Lindsay Lohan image via Zimbio; Jeffrey Campbell 2010 ad campaign
It came to my attention that this week marks the 10 year anniversary of the Jeffrey Campbell Lita. If you’re not familiar with this ridiculous platform shoe by name, don’t worry. I wasn’t either until I saw the 10th anniversary article.
But like me, I’m sure you ARE incredibly familiar with this shoe. It dominated the early 2010’s. Lindsay Lohan had them. Jessica Alba had them. Just about everybody had them.
Why am I devoting a Fashion Friday to these little monsters? Well, you know I love an ugly shoe. But really, this shoe represents a lot of firsts for me.
It was the first item I ever sold on Poshmark. It was the shoe that first introduced me to LF Stores. But most importantly, it was the first item that I was ever influenced to buy.
Let me explain.
I have been a devout reader of fashion blogs since they came on the scene in the mid 2000’s. I stalked photos on Tumblr and graduated to blogs when I discovered the now defunct Closet Therapy. That blog led me to Fashion Toast and Rumi Neely quickly became one of my favorite bloggers. She was from San Diego. She had a whimsical, quirky way of writing. And she didn’t give a f*ck. She wore what she wanted to. She wore what spoke to her. Back then, she actually wore clothes.
Then one day I saw them. Towering, chunky lace-up platforms. She owned them in at least three colors and they made her look SO COOL.
I had to have them. I called every stockist listed on their website to find out how I could get my hands on them. YES, this was before e-commerce was a thing and finding them online was quite the feat.
LF Stores carried them and there happened to be a store near me. I immediately drove there. They didn’t have any in stock, but when I referenced Rumi Neely they told me she shopped there frequently – I almost died.
I was able to locate them online and almost bought them in blueberry colored leather. After hemming and hawing for a week, I finally decided I should be “practical” and bought them in sand colored suede.
The first time I wore them was to meet my best friend for lunch. We’re the same height, and when she showed up in flats, our welcome hug was like Andre the giant hugging a small child.
Once home, I almost twisted my ankle getting out of the car.
I probably only wore them three times before selling them on Poshmark years later.
They were weird, ugly and I 100% fell into the hype, but they were FUN. Being mesmerized the first time I saw them on a blogger, the quest to find them and finally owning them was a sartorial rite of passage.
So cheers to you the Jeffrey Campbell Lita. Happy 10 years. May you live on in fashion infamy.