Salvatore Ferragamo Vara at Thrift Store

At my favourite church thrift, as usual, I scope out the housewares first, and then the books if I have time.  The other week when I was there, however, I decided to check out the shoe area where I scored the vintage Ballys.

I was rewarded by the familiar sight of these navy blue Salvatore Ferragamo Vara shoes, made in Italy... with a $10 price sticker! You may recall in my post on the Manolo Blahniks that I once saw a pair of Ferragamos at the thrift in the same style, in white - but they were far too small for my feet.

I got downright giddy when I saw that these fit me perfectly. I know they could have been cheaper, as most shoes are priced at five bucks at this place, but I wasn't too upset.

Fashion bloggers seem to adore this shoe. You see, the Ferragamo Vara was introduced in 1978, with its timeless low heel and iconic ballet flat style, and has endured through the decades. You can still purchase this shoe style today!

The catch? A new pair would set you back about $400 at your local Salvatore Ferragamo boutique!

There is also a little bit of "old-lady style" to the shoes in my opinion... but I still think they're cool.

The highlight of the shoe for me is the grosgrain ribbon bow and signature brass buckle. It looks as good as new... The signature is crystal clear on the shoe vamp.

I was inspired to keep digging around - You know that theory some thrifters have? If someone with great taste and goods came to the thrift to drop something off, it's likely that they dropped off more than one item.

Lo and behold, I found another pair in the same size, but black instead of navy blue!

I ended up selling the black pair and keeping the navy one for myself. I didn't make a lot of money reselling them, but let's just say I ended up owning the navy shoes for better than free!

Linking up to the the Penny Worthy Project, HLA's Flea Market Finds and ATG's Thrift Share Monday.