That's when I saw them- a pair of platform trainers with a 5" cork heel. Don't get me wrong, trainers aren't my thing, but I knew I could do something really cool with these shoes. On sale at £30, they were already 1/4 of the price of the boots. I immediately ordered them and began planning what I could do.
A week later, they arrived. I pulled out the inner box to reveal the most hideous pair of shoes I'd ever seen. Both my flatmate and my sister could not believe that I'd spent my money on such a thing. However, all it did was make me more excited to plan what to do!
I finally nailed down a design. A fluorescent green base, with black drips joining the black trainer to the blinding green. The next step? Finding a material that would give me the brightest green possible. After many the trip to the material shop, I decided against a material base, and began looking at neon paints. I finally found one bright enough for my design, and it was a bargain at just £4.
The first stage was lightening the cork base. I mean, I could have just painted on top of it, but it would have been a cloudy green and not the shocking vibrant colour I was after. I dug out my old acrylics and did about 5 layers of paint, until it was a blinding artificial white.
A parcel came in the post- my paint! I excitedly ripped it open and set up my work station. The paint itself was waterier than I thought it would be- it stated "2 coats to cover" on the packaging, but that was an utter lie. Layer after layer after layer... until 3 days and a whopping 15 layers later, I'd finally achieved the beautiful fluorescent streak-free base I wanted.
After a week of drying (yes, a whole week, I needed to make sure all those layers of green were fully dry, I didn't want it cracking!) I took the shoes outside and coated the upper white rim in black. I then poured on loads of black, whacking it on the floor until it dripped down, and repeating this the whole way around both shoes. Until there they were, right in front of my very own eyes... my creation.
I absolutely adore these shoes. Although the 5" solid base is fairly hard to walk on, you do get more used to it the more you wear them. When I walk around town in them, they are the center of attention. Children point them out to their parents, parents point them out to their children. I'm not sure whether people are in awe at the shoes themselves or the fact I am capable of walking in them! I often pair them with a pair of fishnets, a metallic skirt/velvet high wasted shorts, and a cute skeleton top!
