Adventures at Midlife

Sometime during the Seventies, I must have had five pair of shoes in my closet that had unusually wavy soles: Famolares. They were Italianate chic and were featured at the major department stores (okay, this was Dusty Corner, remember?) and in all the fashion magazines of the time. I actually saw a Famolare STORE during my first visit to NYC sometime around 1980.

I proudly owned and wore two pair of three-inch platforms and a super strappy style that were fun and extremely comfortable. I walked all over Europe in them during an extended honeymoon, and they were especially dear during my first water-logged pregnancy, when preeclampsia meant they were the only shoes that fit. (Not the platforms, no.) But Famolares gradually faded from view, along with gauze dresses, tie-dyed tee-shirts and fringed jackets.

You’re right: gauze dresses, tie-dye and fringe are still around — and so, apparently, are Famolares. I found them online, but in a different incarnation: still comfortable, still wavy, but somehow a bit boring and middle-aged, like Hush-Puppies. And Mephistos. And ME. Not chic and definitely not Italianesque. ebay has some listings that promise vintage Famolares, but even they don’t seem to have the European panache I remember.

According to the Website, I wasn’t the only one who was impressed by the unique design:

Famolare shoes are on permanent display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC and the Cinncinnati Museum of Art.

(Famous wearers of Famolares have included Paul Newman, violinist Isaac Stern, Gregory Peck, Walter Matthau — and msmeta, of course.)

The site still extols “Famolare’s patented 4-wave design: It makes walking in the city as natural and enjoyable as walking in the pine forest. Anatomically shaped for perfect fit and comfort, the resilient sole absorbs shocks to heel and arch, rolling the foot forward in a graceful, extended stride.”

Yeah, sure, that’s what I remember, but what happened to my platform heels and little strappy shoes? “Gone with the Wind, Miss Scarlett,” along with my baby-doll dresses, wedge haircuts, Levi 501s, ballet flats, riding boots, capri pants — Oh, wait. They’re still around, too.

And so am I. We’re all just, well, older.

And as a reward for making it to the end of the post: This fun little diversion, courtesy of Fabulous After 40, is the latest on shoes in The Big Apple.