Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.   For the last several years, I have been incorporating Birkenstocks into my Halloween costume.  I do this for two reasons, Birks are cute and they keep my feet properly supported when I take the kiddos trick-or-treating.

This year for Halloween, my kids wanted me to wear my yellow Birki clogs, that I purchased from Sandy's Birkenstock Boutique.  I initially purchased them to wear to wet, muddy, and gnarly soccer fields.  But, the moment they arrived from Australia, the kids suggested that I wear them on Halloween and dress as a duck.  

Since October weather in the Bay Area tends to be really hot, I sent back the Donald Duck costume and opted for something a little more elegant.

I just switched animal themes.  I went from a duck to a zebra outfit.  My Big Buckle, Lion King themed, exquisite Arizonas, from Bloomingdales, were fun to wear and brought a little class to the festivities.  

I don't know what was more exciting for me, wearing the awesome Arizonas or the zebra striped face paint, to pull the outfit together.  If I had to choose, I think the zebra stripes were more fun, since it made the kids the laugh and embarrassed them at the same time!  #winning

Happy Halloween!

I was immediately flooded with inquiries on where I found red Birkenstock Seres.  I didn’t “find” them, I colored them.  For those of you in the know, Birkenstock only released the Seres in brown and black leather.  Needless to say, people asked for step by step instructions on exactly how to do this.

If you have read my previous blogs, you know that I am no stranger to blinging out my Birks.  For the Seres sandals, I followed the steps from my blog “Birkenstock Diva”. 

I used Tarrago shoe cream to color my Birkenstocks.  Color cream is inexpensive, there are tons of colors from which to choose, it is easy to apply, it dries quickly, and it has a high pigment content and it stains leather extremely well.

My hope was to stain a pair of brown leather Seres a deep burgundy.  I had three different shades of red Tarrago cream in my tool box. ​ 

1.  Cover the footbeds of each pair of Birkenstocks with a few layers of paper towels to catch any spillage during the application process.

2. Apply non acetone remover (I prefer Angelus' Professional Leather Preparer & Deglazer )  to a cotton swab and wipe down the uppers.  This step helps to deglaze the Birkenstock by breaking down the original finish. 

3. Let the leather completely dry after applying the non acetone product.  This may take several minutes.

4.  Apply masking tape to the back side of the leather straps.  This helps prevent getting unwanted color on the back of the straps.

5.  Once dry, use a thin brush (about the same size of the straps) to apply the first coat of Tarrago shoe cream to the top and the sides of your Birkenstock straps.  Do NOT color the backside (the color may bleed off with wear).  Let each coat completely dry, about 5-10 minutes.

6.  Keep applying coats of the color cream until you get the color you desire.

7. It took about 3-4 coats of the red cream to completely stain the uppers of my Seres.

​8. Don’t get freaked out when the first coat does not give you the color for which you aim.  This is a process and takes time.  It may take several coats.

PLEASE NOTE: you cannot color your Birkenstocks lighter.  You need to use a darker shade for this to be successful.  If you want to go lighter, you will need to use Angelus leather paint and follow the steps that I illustrated in the blog “Bespoke Birkenstock”. 


When you are finished coloring your straps, you may find that splashes of color have dripped onto the footbed or soles, even with all the precautions that you have taken.  No need to worry, the color drips are easy to remove.  Simply dab a cotton ball, soaked in non acetone nail polish remover, on the areas with the unwanted color.  The color cream will come right off.


I set the Seres aside to dry for 24 hours.  Then I sealed the color on to the leather to prevent fading, scratching, or peeling.  For this step you can use any Suede and Nubuck leather protector.  I opted to use Dr. Martens wonder balsam because it would serve two purposes.  First, it would help seal in the color and protect the leather.  Second, it would soften the leather straps prior to my break-in process.


Here are the before and after pictures:

Before:

After:

TIPS:

Read my initial blog using the color cream technique here.

Learn how to paint your Birkenstocks in this blog.

I may be taking a sabbatical from purchasing new Birkenstocks.  With my recent experience of quality control issues and the lack of love for us regular width wearing customers, it should be no surprise that I am “disappointed”.  Thankfully, I have an ample stock of ‘stocks, hidden in a vault, at an unspecified location.   My supply won’t run dry until the Apocalypse hits and when the Apocalypse hits, my Doc Martens come out.  But, this does not mean that I won't special order a pair from Michelangelo at Custom Made Birkenstocks.


I technically have a lifetime supply of Birks and don’t “need” another pair. Wanting another pair is a different story.  Although I have hoards of Birkenstocks, there is one color missing from my collection.  Ferrari Red.   


When Birkenstock released the red Valentinos, I was drooling.

These Valentino Birks are the perfect shade red, but not the perfect price tag or the perfect width.  After the Birkenstock quality control issues that I have experienced, I adamantly refused to fork over half a grand (after California taxes) for a pair of Birkenstocks that were only released in narrow width.  Tsk Tsk Birkenstock for chubby foot shaming again!   As if the powers that be are passive aggressively telling their most dedicated regular width wearing customers,  that wider feet shall not be allowed to wear special collaboration Birks.  Guess what, the reason that many people choose to wear Birkenstocks is because of the wider footbed!  ARGH?!! Wide foot Birkenstock lovers want pretty, stylish sandals too.  How many blogs do I have to write to reiterate this?  Is no one listening?!


These narrow width only releases get my blood boiling.  In fact, I was so fired up that these Valentino Birks were not available in a regular width, that I became anti-Valentino!  Thus, I schemed a way to create the perfect pair of red Arizonas for myself.  And, no, I was not going to paint another pair.


I wanted elegance.  I wanted beauty.  I wanted perfection.  Cue Custom Made Birkenstocks.


I called Michelangelo, at Custom Made Birkenstocks, and asked him if he could make me a pair of Ferrari Red Arizonas.  I knew his answer before he responded.  He said, “Sure, I can do anything”.   


I told Michelangelo my exact wishes. All red....rather....all Ferrari red Arizonas.  Red leather uppers, red buckles, red leather lined footbed, and red soles.  He immediately told me that Birkenstock would not sell him authentic red soling material.  I agreed to settle for non Birkenstock soling material, so long as the soling material matched the leather uppers.  Michelangelo ended up finding red soling material from Italy.  This satisfied me, since all the best things, like Ferraris, (except Birkenstocks) come from Italy. ​

Who needs a pair of too narrow Valentinos when you can have a custom pair of “Michelangelos” that fit beautifully?​

I was so excited and pleased with my red “Michelangelos” that when I called, to personally thank him, I ordered another custom pair!!

This time I went with Leopard print!!  These are lightweight and extremely soft.  These beauties are elevated to pure elegance with the black suede lined footbed and the gold buckles.


Now that I have two perfect custom made Birkenstocks in my arsenal, I may never have to buy another pair of Birkenstocks again.  I have been spoiled.  I like this made
to order Birkenstock option.  It makes me feel a little like a Diva.


If you could order a custom pair of Birkenstocks, what color or pattern would you choose?  What model would you select?  Send me an email and let me know.


Be sure to check out Custom Made Birkenstocks newest leather acquisitions.   There are so many amazing prints from which to choose.  Go ahead, have Michelangelo make you a custom pair.  I give you permission to spoil yourself.  You deserve it.

TIPS:

Read about the issues that I have experienced with Birkenstock Quality Control here.

Find out more about Michelangelo's craftsmanship with this blog and in this post.

Learn more about narrow width Birkenstocks here and here.

Check out how to paint leather Birkenstocks here.

It’s no secret that I have amassed quite a Birkenstock collection.  If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you know that I have the oiled leather Big Buckle Arizonas and the Big Buckle Madrids in Cognac, Black, and Zinfandel.  That’s right, six pairs.  Don’t judge me.  I wear them all with love, they bring me tons of joy, and the Big Buckles are probably some of my favorite Birks ever.  Therefore, when Birkenstock released the new Blue Big Buckle Arizona, I immediately bought a pair.

The beauty of my blog is that I have connected with other Birkenstock connoisseurs all over the world.  I expressed my disbelief about the quality issues to a few other Birkenstock collectors.  I quickly came to learn that one other person had ordered three separate pairs of the same Blue Big Buckle Arizonas, from three different authorized US retailers, and every single one of her Arizonas were subpar!
​
The first pair that she received had one set of straps that was much tighter on one shoe than the other.  This particular Birkenstock collector has more Birks than me (believe it or not), she's an expert.   She knows how the straps can and should feel, right out of the box.  The second pair had exposed glue on various parts of the sandal.  With permission, I am sharing her photos:

If the two of us managed to receive FIVE pairs of Blue Big Buckle Birkenstocks with shoddy craftsmanship, all within a week’s time, I wonder how many other inferior pairs there are in the US and all across the world?!   What is astounding is that this person wears a different size than me.  Which means that the problem is not just a bad batch of size 38s.  This issue carries overs in to other sizes of Birkenstocks as well.

Birkenstock, you have been making shoes for 245 years.  You have made millions of pairs.  You have an incredible track record of evenly and precisely gluing  on the soles to the footbeds.  Why are you not getting it right with the Blue Big Buckle Arizonas?  Given your centuries of experience, how hard can it be to glue a sole to the most perfect footbed ever invented?!  It’s not rocket science.

There is one more thing that I think is unsatisfactory about the Blue Big Buckle Arizona, besides the aforementioned quality problems.  It might just be an issue for me, but, I am curious why Birkenstock selected a black leather footbed liner, instead of blue leather?!   All of the other releases, in the oiled leather big buckle line (Cognac, Black, and Zinfandel), have matching uppers and leather footbed top liners.  If Birkenstock is still manufacturing the big Blue Buckle Arizonas, perhaps they can consider swapping out the black leather liner with a matching blue leather.  Maybe this tiny modification will cure the bad juju!!

The black leather foot liner is not a total deal breaker, but Birkenstock could have made this release more elegant with a matching blue leather liner.  The only thing that could have made this a deal breaker for me is if these were finished off with a god awful white sole!

I have not decided if I will order a third pair of Blue Big Buckle Arizonas.  Some say that the third time is a charm.  But, after being so disappointed I am not inclined to place another order until Birkenstock’s quality control steps up their game.   Unless, of course, Birkenstock decides to release these beauties in regular width.  Then I would definitely try them again.  But, I know from experience, that I probably should not hold my breath for a regular width release.

Is it just me?  Is it just the Blue Big Buckles?  Are you encountering similar quality control issues with the Birkenstocks that you have received?   If so, send me a message and let me know.

TIPS:

Other issues with quality control that I have discussed on my blog pertain to the shiny metallic leathers.  Have your metallics scratched or peeled?  If so, please read this blog.

Read about my thoughts on white sole Birkenstocks here.

Want to learn more about narrow width Birkenstocks, then check out this post and this post

When I am out and about, I always  notice when people are wearing Birkenstocks.  I often joke that I can spot a Birkenstock a mile away.  I live in Berkeley, so I see lots of people wearing Birks.  In fact, if you are not wearing Birkenstocks when walking around Berkeley, people might look at you weirdly.

If you have ever visited Berkeley, then you know that weird things are a daily occurrence.  Seeing naked people attend class at Cal or protestors sleeping in dead trees to prevent them from being cut down,  is just another "normal" day in "Berzerkeley".   I just roll my eyes and move along. 

But, when I see people around town sporting Birkenstocks in all the wrong ways, ​ it takes everything in my will power to not say something.  Afterall, who is Gina Mama to make a suggestion about how one should wear his/her Birkenstocks?  

I have seen a lot of crazy things living in the Bay Area.  But, what really drives me nutso is when folks aren't wearing their Birkenstocks as they were designed to be worn.

10. Wearing the wrong size Birkenstocks.  Either too small or too big.    Need help finding the right size?  Go to an authorized Birkenstock retailer to buy your first pair and get fitted correctly.  This blog might help you.

9. Selecting the incorrect width.  Usually this means that someone opts for a narrow width Birkenstock when they really need a regular width.  How do you know a Birkenstock is too narrow?  Well, "spillage" occurs over the edges of the footbed.  Need more information about what I mean, check out my article that I wrote on this subject.

8. Straps are worn too tight.  Straps should be loose enough that your feet are able to move freely while you walk.  Check out this post that I created on how to properly adjust Birkenstock straps.

7. You don't give yourself enough time to break-in your Birkenstocks before you determine that they don't work for you.  How do you properly break-in Birkenstocks?  Easy, you follow the protocol that I created for you in this blog.

6. You get them wet and then lay them out in direct sunlight to dry.   First, don't get them wet.  Second, NEVER, EVER...EVER leave your Birkenstocks in the direct sunlight.  Why?  Read this to learn how to properly care for your Birkenstock footwear.

5. You wear the soles down all the way to the cork.  Don't do this.   Think of your soles as you would the tires on your car.  When the tread shows too much wear, get them resoled.  It doesn't cost too much and extends the life of your Birkenstocks.  How and where do you get Birks resoled?  Just call Michelangelo at Custom Made Birkenstocks, he does a fabulous job with resoling, repairs, and customization.

4. Authentic Birkenstocks are not purchased.  You decide to save a few bucks and purchase look-alike Birks or knowingly buy fakes.  Let me be the first to warn you not to do either.   Why?  Birkenstocks are worth every penny because over time they feel like custom made shoes.  

3. You don't reseal the cork when it begins to look dry and then complain that your Birkenstocks only lasted a few months.   A little TLC goes a long way when maintaining your Birks.  Resealing the cork on your sandals is super easy, here is a blog that I wrote with steps on how and when do to this.

2. You wait too long to purchase the pair you really, REALLY wanted and then they sell out in your size.  You need to remember that Birkenstock retires colors and styles fairly often.  So, if you see a seasonal release that catches your eye, then you need to snag it while you have the chance.  Otherwise, you will regret not doing so.

1. You wear socks with your Birkenstocks.  (Just kidding, to each his/her own.  I just personally wouldn't do it.)

As I stated before, I have seen lots of weird things walking around Berkeley.  But, nothing is as odd as seeing someone wear socks with their Birkenstocks!!!!  ​

What are some mistakes that you have seen other people make when it comes to Birkenstocks.  Send me a message with your observations.   I would love to hear from you.