Remember that scene from Pretty Woman...

No, no, I'm not talking about the scene at the clothing boutique where Vivian returns to show the rude sales lady what a mistake she made (although that scene does cross my mind sometimes when a salesperson isn't friendly to me). I'm thinking of the one where Julia Roberts is getting ready one night and uses a permanent marker to shine up her black, thigh-high boots?

I was reminded of that little household trick the other day when pairing a cozy aztec sweater jacket and leggings with the perfect pair of caramel brown knee-high boots.  You know, they kind of have a cowboy boot vibe but much more subtle, so you can wear them with pretty much over any skinny pant AND with skirts or dresses?  Well, these went perfectly with my outfit, but were too scuffed to wear out that night. There were scratches on the toes and the outer sides of both boots.  Luckily, I was prepared for such a dilemna.  Once, after I had scuffed a wooden coffee table, I bought a pack of Sharpie permanent markers at the hardware store, that were meant to cover blemishes on all kinds of wooden furniture.  I had 3 shades of brown; two of which looked like they would work for this quick fix.  I used the darkest brown color on the toe of the boot, since the leather was darkest near the sole, and used my finger to immediately blend the ink into the leather and to soften the pen lines.  I could then use the medium brown tone for the side of the boot, also using my finger to blend the ink into the leather.

This is a cheap and quick trick to salvage a pair of well-worn shoes or boots.  Permanent markers come in every color of the rainbow now, so this fix can work for more than just black or brown leather. My only concern is with very soft or very expensive leather.  Some items are worth spending the extra money to save them from the garbage can!

Check out who else loves my perfect brown boots: