Costumes, Shoes and Vivi-Ann, Oh My!

[Nettie Belle]

First of all, in answer to your question ...

So Bubbles and I have become Ebay addicts. Is there a twelve-step program for Ebay? Bidders Anonymous or something?

No. There is no 12-step program. Once you fall into the threshhold of ebay, you are hooked and there's no coming out. Kind of like a shopper's "Hotel California."

Pianobsharp ... the costumes are very well made. I think they are probably better in person than they are in the pictures. I bought one by her several years ago but I had to almost completely re-do it because it was too plain for my liking. I cut it shorter, added "cutesy" stuff to it, and in general, I almost re-made the whole costume to reflect my personality.

Sonhotropical ... her costumes are very well made also. I have one by her too, that I bought several years ago. It's beautiful, but I only wear it for whenever we do a skit. She made a doll costume to match the one I bought from her. It is adorable.

Fay ... I think hers are well made also. I have never bought any of hers, but I've seen them. Sonhotropical and Fay are good with colors. Not to say that pianobsharp isn't ... as I said, I think her pictures just look washed out.

As for the shoes ... I bought shoes from Clown-So-Port. They are made to fit my foot exactly. I returned them 3 times before they were right because my feet are very small and narrow. Then, they kept that information on file, so the next time I ordered from them, all they had to do was to look at my file. Those shoes are absolutely gorgeoous, and will last forever. They also come with polish and a polishing cloth. They are a very hometown organization with friendly people, and one lady making all the shoes.

ClownMart shoes are very pretty; however, they don't fit my feet. I have to stuff them with stuffing. After I stuffed them, they were fine. I can't say they're good or bad quality; I haven't had them that long. The thing I do like about them is that they are very reasonable, and professional looking. Since I like to change my look and my costume a lot, I like them because for under $100, I can have a pair of real clown shoes to match my outfit.

I also had a pair of Spears shoes. They are very good quality too, and also made to fit my feet exactly.

Well, there's my 2 cents' worth.

[Pickles]

I need to put in a quick plug for Spears' shoes.

When I first became clown I painted pickles on a pair of Keds, and these shoes served me well while I saved up for my clown shoes. (and, believe me, it took quite a few parties for a beginning clown to raise the big bucks for these shoes, because they aren't cheap)

The first time I ever wore my new Spears shoes was at a St. Patrick's Day parade in Muncie, IN. I paused to interact with some spectators, and, next thing I knew, my fellow clowns were two blocks ahead of me. However, I was able to run lightning fast to catch up with them -- IN MY CLOWN SHOES!!! My clown shoes are huge--twice the size of my old Keds -- but they are so light and comfortable. I swear I could run a 5K in these shoes. I've had them for over six years, and they're still in great shape.

One caveat though: Don't drive with your right shoe on: You hit the gas pedal and the brake at the same time! Talk about "driving like a clown!"

[Pickles]

I forgot to mention that I have also purchased a couple costumes from SohoTropical and was reasonably pleased with them. I bought a pair of orange and green bib overalls that she was selling on Ebay, but she custom-made the outfit that I'm wearing in this headshot (You can't see much of it in the photo, but it's tuxedo style). She was easy to work with and is a talented seamstress. The outfits I bought from her are not lined, but they're fine for summer work. Right now, though, my fav outfit is a dress I bought from Costumes by Betty.