big for me.

it was a completely different story with bags though since a group of re-sellers got most of the designer goodies.   i saw a vintage christian dior in one of their baskets and it broke my heart - kidding.  there were still many decent looking nylon laptop bags and nylon backpacks left for fellow thrifters to enjoy.

i skipped the clothing section because i don't normally buy thrifted clothes at their new arrival price.  i always wait for 50% off day or clearance sale.  besides, the place was jam-packed with fellow thrift aficionados.  i'll just wait for things to simmer down in a few days so i could thrift with ease.

overall, it was so much fun!  chaotic but so much fun!

thrifting: h&m grandpa slippers

i'm a sucker for all things grandpa inspired, and so these h&m slippers are a nice addition to my growing collection.  i got them for 280 pesos at king bhats frc supermall.  a little bit price-y for a fast-fashion brand, but they fit me really well and in mint condition.  i think it was a store display or something.  blue, leopard, velvet, and screams grandpa chic.  come on, what's not to love?!

i love my grandpa mules!

i am very much infatuated with all things grandpa chic right now and i just cannot deny it.  my brother is actually making fun of my fashion sense, but i always laugh it off.  anyway, here's another addition to my collection from my favorite local shoe maker, jermaine's.  these grandpa leather mules are extremely comfortable and undeniably well made.  you really can't go wrong with handmade.  please try to visit your local shoemakers and prepare to be delighted.