Shoes and the Women Who Love Them

[dr_mabeuse]

I don’t want to hijack Destine’s thread on her shoe experience, so I’m starting a new thread about shoes and the women who love them.

I’d like someone to explain to me this intense thing women have for shoes. I’ve heard countless stories of women cheering themselves up by going out and buying new shoes, stories about women agonizing over shoe purchases, stories about closets full of shoes (Imelda Marcos, remember?), stories about foot torture for the sake of shoes, and I just don’t understand.

What gives? Why not underwear or scarves or hats? What’s the big deal with shoes? Does estrogen cause a kind of foot fetish?

---dr.M.

 

[Black Tulip]

Who said there is exclusiveness in being interested in shoes?

I can't tell you why, but I love shoes, but the same goes for underwear, as in lingerie.

Both things make you look good and feel sexy. They're morale boosters.

Ok, to me.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Part of your inability to understand doc probably has to do with having no need to color coordinate your shoes with an outfit. Men wear black or brown shoes and they go with all manner of attire from jeans to suits.

For women it dosen't work that way. Many times the color of your shoes needs to match the color of your outfit. Depending on where you are going or what you are doing a two inch, three inch or four inch heel may be more appropriate even with the same outfit. If you change acceories or stocking color you may need to alter shoe color as well.

A fellow can show up at work in kakies and a whit button down 10 days in a row, with all things being equal noone will notice. If a woman wears the same outfit 3 days in a row people notice. If you only have 2 or three outfits that are dressy enough for work, without being too dressy you can change the look by changing the color of your shoes and accessories and stockings.

Ex. a simple red sheath dress.
1. With black stockings, moderate black heels, a black bag and a silver necklace and earings looks one way.
2. Same dress with white stockings, red heels, a red bag and some more obvious gold jewlry, perhaps an off colored belt or scarf looks another way.
3. Smae dress with a wide black belt, black stockings, boots and some jewlry with a southwest flair looks different.
4. Same dress with fishnets, CMFM red pumps and long presson nails looks a lot different.

This example dosen't even include changing make up & hair for morning, workday or evening which to a degree alters the over all appearance of the outfit.

Men don't wear the same range of colors women do. If your boss went to italy and turned up for work one day in a dark green armani suit you wouldn't expect him to be wearing matching shoes would you? But if his secretary showed up in a Dior dress of the same color, you would expect her heels to match. Granted you can wear black with most anything, but thats boring

-Colly

 

[Weird Harold]

For women it dosen't work that way. Many times the color of your shoes needs to match the color of your outfit.

Originally posted by Destinie21
I was trying on a pair of deep blue (not to be confused with navy blue) spiked heels.

I'm convinced that women can actually see more colors than men can.

To most men, "Navy Blue" is just another name for "Dark Blue" and either will go with a "Blue" outfit of any hue.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

I'm convinced that women can actually see more colors than men can.

To most men, "Navy Blue" is just another name for "Dark Blue" and either will go with a "Blue" outfit of any hue.

LOL,

My brother swears men see in windows default 16 bit color

-Colly

 

[minsue]

I must admit I'm right there with the guys on this one. I own exactly 4 pairs of shoes (which is more than I've owned at one time since I was about 13):

Black mens workboots
Black mens casual shoes
Black velvet mary janes with a 1/2" heel that trips me up when walking
Silver heels worn once as a bridesmaid and guaranteed never to be worn again

I hate shoe shopping almost as much as I hate bra shopping. I finally had to buy new boots after the soles had split from the shoes on both sides of both shoes. They didn't have my size so I bought one a half size larger so that I wouldn't have to go to another shoe store.

- Mindy, apparently missing a lot of those feminine genes

 

[Weird Harold]

LOL,

My brother swears men see in windows default 16 bit color

-Colly

That's not true. Most of us are happy with the basic eight color box of Crayola(tm) crayons -- it's the women who need the big boxes of up to 256 colors.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

That's not true. Most of us are happy with the basic eight color box of Crayola(tm) crayons -- it's the women who need the big boxes of up to 256 colors.

I'm not so sure about that. I have had men buy lingerie for me before and I promise you wouldn't find some of those colors in the 256 box



-Colly


Edited: By the Way Harold, I don't think I have ever mentioned it, but I think you Av is adoreable

 

[Colleen Thomas]

I must admit I'm right there with the guys on this one. I own exactly 4 pairs of shoes (which is more than I've owned at one time since I was about 13):

Black mens workboots
Black mens casual shoes
Black velvet mary janes with a 1/2" heel that trips me up when walking
Silver heels worn once as a bridesmaid and guaranteed never to be worn again

I hate shoe shopping almost as much as I hate bra shopping. I finally had to buy new boots after the soles had split from the shoes on both sides of both shoes. They didn't have my size so I bought one a half size larger so that I wouldn't have to go to another shoe store.

- Mindy, apparently missing a lot of those feminine genes

LOL,

I have more than four pairs of CMFM's. I'm ot quite Imelda, but I do have a closet full of shoes

-Colly

 

[McKenna]

.

 

[English Lady]

shoes? i just don't get the shoe thing....I own*thinks* trainers,flat black shoes,black heeled shoes and some black boots. they do me for everything*L* My feet are awkward though and shoe shopping is a terrible nightmare!

 

[magicalmouse]

I have to echo what English Lady said; I think foot surgery for the sake of fashion is totally extreme. Personally though, if I'm at home I go barefoot (this might be why my bf refuses to lick my calloused toes ), when I have to go out I wear trainers if there's a likelyhood that I might have to sprint after my kids. Apart from trainers I own two pairs of cat boots, black and brown... no coordination necessary, which pair I wear depends wholly on which pair I trip over first thing in the morning.

 

[Guest]

Colly's first post makes sense as a foundation for how girls might get started on shoes, but I've never liked matching things. Living in SF now my wardrobe is basic black with some grey, but I used to love wearing shoes and stockings of different colors and then even other colors for the rest of an outfit.

I still remember the shoes I wore when leaning to walk, and many after that. I often thought of shoes as small objets d'art, which also means I would spend a lot on one pair simply because I loved their look. I have fantasy shoes stored in my mind's eye that I will never be able to afford. There are shoes created for haute couture that are exquisite pieces of art and design. I love looking at photos of shoes from other centuries too.

For me shoes are a combination of pleasure and aesthetics, and generally more affordable than 'art'.

Perdita

 

[dee1124]

I'm not so sure about that. I have had men buy lingerie for me before and I promise you wouldn't find some of those colors in the 256 box

So have I, Colly, but we can't be sure they didn't think that strange shade of fuchsia was just, say, "Pink." Or that the shade of lime green that's visible from 10,000 feet is just "Light green."

I have about four pairs of shoes in the starting rotation. In the bullpen (sorry, but Spring Training starts this month) there are a couple dozen pairs. Some of them haven't seen the light of day since I kicked them off with a groan of agony upon getting home from whatever totally forgettable function or party I bought them for. That's the thing, Doc, women will buy shoes for specific events, one-time deals, and then never get rid of them. So if you ask a woman how pairs of shoes she has and she answers, "54," the better question would be, "How many do you wear regularly." But please don't think I'm ranting at you: you've inspired me to do some closet cleaning during the Superfluous Bowl later today.

 

[shereads]

I didn't understand the shoe thing either until recently. I never look at my feet, so I used to think that spending money on shoes was boring, like spending it on tires.

Then they opened a mall nearby with the first Jimmy Choo store I've ever been in. My shoe-obsessed friend C dragged me into it on opening day. (C wears stiletto heels for all occasions, including long walks in the park. She says they don't hurt, but she sits down to admire the scenery every five minutes.)

This store was a revelation. They present shoes the way museums present the old masters.

There is a hush in the room. There are cleverly placed angled floor mirrors everywhere, so that your own sadly underdressed feet are reflected back at you no matter where you look.

In the entire shop, there are maybe 30 pair of shoes, each displayed in a manner that makes you want it. Desperately. On your feet.

An exquisitely fashionable gay man - There are no women salespersons in this Jimmy Choo store - chats you up and makes you feel special; commisserates over the price of the shoes which is, of course, absurd - then he says he just has to see how you will look in the most expensive pair of shoes in the store, which are these barely-there evening sandals with little jewels on them and a heel the width of a pencil. You try them on, and your feet are transformed. Other shoppers "ooh" and "ahh" over your adorable dainty feet in these special shoes.

Then, just as he's removing the shoes from your feet - and you're feeling depressed about putting your adorable feet back into your own unglamorous shoes - he remarks that there's a pair over here that "you'd get a lot of wear out of" because they're in a practical neutral color and also the heel is the thickness of two pencils (so you might not fall over as often.) Plus, this practical shoe is only $000 whereas the evening shoe is admittedly overpriced at $0000.00.

I haven't bought them yet, but I think about it every time I'm in that mall. And I walk past Jimmy Choo sometimes twice in one mall visit instead of once.

This salesman's closing line was the best: "Who deserves these more than you?"

And damn, my feet looked good in them.



PS. Dr. Mabeuse, there's also a certain way that you men stare at women in stilleto heels that makes us wonder if maybe the pain is worth it.



The Gallery (Note that a "bondage wrap" is very big in ankle ties this year):

http://www.jimmychoo.com/womens/evening/evening.htm

 

[Colleen Thomas]

I have never understood the pain thing, I love high heels and am really more comfortable in then than most of my flats. I can wear stilletto heels all day and not have my feet any more sore than they are after a day wearing regular shoes.

-Colly

 

[Colleen Thomas]

I didn't understand the shoe thing either until recently. I never look at my feet, so I used to think that spending money on shoes was boring, like spending it on tires.

Then they opened a mall nearby with the first Jimmy Choo store I've ever been in. My shoe-obsessed friend C dragged me into it on opening day. (C wears stiletto heels for all occasions, including long walks in the park. She says they don't hurt, but she sits down to admire the scenery every five minutes.)

This store was a revelation. They present shoes the way museums present the old masters.

There is a hush in the room. There are cleverly placed angled floor mirrors everywhere, so that your own sadly underdressed feet are reflected back at you no matter where you look.

In the entire shop, there are maybe 30 pair of shoes, each displayed in a manner that makes you want it. Desperately. On your feet.

An exquisitely fashionable gay man - There are no women salespersons in this Jimmy Choo store - chats you up and makes you feel special; commisserates over the price of the shoes which is, of course, absurd - then he says he just has to see how you will look in the most expensive pair of shoes in the store, which are these barely-there evening sandals with little jewels on them and a heel the width of a pencil. You try them on, and your feet are transformed. Other shoppers "ooh" and "ahh" over your adorable dainty feet in these special shoes.

Then, just as he's removing the shoes from your feet - and you're feeling depressed about putting your adorable feet back into your own unglamorous shoes - he remarks that there's a pair over here that "you'd get a lot of wear out of" because they're in a practical neutral color and also the heel is the thickness of two pencils (so you might not fall over as often.) Plus, this practical shoe is only $000 whereas the evening shoe is admittedly overpriced at $0000.00.

I haven't bought them yet, but I think about it every time I'm in that mall. And I walk past Jimmy Choo sometimes twice in one mall visit instead of once.

This salesman's closing line was the best: "Who deserves these more than you?"

And damn, my feet looked good in them.



PS. Dr. Mabeuse, there's also a certain way that you men stare at women in stilleto heels that makes us wonder if maybe the pain is worth it.



The Gallery (Note that a "bondage wrap" is very big in ankle ties this year):

http://www.jimmychoo.com/womens/evening/evening.htm

Jeezeamunkey!

I like shoes, but I adore lingerie. There's one pair there that is more expensive than the last corset I bought! Thanks for the heads up Sher, I will know to avoid that store at all costs, least I see something I just "have" to have

-Colly

 

[shereads]

Blame "Sex and the City"

Found this picture with an article about NYC "Sex and the City" Tours. It's the Jimmy Choo store where character "Carrie" buys her shoes. The article notes that if Carrie were real, and rented the Manhattan apartment she rents and also wore a different pair of Jimmy Choo shoes with every outfit, she'd have to make about a million a year. But that's why we escape from reality, right?

The chapel of shoes:

 

[Colleen Thomas]

So have I, Colly, but we can't be sure they didn't think that strange shade of fuchsia was just, say, "Pink." Or that the shade of lime green that's visible from 10,000 feet is just "Light green."

I have about four pairs of shoes in the starting rotation. In the bullpen (sorry, but Spring Training starts this month) there are a couple dozen pairs. Some of them haven't seen the light of day since I kicked them off with a groan of agony upon getting home from whatever totally forgettable function or party I bought them for. That's the thing, Doc, women will buy shoes for specific events, one-time deals, and then never get rid of them. So if you ask a woman how pairs of shoes she has and she answers, "54," the better question would be, "How many do you wear regularly." But please don't think I'm ranting at you: you've inspired me to do some closet cleaning during the Superfluous Bowl later today.

Flourescent day-glo orange is still orange. And on a babydoll it makes you look like a really tall traffic cone. Workin on Harold's crayon theory I have to wonder if maybe eight is too many

-Colly

 

[shereads]

Look what's on sale at Neiman's, ladies!

Manolo Blahnik
Suede Over-The-Knee Boot
Was: $1,075.00
NOW $403.00

OH MY GOD!!!!



Dammit, Mabeuse, look at this boot and tell me you wouldn't lust after a one-legged woman in one of these. Then think what TWO legs and TWO of these boots would look like. With a black leather garter belt. C'mon. 'Fess up.

 

[Guest]

I can wear stilletto heels all day and not have my feet any more sore than they are after a day wearing regular shoes.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Luck of the Irish I guess

-Colly

 

[minsue]

I have never understood the pain thing, I love high heels and am really more comfortable in then than most of my flats. I can wear stilletto heels all day and not have my feet any more sore than they are after a day wearing regular shoes.

-Colly

Even flats make my feet hurt. You're insane, Colly!

My grandmother, who is equal to my shoulder when standing, used to teach high school. The heels she wore every day were so high that she would have to use both hands to literally pull her foot back to being flat when she would take her shoes off at night after standing in them all day. I'll just never understand it.

- Mindy, comfy in my work boots

 

[Black Tulip]

The Gallery (Note that a "bondage wrap" is very big in ankle ties this year):

http://www.jimmychoo.com/womens/evening/evening.htm

Well, thank you very much She!

I had to have a look of course, God, those purple sandals. Ummmmm.



And I am with Colly on the heels thing. Never a problem, flats are though.

Edited: I'm wondering, is the good Dr.M laughing his head off? He got us all started on shoes, now hasn't he?

 

[MathGirl]

)*&^%&#!!

To me, shoes are a bit of a pisser. When I get the urge to buy shoes, I go to the mall, look at hundreds of pairs, then I get my choice between a). patent leather Mary Janes made for 8 year olds and b). sneakers made for eight year olds.

When you wear miniscule shoes, there is a serious lag phase between urge to buy and actually being shod. At least a week.
MG
Ps. Thank God for my Cinderella of Boston catalogue.