I have a permanent scar mid-heel on my right foot. It's about the size of a large kidney bean. It is because my right foot is slightly larger than my left. Therefore if I buy shoes that fit my left foot, they are inevitably too small for my right, and vice versa. I also have the habit of buying uncomfortable shoes that rub and blister and scar my feet because they are just too cute to pass up.
I have a whole box full of curious shoes of all colors - mint green, traffic cone orange, kiss-me red, pale pink, velvety blue. None are comfortable. But they do make a statement.
I have but one pair of black shoes. I needed another pair to wear in Paris, because the dress I'm going to wear for my meeting with Elisabeth Delahaye (the Musee du Moyen Age head curator!) is black. All the strappy, rhinestone studded, or sexy pairs of shoes that snatched my imagination and made my calves look longer and somehow sexier looked great, but I could not wear them for more than say, three hours, and only if I sat for two and a half hours of those three hours (so, at church for example). Unsuitable for a walking-heavy trip. But I just could not get myself to try on sensible black shoes. Literally. I could not keep my attention on them long enough to register them as sensible shoes (ooh, there's purple ones on the next aisle!) This afternoon I bucked up and realized I'm leaving in a week.
After I convinced myself that the Anthropologie-esque, creamy boots with crackly wildflowers were not what I went shopping for, I tried on a pair of black sandals entitled "euro-step," which is, obviously, why I picked them up. They were incredibly comfortable, especially for sandals. But, oh, they're sort of (dare I say it!) 'old lady.' I came to a shoe-shopping impasse. Should I continue in my impractical ways and buy shoes that complete (or make) an outfit, or shoes that may make my kidney-bean shaped scar fade away, and buy practical shoes?
I bought them, hoping the chic curators, librarians and Parisians at large won't spend too long looking at them. I won't get blisters from these shoes (...which is probably why old ladies wear them).
I feel slightly defeated.
I hope those pink shoes are yours. They would look GREAT on you. And I hope you get over feeling "de-feeted."
ReplyDeleteThe reason why shoes are so great is because they are non-judgemental. They don't tell you you're fat, too short, not the right skin tone, etc. Shoes, jewelry, and handbags. No wonder we love accessories!!!
ReplyDeleteOh, shoes. I understand, I mean, who wants to go shopping for something conservative and sensible? It doesn't matter whether I'm going out to buy shoes or to buy toothpaste, if there are high heels in the building, inevitably I end up standing in front of them with a sort of childish wonderment on my face. What is this ailment called? I have dubbed it "Ruby Slipper Syndrome." (Afterall, they were the first pair of shoes that seemed to fulfill all my expectations as to what shoes ought to be. They needed no modification by my imagination.) I mean who wants to look at the serviceable black flats when all around there are strappy shoes, and velvet shoes, and ribboned shoes, and shiny shoes? We must reach out to the things that appeal to our inner raccoon (fancy dresses also have this effect).
ReplyDelete