September 14 - pink patent sandals

What: Size 8 pink patent leather low heeled sandals
From: talbots (outlet)
Purchased: Late 90s
Cost: Guessing $25

Since I wore the white ones the day before, I decided to go with the matching pink ones the next day. I used to wear these ALL the time. I had a yellow skirt with pink flowers that matched. I loved these shoes. And then I did what I do - put them in the closet storage and didn't wear them for years. In 2008 I bought a pair of sandals that I thought could be a replacement for these, but they don't quite fill this same niche.

Even though the heels are a bit chunky, I don't think they are terribly out of style? What do you think? I think, after wearing them, plus wearing their match, they've gone from probably discard to probably keep. Hmmm.

Oh, and for both days I'm just guessing on how much they cost. I got them at the outlet, and I got two pairs at once back when I was flat broke and paying off student loans, so I wouldn't be surprised if they cost $10 each. But since I can't remember, I'll go with a more average price.

Bottom line: keeper, for now

September 13 - white sandals after Labor Day, the horror!

What: Size 8 white patent sandals with chunky 2 inch heel
From: Talbots (outlet)
Purchased: late 90s, I think
Cost: Not sure. Guessing $25

So I wrote August's tally on September 12 (good gravy I am behind on posting!), and lamented that summer was over and I still had sandals to wear, including white ones. Even though summer wasn't over since there were more 90 degree days to come, it was after Labor Day, and white shoes are supposed to be verboten. Especially according to my mother. Well, hooey. If it is early September, and still frigging hot, white shoes can work. So that day after the post, I looked through my white sandals and decided to wear these. (One of the white pairs has never been worn in at least 6 years of ownership, and the other pair is too uncomfortable, but I can't get rid of them as they were my wedding shoes).

These actually have a fair amount of wear, but are still in good shape. I cannot remember at all what I used to pair with them.

There's another style blog I've been reading lately called J's everyday fashion. She's a gorgeous woman who lives in Florida and definitely has that mid-Florida vibe going on. Although her style is not really close to mine, I like reading her and have gotten some ideas. She dresses in a lot of neutrals (also: fab shoes!), so when I pulled out the white sandals, I also grabbed my cuffed jeans, white t-shirt, and pale jacket and thought it was a decent enough casual outfit for September. And when I met my friend Amy for lunch, I even got a compliment.

I thought I might be persuaded to part with these shoes, but I think they get to stick around.

Bottom line: keeper

September 12 - pink kittens

What: Size 8 pink kitten heel loafers with tassel
From: Ann Taylor
Purchased: 2005
Cost: $40

Love these shoes. Super cute, comfy. The toes have gotten a little worn, but still in decent enough shape. I think I got these when I was pregnant, and the only pleasure in shopping was for shoes.

I also think they carried these in either black or brown, can't remember which now, but I snagged them off the sale rack and the neutral color was long gone in size 8, so I settled for pink, and I've gotten a lot of wear out of them.

Bottom line: Keeper!

September 10 - black loafers

What: size 8 black with patent trim square toe slingback loafer, 2 inch heel
From: Talbots (outlet)
Purchased: late 90s, early 00s
Cost: ?? maybe $25

So these are the black partner to the red shoes September 9th. I was so amazed I hadn't been wearing the red shoes I pulled the black ones out the next day. I really used to wear the black and red ones all the time. These black ones traveled to NZ in our luggage to be worn for city walking. Love them. Really not sure why they'd gone out of rotation. Have to remember these.

Had them so long the price escapes me, but since I bought two pairs, they couldn't possibly have been too much.

The red ones are narrow and 8.5, but still comfy. These are a bit more comfy, I think.

Bottom line: Keeper

September 9 - red loafers

What: size 8.5 Narrow red with patent trim square toe slingback loafer, 2 inch heel
From: Talbots (outlet)
Purchased: late 90s/early 00s
Cost: ?? Maybe $25?

Two things, I have had these shoes forever and man I take crappy photos with my iphone at times. But if I took better pics, with camera/tripod action, I'd never upload them, so we shall soldier on.

And the third thing - I have not worn these shoes in forever. I go through phases with shoes, where I wear them all the time, then put them in the back of the closet, or acquire new favorites, and essentially I feel I am building an archeological time capsule of shoe styles over the past 20 years. I have no idea, though, why I haven't worn these in the work from home lifestyle. Perfect height, not too dressy but not too casual, either.

I used to wear these all the time in 2003 with a very cute black and white flowered shirtdress with red piping at the sleeves and collar. Love that dress, loved that outfit. Dress is still hanging in the closet in Elizabeth's room, but too small by 2 sizes. Should be motivation for me to lose weight, but yet I am slacking.

For shoes that are about 10 years old, they are in decent shape and not really too out of date. The heel is a little chunky, but not too badly. These have to go back into rotation.

Bottom line: keeper

September 5 - black sandals

What: size 8 low heels black sandals with a bow
From: Talbots (outlet)
Purchased: ~2004
Cost: $24

I don't actually remember how much these cost, but they were an outlet purchase so not too pricey. More than almost any other pair of shoes I own, I wish I had 2 or 3 pairs of these waiting in the wings. Because they were a perfect shoe for a business casual office. I wear sandals a lot in the summer, eve when I worked in an office, and sandals with no backs make that flip flip flip noise as you walk, so these were a great shoe for the summer.

I almost wore these early on in the bloggy challenge, but then couldn't find one of the shoes (later found in Andrew's room) and went with a pink sandal instead. So I had almost forgotten I hadn't worn them, but saw them and even though were were headed out to a nature center for a birthday party - one that included a nature walk - I still grabbed them. They are so comfy. And I just think that little bow/tie in front adds something ladylike to fairly basic shoes. So I wore them this spring with a dress that has a small bow, and I wore them all the time back in the office job days with a black and white flowered skirt, a pink shirt, and black jacket. Love them.

But also, have worn them out.
The fronts have gotten quite worn. I think the difference between me and people who have a healthier relationship with stuff is that the healthier people get rid of their things that have become worn out. I really, with over 150 pairs of shoes, should not be wearing shoes that show this much wear in the front. I should get rid of these, shouldn't I? Do you get rid of shoes when they show wear? Is that the rational response? These are genuine questions. Because what I do, especially for shoes I have loved, is push them to the back of the closet so as not to finally wear them completely out and then I'm left with too many pairs of shoes I never wear.

I've had these reheeled once, and the nail heads are poking their way through the worn through rubber again. I do not think there is anything that can be done about the amount of wear in the front. But yet, I do not have a replacement for these shoes. I am actually rather thin on blasic black shoes. I should retrench my purchases and only purchase things that fill that specific niche - low heeled black sandals and shoes. Though all (well, most) of my black heels are not in great shape. I need a casual pair for summer, a slightly dressier, ladylike pair to replace these, and a slightly higher heel for office professional - not high heels, but a 2-3 inch pair comfy to wear but very professional. Hmmm. Will have to put more thought into this. But the trick, I think, is getting rid of those shoes that don't quite work right anymore, either because they look worn or they're outdated.

I was thinking about these shoes (or rather, this blog post) last night. I bet these are down to pennies a wear at this point.

Bottom line: I need to hear that the rational typical thing to do is get rid of (and throw away, not donate) shoes that are this worn. But I will probably hold onto them until I buy their replacement.

September 4 - bronze platforms

What: size 8.5 bronze platform wedge sandals - 3.75 inch heels, with 1 inch platform
From: LOFT
Purchased: May 1, 2010
Cost: $54

I love metallics! Have I mentioned that lately? Well, these shoes, bought in May, would have been the shoes I wore out this summer, if not for my bloggy challenge. Every dinner out, every casual nicely dressed outing, anytime I needed a pick me up these would have been the shoe of choice. Instead I wore them all the time in May, then not again until September! Yikes. Though I got to feature diversity in my shoe wardrobe, and now that I've relaxed my rules, I've worn them a bunch in September.

I read some style blogs, not that many, but my favorite is What I Wore. She's gorgeous, her photos are gorgeous, and I like her vintage-y style. In the spring she had an arrangement with LOFT, and began wearing these shoes. In May, I had an appointment to get my hair cut, but my stylist was running late and told me it would be a half hour before she got to me. No problem, I thought, I'll just duck into the LOFT next door. I thought I was just browsing, but they had 40% off the entire store. Suddenly it got interesting. I saw the right shoe on display and noticed it was an 8.5. Tried it on, and it was a good fit, so flagged down a store employee to ask for the match - only to hear they couldn't find it. I would never have tried on those shoes if not for What I Wore. Knowing how great they looked on, I stared at the shoe another few minutes, then went to the front desk and asked if they could look up if there were other stores in the area who had the shoe. Bingo - a store close by had it. So we called the store, and they were slammed with the 40% off sale, and the manager told me she'd hold the shoes for me and still give me the discount the next day (even though the sale was over that night). I love a meant-to-be-shoe-story.

I chatted some more with the woman at the register, and she told me they were having trouble meeting monthly sale numbers, so corporate had this special at the end of the sales month. It seemed to be working, I said, noting the crowds. LOFT did this at least one other time over the summer, which makes me wonder how well they are doing, but their troubles are the bargain hunter's joy.

These shoes were popular, and I'm glad I grabbed them (though I did see just a very few pairs on sale racks later in the spring), though I kind of wish I had worn them more this summer. They'll be great as long as the weather holds, so I will get more wear out of them. I think they'll work next year, too, at least I hope the cage/gladiator-type look is still in style. The platform makes these shoes the perfect height - 2.75 inches after substracting the 1 inch platform. Perfect. Super comfy. Love.

Bottom line: Is there even a question they are a total keeper?

September 3 - the black heels

What: black size 8 3.25 inch heeled strappy sandals
From: Tahari (Lord & Taylor)
Purchased: May 2010
Cost: $54

I believe these are the 5th pair I have purchased this year (though maybe they are the 4th or 6th or so). This year, I have been fascinated with "cage" shoes - those that seem to encase your whole foot in straps. All the rage. So when I saw these on the sale rack at L&T, I had to have them, although they were still pricey. I actually bought them at a higher price, but then they were marked lower the very next week so I got a price adjustment, thank goodness. I had been willing to spend the $70 or so, but it was really too much. Even $54 is too high. But these are cool shoes. I was happy to wear them out at my monthly mom's night out dinner, though we ate at a self serve pick your food up at the counter place (a nice one!) and I warned one of my friends I might need help picking up my food (there was a long flight of stairs involved). But I managed! The straps on these, aside from the very first strap across the toes, are black elastic. So relatively comfy. These are not quite as elaborate as many of the shoes out there, which are often platforms.

I don't know how long cage type shoes will be stylish, and I don't think I will get a ton of wear out of these. They certainly don't pass the professional test, unless maybe I was wearing wide leg trousers. Maybe. At two wearings, it's $26 per wear. I doubt I can get it down to single digits, but you never know, I do have 2 weddings to attend in the next few months so maybe they will get to come out of their box. Though one wedding is on a beach, so these might not be the best choice!

Bottom line: keeper

ps. I have to go back and revise my grey pointy shoes - a pricing error and a couple of better photos added. Also added a close up to my gold heels.

September 2 - orange flowers

What: orange-y low heel ankle strap sandals with flower
From: Nine West (the Union Station store)
Purchased: summer '02
Cost: $40

These may have been $30, not $40, but well go with the higher number. I bought them to wear to a wedding of a colleague, and then in '03 wore them to Ryan's wedding. Love these shoes. Always get a ton of compliments on them - that flower on the top is cute. I remember I bought a full-price (gasp!) dress from The Limited to wear, and then on my way through Union Station one day I popped in the Nine West store and just had to have these. They were on sale, I do remember that. A perfect match for the dress, and super comfortable and still quite charming shoes.

They were completely impractical to pack in my suitcase for New Zealand, but there was no way I wasn't bringing them. My fabulous photographer friend Tricia even snapped a photo in the parking lot after the wedding. See below for a better view. You can just see a peek of the dress, but it was cold and I was glad I had my black wrap.

I haven't worn them in a while. Not sure why, other than the whole work in my pajamas thing I have going on, though the color is a tough one. Hmm, maybe with my relatively new things have to GO, not MATCH philosophy I'll find more uses for these.

I have a bunch of shoes that are really distinctive or have unusual detailing (even though, now, in the harsh light of the computer screen I don't think these are all that special), and I guess I want to keep them "special" and not overwear them, or get them nicked up in daily wear. Now the shoe challenge will get those shoes out and featured, at least one day this fall/early winter (stay tuned for my zebra print flats with hot pink accent, or my leopard print with red velvet detailing!).

Bottom line: keeper!

August tally

OK, despite my blogging blahs, which really was shoes blahs, I still wore ten different pairs in August, all keepers. My estimated total spent is $255, or this month's average of $25.50 per pair.

2 high heels, 4 low heels, 4 flats. 1 black, 2 brown, 1 metallic, and 6 various colors.

So thus far, grand total since June 1:

92 days
70 shoes

Keeping 56, trashing 1, donating 8, and on the fence about 5.

That's 61 kept and 9 out of the house, so now a 13% cull rate.

I bought two pairs in August, both worn in August.

$1,821.75 spent
$26 average cost per pair

I still haven't hit the half way point in my estimate number of pairs. Now that fall is in the air, I've already starting wearing more closed toe and heavier shoes, so more diversity should start appearing, though I still have sandals left in my various stash locations. I even have three pairs of white sandals (1 pair I've never ever worn, and yet bought probably close to ten years ago), but now it's after Labor Day so what to do?

I'm not quite up to a new pair a day after my summer vacation, but I've got more than a handful of photos on my phone from the last 12 days, so have to ramp up my posting. Stay tuned.

August 28 - gold heels

What: gold strappy sandals with a 3 1/4 inch heel
From: Talbots (outlet)
Purchased: April 16, 2010
Cost: $20

My second pair of shoes in 2010. And, if not for this challenge, they'd probably still be unworn, so perhaps blogging shoes is a good thing.

Before my friend K. moved to Florida, we decided we needed to resurrect our Talbots outlet outings, which had gone by the wayside with children, work, and other priorities. So one last trip together and we had some good scores. At $20, these were impossible to resist, even if they aren't the most practical shoes in the world. I knew I had a big dressy work dinner in May, and last year I had worn my hot pink satin heels, so needed to wear something different this year. These were comfortable and cheap and I love metallics and I thought it was worth buying them in case they might go with whatever I ended up wearing to this fancy dinner. Well, ended up with a black dress and wearing new black heels, so these were in my shoe cupboard.

I'm going to admit they look a lot like another pair of gold shoes I bought from Talbots in the early 00s, which have never been worn. But those shoes are gold brocade, so totally different! I need to find an occasion to wear them. Hmm.

Anyway, wore these out to a party with jeans and a dressy top, and they worked great. They were a good buy. But they're never going to get a lot of wear, though over the next couple of years I'm sure I can get the per wear cost down to $2-4 or so. I need a more fabulous life to match my shoes.

Bottom line: keeper

eta: a close up picture. Love the material of these shoes. See the price tag? $39.99, plus they were 50% off. I guess it's sort of snakeskin, which is vastly different than the gold brocade heels I have (and have never once worn).

August 25 - grey and pointy

What: grey pointy-toed kitten heel size 8 pumps
From: Tahari(Lord and Taylor)
Purchased: December 28, 2008*
Cost: $30*

All right, I've been shamed and called out by one of my two readers, so back at my shoe blogging. I'll wrap up August and then restart September with more energy! I do, after all, have more than 100 pairs remaining to be worn, and if I find them so uninspiring, perhaps I should more seriously cull.

Anyway, these are one of my infamous I-have-no-job-and-maybe-will-become-a-stay-at-home-mom-so-let-me-purchase-5-pairs-of-mostly-work-shoes-in-one-month-while-it-is-winter-and-I-am-spending-maternity-leave-walking-around-Friendship-Heights. These may, in fact, be the first pair I bought. Actually they had them in purple, now that I am thinking about it, and I saw them and loved them and did not buy them (no job, no need for them, trying to be frugal), but thought about them endlessly and went back and the purple were all gone but the grey still called my name. I love them. Love kitten heels, love the exaggerated pointy toe. The first time I wore them I limped home, but they've become quite comfortable and are a great shoe for work. The picture does not do them justice. I need better lighting.

The day before I wore them I was reading something that said the trend this fall is for not quite as pointy shoes, which reminded me of this pair so I pulled them out. But they are still quite stylish and will remain a staple. And grey is a hot color this year for fall (as it often is). I was just reading another fall style guide ("affordable trends") and am eyeing a grey bag and yet another pair of shoes - booties. I'm watching this bootie trend and while I first thought it was ridiculous looking, I'm actually feeling like I need a pair of booties. I prefer to buy better brands a little later in the season from stores like Lord and Taylor rather than buy cheaper earlier. What say you, dear readers - fan of the booties? (or shooties, if you prefer?) And do you wait for higher quality, or buy now?

Also, do you spell it gray or grey?

Bottom line: keeper!

eta: So when I was putting these back in their box, I found the receipt. Actually bought these in late December 2008, so they were the first of my 5 shoes in a month (well, 30 days) purchases. Also, I had deflated the price - they were actually $30. I think, trying to hide my absolute financial foolishness, I had mentally oked it by lowering my price paid. The other ones were definitely cheaper, but these - while still a great bargain - were not quite the huge bargain. Out of all those 5 pairs, though, I've worn these the most. I love them - here's a closer picture of the pattern - love that marbelized look. They would have been fab in purple, but the grey has probably been more practical!