While we at Miss Saturday Morning live for street fashion and fawn over haute couture, we are aware that in some places a more traditional attire is expected. And just because these styles are traditional, it doesn't mean they can't be fierce. Any young budding performers among the MSM crowd will be familiar with the coming-of-age transfer from jazz and ballet shoes to character shoes.
Picking the proper character shoe can be a lot harder that you think. There are a few tips out there to ensure that the character shoes you purchase will be perfect for any situation, whether you're Cell Block Tango-ing in Chicago or just owing the stage as Juliet from Shakespeare's classic Romeo & Juliet.
Nude (tan/caramel) character shoes are the most desirable choice for shoe color because the skin tone of the shoe will blend with your natural skin tone, resulting in the shoe appearing to lengthen the line of your leg, and really, who doesn't want longer looking legs?
A basic nude character shoe.
Black character shoes, while they cut the line of your leg at the ankle, should not be disregarded. They are a favorite choice for actresses who do period-pieces (shows that take place in previous eras) because they match costumes better and are more elegant than nude character shoes.
Traditional Black Character Shoes.
The last few customizing choices one has to make before committing to a pair of character shoes are vital to performance and comfort, as opposed to aesthetics. With heels that often max out at 3'', the most common character heel is 2''. At Miss Saturday Morning, we happen to be a fan of going the extra mile, so to speak, and committing to a 2 1/2'' heel, because it'll make your leg look more slender and it gives you a little extra height.
Lastly, we present to you the age old rivalry of picking "t-strap'' or ''straight bar'' character shoes. The only difference is quite literally, a leather strap that connects from the toe of the shoe to the ankle strap. Personally, we find ''t-strap'' character shoes a little more grown-up and a little more professional, but it's a choice that every performer must make for themselves.
"T-Strap" Character Shoes.
Character shoes are tools of the trade in theatre, and we hope that any young aspiring lime-lighters have taken these tips to heart, because even when it's not haute couture, being fashionable in the workplace is still possible.
xoxo,
Christina Anne and Taryn Juliette
Please Note: None of the pictures used in this post are property of Miss Saturday Morning. Thank you!
