I have a favorite pair of leather loafers that I bought years ago. The quality was so good on them, they still looked great and I often got comments on them. They are not typical loafers and are actually made by some company in Brazil. In case you were wondering why I still have these shoes, I have a thing with shoes. If I love them, I wear them until they are falling to bits around my feet. Case in point, I have a pair of black ballet flats from the late 1980s that are now back in fashion and a pair of suede knee-high boots that I bought in maybe 1990. I even learned back when I had an office job and had to dress a little nicer, that if I found a pair of shoes I loved, I would get two pairs, usually one in a different color.
I had a two day class up in Oakland this past week so I put on my favorite loafers and was off. However, I noticed as I walked they made a strange squeaking sound on the right side, probably due to some break in the arch support or something. And worse of all, the left shoe was too tight and no longer fit like it used to. Some women may understand this problem. I had a baby about 4 years ago and ever since then, some shoes just don't fit like they used to. I had already purged a favorite pair of Doc Martens sandals due to this problem, but I hadn't realized it had affected my loafers too.
So, I kept wearing them and saying to myself they will stretch a little, all leather and all. The squeak isn't all that annoying. Well, by lunch time I had a chance to walk around downtown and I realized that my left foot was killing me and I was going to need a new pair of shoes stat. I walked a couple blocks and unbelievably found a Payless Shoe Source. I found a new pair of brown shoes that were on sale. As I was paying for the shoes, the cashier must have realized my dilemma because he asked if I wanted to wear the shoes out of the store. So he removed all the tags and gave me a bag for my loafers. Minutes later and $20 later, I was putting my favorite loafers in a garbage can (sniff sniff) and wearing some new shoes that didn't squeak and didn't irritate the blister that had developed on my left foot.
I guess I am lucky I didn't stumble across a high-end shoe store. My shoe therapy may have cost me a lot more money.
1 comment:
I also have shoes that date all the way back to the 80's. I don't toss them until there is no hope. I finally threw out a bag of shoes last winter and it hurt to do it but they seriously needed to go. They couldn't even be donated they were so worn.
I made an emergency shoe stop when I got to work and realized after dressing in the dark that my shoes looked absolutely completely horrid with my outfit. So I got a pair of shoes that matched and in a color I actually needed. I think my new job won't be anywhere near retail which is good and bad. It means I need to pay WAY more attention to what I put together for the day.
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