Love the shoes, but not the color? Paint them!

Do you have shoes collecting dust in your closet because the color is boring or doesn’t go with anything in your closet (but you bought because stores only offer brown or black)?

I bought these cute shoes a few years ago for a summer wedding. They’re comfy, however the black leather strap across the ankle made my legs look shorter than they already are, plus I have no summer clothes that go with black (and black is not a good color for me in any season). They weren’t cheap, so I was reluctant to let them go.

Well, I recently learned that you can easily change the color of your shoes, belts, handbags, and other leather accessories with the simple application of leather paint or dye. Et voilà! For less than $5 you have new shoes in the perfect color to complete your wardrobe. Especially cool if you’ve had your colors done and really want your accessories in the exact right (but perhaps out-of-season) subtle hue.

I used Angelus leather paint, a flexible acrylic that doesn’t crack or peel off. The Angelus website offers many many colors, including metallics. A 1 oz jar is plenty for a pair of shoes and a belt. I was so excited to get started that I found my paint locally at the amazing Oregon Leather Company, at NW Couch and 2nd in Portland (color stock more limited though).

You’ll also need a bottle of acetone ($4 in the nail polish section of the grocery store) to prep the shoes, and some neutral color shoe cream to finish them. You’ll find many how-to videos on YouTube, like this excellent one from Sassyfeet.com, so I won’t belabor the process here.

I wanted to match the linen color of the back part of the shoes, and the color I bought was a tad off, so I mixed in a tiny dab of Burnt Umber from a tube in my artist’s set.  Truly, you cannot distinguish my “new” shoes from ones that were factory colored. And now they go with many outfits I own!

After: shoes painted light neutral color.

Exhilarated by this triumph, I decided to try dyeing a pair of shoes that are super comfy, but the taupe in this Oxford style made me feel frumpy, even though the color works with many of my clothes. Dyeing is different from painting, in that you need to start with leather that is already close to natural – i.e. not painted. Angelus also makes leather dye. Again, treat first with acetone to remove finish and polish.

Before dyeing: taupe Oxfords from Börn.

I wanted a deep red-purple, so I mixed a little of each color in a small stainless steel dish and applied with a fuzzy lamb wand. It went on super quickly. (Wear latex gloves! and cover your work space; this stuff is easy to splash.) The underlying taupe softened the new color so it’s not garish, but it is much more fun.

After: Börn shoes dyed a cheery red-purple.

Bonus! scuffs gone.  Next projects will probably involve dyeing fabric (or already-made white clothes) to get the subtle hues I need but can’t find.