My Love of Shoes

I love shoes! I always have! I can't pin point that exact time in my life where I began the love affair, but I can recall countless pairs that have donned my feet over the years! There were the endless supply of Sam & Libby flats in the 90s. The sweet ballet flat with their oversized bow. I had them in every color!

 

 

Back in my day, flats were everything. No one wore heels. You had the flat above, the Eastland oxford where you wore your laces in a specific knot, flat, ankle boots that laced up and Keds, which I also had in every color!

 

My junior year in college I started working in retail. I started at The Limited and moved on to a small boutique in Jefferson City, MO. Millsap's, especially the owner Phyllis, introduced me to fashion and that's where my obsession truly began. I remember that Phyllis had a limited amount of shoes that she carried, but the ones she did were high end. Cole Hann was the first expensive shoe I ever owned. They were a chocolate brown, suede oxford with tassels. I wore them with everything! After college I continued to work in retail, moving to Kansas City to work for Harold's, a clothing company that designed their own line of apparel and shoes. Not many heels were manufactured. And, if there were heels, it was the standard 90s block heel. Great for standing on your feet all day as it helped keep the weight distributed equally. I remember a black, high shine heel I wore almost daily.

 

I broke out of retail in 1999 and I've never really looked back. Once in corporate America, I noticed that my style really took on a whole new look. I started wearing what I wanted, not what was mandated by the dress code of the store I was working for. I continued to wear the spill over shoes from Harold's, but I did start adding kitten heels and some with about a two inch heel. It wasn't until I started getting a subscription to Instyle Magazine and watching Red Carpet exclusives on E Television that I branched into full blown heels!

 

Today, I own quite a collection of shoes. They run the gamut of low end to high end and I really don't discriminate on designers or price. If the shoe fits, right? I do try to add a new designer to my collection, when I can afford it. You see, in my opinion, shoes are a work of art or can be. The printed fabrics, the leather details that are twisted into floral arrangements or the red sole bottoms of a Christian Louboutin. These all make for an amazing accent to any look or closet. Think about it. Cinderella had her glass slipper and Dorothy had her ruby, red slippers.

 

Below are a few of my pieces of art.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XOXO!

 

Sam and Libby photo courtesy of Etsy.