February 2, 2010
Did you think I’d fallen off the wagon? The Minimalist one, I mean. I’d like to say I hadn’t but I did put the quest on pause for a while, I needed to catch my breath and just enjoy ownership for while before I picked up the momentum again. This time, due to a chance remark by a male (*cough* shoe whore! *cough) friend who claims I own more shoes than he, I’ve targeted … my shoes.
I’ve had a lot of shoe rules over the years:
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- They can’t make my feet look like boats. My feet are smallish so wrong-sized shoes just make me look like a clown clomping around looking for my personal Tokyo to stomp.
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- Room to wiggle my toes (in the closed toed category).
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- Not trendy – I wanted cute but also for them to last a long time.
- I had to be able to run in them. All of them. Just in case I ever encounter a creepy middle of the night, walking alone, something scares me scenario and then I have to outrun a serial murderer/survive a zombie invasion/catch a mugger/make it to Safe first.
Would you be surprised if not all of them met my last requirement?
Even with those rules, I’ve picked up some doozies of Bad Judgment over the years so I won’t show you the shoes that were just culled from the herd. Instead, I’ll show you the shoes that made the first cut. I’m setting new rules: comfort first, attractive second, and I can’t own more shoes than half my age.
My biggest problem with shoes is the same problem I have with all clothing. I have unreasonable expectations. I want a multi-functional,everyday shoe that’s comfortable and casual, but won’t look weird paired with jeans, black pants, shorts or maybe even skirts. In search of that perfect shoe, I kept buying Almost shoes. That is a LOT of money wasted on shoes that aren’t Keepers.
The shoe that I want, this Magic/Bond-like item, doesn’t exist and I have to accept that.
Instead, I’m now trying to shape the shoe-pack into a streamlined unit where a set of two or three pairs will see me through any sort of trip: the long weekend, a short week, a three week jaunt.
The workhorses: hiking, running, and trotting about town (3)
The casuals(6, 1 missing):
(My Rainbows are missing from this photo)
The fancies (7, 1 missing)
(My interview shoes are missing from this photo.)
Clocking in at a grand 17 pairs, even after rejecting another 7, I still have a few more than my accuser, but this is a good start.
A few thoughts now that I’m facing the collection as a whole: the MaryJanes may have to go soon. They’re fun, but not really age-appropriate. The silver ones I’m only holding onto out of sentimentality since they saved me well over $100 in bridesmaid shoes (4 silver shoe weddings). As long as my declaration of No More Bridesmaiding! stands, I won’t be needing them either.
What’s your shoe philosophy?
November 11, 2009
Happily, no jet lag, but definitely a little discombobulation after returning home late. The suitcase remains unpacked which is distinctly odd – opening mail and unloading the suitcase are usually the first things I do when I get home.
Some ramblings for y’all ’til I get it together ….
Audio
Had Ramit on in the background for 45 seconds.
Water Bill
48% decrease. What happened?
Piperlime
These shoes came in, but the day after 7 hours of travel and fat feet is not the time to try on new shoes. I mostly ordered them to check for fit (they have free shipping and free returns), and for the $25 off next purchase coupon.
Returns pile
I went to the trouble of buying a pack of AAA batteries in NY for my mouse. That I left at home in CA. And then found out that I actually just needed a single AA. Back to Walgreens later today.
Cobra/Open Enrollment
This is a whole other post – but turns out I still get to participate in O.E. this November. Oh goody! New rates! Oh wait. …
Netbook lust
I was woefully out of touch this past week because my regular laptop [which I love!] is just too heavy to schlock around the city. The longing for a netbook is pushing me to consider …. dun-dun-duuunnnn…. BLACK FRIDAY!
Feel free to weigh in on that last topic, folks, recommendations, warnings, etc. No enabling necessary! I have set the boundary: it has to be under $200.
November 6, 2009
The flats-finding mission: When my last pair of flats destroyed my feet, the objective was simple: a pair of basic black flats, comfortable, fashionable, flexible for most events, $40 and under.
Thanks to Chelsea Bea‘s online shopping ninja-ry, we put together The Deal.
DSW.com
+ Free shipping for orders over $35 [FALLSHP, no stated exp. date]
+ $5 off $49 or more [OCTPKG, code implies it’s good until end of Oct]
+ 30% off any single purchase of $35 or more [code expired, via RetailMeNot.com]
+ ebates.com (4% cash back)
= 29% savings after DSW sale prices
This is what they looked like online:
A) Mia Hepburn Reptile Flats
B) Seychelles Frayed Ballet Flats
And this is how they fit:
A) The reptile flats were hands-down soft and comfortable, but that very squishiness may be cause for concern. Will it be sturdy enough to last? The shoe is stamped “leather upper” but the part around the heel is less leather and more … cardboard? I can’t really tell. It’s really soft, again, but seems more papery. I have to pick up something from my shoe repair/tailor shop, I can ask the shoe guy to take a look and give me his opinion. (listed $39.95, paid 27.97 after all discounts.)
B) The ballet flats were very cute, and interesting, and did not squish my toes at all. The downside was that the sole was hard as concrete, and the upper was just about as forgiving. Though I knew size 6 was probably a little generous when I ordered, this brand’s 6 definitely does not fit me, at least not in this style. Too hard, too roomy, and my heel slid out too easily. These guys are getting dropped off back at the next DSW I pass by. (listed $29.94, paid 29.57 after all discounts. To be fair, it was because of adding this shoe to the order that I got the free shipping [$7.95] and the extra $5 off to cover all taxes.)
October 13, 2009
I cheated on my no-frivolous-spending mandate recently on a pair of cute, faux-leather ankle boots.
Armed with a sale, a $10 off coupon, and a gift card I wasn’t planning to use on boots, I bought them anyway. The last pair of boots I owned have been retired since 2006, and were knee-high: not exactly the easiest to deal with when you’re constantly having to take them off, and put them back on. (This is a problem when traveling and when you’re Asian and go to anyone’s house. By my age, removing your footwear is a compulsion at the molecular level, practically.)
Now, how do you protect faux-leather boots? Other than not wearing them? Full disclosure: I’m really tough on my clothing/shoes. I fully intend to wear these boots outside, and that means they’re going to encounter weather. If I travel in them, they might even encounter rain. Sleet. Ice. Snow? Can/should you waterproof faux leather?
For once, I’m thinking ahead to try to protect the shoes instead of destroying them, but Google is silent on this matter. It seems like it would have been easier to spend the extra money on real leather boots since lanolin’s an easy fix for that stuff. But faux leather, does it just not require protection?
January 13, 2009
These babies complete my suit outfit:
I know, they’re not crazy 3 inches beauts like some other bloggers’s selections, but I’m just not coordinated enough to do those shoes justice so I’m going to stick with what I know – comfort with a little twist.
They’re a lot pointier and greener than I expected, but that’s ok.
I’m actually attempting to match my bag and shoes, and using complementary colors to coordinate my outfit instead of using the standard white button down shirt and black suit combo, for the first time in my life ’cause I’m taking this interview seriously. 😉
June 5, 2008
To be looking at SHOES, Angie!
But these do look like a cute spring version of the flats I’ve been wearing everyday. Now that I’ve shared, that’s all I have to say on the matter.
March 20, 2008
I’m not allowed to buy shoes, especially not $60 on sale shoes, but it’s fun to look, now and again. When I was on the Nine West website, I got sucked into the *SALE* link. I may be hesitant to buy from them again, though.
These look like a nice solid pair of work shoes, with a solid heel and cute front with buckles to poke out from under long pants.
I find I’m more into red these days, and have this odd conviction that these shoes will be cuter in person. *shrug* Not $59.99 cute, but cute.
