Patent Nude Heels Wishes To Be Silver For One Day

January 16, 2016 11:34 AM

Is there a way to temporarily turn my nude patent heels into silver?

Hello all!

Is there a way to temporarily turn my nude patent heels into silver? I need them to be silver for one day and then to wash/wipe off. Reason: because I prefer them nude and I don't like silver shoes but need to wear silver shoes for just one day.

I'm guessing it's probably not possible but thought I'd ask you all anyway just in case.

Thanks in advance!

posted by driedmango to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (14 answers total)

Best answer: Other than maybe wrapping them in foil, I can't think of a safe way to color them that won't stain the leather to some degree.
posted by Thorzdad at 11:38 AM on January 16, 2016

Best answer: I think even spray-in shampoo-removable silver hair dye would fuck up the leather, and that's the mildest kind of coloring I can think of. If you have enough time you should probably consider looking in thrift shops or on ebay for a cheap used pair of silver heels.
posted by poffin boffin at 11:41 AM on January 16, 2016 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: Wanted to add this reason: I wear a very difficult to find shoe size and I dont want to pay through the nose for a pair of heels in a color I hate.
posted by driedmango at 11:44 AM on January 16, 2016

Buy another pair, spray them silver, buy leather dye and dye over the silver to a colour you do like?
posted by kmennie at 12:05 PM on January 16, 2016 [3 favorites]

You could apply an ultra thin foil layer to the shoes (used for decorating, jewelrey, and model aircraft / model train aluminum skin), and then brush that off when done with perhaps a toothbrush. You could do a small area on a "stunt" shoe and see if it is appropriately temporary and will last for a day without any glue.


http://www.oldmodelkits.com/blog/plasitc-model-kits-how-tos/foiling-plastic-and-resin-model-kits-for-realism-by-ken-friend/
posted by nickggully at 12:17 PM on January 16, 2016 [1 favorite]

I do not see a way where this would work. In your situation, I would pursue the cheapest possible silver shoe, knowing you only really plan to wear it on that one day. Like, Payless-level store. Do you care to comment on what your size issue is? Or can we help you brainstorm outfit issues -- is silver absolutely necessary?
posted by BlahLaLa at 12:17 PM on January 16, 2016 [3 favorites]

Best answer: You could cover them in silver washi tape. Keep an extra roll of it in your purse for touchups if it starts to peel off over the course of the day.
posted by dayintoday at 12:27 PM on January 16, 2016 [1 favorite]

Payless Shoe Source has party shoes for ~20 dollars. Sizes 5-13. Amazon has similar options. Washi tape won't wreck your shoes, but between time and money, a $20 sacrificial pair seems like a more reasonable option.
posted by quince at 12:38 PM on January 16, 2016 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: Size 4 folks. I've looked into buying from ebay from Chinese sellers but that seems really hit or miss (I've ordered once before and they were terrible).
posted by driedmango at 2:10 PM on January 16, 2016

...have you considered kids' shoes?

For real though. A lot of them are super cute, and they'd actually fit you. Obviously if they need to be *heels* this is harder, but if you just want cute silver flats, those definitely exist in kids' sizes, and they are not obviously kids' shoes.
posted by goodbyewaffles at 2:19 PM on January 16, 2016 [3 favorites]

How about children's shoes?

I had a coworker with really small feet and she would shop the girls (not adult's) shoes at places like Target or Payless. They make look juvenile, but you may be able to find something silver or to spray paint silver since you are not interested in investing much and wearing them for a day.

http://blog.finishline.com/2014/07/28/womens-to-kids-sizing-an-atothebed-break-down/
posted by bessiemae at 2:20 PM on January 16, 2016

I'm not sure what your timeline is, but here are a bunch of silver shoes on Amazon that come in a size 4 and are under $25.

I don't think you'll be able to temporarily change the color of your existing shoes without ruining them.
posted by Weeping_angel at 2:27 PM on January 16, 2016 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Looks like I'll be wearing nude (wedding). Just wanted to see if temporary shoe color changes would be possible. It's a no. Got it!

I appreciate the responses I've received but I would also appreciate if people would stick to answering the question instead of going around it. And just as a side note, I've lived with small feet for years and suggestions to wear children's shoes are not helpful.
posted by driedmango at 2:36 PM on January 16, 2016 [7 favorites]

Best answer: You could use water-soluble glue and silver glitter.
posted by lizbunny at 9:49 AM on January 17, 2016