I went to a bridal shower this afternoon. As I was getting ready, of the things I had to do was, of course, find an appropriate pair of shoes for the nice outfit I was wearing.
As I was searching through my shoes, I noticed how many pairs of black dress shoes I have, most of them flats. Then I remembered that certain pairs go with certain outfits. You can’t just wear any old black shoes with any old outfit. It just doesn’t work that way.
Every so often my husband will make a joke (as I’m changing my shoes because that pair just doesn’t look quite right with the outfit I’ve got on) about “what, are those the wrong shade of black?” And as he’s ducking the shoe I’ve just thrown at him, my answer is always “yes.”
Sigh. Anyway, I ended up wearing black heels, because they looked better with the outfit.
Is it just me, or does anyone else have several pairs of black dress shoes? I don’t mean just one pair of flats & one pair of heels. I mean, six, seven, or more, like me? Oh, it’s okay to count shoes that you bought that were on sale but have never worn.
What the heck is it with women and shoes? Sheesh. I was out at the damn mall with a lady friend looking for a shop to dye shoes for a wedding she’s attending. It’s not bad enough she’s going to have a damn lavender dress she won’t be able to wear again (She thinnks that’s a spring color and it should be more eggplant for summer but don’t freaking even get me started on that!) but now she’s turning a perfectly nice pair of white shoes into a color that won’t match anything else she has. She’s always on me about “purging” and throwing stuff out. She said that after she threw out shoes she only had 18 pair!
Dyed-to-match shoes are the worst trouble. They look perfect in the shop, and then in fluorescent lights they will suddenly turn from red to orange, while your dress goes from red to mauve. And I don’t even dare check my lipstick at that point!
Speaking of wrong shade of black: For our orchestra’s performances, we girls wore long, black formal dresses. I had a hell of a time finding a decent shoe whose black matched the black of my dress. There are at least four distinct different “blacks” out there! Argh! I couldn’t exactly bring my dress with me to each store I tried. Every girl in my section had the same gripe. ::sigh:: I’m glad those days are over.
Different shoes material? Yeah, right. I’ve got a pair of black shoes, they’re my dress shoes, and I wear them when I’m dressing up. I don’t need another pair of black shoes, that’d mean I’d have two pairs of black shoes. I don’t need two. One has to be sneakers, for when I’m not dressing up.
Hey, I’m not a typical female when it comes to shoes! I currently own only 3 pairs of footwear: my Vans, which I wear most of the time, my old Nikes, which I wear when I go walking, and my sexy black heels :). That’s enough for me.
Yep. Different shades of black. Last time I had to shop for dress shoes, I wore the dress to the store. I would then hold a shoe up to the dress, inspect it, then try it on. Very effective.
As for mulitple pairs of shoes, I have a pair of Vans (everyone has to own at least one pair of Vans), a pair of dress shoes, and about a million pairs of walking/running/hiking shoes. Seriously, I have 14 pairs of shoes, 12 pairs of walking/running/hiking shoes.
okay, well, as long as we’re talking about how much easier men have it than women when it comes to clothes, can we talk about women’s sizes? i have a handle on the whole bra thing, of course, since that’s been exposed (as it were) already. but what about the seemingly simple issue of womens’ dress/pant sizes? there’s only ONE SIZE!! even men get two sizes for pants, two other sizes for shirts, and two sort of different sizes for suits. but the entire spectrum of womens’ clothes is covered by one size. and they don’t even use the even numbers. and no one in history above the age of consent is a size 1. i think. that leaves no more than about half a dozen sizes to account for all of womankind. what the felch is up with that? an ex-girlfriend of mine who “used to work in retail” tells me that it’s all about the style or make of the clothes item, at least when it comes to jeans… certain jeans brands run large, or small, or wide, or thin, or what have you, and the tiny little numbers on the label all mean something too (who knew?). is the average woman supposed to comprehend all this? instead of all that complexity just to disguise the fact that not all women look alike, why not use a reasonable size system, like guys do. i just don’t get it.
oh, and i’m a guy, and i have between six and eight pairs of shoes, depending on what you count… two everyday pairs (my black adidas and my blue adidas), dress-up shoes, basketball shoes, running shoes, and some rockport boots for winter. also sandals and soccer cleats, if you count those.
I normally detest the kind of women who horde shoes like that. My mom is the perfect example. I love this woman, but she has a different pair of shoes for every outfit she owns. Not just black either. She has red shoes and blue shoes and yellow shoes and tan shoes, and on and on. She has flats, high heels, boots, sneakers, hiking shoes, etc.
I confess to owning four pairs of black shoes, but I only wear one pair on a regular basis. I love my black flats. They are so comfortable.
I love shoes, but a friend of mine recently talked me into buying expensive, well-made shoes for a change. She said I’d never go back, and she’s right. I’ve worn the same two pairs of Eccos all summer. Problem is, here comes winter. Not only are Ecco’s winter shoes hideous, they also are too expensive to buy the multiple pairs I usually favor.
The comic strip Cathy (which I have long since refused to read) had a strip along these lines many years ago. When she finally found the right black shoes, she realized all of her hose were the wrong shade of nude.
Six or seven pairs? Fourteen pairs? I have at least 30 pairs of black shoes. Probably about 80-100 pairs altogether.
Before the horrified shrieks start, I will qualify by saying that the 30 pairs are all different: there are flats, medium heels, high heels, heels that I can walk in for a long time and heels that are only suitable when taking a taxi (persons living in big cities will understand this), work shoes, casual shoes, summer (fabric) shoes, leather shoes, suede shoes, patent leather shoes, ankle boots, tall boots, sturdy walking shoes, dressy evening shoes, etc. And I usually buy only well-made high-end brands, so even the ones I wear very frequently last several years. The ones I only wear occasionally last many years. The pair I have on today I bought in 1995 and they look as good as new - and I wear them a lot.
We don’t have it easy. All the fabrics used for women’s clothes are also used for men’s clothes. We make it easy 'cause we don’t care. You can adopt this attitude too. Like so:
Your outfit matches or is only slightly off: Go to work.
Right, I have three pairs of blacks shoes for school- and as we get to wear our own clothes, ( dress code is smart office wear and you always have to wear a skirt) so they match the different shades of black skirts which have faded to some degree. I then hace two pairs of black shoes for going out with different heel heights and strap length.
Moving on to boots - one pair knee high black. I tried on 34 pairs to get the right ones and now the heels have worn down I’ll have to do it all again. I at one point had four pairs of black ankle boots but I exercised self control and got rid of them. I miss them terribly so I’ll have to wait to the sales to get a new pair although I’m thinking red this time. my favourite pair of shoes are silver strappy ones with a metal bar as one of the straps. They are so comfortable (and they’re about 5 inches high) and make my ankles look really thin!
I think I pay more for getting my shoes reheeled(sp?) then I do for buying them as I walk “like a baby elephant” according to my very kind friends.
Black is best, it goes with everything. Shoes rock!
Does anyone else have a bag obsession too? Then you can spend time finding the right bag to match your shoes like me. Oh dear, I like shopping more than I can afford.
Check out the ink pads at the craft stores, there are, in fact at least 4 distinct “shades” of black available, all by the same company.
Anyhow For me? no. don’t really get “into” shoes. I have my summer shoes, and winter shoes. that’s about it. both black.
