March 25 - red mary janes

What:  size 8.5 dark red suede mary janes with brown strap
From:  Franco Sarto (6pm.com)
Purchased:  May 20, 2010
Cost:  $40

I think with these I've finally covered all 22 of the shoes I bought in 2010.  Whew.  I cyber-stalked these all last winter/spring and finally got them.  I thought I had paid slightly less than $35, but my bank records say $40, so that included shipping.  I really liked them, but just never had occasion to wear.  I like the red-brown combination, though typically I wear red/black. 

There was a sweater I liked a lot at Lands End and with a gift card from Christmas I was even able to buy that sweater this winter to match - cardigan over white dress shirt, jeans and these shoes. Perfect.  Thanks goodness for this current cold spell, huh?  (well, not really, but it does give me the opportunity to actually get this outfit/shoes worn this year (see many previous discussions of work from home pajamas), otherwise these shoes would just sit in their stack for yet another spring/summer!).   

I was at a DSW last summer and saw these in brown suede on the clearance racks, and I tell you if I had not just learned my contract position was not going to be renewed I would own those, too.  Both the purple Franco Sarto and these came a wide range of colors, and I had a hard time deciding which colors to get in which style.  I would have loved these in brown, and for the purple ones, I loved all the options - red, brown, and, grey but went with the cute purple.  Tough decisions! 

Bottom line:  Keeper!

March 24 - blue peeps need fashion advice

What:  size 8.5 nude peep toes with blue suede band and gold buckle
From:  Talbots (outlet)
Purchased:  fall '08
Cost:  Hmm.  $35

Last week I was writing about what I thought was the last of the shoes in the shoe wardrobe, but then these caught my eye.  So now finally here are the last of the shoes from my shoe wardrobe piece of furniture.  I liked these a lot from the spring '08 line at Talbots, and watched for them at the outlet.  The 8s were waaay too tight, and even these 8.5s pinch a wee bit on the sides, but they're definitely wearable.  I bought another pair of shoes from this line at super discount the next spring. 

Last week I wrote they matched a pair of pants that needed to be hemmed, and I was going to wear them, but big surprise did not get around to hemming the pants.  But I really thought I had the makings of a good outfit, so gathered it all up together.  Taupe pants, navy tshirt, and taupe jacket with gold thread (a 100% Talbots outfit, which I actually try not to do, but you go with what you have - oh I'd also wear gold jewelry and that's not Talbots, so whew.).  But now I'm not sure, so I need fashion advice.  The taupe of the shoe, the jacket, and the pant are slightly different.  (Taupe is a color that bedevils me and my trying-to-surpress-matchy-matchy mindset.)  I think the shoes might go with the pant (though it's a little questionable), and the shoe does go with the jacket.  But not sure the jacket and pant go?  

Maybe I need to hem the pants and put it all on and see?  Because they're all just neutrals that cancel each other out, letting the navy and gold pop?  Because if it does work it is a great outfit for Spring (hmm, Easter?).  I think it might work better (though certainly more casual) with jeans.  So if these pants aren't the right pants for the outfit, what would work?  Slightly more khaki-colored pants?  Not navy pants, then I'd need a different top?  What friggin' color would the top be, then, with navy pants?  (White dress shirt?)

What do you think of the outfit?  And if not that outfit, how would you wear these shoes? 

Bottom line:  shoes are keepers, though not sure how to wear

And a big PS.  I am starting to get nervous.  So by the end of February, I had shown 157 pairs of shoes + 24 days so far in March = 181.  The big shoe sort is scheduled for April 8, so 15 more days.  Will I finish going through the shoes in 15 more days?  I am not sure I will.  Off the top of my head I can count at least 12 more pairs, easy, and that's not all of them!  Do I have 200 PAIRS OF SHOES IN MY HOUSE??!!  Gulp.  Even with the 25+ already discarded, that is a freaking large amount of shoes.  I half-watched an author on the Today Show this morning talk about her new book, Lost and Found: Unexpected Revelations about Food and Money.  I may have to get this book (from the library!). 

Ok, but when I think of this more calmly, I think of spending $600 a year on shoes, and in the grand scheme of things, that's not really all that terribly much.  Not chump change, but as TSM tells me, if this is my hobby, I'm not spending more than many other people on their hobbies.  And, given that I never get rid of anything, the accumulated piles should not be that surprising.  But it does make me pause in that we live in a 1600 square foot house (not counting attic or basement, which pushes it up to probably close to 2800 square feet).  I will get through these shoes, eventually.  And then I will commit to decluttering again.

March 23 - black patent peep toes

What:  size 7.5 black patent peep toe slingbacks with platform and bow detail
From:  Anny Taylor
Purchased:  late winter '08
Cost:  $30 - the box says $60, and I distinctly recall them being 50% off (unlike yesterday's which I don't think were that cheap)

You know what I really need?  The iphone4, with the flash on the camera.  Deep black colors are just too saturated to photo well without a flash.  And yet it is so much easier to photo with the phone and email the pic and get it posted that way, so hence, crappy pics.  Anyway.
 

Another pair from next to my dresser, and another pair never worn.  The good part about pulling these shoes out and at least trying them on, if not full on wearing them, is that I usually remember what I first liked about them.  I haven't had much occasion for dress shoes lately, and as I pulled out the box I thought these were very dressy shoes.  But they really aren't super dressy, by which I mean too elaborate to wear for every day use.  Essentially, these are functionally the same as these - nicer in many ways than the Naturalizer, but the platform means the heel isn't really high.  The sides are slightly pinchy, but not terribly so - I was surprised the 7.5s fit, but I recall the 8s were just too loose. 

The Naturalizer ones are really shot (they are flimsy with no support), and actually not all that comfortable (around the peep toe).  These Ann Taylors should be the replacements for the Naturalizers.  They really should.  I've been walking around this morning wearing both and seriously I need to just discard the Naturalizers.  Hmmm.  OK, the Naturalizers are out.  I can make that decision even without TSM's push on the 8th of April, the day of the big sort.   Now I need to figure out how I want to go back and account for delayed discards..... edit the old post, link to this one, and account in this month's tally. 

Bottom line:  keeper! And discarding another! 

March 22 - black lace

 

What:  size 7.5 black lace peep toes with bow

From:  Ann Taylor

Purchased:  late winter '08

Cost:  $30 - the box says $40, but I definitely recall they were a percentage off, I think 25%

OK, so the shoes I own but have never, ever worn make me feel slightly ill and extraordinarily wasteful.  Perhaps I should put them for sale on ebay, though I doubt I'd get much interest.    But, really, I need to think of these purchases as sunk costs, as in the purchase happened, and now I own the shoes.  Deal with the present, not the past. 

For whatever reasons, in the early part of '08 I ended up buying a fair number of dressy clothes (major scores at post-Christmas sales).  I had a new job, maybe, and a new outlook on life in general, and so I was drawn to dressier, more adult items, including these shoes.  And then I was pregnant with Andrew, and the new job ended, and the Wearing Of The Pajamas period of my life began.  (I have GOT to get dressed for real today! Though I should say I put these on and walked around for a good period of time, ok 15 minutes, and they are perfectly comfortable - as I recall, the 8s were just too big, my foot slipped out of them.)  I do like these shoes, though, and I do have numerous things to wear with them, if I ever went out.  Lace was huge this past year, and will probably be big again next, so maybe by next fall I'll have an occasion to wear these.  Whatever, they are super cute.  

Working through the stack next to my dresser.  I think I am going to officially designate the top shelf of my closet for nicer, dressier shoes, so these will go live there.  I got rid of a BUNCH of shoes (4 pairs!) from that shelf so there is plenty of space. 

Bottom line:  keeper

March 21 - metallic loafers!

What:  size 8W silver loafers
From:  Talbots (outlet)
Purchased:  March 19, 2011
Cost:  $21.25

OK, yes, I bought three pairs of shoes over the weekend.  There is no justification.  But you know what?  If I wasn't doing this shoe blog, I would have bought another pair - a very cool - and comfortable - pair of low heel peeptoes covered in gold sequins and glitter for $25.  Now, those were completely unjustifiable, and I knew it.  I liked them because they had a lower heel and were comfortable, and that's hard to find in a dress shoe.  But some on, where in the world would I wear them?  (dammit, I still want them, though - if they make it to the 80% off clearance you know they're mine!) 

But these!  I saw a bunch of mocs, ballet flats, and loafers on the clearance racks and then I noticed the tag on these were 8W = SCORE.  Wides are hard to find at the clearance center, so I grabbed them first thing and tried them - totally, perfectly comfortable.  Let's see, very comfy wide shoes (typically hard to find), metallic (my love of metallic is well documented), and silver/pewter/grey (my current favorite) for just over $20?  Um, yeah.

Ok, well, yes, technically I have these, which are functionally quite similar.  But! Silver/pewter ballet flats are great without socks, but you look like a dork wearing socks.  Silver/pewter loafers?  Socks, baby, plus a sturdier structure and heel put them in an ever-so-slightly different niche. 

Bottom line:  keeper! 

March 20 - but they are soooo cool!

What:  size 8 reddish platform croc embossed pumps
From:  Talbots (outlet)
Purchased:  March 19, 2011
Cost:  $26.50

Ok, see, these are actually why I traveled to the Clearance Center.  I first tried these shoes on last September,  as they were putting new fall merchandise out.  I loved them - love the color, just in between red and plum, love the exaggerated platform, LOVE.  My dad hmmphed at them, but I loved them.  I tracked them throughout the sale periods, and tried them on again when they made it to the clearance center at $85.  I watched the 25% off, and knew they had plenty and I could wait til the really good markdown - 60% off, plus that extra 10% off.  I had to have them.  Completely impractical.  But I like that they're red, but not really red - I wear a lot of plum, so I think I can make these work.  I was going to wear them out on the 20th, but Rich was sick and so I was on kid duty all day and they didn't get worn.  But I have plans for them. 

They had them in grey, too, and I almost decided on the grey as more practical, but come on these aren't remotely practical no matter the color, and I just really wanted the red. 

Pair #5 for the year.  Uh, and since I am doing one shoe in one shoe out, I'm counting these red ones against them.  Yes, I know it doesn't really count if I'm discarding a pair I had already decided to discard, but that's just the way it is.  Write you own shoe blog. 

Bottom line:  keeper! 

March 19 - there is really no hope for me at all

What:  size 8 black pointy toe pumps with low heel
From:  Talbots (outlet)
Purchased:  March 19, 2011
Cost:  $23

Uh.  Yeah.  So.  Listen, I've been really, really good lately.  I've stayed out of stores even during the end of winter clearance sales.  I've studiously avoided trying on shoes.  I've stalked but not purchased.  I have been frugal.  And, well, we all have our breaking points, and mine came with the "extra 10% off clearance prices at the outlet" e-mail.  Saturday morning Rich took the kids to E's dance class and I escaped to the Talbots Clearance store.  The day before, I had written about discarding a perfectly good pair of black suede pumps because they were too tight, and so I had in my head how difficult it was for me to find plain, simple black shoes at a cheap price and how I never quite have the right plain, simple black pump.  And so when I saw these on the clearance rack, I grabbed them.  And they also had them in grey suede, which I was of course more drawn to, but I thought, no, if I get these I am getting them in black because that is practical and I could actually use them and although no one with over 180 pairs of shoes needs any more shoes, you could almost make the argument that I needed these.  Ok, that's stretch, but still - $23!  (stay tuned tomorrow and the next day as I justify TWO MORE NEW PAIRS OF SHOES!)

I wore these out ot a party that same Saturday night and they are awesome!  Very comfy.



Um, yes, you might remember that plain-ish black pumps started this whole shoe blogging thing.  But these are different - they have a lower heel, and a pointy toe (instead of almond toe).  Totally different!












Pair #4 for 2011.  There is no hope for me.

Uh, I said I was going to do one shoe in one shoe out in 2011, so um, I'm counting the black suede ones I discarded last week against these! (shut up: my blog, my rules!)

Bottom line:  keeper!