November tally

OMG, I am never going to finish going through all my shoes. It's a burden, I tell you. I think maybe I was happier just living with my stacks and under-worn shoes. But once I get the tax deduction and clear out more space I think I will be happier. The process of getting there is not fun, though.

OK, anyway. For those actually reading along, it's actually mid-December and I am backdating because I am shameless (obviously). But now am finally through/caught up with November.

In the month of November, I wore/examined 15 pairs of shoes from my collection, at a total cost of $327, or average cost of $21.80. Of those, I am keeping 8, on the fence about 1, and donating 6.

So, I've been blogging shoes for 183 days.

I have shown you 119 pairs of my shoes. I am keeping 100 (!) (on the fence about 6 of those, though i think i gave my mom one of those 6, I need to go back and check), trashing 3, donating 16.

So keeping 100 and getting rid of 19 is a cull rate of 16%. (My goal remains 20%, which means I have stacks to get rid of!).

And, I estimate that over the past 17 years or so I've spent $3253.75 on shoes, or an average cost of $27.34 per shoe.

Wow, so that means I'm keeping 100 pairs of shoes. And I still have another, um, 40+ pairs to get through. That still hardly seems possible. So I soldier on!

November 30 - I love my clodhoppers

What: size 8 wide, umm, I'm not even sure how to describe these. Loafers?
From: Naturalizer (outlet)
Purchased: October '03 - possibly '04, but I am fairly certain 03
Cost: $10

Oh these shoes make me laugh. My friend KG suggested we take advantage of a mid week day off and drive to Rehoboth for some shopping. I encouraged her to buy a gorgeous dress at Ann Taylor that she still wears. I got pink gloves at JNY, and I really think I got at least one other pair of shoes, but am not sure which ones now, so maybe I did not. I got a great jean skirt, and a cool cord skirt. It was a good shopping day.

You know what, it was 2004. I checked - I had Kanye West's The College Drop Out, and she had LL Cool J's The DEFinition, and we listened to both several times on the drive down and back. And The DEFinition wasn't released until August '04. OK, glad we cleared that up.

Anyway, near the end of the day we hit Naturalizer and I was going through the discount racks when I saw these and popped them on. KG immediately said, take those clodhoppers off! But I was smitten. Yes, they were ugly, but kind of in a vaguely cool-ish way, and best of all they were CHEAP. And I had nothing like them. KG was - and still is - appalled by them. She brings it up to this day. I completely concede they are not stylish, but my point was they had a niche and were a good buy.

And sure enough, on my maternity leave with E? I wore these shoes nearly every freaking day. The per wear cost of these is less than penny. The bottoms are also getting quite worn, though, the rubber tread wearing smooth, so they won't be so dependable for much longer. They've got some wear left, though.

I, um, actually haven't worn them in a while because, well, I can't believe I am admitting this, but they were once pooped on by Aggie. One night, suffering from intestinal distress, the poor dog went into our closet and pooped. We were not happy, but there were no lsating damage. I cleaned them off but somehow the magic was gone, so they've been under my dresser for a couple of years. But, I was pleasantly surprised by how comfy they are, and on a crappy day, they are great to wear with jeans and a sweatshirt.

So, bottom line: Keeper

November 29 - camel

What: size 8 camel loafer pumps with small buckle
From: Enzo Angiolini (Lord and Taylor)
Purchased: ~2003 - 04
Cost: $35

Remember these? Camel heels that over time had become two different colors? I wrote I had acquired another pair of camel heels I liked better and the two toned ones were shoved to the back of my closet. These are the better ones. Love these shoes. Love the color, love the heel, love the fit. Love them so much though they are showing a little wear. I walk on the outsides of my heels (I over pronate? Under pronate? Who knows, bottom line I wear my shoes out from the outside heel in).

See how the outer edges of the rubber heel are almost worn to the wooden part of the heel? So what would typically happen is I'd notice the wear on these, start looking for another pair of camel shoes, and rarely wear these so as not to scuff them up any more. But now that I'm aware of that pattern, I can maybe stop doing it, and either just wear a wider variety of my shoes or perhaps even get these repaired.

They could use new rubber heels and a professional polish, but they're also fine enough now. I used to wear these all the freaking time with a pair of black pants with a window pane pattern in camel, a black t, and camel jacket. Love that outfit. One size too small right now. Sigh.

Bottom line: keeper

November 27 - pink bows

What: size 8 pink satin peeptoe slingbacks with bows
From: Talbots (outlet)
Purchased: 2008 +/- 1 year
Cost: $20

I had seen these at Talbots and took note of them, but they were way too expensive and impractical. But then I ran across them in the outlet clearance center, and they were super cheap and still totally impractical, but I had to have them. So cute. I wore them to a black tie event in NYC in 2009, and then again this day to a wedding. Totally comfy (heel is not too high), totally cute, still pretty impractical. But you never know when you might have a chance to wear hot pink satin shoes with cute little bows on them! I hope to have many more chances.

Bottom line: keeper!

November 22 - free shoes!

What: size 8 black velvet cross strap pumps with 2 inch heel
From: KF ltd
Acquired: 1998
Cost: free to me

My friend Ave was a bridesmaid in my friend G's wedding, and Kdot and I attended together (me leaving Rich behind to till the garnde of my rental house, but that's another story). These were the bridesmaids shoes, and after the reception we were talking to Ave and she said she was going to get rid of them. So of course I said don't do that, give them to me. Which she did. But, they have also sat on the upper shelf of my closet for years, completely unworn by me. Shoot, was that wedding in 1997? I am a crappy friend because I can remember the price of items purchased years ago, but not the year of good friend's weddings! What is wrong with me?

Anyway, besides that, I should get rid of these. I have little use for black velvet shoes. But they are cute. I'm sorry I never had a chance to wear them.

Bottom line: donate!

November 21 - blue ankle strap

What: Size 8 navy ankle strap pumps
From: Naturalizer (outlet)
Purchased: ?? early-mid 00s
Cost: They still have the sticker, $60 with a red tag, which means they were either 60 or 80% off. I am pretty sure it was 80%, so that would be $12

I bought these as part of my I should wear more blue phase, and I think they were super cheap. But they have also sat in their box on the top shelf of my closet for years, completely unworn. Their box has no lid so that's dust in the picture above!

Bottom line: time to go goodbye, I don't think it's worth trying to sell

November 20 - another lilac

What: size 8 lilac slingbacks with 2.5 inch heel
From: Liz Claiborne (bought at some outlet, somewhere)
Purchased: early 00s
Cost: not entirely sure. I have them in black, too, so couldn't have paid much for them. My memory is fuzzy, but I kind of vaguely think they were super cheap, like $15, but let's say $20 to be more reasonable

Another pair of shoes, new in box, never worn, shoved up on the top shelf of my closet. I kind of like these, there's something interesting about the heel, and they are a pretty color. I bought them because they were cheap, but also because I had a pair of lilac mules I loved and wore often and wanted more lilac. But, I've never worn them. Not even once. I'm trying to finish out November by doing a big purge, but these are still exerting some pull. I have them in black, too, and they are not super comfortable, as I recall (I just pulled down the box and photo'ed, but didn't put them on).

Bottom line: a tough one. On the fence. Think I should ditch but hesitating.

November 19 - navy discards

What: size 8 navy pumps
From: Parade of Shoes
Purchased: around 2000
Cost: $24

I go on a navy kick every once in a while, so that must be why I bought these. But I never wear much navy, and so these shoes have never been worn. Is Parade of Shoes still in business? There used to be a location by my office, but at least that location is gone. No idea about the chain. Anyway, goodbye box that takes up too much space in my closet. Time to roll up my sleeves, admit my bad ideas, and move on with my life.

Bottom line: donation

November 18 - dyed to match

What: Size 8 dyed Navy blue pumps
From: unknown bridal shop
Purchased: 1993? 1994?
Cost: ? $40? Can't remember

I am a bad friend for many reasons, but right now because I cannot remember what year my friend Fred (college nickname, long story) got married. Augh, this is driving me crazy. I don't think Fred reads this blog, but our friend Kdot (another college nickname) does, so she will correct me. Was it 95? No, definitely '93 or '94 as I was living in Silver Spring at the time. I have to wonder if K. still has her shoes? The dress was a lovely navy velvet, and I still have it.

I had a blast at this wedding, but I do not think I need these shoes any longer. I also think I never gave Fred a wedding present, about which I still feel guilty. Perhaps she would like some shoes?

Bottom line: donation

November 17 - brown croc loafer pumps

What: size 8 3 inch heel brown croc loafer style pumps with brass chain
From: Nine West (macy's)
Purchased: 02-03-ish
Cost: $15

Do you know waht this shoe challenge is going to do? Wipe out my last remaining Nine West shoes. I bought these years ago, because they were super cheap and I was thinking I used to wear a lot of loafer style pumps and why didn't I do that anymore. And then I never wore them.

I have them on Craig's List for $20. No takers thus far. If none by Christmas, I'll donate.

Bottom line: gone one way or another

November 16 - gold pumps

What: Size 8 gold pumps with 2.5 inch heel
From: Nine West (unknown purchase, likely Hechts)
Purchased: early 90s
Cost: ? Let's say $32

Time to go through a bunch of shoes and just get rid of them. These have been on the shoe rack in Elizabeth's room since 2003, not worn once. That's why there are those little dents on the sides. What can I say, I've loved metallics for a long time. I've had these forever - I remember wearing them with a gold-ish (not metallic, but sort of that nude gold color) at the job I had in 1994.

Someone once asked me how I can remember prices and when and where I bought things. I have a good memory, but also, I've lived different places and had differnet sorts of jobs that required different sorts of outfits, so I can sort of pin shoes to specific outfits I would wear for different occasions. I loved that dress, I think I still have it. Might have gotten rid of it in the purge of 08. I have no excuse for keeping the shoes this long. Bye!

Bottom line: donated

November 15 - my mother made me do it

What: size 8 grey croc ankle boots with 2.5 inch heel
From: Talbots (outlet)
Purchased: November 10, 2010
Cost: $35

Folks, meet shoe purchase #20 for 2010. I seriously cannot believe I have purchased 20 pairs of shoes this year. And I can't believe I bought these, even though I love them. First, on November 10 I was feeling lousy with what was about to turn into a raging kidney infection. Plus, I was wearing crappy shoes. Add in I had just gotten a notice that the outlet store as having its seasonal sale with an extra 10% off, plus my mom had given me a gift card to Talbots and you have a perfect storm.

I tried these on on a whim. I am seriously craving a pair of grey shooties. I haven't been able to find any I really like and are affordable, though. So I slipped these on at the outlet and whaddya know, they felt super comfy, and looked sooo much more stylish with my dress pants than my blah easy spirit shoes. They were $78, 50% off, plus an extra 10% off, and I had a $25 gift card, which meant $10 out of pocket. After thinking about it for a while, I texted a couple of people. My friend TSM replied: was there ever any doubt you would get them? My sister, on the other hand, replied: I do not approve of this purchase. My sister, you see, knows I really, really want grey shooties. Ankle boots are not shooties. You wear them totally differently, and my sister knew I was subbing one desire for something I didn't deeply desire, thus leaving the deep desire unfulfilled.

Shooties are hot right now as a look with skirts and tights. Since they end at the ankle, you can wear a skirt. Ankle boots, on the other hand, end just below your calf, cutting off your leg visually at a thick point, so you cannot wear them with skirts. Only pants. I seriously debated for a long time in the store carrying these around. I knew I'd have to write about it here, you see. But, as you can see, they now belong to me. As TSM said, despite great internal (and external!) debate, there really wasn't much doubt.

Prior to my shoe challenge, I would have purchased these and then worn them all November and throughout the winter, pushing other shoes aside. And, since I am writing this in early December, but backdating to November, I can tell you that's exactly what I've done. I freaking love these boots. I was sick the weekend of the 12th, and still felt awful the 15th, but went to a job interview and wore these (with black pants, black shell, and green suit jacket with grey stitching). A man in the elevator complimented them! I only left the house 3 other times the rest of the next week, and wore these boots each time (with jeans). Love, love, love them. Excellent purchase. Super comfortable, looks great with professional or casual clothes. I'm going to have to discard more shoes so that I can wear these more often. Thanks Mom!

Bottom line: keeper!

But I still crave shooties.

Week 4 - Friday chicken and DONE!

Wow, ok, well, it ended up taking us over 6 weeks to go through a 4 week meal plan. Or wait, 7 weeks? We skipped the last week entirely, then started up again, but it took over a week - ok, so 6 weeks plus 3 days to finish up making 20 meals.

The final meal of the 20 was Cajun Chicken with Collard Greens. I was actually looking forward ot this dish and it was only illness that prevented it being made on time. And, actually Rich ended up making it all as I was still feeling woozy. The Real Simple blogger liked it.

Was the recipe easy to follow?
Seemed to be easy and quick.

Adjustments?
I really, really don't like black eyed peas. I choke one down (yes, precisely one) every New Year's Day for luck, but that is it. So we subbed black beans. And it needed a side - yellow rice.

Did it taste good?
Yummy! I think, in retrospect, the greens needed a splash of vinegar.

Kid friendly?
Eh. They ate the yellow rice, of course, and Elizabeth's chicken was not seasoned a lot, so they ate some. Pretty much a pass on the collards, though.

Would we make it again?
Hmm. Yeah, maybe. The leftovers sat around, so not sure it was the greatest hit ever. I might make it if I get on a 'we need to eat more greens' kick.

November 10 - blah black

What: Size 8 black fabric pumps with 2 inch heel
From: Easy Spirit (bought unknown)
Purchased: ??
Cost: ?? Let's say $25

These have got to be the most blah shoes I own. Designed to be reasonably comfortable and completely boring. They are so boring and blah I have no idea of where or when I got them. But if you want to have a sturdy pair of pumps for a lot of walking, these manage to fit that niche. While being completely 100% unstylish. There is not an ounce of style in them. But, there are times you have a conservative meeting that also requires a fair amount of walking, and these unobtrusively work with pants in that circumstance. Especially if it's raining or something and you don't want better shoes to get dirty or wet. I got a couple of "ditch them" comments over my easy spirit penny loafers, which surprised me as penny loafers are a fairly basic staple that I consider inoffensive. (The picture for the penny loafers makes it look like I wore them with a skirt though, and that wasn't the case, actually, but I took the photo the next day when I did have on a skirt and I agree, that would be a total no-no, but I digress). Anyway, if the penny loafers were unstylish and boring, these are an order of magnitude worse. But yet they do fit a niche: bad weather, pants, lot of walking, conservative meeting. So they will stay.

Bottom line: keeper for infrequent wear

November 4 - bordeaux suede

What: Size 8 quilted suede and patent mary janes with 2 inch heel, in a rich purple-y red color
From: Franco Sarto (Lord & Taylor)
Purchased: January 2009
Cost: $25

I love these shoes. The fourth of the 5 shoes I bought in late December '08 - early January '09, when I was unemployed with a 2 month old. These might be my favorite from that time, and they've certainly gotten the most wear. They actually caused me to go on a Franco Sarto buying spree - I stalked a few shoes online for quite a while and bought two pairs of suede mary janes in 2010, both pairs as yet still unworn. These are a perfect heel height, totally comfortable, perfect with dress pants or jeans. (I have the pants pulled up a bit to try and show the shoes in the photo above) Love. I could have gotten these in black or navy blue back in January '09, and I kind of wish I had. These are looking a little worn, but they've got quite a bit of life in them yet!

Bottom line: keeper

November 3 - a brown thrift store find

What: size 8 brown and tan loafers, 2 inch heel, with bow
From: Naturalizer (bought at thrift store)
Purchased: October 2010
Cost: $17

And here's #18 for the year. I saw these earlier this fall at the thrift store that is one block from my house. This thrift store is in a totally Dangerous Location. Walking to Target? walk right past it. Headed to the Metro? Walk right past it. Library? walk by it, though it's on the other side of the street, exerting its magnetic pull. In short, it is too close to my house. TOO close. (Luckily, Elizabeth's school and the bus downtown - well, 2 of the 3 downtown bus options - are the opposite direction.)

Anyway, I liked these when I saw them, but the thrift store prices all shoes at $24. That's a great price if they're Kate Spade (an awesome pair of funky yellow green sandals that were unfortunately too big for me, sigh). But come on - my average price for completely brand new Naturalizer shoes is less than $18! There was no way I could buy used (slightly used, but definitely worn by some stranger used) Naturalizer shoes for over 20 bucks. But when they ran their $24=$17, now, that was a different story. These shoes are great. Love them. Perfect height. The thing I've been learning in reviewing my shoes is that a good mid-height heel will get a lot of wear. High heels, as much as I love them, just don't fit with my life right now. These would be getting a ton of wear if I wasn't trying to work my way through all my shoes.

I have a good friend in the neighborhood and we try to get to the thrift store every couple of weeks. My sister is coming by and I want to take her there. TSM, when are you going to come visit and go shopping with me?

Bottom line: keeper

Week 4 - Thursday flatbread

Still catching up. This was Thursday the 4th's meal. I said to Rich in advance, I think we've got a dud here and sure enough this was not a hit. No pic.

Thursday's meal was Sweet Potato and Brie Flatbread.

Was the recipe easy to follow?
It was. I have looked for good recipes for pizza dough because it can be so easy and quick. I was hopeful, but it was not to be.

Adjustments?
For the meal, I skipped the salad as a side. Instead we had tomato soup and green beans. I also used wheat pizza dough, which worked fine.

Did it taste good?
I thought it did. The brie really melted away into the bread, so it wasn't as good or cheesy as I wanted. Rich hated it. He just thinks pizza should be pizza with a sauce and thick covering of cheese. I have a really tasty flatbread recipe with mushrooms and greens and roasted red peppers and while he will eat it, he always asks where the sauce is.

Kid friendly?
Not really. Elizabeth, for whatever reason, has never been a fan of the yellow/orange vegetable family. She didn't eat much. Andrew toyed with it and maybe ate a few bites.

Would I make it again?
Interestingly, the Real Simple blogger thought maybe she'd make this again and cut in small squares and serve as an appetizer. I think that might be the only way I'd make it again. Though I do think it might need to cook a few minutes, then add the brie, maybe? That might help.

Week 4 - Wednesday steak

OK, wow, really trying to finish up this cooking challenge. I wish I had kept it up in real time, without skipping that last week, because the Real Simple Food Blog featured two bloggers who had blogged along. Ah, it could have been me. Oh well, I'll have to chase fame another way. This food thing became more about learning more about who we are as a family of eaters and cookers, and once I get to the end of the recipes, I'll do one wrap up post with some of my thoughts.

But for now, Weeks 4's Wednesday meal was Seared Steak with Cauliflower puree. No pics.

Was the recipe easy to follow?
Super easy, fairly quick. Wednesday is soccer night, so there was zero time, plus the kids were going crazy during food prep, so I just gave up on the idea of the olive garnish, which I think of a classic in Cuban cooking. I would have had to make that at a separate time, or just had more than 15 minutes. The Real Simple blogger described a night that is kind of like our nights, except that I insist on us all eating together as a family, at roughly 6:30 pm. It's not always easy, strike that, it's never easy, but for the most part it works for us as a family.

Adjustments?
No olive stuff, which would have been good, but was fine without it. Also, we don't have a food processor, and so the hand held immersion blender worked fine. My carb loving kids needed a side dish, so just heated up some noodles and called it a side.

Did it taste good?
Delish. Wish I had the time for the olive part. I am not a fan of cauliflower, but most of it is mental as I really like brocoli. There's jsut something about the white cauliflower that, well, bleah. But I thought this was ok. Not great, but ok.

Kid-friendly?
E sniffed at the cauliflower and asked what it was, and I quickly answered puree. She ate some. Andrew ate some. They both like meat a lot, so that was a hit.

Would we make it again?
I think so. It was good, not that hard to make.

November 1 - short black boots

What: size 8.5 short black boots with 1.5 inch heel, zipper up back
From: Etienne Aigner, bought at thrift store
Purchased: October 30, 2010
Cost: $17

#19 for the year. I'll get to 18 in a day or two, but these I could not pass up. I've wanted, for a number of years, a pair of low heel, more casual short black boots. There is a small clothing thrift store one block from my house that carries great brands. It started as more of a cast off clothing place at rock bottom prices, but over time, has morphed into a definite savvy thrift store business. I believe they are clearly buying lots (not lots as in number, but lots as in a pre-sorted box at auction kind of thing) of clothes from some sort of consolidator. It's just become too specialized in specific brands, quality, styles, and sizes. For example, the consolidator sorts through a bunch of donations, and sorts clothes by designer, size, and condition of clothes. This thrift store is buying sets of high quality Ann Taylor, LOFT, Banana, Gap, and J Crew as their bread and butter, with the sprinkle of Talbots, Lily Pulizter BCBG, Tahari, etc. I never once go in there without seeing something I own, or recognize from a line I know well. Most items are priced $7-$19. And then sometimes there's an occasional super high end brand, but it is priced accordingly (a Nannette Lepore dress for $75 last week, for example). They also frequently run specials (to clear out inventory, I presume - $7 item for $4, or $9 items for $7, etc).

A friend told me she had scored a pair of great boots here that looked like they had never been worn. So on a whim Halloween weekend I stopped in and saw they were still running their shoe special ($24 now $17), and had extended that to boots, and they had a lot of boots. And then I saw these and grabbed them. They look like they've never been worn. I wasn't 100% confident of the fit, but wasn't wearing great socks, so could not pass up Etienne Aigner low black boots for $17. But then I thought, you know, these aren't going to fit perfectly, which means I will keep looking for comfy low heel low black boots and will end up with two pairs.

So it was with some trepidation that I broke them out for first wearing on November 1. And guess what? They fit like a glove. Love. Perfect. Niche complete.

And then the next day I popped in a discount store (Syms) and guess what else? They had a ton of these exact boots for $40. Just further proof that my little neighborhood thrift store is anything but.

Week 4 - FINALLY - Monday's pork

Yikes! We were really disciplined about cooking at home 5 nights a week for the first three weeks, then week 4 totally fell apart, and it wasn't entirely easy getting back to it this past week. But we did cook 3 of the 5 meals (so far), so catching up.

Monday was supposed to be a pork dish, with Tuesday salmon. I hate salmon. Plus, unless it is wild caught, it's possibly the worst environmental choice out there - I know waaaay too much about salmon farming. I don't really know all that much about shrimp farming so it's easy to just pretend it's not a big deal, but I know far too much about salmon farming. My friends: don't eat farmed salmon. It is bad news. So, when good friends came into town Monday night (who happen to work on farmed salmon issues!), it was easy to shelve this, go out to dinner, and restart cooking on Tuesday night. So, Tuesday we had Roasted Pork with Polenta.

Was the recipe easy to follow?
It was - fast and easy. The polenta got a little lumpy, but was still good.

Adjustments?
I bought boneless pork medallions instead of chops, due to availability at our store. Also ,this needed an additional vegetable.

Did it taste good?
Eh. The pork was not great. I think I just have ot say that meat needs to be marinaded. It just needed more. Maybe the medallions needed more flavor than chops would have? Dunno.

Kid friendly?
They liked it, and even ate some polenta. We eat grits fairly often for breakfast, and usually make cheese grits. One of the secrets to good cheese grits is a couple of dashes of garlic salt or garlic powder, so I wish I had added some to the polenta.

Would we make it again?
Hmm. I don't know. It was easy, but it just needed something else. I guess I would say it was kind of fine, but didn't really have anything that made us excited. I have a lot of polenta left over, though, so maybe we'll give it another whirl with just a little more added to the recipe. What else could we add to the tomatoes? Olives. Maybe artichoke hearts? Capers. And of course marinade the pork in criollo, or heck this would be fine with chicken (which of course had been marinaded first). And I'm not sure gruyere ($$) is really needed for the polenta - it would be just as good with parmesan polenta, or what we do with grits is throw in a variety of cheese. Hmm, now that I'm thinking about it, this could become a staple with a few changes.

For those keeping track, the Tuesday recipe was Salmon with Potato Salad. Again, buy wild salmon - wild salmon from Alaska is actually a great choice. Or, a decent substitution for salmon might be arctic char, which some people (including Rich) think has more flavor than farmed (aka Atlantic) salmon.

October tally

OK, well, I was going to do discards for the rest oft he month, but it's Nov 4th and I just want to catch up at this point. So, my October tally of my increasingly ridiculous shoe challenge.

In the month of October, I wore 21 pairs of shoes from my collection, at a total cost of $692, or average cost of $32.95.

So, I've been blogging shoes for 153 days.

I have shown you 104 of my shoes. I am keeping 91 (on the fence about 5 of those), trashing 3, donating 10.

So keeping 91 and getting rid of 13 is a cull rate of 12.5%. (My goal remains 20%, which means I have stacks to get rid of!).

And, I estimate that over the past 17 years or so I've spent $2926.75 on shoes, or an average cost of $28.14 per shoe. Hmm, somehow I need to subtract out the discards for these price totals, right? Not sure what to do about that, but shoes i no longer own shouldn't be counted, right?

I've started a more elaborate tagging system of labels because I was totally losing track. But still need to go back and re-tag many many more posts.

It'll be 2011 before I finish cataloging my shoes. Plus I still think there is a box of older shoes in the attic (black slouch boots!) that I cannot find. So stay tuned.

October 27 - ruby patent peeps

What: Size 7.5 dark red patent peep toe slingbacks with 3.5 inch heel and slight platform
From: AK Anne Klein (Lord and Taylor)
Purchased: 2007
Cost: $40

Love these shoes. But they are too high for any sort of regular wear. I actually wore them on the 26th - on Rich's birthday, he worked downtown and finished up early. I drove downtown to meet him and have a drink, and then we went home, got the kids, and Metro-ed back downtown to go out to dinner. I wore these for the driving part of getting downtown, scored great parking, and just knew there was no way I could walk from home to the metro with a stroller and two kids, then walk to the restaurant and then do it all in reverse. Kids are not conducive to a high heeled lifestyle. And let's face it, I'm also out of practice - I'm just not as comfortable in higher heels as I once was. Still, these are great shoes, comfortable and stylish.

Bottom line: keeper

October 26 - the best of the bunch

What: size 38 black spotted kitten heels with red accent
From: Boden
Purchased: 2005
Cost: $115

These are the most expensive shoes I own and without a doubt the snazziest (I have another super cool pair that are actually kind of similar, but not quite at this level of snazzy). Love them, had to have them. I might have bought them in 2006, actually, but I've not had them that long. After leaving my non-profit advocacy job, and working at a job that wasn't remotely emotionally rewarding, then coming back from maternity leave, somewhere in that time period I sort of realized work was for making money (as opposed to saving the world) and if I was going to work, I was going to enjoy what I could buy. So these came along right during that time.

They are so distinctive I don't wear them that often. I would wear them to work with black tights, black skirt, black sweater and red scarf. But I was never fully satisfied with that look. Maybe they really are not professional shoes! Tuesday night, nice dark jeans and a black silk top worked great for a snazzy, more casual outfit, and the lower heel means they are fairly easy to wear, though I didn't wear any sort of trouser sock or hosiery, and they are a wee bit pinchy.

I should wear these more often. I've probably only worn them a handful of times, making their per wear cost fairly high. I love them so much I don't want any chance of any wear or scuffing. If there is any slight possibility of rain I can't wear them! Or if there has been rain and there are puddles. Or there can't be any possibility of having to walk on grass or dirt. And snow is an absolute no-no. Also, preferably no concrete. Really, they should only be worn indoors under tightly controlled conditions. Yes, I may be a bit too obsessive about these.

Bottom line: keeper!

October 25 - following advice

What: size 7.5 blue suede pumps with 2.5 inch heel
From: Nine West - maybe bought at Hecht's
Purchased: 1993 or 94
Cost: $32 - guess

The other day on Facebook someone posted an except from Clinton Kelly's new book, Oh No She Didn't. The post shared The Top 10 Mistakes We Make. #10 - scuffed up heels. I love Clinton Kelly, and he's right - at 42, owning well over 100 pairs of shoes, there is no reason why I should hold onto shoes that are this beat up. I loved these shoes. I wore them to Rich and my first valentine's dinner. Also wore them to my job interview at SW. I really like the heel, the curve is almost Louis XIV, but not quite. But I've not worn them in years, maybe a decade, because they are just too worn. So, it's time to say goodbye, especially since they've been living on the shoe rack in E's room and I really want that thing cleared.

Bottom line: discard

Today starts NaBloPoMo - National Blog Posting Month. So I'll catch up on October and then be a more regular poster this month. Have to run out to the grocery store to shop for this week, too.