February 7 - old black lace-ups

What: size 8 black tie shoes with chunky 2 inch heel
From: Natural SPORT (fairly certain bought at Hecht's)
Purchased: late 90s, early 00s
Cost: $25

The hardest shoe niche for me is the casual shoe. You know, you're wearing jeans, a sweater, you have a bunch of running around to do, maybe it's cold or not great weather, heels are simply not a practical choice. So what do you wear? I really struggle. I don't have many shoes in this niche, particularly ones that you can wear with thick or warm socks. In the summer, you grab a pair of sandals, but what about the fall, winter, and (most of all) early spring? Right now my go tos are short flat boots, which are great for fall and winter but spring still has me stymied.

Anyway, I wore the heck out of these in the early 00s. They are waterproofed, too, so awesome for winter - I wore them all the time for casual Fridays at my non-profit job. But, they have always been too tight - my right foot would often go numb if I laced them too tightly. Not what you want in what is supposed to be casual, easy shoes. I actually put these on to wear one day in January, but they have become simply way too tight and uncomfortable. So I went back to my short black boots. And that's another pair off the rack in Elizabeth's room!

Bottom line: discard