For the Love of Shoes

Ballet flats, wedges, sneakers, sandals, slip-ons, boots, stilettos, flip-flops. So many footwear, but only two feet.

I am a strong believer that shoes are worth investing on. As much as I would want to have shoes as many as Imelda’s, my financial status and my brain will not permit me.

Part of the reason why I love shoes so much is probably because of my mom. She is working mom, she did things corporate style. She didn’t have hundreds of shoes, but all of them were beautiful on her. Even the simplest black pumps worn with her oddly-colored office uniform looked marvellous on her. A lot of people who have seen her picking me up at school would tell me about always seeing my mom in heels. She wears heels even until today. She is part of the reason why I always looked forward to growing up and wearing heels.

When it comes to shoes, when I fall in love, I fall hard! I do not easily fall for just any pair, I have a certain criteria.

After a bad day at work or even after a nerve-wrecking day at school after a major exam, I would hit the mall alone and go window shopping. I have a habit of “visiting” shoes that catch my eye. The sales ladies surprisingly just smile at me even if they know I’m only there to look. On certain occasions, I would reward myself though. Most of the time, I would save up to get the pair that I have been longing for.

You would not believe how many times I’ve tried finally deciding to buy the shoes I want only to find that they don’t have my size anymore. If there’s one situation I feel I have experienced more than anyone in this world, it’s being told “Sorry miss, last pair na.”

I absolutely mind if the pair if I am about to get is the one on display, because it is the one being tried on by other girls who’ve found interest in the shoe. Normally what would happen is the shoe on display would be wider or slightly more wrinkled compared to it’s partner. You also can’t count the number of times I tell the salesperson, “Heck, I’ll buy it.” My shoe size is a common 6 or 7 after all, so shops almost always run out. This is a fact I will have to live with.

You don’t always find the pair you like. I’m probably not the only one who has encountered the dilemma wherein you are ready to spend, but buyable items are nowhere in sight, and when you’re broke, you find many many things that you would like to purchase.

I love shoes. I try to protect them as I walk, especially with the ones with thin heels. Every time I use them I  hope that they never wear out. But of course, this is impossible knowing that I use them all the time. I get that heavy feeling in my heart whenever one of my shoes has to retire. I admit it sometimes takes a while before I throw them away.

I have loved shoes for as long as I could remember. Shopping for clothes was never as exciting as shopping for shoes for me. I don’t know if you’ll agree with me on this, but I think you can tell a lot about a person based on their taste in shoes.

Deep inside, I think I will always be the little girl who when bored would lay out her old shoes in the afternoon, look at them and reminisce the days when they used to fit her, wishing that she never outgrew them, even imagining keeping them in good condition long enough to give them to her younger sister or maybe even to her daughter.

Come to think of it, I love shoes so much that when I moved here, my friend commented on my having more shoes than clothes in my maletta. I can’t help it, it’s so hard to pick which ones to bring! Haha!