A while back I was on one of my strolls around South Austin and as always and as Mike hilariously parodied my blog posts one day, I "happened upon" this little shoe shop. Bootleg, Austin. It's located in an Airstream trailer. And it's beautiful. The most elegant Airstream I've been in. There are lots of funky, quirky, rock 'n roll, utilitarian, and kitsch trailers being cool on city streets around the country but this one was like a design studio I would have - not totally glam, rather functional, personal, casual but thoughtful.
Its home is on South Congress just north of Perla's restaurant and south of Hotel San Jose. The inside is simple, has neutral tones, and feels spacious enough. The walls are covered in photos, magazine pages of inspiration, and press. This is going to sound bad but stay with me...it reminds me of my bedroom as a preteen but with much more sophisticated taste. The reason I say this is because my walls were covered in my artwork (collages), fashion pages from magazines like Bazaar, Elle, Interview, Hit Parader, Circus, who can remember what other magazines, old t-shirts, and random pulp in general. As I got older I toned it down and didn't cover every square inch of wall and ceiling with anything I ever had or found. What eventually became a tame selection - and the arrangement of things - was just as important as the art itself. And this is where the comparison is validated. The composition of artwork and the content on the walls of Bootleg, Austin as well as the display of shoes is perfectly lovely.
Have I mentioned yet that Sarah, the owner, has a killer collection of shoes in her shop? Really unique selection that you don't see anywhere else. And how striking is she?! What a classic beauty she emanates. Last but not least: check out those shoes! And the carpet - great pattern. Next time you're on South Congress pop in; it's a cool experience.
