For the Love of Shoes…A Shog

With Labor Day weekend behind us, it won't be long before the leaves are changing colors and I am trading in my t-shirts and shorts for sweatshirts and long pants. The white handbags have been put away and I will soon be bidding farewell to my open-toed shoes for another season.

Shoes. They're my thing and I think it's fair to say I'm shoe-obsessed. Anyone who knows me knows this. Move over Carrie Bradshaw! I believe the right shoes with otherwise basic clothing can take an outfit from fair to fab immediately without the need to add a bunch of other accessories. With more than 100 pairs of shoes and an entire room to house them, it's pretty safe to say I'm prepared to put the finishing touch on any ensemble. That, however, does not stop me from making additional footwear purchases and I'm still trying to explain to some that just because you have a pair of black heels, it does NOT mean that they go with everything that one would wear black shoes with, and the style of the shoe is just as important. You wouldn't wear a pair of casual, look-cute-with-jeans shoes with a business suit, would you?

I'm not exactly sure how the footwear obsession began, but I do recall loving shoes as kid. You know the pics you've seen on the Internet of the little girl in her mother's heels? Yep...that was me. As soon as I was old enough to wear heels and not look like I should have been at home playing dress-up, I've been sporting a pair. And then I met Jimmy, Christian and Manolo. Instant addiction. There's just something about the look and feel of the high-end brands. I'm very thankful for Joe at Campetti's Shoe Hospital in Wheeling. He has breathed new life into many pairs when they were beginning to look a bit ragged or were just plain broken, and such has occurred on occasion. Once when that happened at work, I had to wear a colleague's shoes home to get another pair as there was no way to improvise when the four-inch stiletto snapped off the bottom of my shoe. The moral of that story was to put a pair of basic pumps in the car just in case.

Within the last few months, I found my way back to the gym, which necessitated the purchase of new workout shoes. I was pleasantly surprised to see the variety of colors and patterns - black and white checkered, green and white mesh or pale grey with neon green and purple trim to name just a few. Gone are the days of the basic white tennis shoes with a red or blue swoosh. I currently have my sights set on a pair of black and grey leopard print with pink trim. I don't want boring footwear, even at the gym. I do have to chuckle at myself, though. The cost of athletic shoes causes me pause. However, if I were purchasing heels, I wouldn't think twice. Maybe as I become more involved in fitness, this will change. But for now, I'll be waiting for the UPS man and that new pair of leopard CLs!