I got bored the other day…and turned these brown Steve Madden ballet flats:
Into these:
Not bad, right?
I think they kind of look like Margiela.
Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking?
Either way, they’re bad ass.
Dana’s 10 Steps to Ombre Shoes:
1. Buy 2 contrasting colors of Jacquard Paint. This paint should work on leather AND patent leather. If you’re not sure, bring your shoes to the craft store and ask a sales rep what brand they think you should use.
For colors : I chose black and white, but any 2 colors will be equally incredible. Like teal and navy or neon pink and gray…
2. Remove shoelaces. Clean shoes with wet rag and let totally dry.
3. Paint bottom half of shoes the darker color. Always choose the dark color for the bottoms so dirt and scrapes don’t show as well. And don’t worry about staying in the lines, you’ll blend that later.
Any cheap paintbrush will do. This isn’t rocket science.
4. Let bottoms dry.
5. Paint tops the lighter color with a clean paintbrush. If the color is really light, you might need 2 coats to get it to look opaque.
6. Let tops dry.
7. Take a new paintbrush and lightly dip it in light AND dark color WITHOUT BLENDING. You don’t want the paint to turn gray. You want to make zebra stripes.
8. Use light brush strokes to blend the bottom and top of the shoes. Use your finger to blend if the lines are too severe. Although I like how my shoes almost look like scratch marks.
This part seems like the hardest, but in fact it’s the easiest. There’s no right way to do it, and the left and right shoes will not look exactly the same. THAT’S OK!
THIS IS DIY…NOT GIVENCHY!!
9. When shoes are almost dry, take a dry clean brush or rag and rub the light and dark parts of the shoes together one more time. This step will soften the blend just slightly. You don’t have to do this step if you’re already happy with how the shoes look.
10. Once shoes are dry, spray lightly with Acrylic Finishing Spray. You don’t HAVE to do this, but why risk scuffing up the beautiful shoes you just made?
If you try this at home, send me photos and I’ll post them on Blind Stab!!
LATER DUDES XX-DANA
All photos from my Instagram
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Since overcoming Bulimia and Binge Eating Disorder, Dana Suchow has become an expert in the field of body image and eating disorder prevention. Offering a nonclinical and holistic approach, Dana will teach you how to put your child on a path towards body love, empowerment and self-acceptance.
