Confessions of a Shoe Addict

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A light shade of burgundy in a patent finish with a dainty bow and silver buckles.  It sounded good and looked good to me.  So they came home with me.  I was very surprised to find them outside on the clearance table with a whole bunch of homely-looking shoes.  Needless to say these cuties looked very out-of-place.  They were the only pair on the table and I assumed they were misplaced by another customer.  So to make doubly sure, I took them back inside and inquired about their price.  Sure enough, they were indeed on clearance.  Their $10.00 price tag sealed their fate and they came home with me to join my wardrobe.  No longer surrounded by homely-looking pairs of shoes, these cuties blend right on in with my stilletos and strappies. 

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These are my Valentine shoes.  They're red satin with matching lace overlay.  There's also a red ribbon threaded through the overlay around the heel wrap and along the edges of the footband.  The heels are covered in red satin and the bow is done up in the same material.  I call them my Valentine shoes because they remind of the pretty heart-shaped satin and laces boxes of candy that are so popular on Valentine's Day.  It was also this past Valentine's Day that someone made me realize that as many pairs of pretty shoes I have, I do not have a single sexy red dress to wear with any of them.  Kinda sad the more I thought about it.  Then I remember one red dress in particular that I remember seeing and wanted so very much.  But the store that sold it ran out.  Valentine's Day came and went and I did not bother giving the dress any more thought. 

     Then last month, I went back to the store that sold the dress to see what was new in their inventory.  A whole bunch of new stuff indeed.  But none that caught my eye.  That is until I went to the back wall.  Low and behold on the clearance rack was the red dress I had been wanting.  Not one, but two of them.  And the special going on for the day....everything on clearance was buy one, get one free.  So I got both.  I remember the store displaying the dress on two different manequins.  One wore it as a dress, the other as a tunic.  I got two for the price of one....so I have a dress and a tunic.  I would simply modify the one as a tunic with a bit of tweaking here and there. 

     Now to me red dress with red shoes is a bit too much.  A red dress alone is loud enough by itself.  Paired with red shoes and the whole thing is just screaming loud.  Loud is something not at all to the liking of silent individuals such as myself.  So the red dress will not be paired with the red shoes pictured.  But I will be wearing said red dress paired with the right pair of sexy stilletos next year on Valentine's Day. 

     The red shoes pictured, I'm pairing those with a pretty white dress I hope to wear one day maybe on a picnic, to an airshow, maybe even on a nice drive along the scenic Colonial Parkway on a sunny afternoon.  Mmmmmm....I can only imagine. 

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At first I wasn't so sure if I had anything in my wardrobe that would pair nicely with these off-beat colored shoes.  But the dowel-shaped heels, pointy toes, and faux croc-patent finish made them too hard to resist.  In the end, they actually pair up nicely with jeans. But because of their unusual color, caution must be taken when choosing a shirt top. 

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These are quite possibly the most comfortable pair of shoes I own.  They're suede ballerina flats by Steve Madden.  Everything is suede, including the magenta quilted cap toes and the ribbon, except for the leather sole bottoms which allows for outdoor usage.  If the store had more in my size, I would've bought a second pair....maybe even a third because I love them soooo much.  I have another pair of ballerina flats also by Steve Madden, but they're in leather.  But those will be for another post.   

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Everytime I look at these, I ask myself 'what in the world was I thinking'.  Then I put them on and all the doubt disappears.  When my feet are not in them, my view of them is that of the most odd-looking pair of shoes I own.  But, when I slip my feet into them, my view of them changes to absolute adoration.  I don't know.....maybe they just need a pair of feet in them to justify their rather peculiar appearance at first glance.  Because of the metal chain-mail, they do have a bit of weight and stiffness....but lots of shine and surprising bling factor. 

K9

I was very hesitant about getting these gold-chrome plated stilletos because of their full-working bulky-looking buckles.  But I think that because of their plated stilleto heels and dainty peep-toe, it balanced out the bulkiness of the loud buckles.  When I got them home and put them on for the first time, any doubt I had left was diminished.  They are unbelievably comfortable and have an extremely solid constuction.  They felt like gloves on my feet.  My first thought was they're solid enough to be dancing shoes.  I have several other shoes by BCBG, but none are as comfortable as these.  I saw them in a strange-looking green shade at another store, but didn't get them because I found that basic black was more ideal, and with such loud buckles, simplicity and daintiness are needed to round out the look. 

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Now I'm not paticularly fond of boots that only come up to just above the ankles.  But I do have a couple of pairs none the less.  They're for times when I want to wear boots underneath jeans/pants without the fuss or hassle of having to fight with the pants legs.  I was happy with the two pairs I already had.  But when I saw this pair by Nina, I just had to have them.  They're of a black stretch patent with a 3.5-inch chrome heel.  They remind me of the old Victorian boots once popular in the 19th century, just modernized with a hint of edge. 

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Worry not, they're not real snake skin.  Actually I'm still surprised at myself for buying them.  I hate snake skin patterns, on anything.  But there was something about these that really appealed to me, and I still don't know what it is.  Anyway, the faux python has a smooth texture, almost like patent, but isn't.  It's accented with brown suede ribbons.  I think the brown suede tones down the snake and actually gives it some much needed daintiness.  Because lets face it, there is nothing dainty about snake skin patterns, be it real or fake.  They have too much edge for my taste and most of the time I find them just plain horrorfying.  But these were an exception.  Why do they appeal to me, I really don't know.  They just do. 

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I love the combination of satin and pleats.  This pair pulled of the look in one of the most stunning shades I have ever seen.  They reminded me alot of when I first dyed my hair.  I was rocking my pigtails in the same deep shade of raven purple as these shoes.  It was fun and one of the nicest compliments I ever received was from a dad when I picked up my son from kindergarten one afternoon.  He said it was the naughtiest hair color he had ever seen.  I thought that was so sweet because underneath the purple pig-tails, red satin hair bows, and khaki coat, there was definitely a naughty streak lurking underneath.  There still is.  While I'm not sure when I'll dye my hair a sinister color ever again, these raven beautifies will definitely kick my naughty streak into overdrive when I put them on.  And for now, that will suffice.  The shoes are by NineWest, with a 3-inch heel, and pleated satin footbands. 

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I bought these on a day I was doing some serious retail therapy.  I was feeling miserable and was bingeing on some comfort shopping.  My mind was in a bit of a mess needless to say.  The chrome ones on top were the first to catch my eye and was delighted to see there was a copper pair exactly like it.  Wanting to examine both pairs in more detail, I failed to realize I had put my bag down into a small and  

K14

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narrow empty display case.  After deciding to get both pairs, I finally realized I did not have my bag on me at all.  I looked down, it wasn't there.  I looked around the display, it was nowhere in sight.  I looked underneath the platform tables, it wasn't there either.  My last recollection of it was putting it down between my feet while in the accessories department so I could answer an incoming call on my cell phone.  I ran back to that department, but it was gone.  I was panicking.  I ran to the front counter to let them know I lost my bag and hoped some decent soul had turned it in.  Nothing.  I retraced my steps completely and it was nowhere in sight.  I was almost in tears at this point because not only had I lost my wallet with all my money, credit cards, and drivers license, but my keys as well.  How was I going to get home?  And if I got home, how was I going to get into the house? But thank heavens a hero with wings kept me calm and comforted.  I went back to the spot where I realized I didn't have my bag.  I retraced each pair of shoe I looked at and picked up.  And that's when I saw it - in the empty display case right below a pair of Salvatore Ferragamos.  Ohhh what a sickening feeling to go through such an ordeal.  Now I'm not much of a drinker, but after a day like that I was ready for a Smirnoff or some Grey Goose.  Yes, I am a vodka gal.  One thing was certain, I needed to get home.  I did not get a drink, but I did get the shoes I wanted.  In the end, it felt good to strut around my bedroom in my new shoes with a tall cold glass of cola in hand.  To my hero with wings, I hold my glass up with a toast to you.  Thank you for keeping me calm and very comforted when no one else could.