Coffee Break: Marchacroche Chelsea Bootie

70 Comments

1. I’m passing on this trend, along with other 90’s revival trends like chokers, mom jeans, and cropped stuff.

   My fall shoe shopping will probably be limited to cuter house slippers… won’t be in the office until 2021, and for the window of outdoor dining before it gets too cold, my current cute street sneakers will do just fine.

   1. +1 this is also me.

      The pairing of the lug sole with a high heel is a little puzzling to me. If a shoe needs a lug sole because skidding is such an issue then it’s probably not suitable for a high heel. I have a similar conundrum to a peep-toe boot or peep-toe bootie. Cold enough for a boot, not warm enough for open toe. These are things I think about too much.

      1. I’d like to add thongs with a wedge heel to this list.

         1. I think we have to call them flip flops now.

            My sister told her teenaged kids her thong gave her a blister and I thought they were going to die.

      2. I went to college with a girl who wore high heeled timbs. It was perplexing

   2. These are completely adorable – for my college-age daughter.

      1. I have to admit I love these but I probably won’t be buying into this trend.

      2. I thought they were cute, $75 rain boots.

   3. Hard NO on this trend for me. And the other 90’s revival trends too. But to be fair, I didn’t really like lug soles the first time around…
      I’m also not going to be in the office until mid-2021, so I won’t be needing to spend mega bucks on trendy Louboutin booties anyways :)

   4. I’ve worn Birkenstock Mayaris every day for months now. No idea what I’m going to wear when it gets cooler, but I can 100% guarantee it’s not going to be these boots.

   5. I am buying slippers for my kids – I don’t usually since they grow too fast and don’t use them, but with remote school they will use them a lot!

   6. Also passing on this. I learned the first time around on this trend that extreme supinators cannot wear this type of sole. The blockiness leaves too many gaps, and when I quickly wear the outer edges of the heels, I end up rocking back and forth. Not interested in sprained ankles.

   7. I’m actually wearing lug sole white patent leather oxfords today and I was very tempted by these booties until I saw the price!

   8. That brown lipliner, not filled in, thing? That’s quintessential early 90s to me.

      1. Oh, it was filled in all right, with frosted beige-y lipstick topped by as much glittery gloss as you could layer on top. It was such a popular thing that the ladies at the Estee Lauder counter showed me how to do it when I got my makeup done for middle school dances at the Macys beauty counter.

      2. My colleague’s wife wore that. Brown liner drawn outside the lip with a nude gloss over it. It looked like an a-hole, and so did she.

         She said she wanted to look like Pamela Anderson.

   9. You can pry my six year old waterproof, lug soled Andre Assous pumps off my cold, dead (but not wet) feet! Unless examined closely, they look like the black suede dress pumps with a 3 inch heel that they are.

      1. I really wanted those Michael Kors black lug sole pumps a number of years ago, but the toe box did not work for me – so sad

   10. I bought a pair of heeled Docs for my birthday – they arrived and I am happily stomping around the house in them. I feel like a badass.

       1. I’ve been thinking about getting a pair. I still have my Gibson Docs from 1992 and I still love them.

   11. I lovelovelove lug soles, and seeing how I have no idea when/if I’ll be back in the office, I’m down to get some. When I was waiting tables in the mid-90s, I had the greatest pair of lug-soled black loafers with a 3″ rubber block heel. They were perfect! Cute enough to get good tips, non-skid when I had to rush in and out of the kitchen, and were amazingly comfortable because rubber. If I could find those again, I would buy a lifetime supply.

2. Reposting from morning threat to get more reads.
   I want to make a plug again for Black Voters Matter. If you still have some resources left and want to do some more rage donation, please donate! Even if Trump gets reelected, BVM efforts can improve lives by increasing black representation at the local level.

   Their key initiative till the Election – Initiative to Include Radio Ads, Digital PSAs, Voter Outreach “Caravan” in 12 Key States Today, Black Voters Matter Fund (BVMF) announced a major voter outreach initiative to educate, engage, and mobilize Black voters ahead of the November election. The initiative, which will span across 12 key Southern and Midwestern states, includes radio advertisements, digital PSAs, and a voter outreach “caravan” that will canvass major metropolitan areas through Election Day.

   I also donated to the Florida Florida Rights Restoration Coalition’s Fines and Fees Campaign. They are paying fees for ex-prisoners so they can vote (up to $1500). They are also looking for lawyers that can volunteer. Personally I like that this effort will help during this election but for future elections.

   1. Thank you!

   2. Thanks for posting!

3. Wow, somehow I didn’t expect the Frankenstein boots to come back.

   But hey, just in time for Halloween

   1. I feel that they could be very Moira Rose.

      What is a comfy boot that would be A Little Bit Alexis?

      1. I feel like that would be the slightly slouchy over the knee boot in fawn suede.

         Worn with a sundress and a big floppy wool hat of course.

         1. Where can I get a hat like that?

   2. Is this Stevie Nicks meets wintry weather?

   3. I don’t love those boots but I sure do love me some Moira Rose

4. I missed the pillow thread yesterday but hope the hive can help me track down a replacement for my perfect pillow, which is now nearly 10 years old and about to completely fall apart. It’s an old Martha Stewart for Macys pillow, and it is a hybrid — one side is dense foam for a firm pillow, and the other side is fluffy down. When you unzip the pillow casing there are literally two half-pillows inside. It’s the only pillow I’ve found that works for me because I can flip it depending on whether I’m sleeping on my side or back. But I’ve never found another one like it. Any leads?

   1. What about this one? https://www.thecompanystore.com/pillows/sleepers-choice-memory-foam-pillow/PO79.html

   2. I missed that thread too. I have a pillow that I love from Tempurpedic that is so firm, and I love it. But of course, they stopped making it. I asked on this thread a few weeks ago and several recommended a sopacowa pillow. I ordered one but it didn’t work. I’m looking for a REALLY FIRM pillow. Any suggestions are really appreciated.

5. I was wondering if any of you all have experienced a professional crisis of confidence, and how you were able to snap yourself out of it? Due to various machinations and bad-timing, I find myself in a role at work where I am… not confident. I know only a little bit about the subject matter, and certainly do not know enough to say I am any sort of expert, let alone the “go to” person that I am now supposed to be. There really isn’t anyone in my chain of command who knows any more than I do, so I am figuring it out on my own. The people who put me into this role did not expect me to be an expert either but just get us through (it was supposed to be temporary); however, due to hiring freezes they are unable to add someone to the team who has a background and experience in this area. It does not help that I have zero interest in this area and would not have chosen it, and I do not want this to be my new career path.

   Now is turning into at least semi-permanent, and I’m really struggling mentally. Maybe I’m lucky, but in the 12+ years I’ve been in the workforce, I have always held a role that I have been confident about my abilities. Any advice onto how to make it through until I come up with exit opportunities?

   1. I could have written every detail of this a few years ago. I did exactly what you plan to, stuck it out for a year or two and then made my exit. Especially in the beginning, making mistakes was not fun, nor was the omnipresent worry that some were hiding, only to be discovered months or years from now… I was definitely stressed in the meantime, but I didn’t feel demoralized or anything. I kept telling myself, “They gave you this project because they know they can rely on you to take on a new area and figure it out. This is the business reality, it’s far from ideal, but you are a person who can perform under these circumstances, and that makes you awesome.” Things don’t have to be perfect all at once, they just have to function, improvements can always be made. People do understand that you aren’t an expert yet, even if they get frustrated or impatient in the moment. I said a lot of “I don’t have an answer now, but I will follow up by email” in meetings, and then always did, and did not beat myself up for it. By the time I left, I felt proud of my work, and people even said a rare nice thing or two to me. You are a person who just FIGURES IT OUT, and that makes you awesome!

   2. I could have written this myself–right to the 12+ years. My other dread is that my role now means no longer working with my favorite co-worker. I know that doesn’t sound like a big deal, but in Covid times its weirdly meaning a ton. There are days where I just really feel out on my own. I’m trying to get by with the mantra “bloom where you’re planted.” This means diving in to what I can with the hopes that gaining more expertise will make it more interesting. I’m also trying to find tangential projects that are more interesting with the hope that those will consume more of my day. I worry a lot that this new role isn’t giving me the skills that will be most marketable to what I want to do. But trying to look at the bigger picture and be responsible–the economy is tanking and likely to get worse and having good health insurance is important. This is stable and they desperately need the help. But man oh man. I didn’t get a master’s degree to do this with my life and I’m super pissed. It’s so different than any past roles that interested me. But boom away I will.

   3. Are there any industry groups you could join? My industry has several and they have really great resources, online chat rooms, etc. where you can pose questions to others in your field for advice, etc. If you haven’t already looked into this please do so ASAP.

6. I looked into a corner of my closet today and my beloved (and formerly relevant) collection of clutches, shoulder bags, and totes was lonely and (sadly) dusty. I swiffer dusted, but I miss them terribly. I just run out now with an iPhone with a card wallet on the back and that is it.

   Sniff.

   They live near my scarves. Can you make a scarf work with Athleisure? Now that I’m not slicking on the sunscreen and/or sweating a ton daily, I might break them out when it gets a bit more chilly.

   1. My home office is one of the coldest rooms in the house, so at least this spring when it was still chilly outside, I wore ALL my scarves. It’s hard to imagine today when it’s warm where I am, but the scarves will have their day again.

      Can’t really help you with the handbags. I barely leave my house!!

   2. Could you use any of the totes / handbags for storage in your home office? If you still have paper files, different matter per tote under the desk?

7. Forgive me if others have posted this, but what are you guys doing to calm your election fears? Are you volunteering at a state level, like for a local candidate? I hate phone/text banking but am trying to think what else to do. I just realized I didn’t even know the names for the state senate and House rep running in our district.

   1. I signed up to phone bank with @SwingLeft. You can write postcards with https://votefwd.org, if that feels more comfortable.

      1. I’ve been doing letters with Vote Forward after someone mentioned them here earlier. I don’t like phone/text banking either, so I really liked this option. They make it super easy and it’s an easy thing to do while watching TV in the evening.

      2. I phone banked in the past and have not felt up for it this time around but am sending letters with Vote Forward (non-partisan, encourages low-frequency voters in swing states to vote – sign up now as the big send date has been moved up to mid-October) and Postcards to Voters, which is partisan to voters in swing elections, but is certainly fun to doodle. I have found that action is the only thing that has helped (especially when I doom spiral like after reading The Atlantic article yesterday) and when I p0st about it, I get messages from people telling me they are excited to vote, just registered, signed up, too, etc.

   2. Donating to causes that will have positive impact no matter the results of the presidential election (see earlier post about donations).

   3. I just signed up to volunteer on the National Voter Assistance Hotline. Beyond that, I’m doing lots of self care and not reading the news very much. I don’t know if that’s the best strategy though, I’m no expert.

   4. IDK, but FWIW, our local races have more of an impact on our lives. Roads, school funding, park & rec bonds. A bad mayor can ruin your city. A bad school board can just eff things up like you wouldn’t believe. The day-to-day stuff is decided in my area by primaries, since we have one-party rule generally. What is interesting is that we have some “precinct” elected officers and some at-large ones. A woman who is certifiable wouldn’t run in a precinct race b/c everyone knows that she’s a nutter and you’ll get mired in some lawsuit or other or named in one (and that eats up taxpayer $ if anyone has to be defended in their official capacities). She’s an evergreen candidate for something and I fear that in a low turnout down-ballot race, her stans will someday get her elected to something. I think she is a felon but even if she can’t vote, she can run.

   5. I’m writing letters with Vote Forward and donating as much money as I can.

      1. me too. the letter writing is super easy, low stress and it at least feels like i’m doing something

      2. Also, here are some stats from Vote Forward:

         Letters prepared: 617,835

         Still to write: 382,165

         Letter writers: 21,468

         Let’s get that letter writer count up!

         1. Just signed up. Thank you!

   6. Klonopin.

      1. Snort but also booze, antidepressants, and cannabis over here.

   7. Burying my head in the sand because I’m prohibited from making political donations or volunteering with a campaign or any of that stuff. I’m only allowed to vote so vote I will.

      1. I am also not able to make political donations or volunteer for campaigns but I am able to donate to causes that are not campaigns (like bail funds, Planned Parenthood, NAACP, etc.) and am also able to volunteer for non-campaigns as well. If you are interested — and it’s truly the only thing that helps me feel better about it all — maybe take a second look at your rules.

         1. I did that stuff pre-2016 and still do that’s why I didn’t mention it. Good point for people that don’t know though!

   8. I am volunteering for and donating money to a Senate candidate in my possibly purple state and working to get out the word for the candidate running for the next term in John Lewis’s House district, which is the subject of a confusing and convoluted electoral process.

   9. My election fears are not about the voting. Republicans are going to steal the election no matter what the voters say. Trump and Pence and Lindsey Graham have said in so many words that the election will be decided by the Supreme Court. The GOP has also said that they will consider having state legislatures appoint the electors – there is no constitutional requirement that a state award the electors to the candidate who won the popular vote in that state, so that is what they will do if the voters in key swing states choose Biden. They control enough legislatures to hand the presidency to Trump that way. We are thoroughly and completely doomed.
      https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/11/what-if-trump-refuses-concede/616424/

      1. Hm, I tried to figure out what you mean and google sent me to FOX NEWS, so I just clicked away.

         1. The linked Atlantic article is really long but explains it in great detail with lots of quotes from experts.

      2. Please do not let the media play into your fears. Trump and his campaign are saying this stuff to try to get people to lose hope and not vote or energize others to vote. DON’T LET HIM. He can’t get state legislatures to appoint electors. It’s prohibited in several states and no one will let him get away with outright stealing an election. VOTE. TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW TO VOTE. It’s our right and our duty. And if it helps, turn off twitter, facebook, etc.

8. I am 100% dressing for comfort / practicality these days, at least from the waist down, and I don’t think that’s going to change for another 8 months at least. So a pass to anything that’s not strictly functional and definitely no heels.

9. I love my Timberlands;).

10. Oof. My office isn’t conservative by a country mile (HR staff wear Birks all week in the summer, to give you an idea), but I wouldn’t wear these to work. Lug soles read way too “weekend get dirty shoes” to me.

11. I feel like I’m zapped by anxiety and low-level sadness these days, and need to do something to jar me out of this mindset. In Before Times, I’d take a day off work and hang out at home for restoration — but that doesn’t exactly feel like a treat right now because I’m home allll the time. I’ve done my usual go-to activities so much that I feel restless and bored (e.g., reading, hiking, running, baking, family bike rides). Or worse, sometimes they’re leaving me feel more drained than energized. Because baking treats is fun, but the cleanup is not. My brain is so zapped from work that reading isn’t much fun, either. I told my husband last night that I don’t know if I’m full-on depressed, but I’m definitely not myself. If things are this bad now, what are they going to be like when the cold weather hits?!

    1. Can you use the incoming cold weather as a chance to try something new? Where do you live? It sounds like you might be craving some novelty or something to get you out of a rut. What about cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, snowshoeing, making elaborate igloos with your kids, or fun things like that? Don’t hesitate to talk to your doctor if you feel like it might be more serious than that, but winter can be a time of amazing fun if you put the tools in place to enjoy it (appropriate clothes/preparation).

    2. this might sound silly, but DH and I were really feeling the same and we took a day trip to the beach just the two of us (we had childcare). we also made a list of different places we can take our toddlers for a walk/scooter ride on the weekend. last weekend we went to one totally new to us park and to another area we had not been in four years rather than just taking the same route around our neighborhood. it actually made a huge difference.

    3. Connecting with friends is the most restorative thing for me, and the easiest to let slide or forget about. I mean connecting by phone or zoom or whatever is safe for you. I aspire to talking to someone at least once a week. I’m married and have a young child who is remote schooling while I work from home, so I’m rarely alone (sob), but friends give me something different than family. If you enjoy baking, maybe you would enjoy something creative? I am tempted by Annie’s Attic’s craft club kits. They are kind of corny but I like the idea of someone sending me everything I need for a project; finding yarn+needles+pattern for a knitting project is too overwhelming to me right now. I also agree with finding a change of scenery if possible.

       1. PS – I work in theater and was reading another depressing article about the desperate state of performing arts workers right now. Many of them are leading classes online. So if you ever dreamed of taking dance in your living room from Sutton Foster, now is your chance.

12. I don’t care what anyone thinks so I’d definitely wear them. Especially since I slip and slide a lot. But they are waaaaayyy too pricy.

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