Footwear ideas for Valkyrie ensemble?

[gem]

Ok, first things first: I have bad feet. I need comfort. Second thing: since I have bad feet & need comfort, I am really hesitant about spending too much money on footwear, because I have been badly burned by expensive "comfort" shoes before. (And the other weird thing; what other people find comfortable, I often find unwearable. So it's a total crap shoot when it comes to shoes for me!)

That out of the way, I am getting some Very Expensive, very elaborate new garb this year--an ensemble inspired by the Valkyries' costumes in the recent Metropolitan Opera production of Wagner's Ring Cycle.  In the opera they all wear grey/pewter/silver... but my ensemble will be shades of gold, bronze, and copper. I'm making the ruffly gold skirts, and a local armorer is making me a scale mail bodice. (Um, squee!)

It's hard to see their feet, but they're wearing some sort of heavy boots:



...Which is an option. I can do boots. But Milord suggested something like ghillies or gladiator boots... but I'm a little nervous about the price (for nice ghillies) or the comfort (for an average off-the-rack gladiator sandal).

Does anyone have leads, ideas, suggestions, other options? I would love to spend less than $100; my sweet spot for shoes that fit me well tends to be around the $50-75 mark).

Another option might be to take something I already own and alter it somehow.

I have another pair of the boots in this photo that I never wear, because they're a bizarre shade of sort of pale taupey grey, which could conceivably coordinate with the color scheme. With the lug soles (black) and the motorcycle strap/buckle, they're kind of reminiscent of the heavy boots from the opera, but I feel like they'd need a little bit... of something. Not sure what. They have the huge advantage of being insole-friendly, and (more or less) fair-tested already.

I also have a pair of simple tan nubuck "peasant" sandals (similar to these, but much more simple and way less modern looking, and more of a light tan color). They're almost trashed (muddy & stained) but still wearable; I might be able to paint them or something...?

You can see this is an issue, because my feet will be visible! But I don't want to spend too much money on something I couldn't also wear with other things OR ends up being less comfortable than I paid for.

Help!
Gramercy!!

[isabelladangelo]

First idea: Get insoles. 

Second idea: Make spats and use your own shoes that you already find comfortable. 

[DonaCatalina]

I second that.
Make your own spats. Most of the costume footwear is exactly that.

[Rowan MacD]

The spats idea is the best one if you have bad feet (hubby cannot find anything at all to wear in ren shoes that don't kill his flat feet, no matter who makes them) so you can disguise your proven favorite shoes.

http://www.medievalmoccasins.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=MM&Product_Code=LOWTOP
within your stated budget-very comfortable and take insoles well.

[LadyStitch]

Spending the $50 on the Dr Shol's insoles makes or breaks most pairs of shoes.  Given the documentaries I have seen about the costumes they did for the Met's production they had to put them in the boots because of the nature of the set.  On a good day that set was dangerous, and bad, it was trecerious Hence why there were a few injuries. 

I will say sometime the footwear make the outfit, but honestly, if someone is  looking at your feet and not your face, they are not someone you would want to associate with anyway.  Worse case I would get a pair of confey shoes, be they sandles or boots, then make a decorative cover for them that would go with the outfit.  People laughed when I put a girl in a pair of generic brown boots, but for the show added a decorative spat then did lashings over it to hold them in place.  She was suppose to be an amazon style woman anyway. That way she had shoes that fit her special needs feet, and I still go the look I wanted for the character.

The long and short of it is  safety and comfort over style any day.

[gem]

Rowan, those are *significantly* less expensive than the similar styles offered by Native Earth at our Fair. Thanks!

[isabelladangelo]

I will say sometime the footwear make the outfit, but honestly, if someone is  looking at your feet and not your face, they are not someone you would want to associate with anyway. 

It's very hard not to notice the gleaming white pair of Nike's beneath a full 'Bethan.   And yes, it ruins the outfit.  Also, once you see it, there is not enough brain bleach in the world to keep you from staring at their feet and wondering a)recent foot issues or b)are they trying to be wrong?

[Rowan MacD]

Rowan, those are *significantly* less expensive than the similar styles offered by Native Earth at our Fair. Thanks!

MM is one of the best merchants for moccasins-I think the they still  have a 'we fix 'em' warranty similar to Moresca (if the shoe starts to fall apart due to bad materials or workmanship they will fix the problem and mail them back to to you)  though I've never had to use it.   
    David and I visited the Native Earth booth at KCRF.   A bit too pricey for someone who does faire as a hobby. 
   Most of my faire footwear comes from the thrift store, Payless,  or I wear the cotton Chinese shoes off Amazon because I have no issues with my feet.

[Rowan MacD]

I will say sometime the footwear make the outfit, but honestly, if someone is  looking at your feet and not your face, they are not someone you would want to associate with anyway. 

It's very hard not to notice the gleaming white pair of Nike's beneath a full 'Bethan.   And yes, it ruins the outfit.  Also, once you see it, there is not enough brain bleach in the world to keep you from staring at their feet and wondering a)recent foot issues or b)are they trying to be wrong?

I have to agree with Isabella on this one-sneakers have no place at faire, unless you are a mundane or a Playtron, then you can do what you want. 
   If you work there you need to make at least an attempt to blend in. Flipflops,  high heeled sandals,  those motorcycle ring boots, and even (shudder) pool shoes have been seen on people who otherwise have decent garb.   It just spoils it.