Shoes Glorious Shoes

I prefer to be barefoot whenever possible, but when I'm out and about shopping, I love looking at the shoes. Beautiful, quirky, eccentric, fun, darling, comfortable shoes...if I had an unlimited budget I would have a closet full of them. I've always loved them and my style has only changed subtly over the years.

Years ago I was a sneaker kid...I wanted to be trendy and wear Keds, but we couldn't afford them, so I got the Walmart versions. It made no difference to me, they looked the same, just no little blue tag on the back proclaiming their "worth" to the world. I was fairly easy to please that way, or so I remember...Mom may remember differently. I didn't mind hand-me-downs or thrift shop excursions...it was actually kind of fun to rifle through the racks at The Second Hand Rose with my mom, but that may have been more about the quality time with her than it was about the clothes. She made shopping, even when we were just window-shopping, the most fantastic experience of my young life.

My style didn't change much as I grew older. I added in a few pieces to my sneaker repertoire such as baby doll shoes, knock off Birkenstock shoes, and flip-flops. I carried variations on these ideas through my life until I met Higher Briars and found out what a true shoe fetish was really about. She brought me into the world of quality shoes with the flair that only she could and I bought my first pair of expensive sandals to go with a dress she'd helped me find. I wear them with just about every dress I own during the summer because they are so versatile and unbelievably comfortable.

What is that makes us love the shoes we love, though? I know that, for me, I have to be careful to buy items that don't aggravate my bunion (thank you, retail in heels) and bad ankle (thank you, clutz that I am), but I love shoes that represent a little of who I am. Thanks to Higher Briars I have a few more shoes to add to that pile. They are still a variation on my favorite styles, but with some fun new twists...they are also well made so they should last me a very long time (another thing that I can appreciate after years of cheap shoes). Thank goodness I got different colors so I can easily pair them with an outfit without having to sit and wonder which one to pick! That FedEx truck better be here early on Wednesday!