Birks & Denim Shorts

Oh heavens.. It's been an embarrassingly long time since I've done an outfit post here on Classy Cathleen. Here's a little Outfit of the day.. another thing I haven't done in a while. It takes a while for me to get the photos I want. My siblings are younger.. and sometimes it's tough for them to understand what exactly I want taken. This time, I took them myself. Tripod and timer. Let me know how you think they came out in a comment below! Also-- I totally don't think there's anything wrong with wearing a sunhat like this just around town instead of like at the beach where you would typically see them.. The shorts are actually hand me downs from my brother's speech therapist, and if you read my other post from earlier today.. You may recognize the Birks. I'm in love with this pair, and I would wear them all day every day if I could. Also while I was shooting this.. three bees flew in my hat/hair and a black cat was crawling around in the woods all while my neighbors were walking around and awkwardly staring at me running back and forth to the tripod and back under the trees... I mean I don't know, I guess it was pretty funny to watch! 

When you hear a bee in your hair and you don't want to move for fear it will sting you.

bee part two

When you hear a cat in the woods... Guess what it was black. A black cat came out when I was shooting. 

Momma's Birkenstock Collection

My Momma has always owned Birks.. Well at least for as long as I can remember. They fit in perfectly with her more casual and relaxed style. Contrary to what most people reading are probably picturing in their heads right now... There are more than one or two styles of Birkenstocks. Not all are "Jesus Sandals" and they come in all sorts of fun colors too! My momma owns QUITE A FEW pairs of Birks in all different styles and colors... And I thought it would be kind of fun to do a blog feature on her collection. Yes, they are shoes. Meaning: they have been worn before. We are humans you know. The shoes aren't brand new.. but some are still in pretty good condition. She has passed a few pairs along to me, and I can't wait to step outside of my comfort zone (Jack Rogers or Nikes) and explore the possibilities of what I can come up with when styling Birks.

How cute are these?!

These were a brand new pair found on eBay for $30  #steal

scalloped AND jeweled! How cute?!

The pair above is one of my favorites...

These are waterproof and covered in vines and red hearts! 

Overall she owns nine unique pairs... And maybe more. I didn't do too much digging in the closet.

"When I was in college working at Mountain Sports I got my first pair. One of the few places that sold Birks in the area. I really wanted a pair of the "New York's" so I saved up and got them!"

"They [Birks] are amazingly comfortable"

My Momma also mentioned to check out the Betula and Papillio branches of Birkenstock. She owns pairs from both.

She also said "Because it's not in the store, does not mean that it doesn't exist. Go to the store and get sized (make sure they know what they're doing). Once you know the correct size for heavens sakes go to the Birkenstock site or better yet, go to eBay1 A lot of times people will buy them, wear them for a day, and then sell them. You can get some amazing deals."

I asked why my Momma enjoyed wearing Birkenstocks and why she owned so many pairs: "Comfort for one. They're just really comfortable.I like the slip in slip out style. They also wear really well. When I was teaching, I wore them everyday. My students thought I was really poor because the only shoes I wore was my Birks.. [which is funny because it's like $90 a pair]. They're just the type of shoe that goes with most everything."


Hope you enjoyed this post, and thanks Momma for letting me steal all your shoes and photograph them and ask you questions!

Here's some of my favorite pairs.. Don't worry they're not the classic "Jesus Sandals" you keep seeing everywhere.

o n e // t w o // t h r e e // f o u r // f i v e // s i x // s e v e n // e i g h t  // n i n e