My One
Weakness...
I guess I should explain
exactly what I mean when I talk about "My One
Weakness," if you haven't guessed it, my one weakness
is for feminine footwear. I can not recall when I
developed this love affair with shoes, however over my life as a
CD, I figure that I have owned several hundred pairs and that a
lot of shoes. I currently have about 90 pairs, which
include everything from sandals to boots. Admittedly the
shoes I have today are all not the current styles, as I would be
in total debt, but since I don't have to wear them daily, I can
get by on styles that are a few years old, and in some cases,
even older as I love keeping my favorites around for old time
sake. The really nice thing about feminine footwear is the
variety as they come in so many styles, colors and fabrics.
I used to have this thing were if I bought a new outfit, then I
needed to find a pair of shoes as well. This got to be a
little expensive, thank God when I began wearing a lot of black
I found that I could easily get by without buying new shoes,
despite the fact that I always saw the perfect pair to go with
the new outfit.
What truly amazes me about
feminine footwear are the different styles, what goes around
comes around, just in different colors or materials. When
I first began dressing any shoe would work, as long as it fit.
I think in the 60's the shoes were spiked heels and pointed
toes, then in the 70's, came the chunky heels, which I never
really liked because they look like men's shoes with heels; and
I really didn't see them as being very feminine, let alone sexy.
Now the platforms weren't to bad, and in some cases kind of
sexy, if you got the right ones. Also, they seemed to be
much easier to walk in. One of my all time favorite styles
has always been the open toe, pump or strappy sandal with
a mid heel. I still consider the strappy sandal as being
the most sexy, while not necessarily the most practical shoe to
wear. I have over the years had many such pairs and really
love them because you can show off your pedicure. Also, I
can usually wear a half to one size smaller shoe depending on
the manufacturer. Coming in a very close second is the
pump, always in style and very practical. I also like it
with a sling back, and although I only have one or two pair at
the moment, I always keep my eye open for that one special pair.
Living in Florida, a new favorite of mine are thong sandals,
slides, open toe mules, and almost anything with a wedge heel.
Now although we don't have the cold weather, at least not like
other parts of the country I think that a nice pair of black
leather boots, a long skirt, a sweater, and a short black
leather jacket is a practical look, as well as being sexy.
On the note of shoes being
practical, look nice, fit well, are comfortable, and I can walk
in them. Well, I have often not considered these things in
the past, however if I intend to wear them for more than just
taking photos, this is something that I do consider now.
My friend Debbie Allen once told me that, "Sexy shoes
aren't supposed to be comfortable." However, I see
many women wearing those sexy shoes and they appear to be
enjoying it. However, I also see women as well as TG's
that are struggling in 4" heels. They look good and
they are definitely sexy, but if I can't walk in them I'm not
going to be very comfortable. I suppose if I really wanted
to wear those styles, I would do some foot training and a lot of
practice. However, there are plenty of other styles with a
lower heel that I can easily wear that are just as sexy and for
the most part they are practical for most occasions. Below
are two examples of shoes that I think are very sexy, yet for
the life of me I cannot walk properly in either pair.
Most of my shoe shopping is
done at the mall stores, when they having a sale, or at places
like DSW, which carries
a large selection of styles at below the normal cost that I
would have to pay at the mall stores. I wear a 9 1/2 or 10
medium, depending on the shoe and although that's large for my
height, I am lucky that real women have evolved so that finding
my size is easy. Just about every shoe store I go to
carries my size, and the only time I miss out is after a style
has been out for a while, or often during a rack sale. I
also have bought shoes online, primarily at Nine West because
they are my favorites and I know the product. Of course
there are many other locations to find nice quality footwear
online, places such as Zappos.com
, as well as most major department stores. One place I
would like to shop online is at "Classic
Pumps" as I love the look and design of their
shoes. As their name implies they carry the classic pump
in a variety of styles and if you are familiar with, and like
the look of "Toe Cleavage" then this is definitely the
place to find some of the best quality leather shoes on the
Internet. I know several girls who have bought shoes from
Classic Pumps, and they can't say enough good things about the
style and fit. Although I am a big fan of Nine West,
and have been for twenty years. If I see a shoe I like,
the name doesn't make a difference, as long as it is what I want
and in my size; and if it's on sale that's even better.
One of my favorite quotes
comes from the HBO series, "Sex and the City," where
Carrie Bradshaw makes the statement, "You mean I can't buy
a house because I bought shoes!" When I first heard
this, the statement really hit home for me partly because at the
time I had bought so many pairs of shoes, and at that particular
time I was thinking about buying a home. Needless to say I
didn't spend as much money as she did, however the point was
made. As a female I could easily justify having so many
pairs of shoes, and expensive ones at that. However, as a
CD, this borders on the ridiculous if not totally wasteful,
since I could never possibly get the use out of them as they
were intended. So, as a result I began taking a very
serious look at my shoe shopping practices and for the most part
have done quite well in restraining my impulsive behavior.
Sure I see a lot of shoes I would like, but I don't buy at the
moment, but rather go home and sleep on it and usually the
obsession disappears. My shoe shopping today for the most
part is in my head, as I look at the designer shoes such as the
ones I have pictured on this page and only dream of owning or
wearing. Even in my most obsessive thoughts, I could
never, ever, justify paying so much for something that I would
probably only get to wear once or twice during the year, and for
the most part no one would even notice, or really appreciate,
except maybe another TG or GG with the same obsession for shoes.
The insanity continues, last November I found
the perfect black leather boots at a Nine West store however
they were a size 9 1/2 and I know for sure I needed a 10.
Even though I tried them on in the store and they felt to tight,
I bought them anyway just because once I got home and tried them
on they just might fit. Anyway, later that same day I
tried them on again at home and nothing had changed they were
still a size 9 1/2 at home as they were in the store. So,
the very next day I returned them with the intention of
purchasing them online. I had already checked the Nine
West web site and knew they were available in the size I needed.
As I returning them the nice sales person suggested I check
online at which time I informed her that I had and that I
planned on ordering them. She then suggested that she
could order them for me in the store and I would received them
within one week and so I followed her suggestion and went home
and waited for my new boots. Well, after a few days I
decided to check the status of my order and quickly discovered
that the order had been cancelled because I was over my limit on
the credit card I used at the time of the order and although it
was okay now, the boots were no longer available online.
Now this is where it begins to become an obsession, as the
person on the phone advised me that if I called the following
day before 8 PM, then could check store inventories and I could
have them shipped. So, at exactly 7 PM the next evening on
was on the phone and sure enough there was at least one store
that had my size, however it was located in Connecticut.
Just out of curiosity I explained that I lived in Florida and
was there someplace closer, not that it would have matter.
Yes, there was a store in Boca Raton, and they would transfer my
call. I spoke with Brian and placed my order and within a
few days I had my boots and I was happy. Even better, I
got to wear them if only for one day on Thanksgiving when the
temperature here dropped into the low 60's.
Sometime late in February 2007, I was looking
for a pair of silver shoes to go with a new dress I intended
wearing for a special event. After searching at Macy's,
DSW, Nine West, and Dillard's I still hadn't found exactly what
I wanted so I figured I would just go with a pair I already had
that were perfect, even though I wanted something different.
Anyway while I was in Dillard's I saw a pair of black mules with
a low heel that screamed at me to take them home. I also
found a pair of black pumps with a peep toe that like the mules
were also screaming. What the heck I'll get both pair and
make both pairs of shoes happy. Unfortunately, they didn't
have my size and while I was disappointed I also felt some
relief that I hadn't acted on my first impulse. However,
once home those voices in my head just would stop and so I went
online to Dillard's and found both pair as well as another
almost identical pair of black pumps but from a different shoe
company. I also found the silver shoes that got my
attention as well as a pair of sling back open toes heels.
And with the press of a few keys I ordered all five pairs of
shoes. Shorter story, the original black pumps didn't feel
comfortable, the mules where the wrong size and now out of stock
and those strappy sandals really didn't look as nice on me as I
had hoped. I was then left with the almost identical pumps
which fit and were comfortable and the silver pumps which also
fit and were also comfortable. So, I planned on keeping
two pair and returning the other three and I had 30 days to do
so, so there was really no rush. Twenty -eight days later
I still hadn't returned the shoes so I put the three pair in a
Dillard's bag and headed to the nearest store where I was easily
able to return the shoes for credit, but before leaving the
store I ended up buying two other pairs from the 50% off rack.
And finally, sometime around the end of March I
stopped in at Macy's just to see what they had on sale in the
shoe department. Now the racks were pretty picked over so
I just looked at some of the shoes on display and there I found
almost the identical pair of black pumps which I had returned.
About the only difference I could see was the originals were
Jessica Simpson, and these were Nine West. There was also
a difference in the price as well as the Nine West were on sale
and half the price of the Jessica Simpson's. Needless to
say I asked for my size and they had them, then I was told that
the following day they would be marked off another 25%, however
I could purchase them that evening at the lesser price but would
have to wait until the following day to pick them up. So,
what the heck, I could wait another day for the shoes and the
additional savings. Now as I as leaving the store I
spotted a pair of brown open toe wedges, with a sling back,
which would really look good with a new outfit I had recently
purchased. Like the other shoes they were on sale as well,
however they didn't have my size in that Macy's but the sales
person printed out a store check and they did have my size at
another store about 20 minutes away. So, after a quick
phone call and verification they did indeed have my size, I
drove to the other store where they were holding the shoes.
Now once again the sales person at this store advised me of the
additional 25% off if I waited until the next day to pick them
up however, my need for instant gratification would not allow me
to wait or enjoy the additional savings. The sales person
was very nice and did offer me an additional 10% off so at least
I had something to show for my trip that evening.
Sometime in late October 2007, I discovered a
new addition to one of the local strip malls located not far
from my home. This particular mall has a Target, DSW
shoes, and a Liz Claiborne company store, as well as Staples, so
needless to say it is a favorite place for me to visit even if
I'm just looking. Now on this particular evening I was on
my way to Staples with no intention of visiting Liz Claiborne or
DSW shoes however as I drove up to the entrance to Staples,
there before me was a new store which had just recently opened
and of all the new retail stores which could have occupied that
space someone decided that it was the perfect location for a
NineWest store! All I could do was shake my head and go
home but, that weekend I was drawn to go back and look
around. Although the store was open for business they were
still in the process of stocking the shelves so there were large
boxes of shoes everywhere and of course there were signs posted
throughout the store advertising 50% off on a second pair of
shoes. Now all I did that day was look around but by the
second week of November I had returned not once but several
times increasing my shoe wardrobe with six pairs of heels, two
pairs of boots, and one pair of ballet flats, which I never
really liked but for $20, I soon fell in love with! The downside
is that normally I would have to drive a few miles to one of two
malls that have NineWest stores which allows me the time to
clear my head and think about it, having one so close is
dangerous, however on the upside now I don't have to drive as
far when I need to look at shoes!
"It's
All About Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of New Shoes!"
Debbi
Richards
" What 's the rule that
says you can only buy one pair of shoes at a time? I
mean, it's so arbitrary
- Shopaholic takes Manhattan -
Classics
The timeless "Carolyne" halter
sandal in trendy patent kidskin
Manolo Blahnik
Patent Mid-Heel Halter, Black
Price $495.00
Evening
Satin High-Heel D'Orsay, Black
Manolo Blahnik
Satin High-Heel D'Orsay, Black
Price $645.00
Exotics
A basic slingback from Manolo Blahnik in
one of his most popular styles, and with good reason - it's
versatile and sexy
Manolo Blahnik
Alligator Mid-Heel Halter, Black
Price $2,200.00
A high-stepping heel and vibrant metallic
shade on a Manolo Blahnik classic.
Manolo Blahnik
Strappy Sandal
Price $535.00
A sexier version of this wardrobe
must-have
Jimmy Choo
Leather Pump
Price $445.00
A sexy satin sandal: a must have for
every wardrobe.
Jimmy Choo
Twisted Platform Sandal
Price $575.00
Well, since I'm in the mood to do
some serious fantasy shoe shopping, I might as well look at some
clothing as well. Let's start with a visit to
and see what we find...
How about this...
Vera Wang
Draped Bustier
Price
$995.00
Vera
Wang
Paneled Skirt
Price
$1,485.00
And These...
Vera Wang
Rhinestone-Trim Sandal
Price
$308.00
Or maybe these?
Manolo Blahnik
Strappy
D'Orsay
Price
$585.00
Before going on please take a look at my
Update
page for recent
updates to this site. Or you can take a look at Fifty
Reasons My
Gallery index
page to see some my photos, or you may want to visit some of My
Friends at
their web sites.
