Didn't Steve Martin have a book called Cruel Shoes? He's always funny.
Life is too short and feet are too important to ever wear shoes that don't fit and hurt your feet. I got rid of all my pretty but painful shoes last fall. Now I wear ballet flats, sandals, driving mocs and flip-flops. It was hard to part with some of them but they were just gathering dust so away they went.
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Posted 1 year ago #
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Didn't Steve Martin have a book called Cruel Shoes? He's always funny.
Life is too short and feet are too important to ever wear shoes that don't fit and hurt your feet. I got rid of all my pretty but painful shoes last fall. Now I wear ballet flats, sandals, driving mocs and flip-flops. It was hard to part with some of them but they were just gathering dust so away they went.Posted 1 year ago # -
1. Slides for the winter (I think technically these would be called mules)
2. Slides for the summer
3. Athletic Shoes
4. Winter "go-to-town" shoes
5. Summer "go-to-town" shoes
6. Snow BootsI am home, way out in the country on 60 acres most of the time. The majority of time I wear #1 and #2 depending on the season. If I need something a bit sturdier I wear #3. Sometimes I wear #1 and #2 for quick trips to town but #4 and #5 if I need something a bit nicer.
Posted 1 year ago # -
oh gosh, I'm feeling all shoe-cluttered here now :) Let me tot them all up:
2 pairs of Keen sandals. Surgically attached to my feet from the last frost up until the first frost, taken off only to stick them in the washing machine when they start to pong. Lovelovelove my Keens with a passion, sooooo comfy! And I wear them to the allotment when the weather gets warmer, so they get really dirty, so being able to chuck them in the wash is great. Plus one pair is blue and one red, they go with pretty much everything I own.
2 pairs of trainers, one for running and one for aerobics, I'm good about one in one out for these
wellies for working in the garden/allotment when it's cold and muddy
snow boots: never thought they'd be useful but our weather has been snowy the last few winters and our footpaths round here are pretty lethal in snow or ice, they've rather weirdly become essential!
really ancient pair of shoes I can slip on for going out into the garden to hang the washing out etc, they live by the back door so I don't traipse mud in everywhere. Do these even count? :)
those are my staple shoes, then we have the less worn ones:
one pair of cute trainers with my sons' names on the heels, pretty pink laces and pretty pink lining. My dh designed them for me online as a present so they have sentimental value, but the laces are so slippery they drive me crazy! I wear them in the summer sometimes.
worn out pair of Ecco shoes, I used to use them for gardening but they are completely trashed. I am going to donate them now in fact.
pair of pink Eccos with straps. These are my 'in between seasons' shoes (it's always in between seasons here!) and I wear them a lot in spring with socks when it's too cold for sandals, ditto the autumn. They're comfy but not for lots of walking, plus they're not waterproof. Good for slipping on to do the school run unless it's raining.
Pair of walking shoes, good for when it's wet (quite often) and too cold for sandals. Also good for walking! I think I can probably put them away till autumn now, I've already mothballed my snowboots
And then the pairs which are worn rarely or never:
one pair of pinky-silvery ballet flats. Comfy but don't go with some of my nicer outfits.
one pair of pinky-red heels. Really uncomfortable but quite pretty and go with a couple of nice dresses I own. Worn about twice a year. How on earth do people wear heels all the time???!!
one pair of dark blue clunky heels, desperately uncomfortable and worn for job interviews/funerals only. Since I haven't been to either for about 8 years, maybe it's time to donate these and buy something more comfortable and less ugly when the occasion arises. They're going straight into the donation bag now.
Goodness, that was actually 14 pairs, quite a lot for someone who doesn't really like shoes (apart from my beloved Keens!). Down to 12 now, not sure how I could cull that any more really...I go to about 2 or 3 posh events a year, weddings or parties etc so maybe I could just buy one pair of comfortable-ish, smart shoes which would go with my 'posh' outfits? But then there are posh summer events (like last year we went to the polo) and then the odd Christmas dinner so the things I would wear are quite different. Arrgh, I don't even want to think about it!!Posted 1 year ago # -
Funny, I was just thinking about shoes because I've come to realize that my Uggs are causing my horrible painful foot condition. :( This is hard, because as a dance teacher in Seattle they do a great job of keeping my feet and ankles very warm, so that's ideal.... but they have no arch support. They're very much the "in" thing to wear as well, so that doesn't help. Somehow good supportive tennis shoes with warm socks are just not as nice looking.
Ahem... so does anyone have a suggestion for warm, attractive boots with good arch support? :D
Okay, on to inventory. I own...
1 pair of Teva Sandals
1 pair hiking boots
1 pair of tennis shoes (exclusively for working out at the gym)
1 pair fancy flip flop sandals (for wearing to/from pedicures)
1 pair Ugg boots
1 pair Simple shoes, mary jane style (currently wearing to work at the clinic)
5 pairs of high heels (silver, nude, black, red, and leopard)
1 pair dress flats (black)
1 pair knee-high dress boots (black)This last winter here in Seattle made me acknowledge that I MUST buy a pair rain boots before the fall. I also need a pair of tennis shoes to wear out and about (I've been wearing hiking boots,but now that they're broken in I want to save them for hiking only). And, I need to buy a pair of Crocs for work at the clinic, as the Simple shoes are comfy only for a couple of hours before my heels start hurting. I'll save them to wear in the summer instead of buying new sandals. Counting all the new purchases, I'll have 16 pairs.
I really need to donate the dress flats. I just don't like flats, and I don't wear them, even when they're probably the best choice.
About high heels: I own 5 pairs, and have given away probably 30. I keep only what's comfortable, mostly, which means I have wasted a lot of money on pairs that seemed comfortable in the store but did not actually turn out to be so nice. I admit my silver ones are hard to wear all day. They are really gorgeous works of art and make me feel amazing, so I keep them to wear out to dinner on special occasions. I wear them... maybe 6-8 times a year? Hmmm... I don't want to give them away, so I need to inform hubby that I need more opportunities to wear them! :D
And then there's dance...
2 pair ballet slippers (pink, black)
3 pairs ballroom shoes (black sparkly, gold, and nude)
1 pair character shoes (black)
3 pairs of Dance PAWS
2 pairs of dance sneakers (black blochs and black/purple sanshas)
1 pair oxfords
2 pairs ghillies
1 pair hard shoes (for Irish)
1 pair red mary janes (for folk dance)
1 pair pointy loafers (special for an upcoming performance)I'm also saving to buy a pair of Grishko ballet boots.
I have more dance shoes than regular shoes. I am totally not surprised.Posted 1 year ago # -
Trish: have you thought about adding a 3rd party arch support to the Uggs to give them more support? Seems to me it would be worth a try and cheaper than new boots.
Posted 1 year ago # -
@lottielot... if you switched out the slippy laces on your trainers would you wear/enjoy them more often? laces are sold at every pharmacy here...
Posted 1 year ago # -
@Trish: I have a pair of knee-high leather Kenneth Cole zip boots with a molded rubber sole (maybe 1" high) that are warm and comfortable. Their website lists similar boots with fleece lining.
I own about 16 pairs of shoes and have given away about 10 pairs over the last couple of years. Right now I have:
3 pairs flats (1 pair is in the give-away bag because they cut)
3 pairs wedge/heeled sandals
4 pairs heels
2 pairs knee-high boots
1 pair sneakers
1 pair flip-flops for the beach
1 pair winter boots
1 pair hiking shoesPosted 1 year ago # -
trish: I have some North Face snow boots similar to these:
http://www.usoutdoor.com/outlet/the-north-face-janey-boots-womens.html
but mine are brown. They are extremely warm, comfy, supportive and waterproof. They also seem to shrug off mud, I've not cleaned them in the 2 years I've had them! And they appear to be half the price in the States that they are here :(( They were a present from my dh and at the time I thought they were a ridiculous extravagance but I love them, and I only love really comfy shoes!
luxcat: my dh even designed the stupid laces to match the shoes...Is there some sort of trick to making laces less slippy I wonder? Something really old fashioned like candle wax or something? Because my walking shoes have ridiculously slippy laces too!Posted 1 year ago # -
Lottie - will double knots help? I find that if I go round the loop 2x my laces stay tied better.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Thanks everyone for your suggestions! :)
Posted 1 year ago # -
Two! (a brown pair and a black pair). I actually had a cordovan pair that I had carted around through 4 moves in 5 years without ever wearing them. Now, I don't keep clothing I don't use.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I am not in the least surprised that people have a large shoe collection. What amazes me are those who have managed to pare it down to so few. I doubt that any of the decluttering community have more shoes than they need and that none of us are budding Imeldas. Shoes, like clothes are needed for so many different purposes. Trish can't dance in runners and Juliarose can't work on road projects in high heels. Most of us have circumstances in which we required a range of footwear even if we don't use them that often. What is more wasteful; to buy a pair of dress shoes every time you get a wedding invitation or to have one pair of rarely worn, classic shoes that will suit the purpose and make you feel good?
If anyone's shoe collection has become so vast that they are tempted to build a shoe cupboard like the one in the "Sex in the City" movie, just get online and we will talk you down!
Posted 1 year ago # -
@Jackthetiger - agreed. I'm always baffled by people, especially men, who scoff at me and ask why in the world one would need more than one pair of shoes. And if you live in a one-season climate, don't do any activities requiring special footwear, and don't care one lick about fashion or trends, I can see how you could live your life in a pair of black loafers.
However, even my boyfriend, who is a shoe minimalist, has 8 pairs:
- 1 pair of winter/hiking boots
- 1 pair of casual walking shoes
- 2 pairs of black loafers for work (he keeps one pair at home, for nice days when he doesn't need to do a lot of walking, and one at the office for the rest of the time, when he wears other shoes to/from work)
- 1 pair of dress shoes
- 1 pair of running shoes
- 1 pair of flip flops
- 1 pair of dance shoesPosted 1 year ago # -
I love shoes! I have all sorts of "dress shoes" for work, in many colors and styles. Wedges, flat sandles, flat boots, heeled boots, pumps, platforms, kitten heels, flats, etc. I like variety in my footwear. I could never wear the same pair of black dress shoes to work day in and day out. That's boring!
I also have casual shoes - for my commute and for my non-work activities. These include comfy (and ugly) sandals, casual sneakers, rubber boots for rain, and warm flat boots so I can wear skirts to work in the winter and not freeze.
But I also do a lot of different active sports. I have 3 pairs of shoes just for cycling (the brand-y new ones for nice days, the older pair for races and rain, and an even older pair "just in case"). I have a pair of running sneakers. I have gym sneakers. I have hiking boots for long hiking trips, and hiking shoes for site inspections at work. I have a couple of casual sneakers, a pair of snowboarding boots, a pair of serious snow boots for the big storms and a lower pair of boots for lesser snows. Both of those got a lot of use this winter.
I also installed shelving to hold all of my shoes. Out of season pairs go into container store plastic boxes and live in the back of the closet. They are still accesible back there, just not as visible. In season pairs live on the shelves, where I can easily see what I have.
It's not clutter if it's stored effectively and used often. If I start neglecting a pair of shoes, I get rid of them. I'm not allowed to overflow my shelving space, so that keeps my purchasing in line.
Posted 1 year ago # -
This shoe discussion has sort of backfired for me :) I did donate two pairs of shoes (the painful leather flats and the hiking sandals) but went out and bought two more pairs today at the Skechers sale. One is a pair of "shape-ups" with the rocker heels which will replace my most raggedy pair of athletic shoes. The other is their "biker" style mary janes in olive. So it will be a net loss of -1. Both will be used, but I still feel like a shoe slut.
Posted 1 year ago # -
What a passionate thread! I live in a region with four seasons and could never manage with just a couple of pairs of them. I also have a diverse range of interests making it rather difficult to stay within four, five pairs; walking/running, sailing, city life, nature life, tap dancing occasionally, opera/theatre, formal parties, informal parties, tennis shoes from "previous life", lab shoes from "previous life", hospital shoes in current life, and and and.
I don't like having too many that fill the same purpose so one decent pair of winter boots that are high enough to take me through a bit of snow as well and look nice enough for the city but support enough if I take a walk in the park/beach area too. Only a few high-heeled party shoes, a couple of nice ballerinas, etc. I wear all shoes out and my feet are of such shape and size that it's difficult to find new ones, so even if my total count is rather high, I blame it partly on the climate.
Edit: I really am thankful for being able to live this type of life, even if my tone might suggest some snottiness. It's privileged, I know.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I'm with you Nina. Living in a 4 season place and having a life with many varied activitis does mean more shoes/boots. I refuse to count mine up. :) But, I have nothing newer than a year old. I keep my shoes in good shape and I'm still wearing some that are nearly 10 years old.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I just went and counted mine and am happy to report that I only have 20 pairs. I know it used to be more than that. I currently wear probably five or six on a weekly basis for various activities (gardening, exercising, casual work office, going to the beach), and the rest are for extreme weather, hiking, dancing, heels to wear with suits (ie, job interviews and funerals), and heels to wear to fancy parties/weddings. There are probably two pairs that can only be worn with one specific outfit, but I don't foresee myself getting rid of them (the shoes or the outfits) anytime soon, as they are simply gorgeous. One pair are orange leather pumps stamped to look like snakeskin, and the other pair are emerald green and blue silk satin (made in Italy) peep toe sling back heels. Hardly ever worn, but when I do get the chance to wear them, I feel so sophisticated and get many compliments, and I love them for that reason alone (needless to say, neither pair are very comfortable). The rest of my shoes are, for the most part, practical, comfortable, and timeless, but it's nice to have a pair or two that just make you feel pretty.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I know this post is old but :
Thanks to everyone in this post for helping me declutter a few more pairs of shoes. We are pulling up our awful old dusty carpets to get the floors polished so will be moving out then moving back in again and I am hoping to move a lot less in. I had already decluttered many of my shoes after getting arthritis in my feet, but I managed to also get rid of a pair of asics tigers which are too small since pregnancy made my feet spread out, two pairs of nice work shoes that I have not worn for years as I have more comfortable alternatives, some thongs (I now wear the open strappy crocs for summer) and a pair of red satin stilettos. A pair of amazing chinese brocade pumps with diamante buckles have gone to the dress up basket for my little girl when she gets older. I now have 14 pairs left.
3x croc cleos (The least croc like ones)
1x flat hispanita slightly dressy sandals
1x black hispanita knee high flat boots
2x flat mary jane style leather shoes I can wear with dresses and pants - one yellow, one white, same brand. Amazingly these two clolours go with almost all of my wardrobe.
2x asics tigers, one walnut (in use) one cream (back up bought 50% off I never pay full proce for these!) for wearing with jeans. I also wear them to work they are monochromatic and look formal enough for what I do.
1xflat brown boots - I wasn't sure about keeping these as they are not as comfortable as the black ones and I would only wear them for going out (which I rarely do at present with a 20 month old, working part time and another one on the way, but I will keep them for a bit longer as they are a very classic style and now I have room to store them.
1x lovely hiking boots.
1x fairly clapped out old trainers.
1x pair of rubber gardening shoes.
1x bright purple going out wedges that are dressy and high, but I can wear for a few hours before becoming a cripple.
I struggled with getting rid of the dressier work shoes as they were conservative colours and I felt I should keep them, but I really have not worn them in years. They were dusty. I had a job interview last week, I wore the yellow shoes and got the job!
I decided that if I desperately need a pair of black shoes it should not be that hard to find new pair.
I would love to pare it down even more, but I think as a professional female living in a South Australian climate I have almost pared it down as much as I possibly can. My multiples are there because I know from experience that the favourite shoe will go out of production and then I need back ups.
This is a rather serious issue for me as many shoes cause me severe pain.
It's so lovely seeing them all sitting comfortably on the floor of my wardrobe, all visible and orderly.
Now to tackle the unruly mob hanging above them!Posted 3 months ago #
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