This morning I had a leadership breakfast at the InterContinental Hotel with people from the Boston Chamber of Commerce. Whenever I go to these things I always feel like I need to dress up just that little more than I would for work, although I do actually dress up a bit for work. I scanned my closet and my heart and tummy just went ugh – lots of clothes and nothing to wear. The nothing to wear part comes from the fact that I am avoiding my nicer, warmer months clothes for fear of them not fitting me. I finally landed on a super colorful and very pretty (loose fitting) dress from LK Bennet. But, what about the shoes?? The great thing about shoes as I have mentioned many times on a Shoesday Tuesday is that shoes do not judge. They dont care if you have put on a few pounds, they are always fit! My dress has a little bit of turquoise in it so I dug out these gorgeous Fornarina sling backs, which remind of a pair of shoes my grandmother would wear to a fancy event. They were perfect and can you believe they are 10 years old!!! We wont talk about how many times I have worn them over the last 10 years 🙂
Well, the truth is I don’t know the number and there in lies the problem.
A question for you… Is owning a lot of shoes really a problem? I think not, however crazy quotes from the great chick flick In Her Shoes were harping on at my conscience … “Look, if you’re not going to wear them… don’t buy them! Leave them for someone who’s going to get something out of them.” and… “I get something out of them. When I feel down, I like to treat myself. Clothes never look any good, and food just makes me fatter, but shoes always fit.” Both quotes quite true for me but I wasn’t being true to the quotes.
I started to think about how many pairs of shoes I have bought over the years, (aghast… over my lifetime) and not even worn, or have only worn once and then the guilt started to set in. How much money I have spent on these shoes. I don’t even want to go there, I am not even going to attempt it.
There are a few reasons why I buy shoes. Number 1… of course, I love love love shoes. Number 2… I am a size 5 and size 5s are a rare commodity these days, so when I see them I tend to buy them – sometimes to my detriment as I look at what I have purchased later and wonder what on earth I was thinking! Oh and I sometimes buy size 6s because I like them and then realize I cant wear them because they are too big! Number 3… I just can’t help myself. There I said it. I always feel I need them.
Now, the challenge. My work friend, a man who shall remain nameless. By the way, men just don’t get the shoe thing but I will leave that conversation for another time. Anyway, he challenged me to wear every pair of shoes in my closet after I really could not say how many pairs I have and he even named it “Shoesday.”
Challenge accepted! Every Tuesday I am going to pick a different pair of shoes from my “collection” and I will photograph them as evidence and proof that I am wearing them. Who knows how long Shoesday will last? Certainly not me. Am I alone in this? Does anyone else have a shoe problem? If some of my close friends do not say yes, I know they are lying.
So, my first Shoesday pair are these gorgeous little Fornarina turquoise pumps. I bought them in Bloomingdales, Chicago about six years ago when I was there on business. Absolutely no reason to buy them, no special occasion, they were on sale, my size and gorgeous and I had absolutely nothing at all to wear them with. I have worn them once! Aren’t they so adorable?
Long Live Shoesday!!
Great idea and looking forward to seeing all those “left-behinds” that you’ve forgotten about waaaaay in the back of your huge closet!