The Mad Momma mentioned somewhere on her blog that she has over a 100 pairs of shoes. A 100 pairs of shoes! Now the first thing that came into my head was not where she keeps them or how she maintains them, but this: that she has actually liked a 100 pairs of shoes enough to buy them.
Why doesn't that happen to me? At last count, I own probably, 8 pairs of shoes, and that includes walking shoes and hawai chappals. Why is it that some shoes go looking for people, and nothing seems to be right for me even if I move heaven and earth to find them?
Not that I am asking for anything wonderful.
All I want in my shoes, in no particular order:
1) Sturdiness - obviously, if I pay good money for it, I want it to last.
2) Style - and why not?
3) Have a Soft and flexible sole - After my ligament tear, hard soles give me an ache in the leg.
4) Flat, no heels - same reason as number 4.
5) Back-strap - I am a vigorous walker, and slippers without a back-strap tend to fly off my feet. Go on, Laugh!
6) The Right size - you won't believe how many perfect shoes I haven't bought because they don't stock them in my size.
Am I asking for too much?
More often than not, I find myself compromising on one of the above aspects, just so that I can have something to walk in. For this very reason, I hate to go shoe-shopping, coz I tend to get depressed. Really.
S is wonderful at getting me shoes to wear. He accompanies me patiently to any number of shops, says "Come on, let's try just one more shop!" when I say that I have had enough, and doesn't rest until I've found shoes that I like. If you have seen me in nice shoes in the past three years, it is entirely due to him.
It was on one such shoe-searching expedition that I found the shoe of my dreams. It was a Woodlands shoe - perfect in all respects. Then, what happened, you ask? Well, shortly after that, because I was expecting Puttachi, my feet expanded, and later in the pregnancy, they swelled up a bit, and I couldn't wear the shoes any longer. If you are wondering why I can't wear them now, the answer is that when your feet expand during pregnancy, they don't really return to their original size. Really. Look it up if you want.
So now those shoes are a tight fit. I knew it was too good to last :(
Got a new pair last evening - again thanks to the persistence of S. I was going around in a temporary, ugly pair of soft slippers (compromised on backstrap and style) which I had bought before Puttachi was born, because those were the only ones that were comfortable. Before I could start cribbing again about the ugliness of those slippers, S dragged me off to a shoe shop and wonder of wonders, I found something that I liked, immediately. But even an optimist like me becomes pessimistic when it comes to shoes. I am already wondering when the strap will snap.
Sigh. Please tell me I am not alone!
19 comments:
Sigh! There we go again, agreeing with each other on everything. You are not alone dear, I faces a similar problem too!
To begin with, I have very big feet for a lady (ahem!), so most of the lovely strappy stuff I like doesn't come in my size. If they do have my size, I shudder to try it on because I know I'll end up getting embarrassed with the effect of the lovely ladylike stuff on my distinctly unladylike foot! And if ever I try to be brave and buy it, the strap is sure to break in a couple of days because of my rough unladylike handling!
I have the same requirements you listed - finding pretty shoes without heels is a chore, isn't it? I CANNOT wear heels, I buy them, show off for a day or two and end up opting for comfort over beauty soon enough.
That being said, I am very fond of good footwear and am constantly looking at others' feet and admiring their good choice. A good outfit is totally spoilt without good shoes to go with it, isn't it?
I have improved somewhat after marriage, mostly because I try to keep up with the pretence of a fashionable married woman, which I soooo am not! (Give me my soft and oh-so-comfy Bata hush puppies any day!)
No.4 is the same as No.4? Fantastic. It has been some time since you locked up like this, eh?
Go on, tell me the Rs.10 story :D
MUHAHAHA!!!
No no ..! You are not! I have the same reasons as you have listed. More than once, I would have walked around in a gorgeous saree, complete with matching accessories except for those damn shoes - I would have been wearing pump shoes! And to add to my woes, my feet-size is small! The number of shops I had to go scouting for the 'perfect' shoes....! Innumerable I say ! And I cannot go wearing sports shoes for all occasions! Hmmm...should give my suggestions to any of these sports shoes manufacturers to bring out a design that is classy, lady-like and comfortable. Is this too much to hope for?
Sigh! Count me into it dear...G gets irritable sometimes cos none of the permutations and combinations of the requirements you listed work for me! If the strap is good, the sole is bad...or heels are too high :-(
And not just with shoes, I have my woes with dresses too...I can say that half my wardrobe is filled with dresses that half the time dont fit me! And to top it all, sometimes I pay a heavy price to add to this misery! *groan*
My Mom goes crazy about footwear. When I was visiting India, i asked here what doesh she want and the first thing she said me was footwear :). Well I'm good at choosing style but wasn't very sure of the size esp. when the metrics are different here than tht of India. But somehow I managed to get her the right pair. She flaunts 'em all the time :)
Woops... and I thought bellies were the only thing that actually blew up during a pregnancy! :)
Well, look at the plus side: you get to go shopping for a completely new set of shoes now and they may actually stock your size now! :)
I'm not very choosy about anything, but with shoes/sandals its a different story. I'm sure its not as difficult for a guy to choose the right pair of footwear. I have found out (hence recommend) the following bare necessary footwear for guys.
1. A good pair of soft leather shoes for office wear: I own a pair of suede leather shoe, make - Hush Puppies. This is the default shoes when it comes to formal wear.
2. A comfortable pair of evening/weekend shoes specially suited for walking. I use my suede leather shoe or my adidas (which doubles up as running shoes).
3. Two pairs of sandals. one with, and the other without straps.
This should be enough for an average guy :)
Other than what's mentioned above, I own an extra pair of Running shoes and a pair of Trekking shoes.
Hmm...Bummer about the woodlands shoe thing. But now you get to shop for an entirely new range of shoes and maybe take your own time to see which ones would be right today.
PS: you don't return the first result when you google "shruthi" anymore
Girl, you are not alone. Forget about pretty, I just want something on my feet. And even that's too hard to find coz they don't stock in large sizes (I guess females with large feet don't deserve to exist!) and heel-less footwear is blasphemy as far as females go. Bah!
ano
The one thing that struck me was how kind and supportive your hubby has been... I mean, even I'm not that patient with my spouse's shopping! Hats off to him!
And good luck on finding the perfect pair!
Devaki, heh heh... your comment could have been written by me :D except for...I don't have that large feet... but yes, they are largish... matches my height. Lovely strappy stuff.. you said it.. They look so pretty :(
Viky, Oh hawk-eyed one, it is only because you haven't been spell-checking for a while now!
Chitra, ROFL on pump shoes! :D I know just how you feel! :) Exactly.. why can't style and comfort go together? Why why?
M, ohhh clothes are a different story altogether! :(
Maverick, which brand? Which style? Tell tell!
Sudipta, heh heh.. you won't believe it if I tell you that almost every part of the body undergoes some kind of change during pregnancy :D
And you know what? Now, the style I like will not be available in the new size but will be available in the old size :(
Anoop, hmmm.. very sensible!
Loonface, but what shall I do with my old shoes? :(
Btw, my blog still shows up when you try from google.com - see http://www.google.com/search?q=shruthi
Ano, heh heh... what a mini-rant! And I so agree with that heel-less footwear being blasphemy!
Rajk, yeah, isn't he? :O And thanks!
So, all of us have Imelda Marcos-ish tendencies, eh! I used to freak out on inexpensive, stylish footwear from Karol Bagh and Sarojini Nagar, but alas my heel problem put a stop to that. I now wear only Dr. Scholl's staid old sandals! And sensible running shoes.
I have the same problem.
Once, my husband told my sister that he would give her 10,000 rupees and a taxi, please do whatever you want, but get your sister a good pair of shoes... and I will give you anything you want. Such a tempting offer! But my sister was not successful!
A few years back, rubber slippers (Verlon from Bata) used to be available.... they were sturdy and long-lasting....and I wore them for every occasion, right from dropping my kids to school, to buy vegetables, in the rainy season, and even to weddings.
Unfortunately, they are not available any longer, and again, I am limping around in some other shoes!
Murphy's law of Shruthi's foot: "And you know what? Now, the style I like will not be available in the new size but will be available in the old size :("
Heh heh heh... :D
Awww.. you poor thig. Don't worry. You can give the dream woodland shoes to your little sister :P :P
Lak, Dr. Scholl's is very comfy.... why can't they bring out pretty designs in it? :(
Bru, ha ha.. poor you!
Sudipta, heh heh, bingo!
PeeVee, shame on you! I thought you would say, don't worry, I will get you nice ones or something like that. And me, thrilled, looking at this rare comment from you - only to see this! Grrr!
I am very choosy when it comes to footwear..most of the time i select black coloured footwear but not before searching high and low in 3-4 shops..BTW I don't have as many pairs as you...
wow very nice blog...nice post to go...wow its really wonder,to maintain this 100 shoes is really a great,but i have full sanctification with my only Joseph seibel shoes
okay i have excellent taste in shoes and clothes and am always being dragged along to help ppl buy. i am thinking of going from journo to personal shopper. in fact i give away slippers and shoes and bags all the time. and then just see a 100 more i could easily do with. i simply have a keen senes of what looks good and then everyone wants what i have. the truth is i rarely wear the fancy ones and the fat comfortable ones get worn to death.!
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