Oh, and I am STILL on the hunt for a pair of tan high-calf leather boots with a chunky heel. My shoe hunt will be done for a while when I find a pair I like that won’t kill my VISA.
Unless another pair of super-cute black leather kitten heel mules jump into my cart.
I can’t tell you how happy I am to find there are other women who aren’t into the zillion-shoe thang. If that’s what floats your boat, fine, it’s your money. But sometimes there seems to be this weird hive-mind thing going on that says all real women love hundreds of foot-torturing spike-heeled Devil’s slippers, and you’re a big freak if you don’t want to bond over lunch at Payless (sorta like a guy who doesn’t care for televised football 
). And yes, I blame S&TC.
That’s exactly how I feel. The right shoes have the ability to increase my confidence 100%. I just got a pair of shoes at Target of all places yesterday that are just plain sexy. Now, my vision of sexy probably isn’t standard, but what counts is how they make me feel. And thay make me feel gooood.
On the tan boots - how about these?
I’ve probably got 60 or so…and I’m not even an extremist. I just don’t get rid of shoes, so when I find a pair that works on some level, I buy them. For comfort, for looks, to go with a particular outfit. Sometimes I’ll buy a pair that just tortures me, then I donate them to charity. Surely someone will find them comfortable. Mostly, though, I have boots, several pairs for winter, and sandals, many, many pairs, for spring and summer. Summer clothes especially call for different styles, colors, etc.
I don’t have a million pairs of shoes for three major reasons. (American, female, 27.)
Shoes are EXPENSIVE. Especially since I have to get them modified a bit, which leads to
I can’t wear anything with heels for medical reasons. Finding a single pair of basic flats is a PITA. I have one pair of black ones at the moment, and that is it on the dress shoe front. Even those are uncomfortable after more than a couple of hours.
Why? Even if I had to dress up all the time, I’d probably just have a few basic pairs that go with almost anything. But right now I mostly wear jeans and t-shirts and stuff. I have sneakers and sandals and that’s it for everyday wear. The sandals I can’t wear if I’ll be on my feet a lot because of a distinct lack of ankle support (drat).
I won’t argue if you like to have a million pairs, but don’t expect me to understand why. My black flats go with anything except summery dress-up clothes. I believe I have exactly three dressy outfits at all, which can probably make four or five if I get real creative with bits and pieces. I’m just not into clothes and shoes because for me buying clothes is the purest of pain, and shoes are almost as bad. Except for sneakers, they’re easy, I know which brand and model I want. I fear the day they are discontinued.
Ellis Dee, the point is that people spend lots of money on all kinds of things that other people don’t see the value in. Some people like to buy lots of shoes. I don’t happen to think that’s strange. Other people buy plasma TVs or expensive cars or hundreds of DVDs, which I don’t understand at all. Whether any of those things appreciate in value or not has nothing to do with it.
Well, as a 21 year old male, I own 4 pairs of shoes, black leather steel-toecapped boots, which I wear all the time, black leather shoes to wear for wedding/funerals/job interviews, etc. sandally things that I wear when I can’t be arsed to find socks, and some trainers somewhere that I haven’t worn for months.
My girlfriend, OTOH has somewhere between fifty and one thousand pairs of shoes, some of which are so similar I can’t tell the difference between them, some of which are still in mint condition, having been bought and then never worn for some reason, many of which have been worn on one occasion and then cast aside in favour of another pair of shoes which somehow make her ankles look slimmer/her knees look prettier/a better noise when she walks on a wooden dancefloor. I once suggested throwing out some shoes so she would have more space, she looked at me as if I had suggested a threesome with her dead aunt. I suggested that maybe she didn’t need to buy as many shoes, she gave me a stare which was icier than a siberian winter. I dropped the whole shoe thing, since I thought it prudent not to persue it to a point where I had to dodge the things as they were hurled at my head. As a mere man, I decided, I could never hope to understand the complex emotional relationship my girlfriend has with shoes. I returned to browsing for shiny flashing electrical thingies that served no descernible purpose but were expensive and high-tech, so must be good at whatever it was they did that I had up until now lived without.
Women - totally unfathomable, utterly intoxicating. 
As another 21 year old male, I have: all-purpose tennis shoes, a pair of black Clarks, a pair of tan Clarks, a pair of some sort of shoe that’s apparently more formal than the Clarks, my sandals, a pair of hiking boots, and a pair of Sorels. That’s what, 7 pairs, mostly specialized and rarely used. I have, on occasion, been shopping with a woman looking for shoes and I will never understand it. I’m just happy if I can find a pair that fit my large feet.
Heck, I’ve played games of NetHack where I’ve had more pairs of shoes than I do in real life. But I really could use those +1 speed boots sometimes in real life.
I will have enough shoes when I own them all!
Well, maybe not all, but probably more than I own right now, which is one hundred and seventeen pairs, including slippers. I once owned exactly two pairs of shoes and thought that was fine, but now I like to be more precise.
You see, when I choose shoes to go with an outfit, it’s much the same way a poet desires the perfect word or a painter the perfect shade of red for a work. Just getting almost, but not quite, the right shoes for a particular outfit can be irritating for a visual person like me.
I also appreciate the design and craftsmanship that went into making a lot of my shoes. When done properly, they really are like little works of art you can wear.
I am a 25 year old American male and have two pairs of shoes. Dressy and casual(tennnis shoes), both black. I am not sure if shoe collecting is cultural or instincual for women, since I have an 18 month neice who seems to be developing a shoe thing already. She’ll end up just like her mother, my older sister, who definately into shoes.
I also dislike buying shoes… but it must be done from time to time.
if you discount exercise shoes (shoes for dance, running, cycling, etc. which all have a specific purpose and the activity needs those shoes) I have very few pairs. I get a pair of sandals every year, and wear them until they die, then I get a pair of boots and do the same.
Then there are dress shoes… and no, they don’t go with everything, not even the black pumps. So, there are the times you find a great dress - and have nothing to wear on your feet that don’t clash, which means finding another pair of shoes. I hate doing it, but there it is. I have no connection to those shoes (about 1/2 the time I don’t even like them… I certainly don’t spend much money on them, (payless or Nordstrom Rack or some other hideously discounted shoe place)). And if I ever get my act together and get all my stuff to goodwill, those shoes will be among the first items to go.
Having size 10 (9.5 to 11 depending on the manufacturer) feet might have something to do with it. Size 10 shoes are almost universally ugly or disproportionate (look at the same shoe in a 7 and an 11. The ratios are all wrong in the 11.) so, shoe shopping is just as depressing as swimming suit shopping.
I guess I’ve never thought about how many pairs of shoes I actually have.
Lets see. 4 pairs of tennis shoes
2 pairs of boots
5 or 6 pairs of flip flops
That about covers it. I’m not a big shoe fiend. As long as I have tennies for the winter and flip flops for the summer, I’m a happy gal.
What exactly does it mean when you say that the shoes “go with” an outfit?
As you probably guessed, I’m male.
It means that they match the outfit, that they look good together. For instance, you wouldn’t wear a business suit with flip flops and you aren’t going to walk around in a t-shirt and jeans with 5-inch stiletto heels.
Um, that they complement the style of clothing you are wearing at the moment? For guys, there’s not a lot of choice: suit/dress pants, casual pants, shorts and jeans. Not much to worry about there, right? Well, think about all the different types of clothes women wear. Not only do we have dress slacks, casual slacks, shorts and jeans, we have skirts/dresses in the dressy and casual varieties, anywhere from ankle length to micromini. The same shoes that look good with your black dress pants will probably not complement your casual pastel summer dress. Those sexy strappy stilettos will probably look weird with your favorite old cutoffs.
Great minds, right raz? 
My sister has a couple of dozen pairs, but she does wear most of them, and they do seem to be a fairly diverse set of colors and styles.
Most of the women I’ve dated have plenty of shoes, but I never felt it prudent to ask about them.
Like most men, my own shoe purchases have mostly been guided by cold practicality. I currently have 7 pairs:
1 pair steel-toe work boots:
bought because I like my toes un-crushed… now very old and beat-up… kept in a desk drawer at work because I occasionally have to go out into the shipyard and look at something
1 pair shiny black leather:
bought for a formal event when I was 17… worn only on job interviews since then… still in near-mint condition
1 pair hiking boots:
recieved as a gift a couple of years ago… worn practically everywhere
1 pair semi-dress-up brown leather:
bought because I thought work-place dress code would be stricter than it is… worn on dates and sometimes at work.
3 pairs tennis shoes, various ages:
bought because I wore tennis shoes practically everywhere for most of my life… best pair worn to work or go out… others worn for exercise, yard work, etc.
Sorry I’m late, just came in from buying a pair of shoes. Now, where can I put these cute little things? Oh, when is enough?? Wait, I’m changing shoes, then I’ll tell you…
American twenty-something female here. I have probably 25-30 pairs of shoes and boots right now. Like others have said, it’s all about having the right shoe for the outfit (or the right outfit for the shoe!). I’ve got several pairs of dress shoes that only match one or two outfits in my closet, a couple sets of sneakers, tow pairs of black boots (one tall, one short). . . the list goes on. I’ve even been known to buy shoes, and THEN get the outfit to wear with them, one a couple of occasions, because the shoes were sexy and made me feel sexy. Of course, I tend to buy my shoes at Payless and not Manolo Blahnik, so I don’t have to feel too guilty.
Do I?
When is enough enough? For me, that would be “never.” Of course, in the practical world, my shoe ownership is limited by the amount of space I have to store them (small NYC apartment). That works out to about 35 pairs. It’s approaching critical mass, I’ll have to weed them soon. When I win the lottery (I’m guessing that will be pretty far in the future, because I don’t play the lottery), I’ll get an entire apartment just for my shoes.
I think women who have lots of shoes are somewhat like men who have lots of ties. Now, I know most guys would rather not have to wear a tie, but in certain professions it’s expected to the point of being required. Some guys are happy with a few functional ties that multi-task. Other guys have made their choice of tie almost an art form – the same suit can be paired with a power tie, or a funky fun tie, or seasonal ties (generally I don’t care for the seasonal tie, but some very high end ones are spiffy, like the annual Ferragamo holiday tie). Can you tell if I was a guy, I’d be into ties? Since I’m not a guy, I’m into shoes.
Like guys and their ties, women can use shoes to add variety to their outfits. I have one suit that I usually wear with plain black low heel shoes. I also have a shell (that’s like a blouse, for you men who maybe don’t pay that much attention to women’s suits) that goes with this suit that is a warm reddish brown color. When I wear that shell with the suit, I wear this great pair of black and oxblood spectator shoes – so now I have two outfits that have a very different “look.”
Likewise, a sundress can be worn with a simple pair of step-ins during the day, and then dressed up for a cocktail party with a pair of heels. One dress + two pairs of shoes = two different outfits.