Dyed Shoes

New Dress a Day: The Ultimate DIY Guide to Creating Fashion Dos from Thrift-Store Don'ts

Posted by Random House

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Julia Roberts knew just how to make those boots work in Pretty Woman, and she also knew how to maintain them— hello, Sharpie! These shoes I found were white satin (probably a wedding cast-off) but had some red crayon marks that didn’t scream “buy me,” except that’s just what I did.

I had brand-new kicks with no signs of crayon at the end of the makeover! Now, where’s my Kit De Luca screaming “Work it baby, work it, do it” while I strut in my new heels?

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You Will Need (7 things)

  • Dyeable Shoes or leftover bridesmaid heels in celery
  • Fabric Dye (I used RIT dye in Cherry Red.)
  • Salt
  • Dye Pot
  • Container to dye shoes in (I used a plastic shoebox from Bed Bath & Beyond.)
  • Plastic or Rubber Gloves
  • Work space Cover (news-paper or plastic garbage bag)

Steps (4 steps, 60 minutes)

  1. 1

    Using dye techniques, boil water on the stove top, add salt, and add the dye color. (Be- cause of the red marks, I went with Cherry Red to match and hide.)

  2. 2

    Wet the shoes, saturating them totally.

  3. 3

    If your shoes won’t fit in your dye pot, you can use a plastic container large enough to hold them. (I used a plastic shoebox from my closet, which was the perfect fit.) Add the wet shoes to the container filled with the red dye—make sure you cover your work space with news- paper or a plastic garbage bag in case of any spillage.

  4. 4

    Let the shoes saturate long enough for the shade to hide the markings or until the desired color has been reached. I let them soak over- night, removed them from the box with rubber gloves, and washed them with warm water followed by cold to get all the excess dye out. To dry, I hung the slingbacks on a hanger in my shower with a few layers of newspaper un- derneath to catch drippings.