FashBlog.com

It's an established fact that jokes about women and their shoes are so common that we hardly even notice them anymore. I have to say, this isn't a line of humor that was created entirely without reason- there are certainly some women on the planet who really do love shoes, just as there are men out there who love tools and kids who love video games. I have known some women who own more shoes than they do any other article of clothing, and that isn't considered unusual in the slightest. I've also known women who love shoe stores better than any other type of store. But I have to confess that when it comes to my own shopping excursions, the idea of choosing shoes just bewilders and frustrates me.

I'm definitely not saying that I don't have my own shopping, um, fixations. For me, it happens to be jackets and cardigan sweaters. I'm of the firm belief that you can never own too many of either, and I might already have a black cardigan but I might very well need two more because they have different buttons or they are a different length and I will need to have the option to choose which black cardigan I want to wear. I need that option! So, I do understand the theory of the shoe lovers... I just can't seem to get on board with the same topic.

I wish someone could explain shoes to me. I really want to like shoes. I think that shoes look absolutely adorable on other people, and I'm forever commenting on someone's cute shoes or noticing how the right shoe can pull together an outfit. But for some odd reason I just can't wrap my head around the entire concept when it comes to myself and my own sense of style.

I admit it, I have problems when it comes to choosing shoes, and that is probably why I don't particularly enjoy shopping for them or picking them out. Maybe I'm overly picky, or maybe I just don't have the right taste- you could call it "the shoe radar"- that so many other people have. It could, quite possibly, be because I am on the short side, so finding shoes that are the right height for me can be really difficult. Flat shoes cause my jeans to drag on the ground, but heels and platforms make me look like a little kid playing dress up. And nowadays it seems almost impossible to find a low heel that is actually attractive.

I thought I'd found my solution the other day when I ran across a pair of black kitten heeled pumps on clearance. It felt like a total score and the answer to all of my shoe problems. Here was something that wasn't a flat but that definitely wasn't a tall heel, yet it still had the appearance of a heel, and it looked grown-up and not like something a teeny bopper would wear.

But, needless to say, it didn't work out. My love for the kitten heel lasted until I actually put them on and wore them out. First of all, they are really difficult to walk in- at least I thought they were. But that isn't why I can't wear them- for the right shoe, I would be willing to learn a new way of walking. The problem was that they just didn't look good. I think the short heel makes my leg look stumpy. So I will probably never wear them again.

This is sometimes truly frustrating. Throughout the past several years, I've gotten by with a very limited selection of shoes. I was addicted to cheap flip flops for awhile, but because the soles wore out so quickly those didn't stay in my rotation for long. Nowadays, I alternate between Chuck Taylor tennis shoes or black boots with a low heel. And finding the right black boots is difficult, too- everything on the market either has a stiletto heel or a big, chunky Juniors-style sole.

Maybe I just need to be more open-minded when it comes to shoes. Maybe I need to stop worrying so much about silhouette and focus on the shoes themselves. Whatever it is, I'd really like to understand the appeal of shoes. I'd much rather have too many shoes in my closet than have to deal with the opposite problem of making two pairs work for every occasion.
-by bjp