Mary brought this up.
My friend and protege, Mary, is a shoe freak, sort of. And she is acquiring a collection. In fact, just today when we met for lunch, she was sporting a pair of hot pink satin, rounded-toe pumps. All the little girls within a 50-foot radius noticed them right away. Mary got me on the shoe topic.
I had to “give up” shoes for awhile following first, a terrible right foot break by which I can now measure the barometric pressure in the atmosphere, and then a bad left knee injury, which, after 4 torturous months of recovery, got re-injured in Maui and has been the bain of my stair-climbing existance ever since.
Memories.
I recently realized I am mourning the fact that I got rid of the high-healed flip-flop-style, stone-beaded shoes I wore to Dave and Tara’s wedding in ’03, (but which were still just so stinking cute) in the garage sale in June. And I mourn all the Candie’s slides I have ever owned and lost. And I weep that, unlike the days of my youth, the shoe heel just can’t be sky-high anymore. And while some people seemingly wished I would fall and break my neck back in the day when they could, I had, after all, been practicing since my toddler days, often walking around for hours on tip-toe to “pretend” high-heels, so, I mean, I rather excelled in that area.
Ah, shoes. I once had a collection!
At my age, comfort must come in to play.
Sad, really. But there are shoes that are both comfortable and cute, I was forced to find.
Case in point: the hippie flip-flops my friend Amy Jo made for me last summer. They are orange, for crying out loud. How wonderful is that? And really? The flip-flop is truly the first shoe I remember (I wrote an ode to them last summer), though when I had my first pair at the age of four, sort of a faded brick-red color (is that true or just because everything in early 1960s memory is sort of muted and washed out in photos?), they were called “thongs.” How times (and words) have changed and how I loved those shoes. I think my knees were perpetually scraped up because I couldn’t help looking at them admiringly as I’d run around the neighborhood. And I thank Amy Jo for these soft, fuzzy ones.
And there are the beloved, very cute, super-comfy-but-you-can’t-tell-that-by-looking-necessarily black and white shoes I got from Kohl’s last summer for Heaven Fest for only $12! They are made on a base of that dense foam like a baby’s Bumbo chair (btw, amazingingly wonderful seats for babies!). It is like wearing shock absorbers (which I apparenty need because Dave says I walk everywhere like I am going to a house on fire), but ever-so-stylishly.
However, I can’t get the stripes of the foam clean and pristine after 2 summers’ use. So, they may have to be retired. And this is a sad thought to ponder. I may not be able to let them go.
And I cannot show favor to other cute and comfy shoes without giving at least an honorable mention to these low-heeled slides and thanking the Candies people for considering middle-aged women who fondly remember their youth and Olivia Newton-John in Grease. Thank-you, Candies shoe people, from the bottom of my heart!
I can dream again, can’t I?
Stormie got these Forever 21 shoes in the most retro-70s color and naturally I am in love with them, but can only wear them around the house, and not very gracefully, I am sad to say. I mean, how fabulous are these??!
Shoe advice.
So I cheer on my younger counterparts: my daughters and Mary and Stefanie and my little sister, Tami, and other shoe-stars. My advice: The flat-shoe craze will never fill your heart with joy as you look back over your shoe life, so go ahead and wear the shoe with pizzazz because shoe-beauty can cover a multitude of pain. Be careful running through the woods in platforms and up and down ladders with heavy boxes. Save your feet for the perfect shoe! For, while I thank the earth-loving Boulder-types for telling me I look “cool” in my Danskos, and I do love how much further and more energetically I can get around in them, I can also admit, they are truly hideous looking. And not my inner-shoe style. They are just… necessary some days. *sigh…
what an ugly, ugly shoe…
Have platforms will travel (happily)…Jeanie
NOTE TO SELF: Rebuild the ruins of the once-glorious shoe collection.
Thank-you Stormie and Jovan for helping me share shoe love. And thank-you, Mary, for getting me thinking about it.
LOVE this post! It makes me want to wear every cute, high-heeled shoe I can find and that’s SO not me usually! :)
Yay, Tre!
I go back and forth with heels – I have many pairs, and sometimes I wear wear wear them, and then I go months without putting any on…..Yes, I will take your advice and wear them as much as possible while I still can!
Yes, Steph, you wear them well!
I actually like the black ones! Crocks and old navy flip flops for me. lol
Have you been introduced to http://www.zappos.com? It’s a virtual shoe heaven where you can search for shoes that are just your size, view any shoe from every angle, and have the purchase(s) delivered to your door – with the option to ship them back free within 365 days for a full refund if they aren’t just right. Check it out!
Have you tried a Mister Clean magic eraser on your white stripes? It got old hair dye off the bathroom door when a certain red head lived here.
Have you seen the z-coil shoes? Talk about ugly!
I truly considered z-coils when the knee got re-injured. They make people look like something out of one of the newer really horrid Star Wars movies! True. Uggo.
LOVE this post and yes, I share your love for shoes almost as passionately! My mother-in-law may beat ME out, though her collection involves lots of clear acrylic bottoms…she doesn’t work in a club but loves their shoes…love her!
I am in love with the post – and I am going to have to check out this virtual shoe heaven as mentioned above. I might also have to take a trip into Forever 21 and find some fabulous shoes because I just love the retro ones – I sure do love you miss Jeanie!
Oh, Jeanie…I feel your pain. I am on my third pair of black, boring, but oh so needed for comfort Danskos. And for the summer, I spent my life savings on a pair of ugly, black, Mephisto sandals. They look just like a Berkenstock but are more comfy. Why is it that what you have when you are young you don’t realize that it disappears in just a short time. I never once thought when I was in my 20’s that the feeling in my feet would change. Nor did I know that butts don’t stay firm forever. SIGH!
Hahahha! Robin. It is sad that we can commiserate on these things! And Bryan? C’mon-it is like you with that old van: the same kind of passion! :)
I don’t get it. The massive love affair with shoes.I’m at a total loss. Must be a girl thing.
Oh, I get it… I really get it…:) I’ve always liked Jeanie in… well, forget it… I won’t even go there… But I do find it interesting that I see posts with “no comments yet” or “1 comment” and then you talk about women’s shoes and you get “13 comments”!!! ????
You know I bought my van for a grand. Women will spend that much on shoes. I still don’t get it! Dave for me personally, it’s hard for me to come up with a funny comment on stuff thats serious I need ammunition this post has finally given me some!
Ammunition??!? What? Are you going to shoot me for having shoe emotions? Haha!
Besides all the comments by the ladies only proves my point.
Two things killed my happy shoe life, the life of high heels and fabulous style. First an injury to my left foot that also makes me able to measure the barometric pressure in the atmosphere. Then? Pregnancy. I had to get rid of scads of shoes when my feet grew a half a size. EVERYONE (closely related to “They”) told me my feet would return to normal, but they never did.
I was in mourning for a long time.
I’m better now. Resolved to life of Crocs, comfortable flats with good arch support, and wedge heels (which are just fine… especially since I was lucky enough to find a super-fun pair in the Spring).
I do keep one special pair of heels, just for Sean. He picked them out and I wear them very, very, VERY occasionally… :)