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 16 - (fake) Crocs!

What: orange fake crocs
From: LL Bean (the rehoboth outlet)
Purchased: ~04, possibly '05
Cost: $15

My orange fake crocs! Oh how ugly, and yet comfortable. You know how I once said the contrary to conventional wisdom, bargain shopping could put you ahead of a trend? These are a perfect example. Crocs first came out in 2002, mass produced in 2003. I found these at the LL Bean outlets in 2004, maybe 2005, and sure enough, they are darn comfortable. So I decided to grab them - I love a slip on casual shoe to keep by the door to pop outside. Loved them. Wore them all the time, on maternity leave and on weekends (with socks!) the first year of Elizabeth's life.

They are pretty close to actual Crocs. LL Bean actually had to redesign them the following season, and now no longer carries them. But this pair I got at the outlet put my right on trend. Then, the Croc backlash started right around 2007. Company stock price crashed - earnings were down - after all, if you make an indestructable shoe, who needs to buy more than one pair? Plus, they are really ugly. I mean really. I've come to my senses and only wear at appropriate times - gardening, popping outside to take out the trash, as slippers, at the pool, water park, or at the beach, as I did last week. Perfect uses for a utilitarian shoe. Crocs have come out with slightly more stylish, less bulky options, though I've never tried any.

On a side note, I love Crocs as kids shoes - super cute. I especially like the crocs with fleece lining, and buy them for E and A, though often off brand ones. For whatever reason, they stay well on kids feet, they clean easily, and let's face it, they are just comfy. Not allowed in most schools, but a perfect summer sandal or more substantial casual almost slipper-like shoe in the winter.

Bottom line: keeper. Infrequent, specific wear only!

July 17 - another discard, orange this time

What: size 8 orange sandals, 2 inch heel
From: Unlisted by Kenneth Cole, bought at Nordstrom Rack
Purchased: '03
Cost: $15

My sister tried to get me to get rid of these in the great closet clean out of 2008, but I resisted. Not sure why other than I had already parted with so much and there seems to be nothing wrong with these shoes. But they are freaking uncomfortable, too tight and a little ugly to boot. And since I wanted to go away for the weekend without bringing a lot of shoes, these are on the chopping block. They were part of my orange quest period. Quests are weird - I end up buying shoes of the specific color or style just because they are cheap. Now that I am looking back on purchases, I am seeing that they have rarely worked out. Serendipity - with a nice mix of for cheap and comfortable works. I can't buy shoes just because they are cheap. They have to work and be wearable. But it's a dilemma. If I buy an outfit, or piece of clothing, on a whim, and there are no shoes to go with it, of course I'll start looking for the right match.

I think, more than anything, this blog interlude is a way to unearth the stacks of shoes and figure out what really works. Cause I have a lot of rarely worn shoes that can really work in multiple ways, I just need the push to actually wear them.

Bottom line: donate pile!

July 11 - pink/orange

What: size 8 pink/orange 2 inch strappy sandals
From: Talbots (outlet)
Purchased: '03/'04
Cost: ~$30

Love these sandals. I keep thinking I should take pics with a better camera than the iphone, but it's sooo easy to get the photos off the iphone I persist with slightly crappy shots. It's hard to see but the straps are 2 small strips of pink and orange leather, sewn together to make one strap. Love them. Love that color combination. Always received compliments on these when I wore them to my last office. I've worn them a lot - the front are a little beat up. For office wear, I have an organe twinset with pink trim that I used to wear a lot. Silly to wear a twinset at home in the summer, you know? We went out for brunch Sunday so pulled out these sandals along with a pink shirt I have. These shoes are so comfortable.

Bottom line: keeper

June 26 - another flip flop day

What: size 8 orange leather flip flops
From: Talbots (outlet)
Purchased: '09
Cost: $14

I've been holding these for a day just like today, though today did not turn out as planned. We were going to camp in a friend's backyard, but Andrew's come down with a virus and the pediatrician today said: definitely contagious, stay home. These are part of the small rotation that I was wearing all spring that caused Rich to say I only wore a small percentage of my shoes (little did he - or I - know how right he was). I liked these so much when I saw the yellow ones at the outlet even cheaper this spring, I bought them too. Wish I had bought the blue ones, too. But that's how I got into my current shoe situation!

Bottom line: keeper!

June 25 - the orange quest

What: size 7.5 strappy 2 inch heels orange sandals
From: Aerosoles (outlet)
Purchased: early 00's
Cost: $18

I used to be on an orange shoe quest (something to do with UVA football game attire, I think) and these are great looking sandals. Hmm, if I was really organized, I'd do my shoe exploration by color. A little tight, and too fussy with a buckle, but they look good. I like them. But another example of shoes that are now a little too casual for meetings, but too dressy for kicking around the house.

Bottom line: easy, definite keeper

June 20 - even lazier Sunday

What: size 8 orange flip flops
From: Ann Taylor LOFT
Purchased: '03 or so
Cost: $10

These are super comfy flip flops, with a thick pad of cushioning and a slight heel. They're the other pair of shoes I wore all summer in '08, and are almost worn completely out. I don't wear them much because I am afraid they are going to die at any moment. But, for the pool, they are perfect. Seriously I need to throw these away, but yet that would send me on a flip flop quest and I'd rather eke out another season with them.

The thing about my quests is I end up purchasing shoes that are not quite right (but are super cheap) looking for the right thing. For those keeping track, I have a slip on sneaker quest, a business attire brown shoe quest, low heeled black sandal quest, and probably more....

Bottom line: they are going to have to rip apart completely before I throw them away

June 16 - more flats

What: size 8 reddish patterned ballet flats with bow
From: Talbots (outlet)
Purchased: spring ‘09
Cost: ~$20

I used to not wear flats at all – it’s a long story, but I am supposed to wear orthotics, which don’t fit in any shoes except ugly ones, so I rarely wear them. I discovered that if I wore a shoe with a bit of a heel, I didn’t need the orthotics to avoid back pains, which is why nearly every shoe I own has a heel, usually ~2 inches. Which, again, was fine for working in an office, but is a little overkill on the playground. And I also have wide feet, which also means the shoe sometimes has to be larger size to fit in width but then doesn’t fit in length. So I’d never found a flat that was even remotely comfortable, but I saw these in the Outlet and tried them on and they were actually comfortable in an 8. Really comfortable. But I think they were still too expensive, so I kept my eye on them at the outlet and by spring (they were from summer ’08), the cost had dropped into reasonable territory, so I grabbed them. And didn’t wear them for a few months, but started wearing them late summer last year and have nearly worn them out. They are not going to last much longer, but they’re a go-to shoe. I chaperoned Elizabeth’s school trip to the National Aquarium and they were perfect.

Bottom line: Keeper (and I’ve since bought other flats from Talbots, too, as they are sized well for me. Talbots flats are typically priced at $99. Ridiculous. I have three pairs now and the most I paid was $35. They had a cute pink pair with a flower this spring, so I am keeping my eyes open for discounts.).

June 5 - twofer

What: Orange with white trim espadrilles, Size 8
From: Jones New York, outlet
Purchased: Fall '08
Cost: $6!

I think she rang them up incorrectly, actually. Bought these at the JNY outlet store mid-fall 2008, a way it's the end of the season sale. Wore them almost all summer last year, alternating with two other espadrilles. Perfect for summer weather, casual, comfy, and yet still stylish. My friend Lisa says you only get one season out of espadrilles, and that's pretty much true - once you walk in rain or puddles and the bottoms get wet and start absorbing water it's pretty much all over. But I am going to try to keep these going as long as possible!

Bottom line: we'll see how long they last before totally falling apart

What: pink 2 inch heeled sandals, size 7.5
From: Bandolino, Lord and Taylor
Purchased: summer '03 or '04
Cost: ~$20

Later Saturday I was at my 20th reunion dinner. I wore the espadrilles for the afternoon and brought a dress to wear for the dinner, and before we left I spent too much time at home searching for the left shoe from the black sandals I had been wearing with the dress. That left shoe was no where to be found - and the last time I remember seeing it, both shoes were on Elizabeth's feet. So who knows where it might be. But, the dress has pink in it, and I remembered I had pink sandals so grabbed these. I first bought them in black, size 8, and wore them OUT - those black ones were go-to shoes for a couple of summers. I really need to throw out the black ones because the fronts are torn up. Later that same summer, once summer sales really kicked in, I decided to get the pink ones, too. The black ones were slightly loose, so I decided to go down a half size, but the pink ones have always been too tight. They've never loosened (honestly, have any shoes ever really loosened?). But pink sandals fill a wardrobe need, so they will stay. Other famous last words of the shoe addicted: they're not that uncomfortable.

Bottom line: they're there when I need pink sandals. Will never be comfortable first choice, but they'll do when needed.