Shoes

I am not a shoe nut.  I don’t buy new shoes as often as I get a paycheck.  My sense of comfort preempts fashion and heels.  Second-hand shoes are ok with me. 

But I am particular.  Not because I believe the world is waiting to see my shoe selection.  I note all the time that many people do shoe and sock and outfit combinations that don’t stand out as awkward, but that I would never do.  If I look down at my feet and the sight is distracting or out of place, I go crazy.  So the socks and shoes I wear are all about me. 

I am pretty simple in my shoe taste.  Basically I need three colors of shoes: Black, White, and Brown.  And in each of these colors, I really do need all the types of shoes I wear.  The one exception is tennis shoes.  So.

We’ll start with boots.  It is the biggest category.  I do not have a pair of white boots.  You have no idea the trouble this causes.  I like to wear skirts, even in winter time.  Boots look good enough with skirts.  But with white skirts and other light colors, solid chocolate browns and midnight blacks draw a little too much attention to my feet.  Never mind this is how ladies in the west managed for centuries (watch a Jane Austen costume drama, or Little House on the Prairie!).  My eyes are peeled for a decent pair of white boots.  Until I find them, I’m settling for freezing my feet in sandals or *cringe* wearing brown boots. 

I do have a nice selection of brown boots.  My favorite pair is shorter but has more of a heel.  However, I wore it 50% of the time for a couple years, so there are a couple issues.  First, the zipper is pulling away from the leg.  Fortunately, I can slip on the boots without unzipping.  Secondly, the heels are so worn that there are holes in them, admitting pebbles so that when I walk, I sound like a rattle.  They remain quite comfortable.  Last year I picked up a replacement pair of brown leather boots that are taller, with less of a heel, but work quite well.  And I actually own a pair of brown sheepskin boots for when it is very cold outside (and when I am so layered in coats and sweaters and scarves that the least of my vanity worries is what my shoes look like). 

Black boots are an issue for me.  I have owned two pairs for some time, involuntarily.  The first are nicer.  Leather.  A small heel.  But inside the lining of the sole is coming up in a most uncomfortable way.  Still, with a thick pair of socks, I can get by just fine.  The other pair of black boots is a half size too small if I wear them with my favorite thick socks.  The pair was, when I purchased them, in better condition than the others, but it scuffed quickly.  Styled like a riding boot, this pair has a near-fatal flaw: the tread is the slipperiest I have ever encountered.  Only slightly more treacherous is a pair of synthetic plush slipper socks.  On tile floors, cement, pavement, sidewalks, I have to resort to a sort of march-step to stay upright.  And on ice (this is Colorado I live in!), I dare not wear them without an ice-pick or railing to hold onto.  So I recently got rid of that pair, lest an overthought leave me with a nasty fall and broken bones.

Now to sandals.  Several years ago I used a Kohl’s gift card to buy a pair of simple white dress sandals.  The heel is probably about an inch and a half.  There is no back to the sandal, and the toes are open.  Easy to slip on, they’re also easy to slip off, and offer no beauty to toes or heels.  My black sandals are also for special occasions: strappy, a solid heel.  Perfect for wearing with a pair of long dress pants.  I don’t remember when I got them, but do know I had them over 5 years ago when I wore them to a theatrical production of Frankenstein, celebrating my friend’s birthday.  In my closet are two pairs of brown sandals.  The first is my favorite, but, like my brown boots, getting worn.  So last year I went to replace them with a similar pair, which was nearly impossible.  Flip-flops and Crocs are both solidly out.  I want a darker brown, with a back.  Covering most of my foot, leaving slits for air.  Buckles are a must.  The sole should not be too thick, and the lining cannot be rubber or plastic or anything sticky.  I ended up buying the replacement pair at a store at the mall.  They’re a size too big, but I intend to wear them in a puddle one day to shrink them…

I have a pair of white flat dress shoes and a pair of black.  These obnoxious things demand I wear hose with them, the most ridiculous apparel invention ever.  They’re uncomfortable, make me cold and sweaty, do almost nothing for looks, are impossible to wash, store, or maintain.  I pull on hose and cause a run, discover a run, or breathe a sigh of relief that there is no run.  Later, once at the formal occasion demanding this torture in the first place, out of the blue I look down and discover a brand new run, which there’s no fixing now!  Long skirts are very practical helps for such things, but cannot help with the shoe dilemma. 

So most of the time I can pull off formal either with boots, sandals, or ballet flats.  These last are my prized footwear.  I have a pair of white, black, and brown.  They’re the prettiest things on my shoe shelf.  First I picked up the white ones.  I searched all over for a season before deciding on them.  By that time I had to order them online from Kohl’s.  They’re lace, all white (no black soles!), canvas-lined, and stay on my feet.  Next I found a pair of brown suede flats at a thrift store.  They have fantastic details of stitching and flower-rosettes.  I wear these usually with socks and pants; the other two pairs of flats are good with pants or skirts, and barefoot.  I’ve had my eye out for black flats for a while.  But I just couldn’t find any.  They had to be mostly black, slip on easily, and have a lining that, like sandals, won’t stick to the bottom of my feet.  Finally, just a month ago, I picked some up at Target, after extensive experimentation in the shoe aisle.  They are not perfectly comfortable (what shoes are the first time you wear them?), but are getting more bearable as I break them in.  They’re on my feet right now.  Slip-on shoes like these are quite popular with me since I started frequenting homes where shoes are left at the door.  Leaving is much easier when you just step into your shoes!

Finally, I have two pairs of tennis shoes.  They’re both blue and white (think blue jeans!), both Sketcher’s.  I’ve had pairs of store brand tennis shoes, and the difference is so noticeable in comfort, that I decided to stick with Sketcher’s.  In the old days I needed a pair of gym shoes with good tread for Awana Games events.  Now that I’m well past high school, I have one pair for outside things like hiking or camping, dirty things like painting and gardening.  And the other is for running around the city, playing in parks with my friends or shopping at the mall (or thrift stores). 

All told, I have 16 pairs of shoes (oh! and one pair of soft gray slippers!).  It isn’t excessive – honest!  That said, I think I could make do with a pair of tenni’s, a pair of sandals, and my new brown boots.  That is if I didn’t have to work as a receptionist, tramp through the snow, or appear at very formal occasions. 

To God be all glory.