First, let me ask your pardon for my big ol’ feet right there all giant on your screen. Hot, huh? It’s just that, well, they are MY feet and I am trying to embrace them. Even though I think they are kinda fat and cankle-y and not sexy at all. I do appreciate my ankles a bit more since I didn’t see them for a couple of months when I was pregnant with my girls due a layer of marshmallow-y edema of grossness. Squishy ankles are “ew” as well as painful so I’ll take what I can get now.
So where is this going? Well I have a love hate relationship with shoes. I think they are a fun accessory and my office mate wears all kinds of adorable shoes on her cute little size 6 feet all week. Those same cute shoes are not so much cute at a size 9 no matter how many times I try them on. So sad. On the other hand it makes simplifying my wardrobe a little less painful. I don’t have any absolutely AMAZING shoes that I’d have a hard time parting with.
I’ve read a number of posts about a minimalist wardrobe that delineates the number and kind of shoes you should own. One girl has one pair of black flats she wears everyday and maybe a pair of sneakers and a pair of boots. That’s a little too minimal for me. I certainly don’t think it’s a one size fits all situation (no pun intended).
I’ve been repeatedly going through my shoe collection getting rid of first the superfluous and then the rarely worn and uncomfortable. As I wear shoes, if I find they get uncomfortable as the day wears on, they are also placed in the consignment shop pile. I already know my Merrell clogs will always be my comfy back up shoe and during the winter I wear my black flat tall boots at least twice a week to work (I work 3 1/2 days per week).
I admittedly wear Crocs (please don’t stop reading now – really, I’m not a bad person..) but only in my yard. I leave them at the door so I can run out with the dog or to rescue children as needed. I only wore them in public when I was pregnant because nothing else fit the cankles. I also have Crocs that look like flats that I occasionally wear to work but somehow even these make my feet ache by the end of the day. I have them in brown and black, like most everything else.
I have tall boots in brown and black. And I have the same pair of Dansko clogs in brown and black. But I think the Dansko’s are hurting my knees and I’ve been considering sending them up the river too. There is a brown Dansko Mary Jane that is comfy and I wish I had that in black. Of course.
For years I have bought shoes in both black and brown when I found a pair I liked. I even have the same belt in brown and black. But that’s for another discussion… I’m pretty boring at heart. I like routine. I appreciate sameness. And then I bought purple sneakers (see the pic above).
I’ve been looking for the “perfect” pair of black shoes. I had a pair the was pretty close and I literally wore them out. The soles are worn through and the elastic is shot and although I’d love to have them fixed, the chances of my getting to the one shop in the area that repairs shoes is pretty much nil. Â I think I’m out of luck. So I continue to search for a replacement.
In the meantime, I seemed to be collecting “second best” and I’m pretty sure that’s not a good idea. When it comes right down to it, what I’m really looking for is comfort. And then I came across these purple sneakers. They are Merrell “barefoot” technology sneakers with vibram soles. They never pinch, my legs never hurt when I wear them, they appear to be washable and they don’t “go” with anything which means they actually go with everything. Most of my wardrobe is black, grey, or brown so they don’t really clash either.
I’m beginning to think that minimalist clothing doesn’t need to be limited to black. It just needs to make your life more simple. My purple sneakers don’t make me cringe in the morning as I get dressed thinking my feet might hurt by the end of the day. I don’t yearn to get home so I can take off my shoes and be more comfortable. I don’t hate myself at noon for wearing them. And really, no one cares what is on my feet. I’m not a supermodel. I work in healthcare and people kind of expect us to wear comfortable shoes. So why not embrace it and make life simple?
The next round of shoe purging will take this into account and since my little fat piggies won’t be impressing anyone with their cuteness, neither do my shoes need to do this. Presentable, comfortable and interchangeable- that is the goal for my minimal shoe wardrobe aspirations. And purple sneakers fit right in. 🙂
What are your “go to” shoes? How many pairs do you think you “need”?
Enjoy your day!
Liz 🙂