Last week, I did a major purge. Both literally and figuratively. I am moving this month, so to prepare myself for the move, I decided to truly rid myself of any baggage I had that was weighing me down. (I have three Ikea bags full of clothes and 17 pair of shoes that will be going to theClothing Swap!) As I pack, I realize that my collection of clothes and shoes are huge, but I realize that I own very few shoes that I am in love with. Actually, as I look at my entire shoe collection, I realize that I don’t have any shoes that I am in love with. All my shoes are very functional. Or reasonably priced. Or purchased because I had a coupon code for additional savings off. I want to have a tight show game though. I want people to not even notice my outfit because my shoe game is that crazy. I want to wear a white t-shirt and jeans and have my entire ensemble elevated because my shoe is so fabulous, to wear anything more extravagant would be blasphemous to the shoe. But… I want to wear that shoe the ENTIRE day/night, and be able to stand in them the entire night. If I build an outfit around I shoe, I want to wear the shoe, not just post one picture to Instagram so my followers can like it, I actually want to wear the shoe. So here are my promises to myself in my quest for shoe game fabulosity:
- Be prepared to spend a considerable amount of cash on one pair of shoes that I love, instead of purchasing 3-4 pairs of shoes that I “ehhhh…like”. If I can wear one quality shoe a lot, instead of wearing my less expensive shoes infrequently, I want to do that.
- Purchase a shoe at full price instead of waiting for it to go on sale! I wear a 10, 10.5, and/or an 11. Most shoe designers create shoes in these sizes, but they are very limited in supply. When I wait until a sale, the shoe is usually unavailable and I convince myself that I would be happy with 2 lesser liked items.
- Make sure the shoe is comfortable when I purchase it. I drive, but I like to get out and walk and be “amongst” the people when I go out. And living in DC, the parking is ridiculous, so everyone already prepares to walk at least a mile to their destination. I need a shoe that can withstand that kind of pressure. That does not include a stiletto. Or a platform with an invisible heel, a la’ Lady Gaga, and every other fashionista.
- Be a little more open to shoes that are not leather (arghhhhhhh……). I have been raised to wear quality leather shoes, and when I began to purchase my own clothes, that stayed with me. As I’ve gotten older, that rule has been extended to include leather soles. This has limited my ability to purchase shoes that are trendy! I hate cork soles, jute soles, straw soles, etc., but with the absence of anything else the last few seasons, I have been forced to wear them. I am not willing to spend hundreds of dollars on a sandal with a tribal print, but I cannot buy a shoe from Aldo, Payless, Jessica Simpson, BCBG Girls, Madden Girl, etc. because I know these lines are targeted towards younger people and the quality shows it, but they also carry some of the trendiest items at great price points and availability. So I usually have very few shoes.
So I have created a board of the SHOES I NEED NOW, to make me happy. Maybe not all these shoes per se, as some are too pricey, but similar. I can feel the happy.
* The absence of color and presence of animal print is duly noted and intentional.