The Shoe You

I want a shoe closet.

I would like proper one, with built in shoe racks and shelves. Either built into a walk-in or a shoe closet all its own. There are many examples of such things to drool over, but the Sex and the City shoe and walk-in closet which Big builds for Carrie in the first movie – that one specifically. Even her closet before she bought a place with Big, that little one would be great too. Right now I’d also be happy with some boot racks…

Yes, a lovely closet for my shoes. I do love them so, pretty pieces of art. I have faced criticism, after all who really needs all those shoes. To be fair, I have slowed down over the years and have become much more specific about what type and colour. After all, I actually do wear them, they don’t sit in boxes to be unworn.

I don’t keep all my shoes forever. Not all of them were good choices; some didn’t work out. In fact I can think of two – three pairs that I will try to sell next year. Without realizing it, I let shoes be the fresh part of my wardrobe and didn’t buy many work clothes for quite a while. It’s easy with shoes isn’t it? Bodies may change, but my shoe size doesn’t. In a conversation with a friend about style, and how I was trying to figure out my ‘signature’ item, she remarked that my shoes were already my signature. Which makes sense, I just hadn’t thought of it that way before.

What is it about women (and some men, to be fair, I know a few of those, they just have less options) and shoes? It’s fashion and style, yes, but I have often felt that there is more to it. I felt this was best described in a book I happily found one day: Women from the Ankle Down – a Story of Shoes and How They Define Us, by Rachelle Bergstein.

In the first decade of the 2000s, the relationship between women and shoes was cemented, when footwear – in an unprecedented array of colors, styles, and shapes – became synonymous with women’s personal agency. I want shoes, I deserve shoes, and I’m going to buy them for myself – this was a fresh and overwhelmingly prevalent point of view. Just like the ruby slippers before them, today’s shoes are symbolic of the wearer’s hopes and dreams. Be it wealth, fame, career success, or a happy marriage, the nature of the goal itself is less important than identifying the heart’s deepest desire and – without question, fear, or apology – going out to get it.

And so for the one with the shoes, I want the closet.

(although keep in mind, this photo shows the his/her closet, which includes the shoe showcase on the right)

*Image via http://ow.ly/AbsW307f9t7