Lung preservers were recommended as a way of warding off dangerous chills, or worse. The beautiful pink specimen pictured above was found over at the spectacular graphic archive of Sheaff Ephemera. (A word of warning, their site is addictive.) The tomato-colored one is from the Science Museum of London’s website which chronicles the history of medicine. Times may have changed, but who says you can’t wear one of these anyway.

The past few years have been super crappy for me when it comes to footwear. I inherited a smallish bunion on my right foot (thanks Dad!) which makes it increasingly difficult to find a comfortable, much less stylish pair of soles (high heels are completely out of the question). Add to that the fact that I resent spending money on something that is built to fall apart within a few months, or even years. My standard for buying anything these days is: Will I like this not just a year from now, but 10 years from now? And, more to the point: Will it last? My new shoes met this challenge on every level!

Who knows why I am so fixated by white rubber footwear, but I am. Some months before they shut their doors, I read a story in Gourmet magazine about a cheesemaker in Italy. He was clad totally in white. And on his feet….white rubber boots. I’ve been trolling Italian Google ever since. I’ve found some close approximations, but no perfect match. I added in the white clogs as a natural segue for our hotter summer months. For anyone in the market for a new pair of shoes, these are thankfully available here.