Captions in the comments, as per usual. If a picture is worth a thousand words, we humbly request you keep it to less than 300 in this particular case. The kid already has more ink than the bloody library, from the looks of things.

This is Shaylee, from the mightily demented KryptKiddies doll company. Right handy in case Marilyn Manson needs to pick up a christening present, but what are the odds, eh?

Alas, I have been neglecting the boys. I apologize!

The problem, it seems, with boy’s footwear is that there is not a lot of choice out there. Why is it they can find a million ways to do a Mary Jane but only five for an Oxford?

But since the holidays are coming, I decided to try and find some nice boy’s dress shoes at a decent price. That is much harder than it sounds.

I tend to favor the traditional over the trendy when it comes to boys dress shoes. The shoes below are beautifully constructed, I wanted very much to love them. But dang if that buckle is just a tad too big and shiny for an eight year old boy. They look very similar to something one of those guys who trumpets the arrival of the royalty to the castle would wear. Couldn’t you just see these co-existing just a bit too comfortably with some tights, balloon pants, and puffy sleeves?

Ah, but here, we have found the magic buckle color, which is more subdued and does not trumpet shout it’s presence.

I also think these loafers by Sperry are a good (and cheaper) alternative, shoes that can go with a suit or just a nice pair of pants and a sweater.