Shoe

When I was a young woman I wore a size 9 AA shoe. I loved heels but not too high.They weren't worn often enough for me to get good at walking in them. And the really high ones hurt. I am really not into pain.

The shoes I had for dress up, (heels), had to match the bag I carried. Of course they were displayed together in shoe departments. And since not a lot of money was spent on them in my household, they didn't last long.

I loved flats. Simple flats with no bow and a round toe in black. And the Bass Weejun loafer, known as penny loafers. It was something of a status symbol to have a pair in cordovan and especially in navy. They could be worn with shorts but never short shorts. That's what Keds were for.

As time went on my feet grew

to my current size 10M. All of my life I have worn fairly low heels and flats, moccasins and loafers, and of course, Keds. Then the shoe market blew up. I'm not sure how it happened but sometime in the early 70's shoes became much more important. Go-go boots were popular and Ferragamo sandals. At least they were where we lived in Florida. The era of the Gloria Vanderbilt jeans began to replace the bell-bottoms worn with flat sandals or barefoot. And the first time I saw heels and jeans together was during this period. I liked it except for the fact that my legs were long and it was hard to get jeans long enough to wear with heels.

I'm still in 10M shoes and embarrassed about the size of my feet. I feel like they look like man feet. The more feminine the shoe the happier I was. So what came into fashion? The Frankenstein boot. They were very mannish and had huge thick soles similar to many today.

Even though some of the new boots are not thick soled I still think they make feet look huge. So no, not for me.

Then there is a very fancy boot. Very high heel. Blinged out like crazy. Very feminine. You'd think that would be better than the overdone Army boots. But wait. Exactly how many times could you wear the boot without someone saying, "Hey, she wore those last week too."? Anyway I'm still in love with the black flat.

Platforms have been around for centuries. Like all faddy things they come and go. And I've seen some platforms I love. But I can't get with the look of the platform and shoe top being one piece. Again, to me it looks like a huge foot. Especially with really thin legs, it looks odd.

This is another look of the top and platform matching. I think in this case, the shoes would overwhelm the legs and the outfit. I am also, you see, a fan of the integrated outfit. Wearing a pair of shoes just to create a pop can be a poor choice for the rest of the outfit.

Nursing shoes. Nuff said.

Now the bootie. High heel here. Below the ankle. Best be careful to choose where you walk. And that your legs are not made to look shorter by the shape of the shoe.

I think shoes can enhance outfits, enhance comfort, and be great accessories. Lots of choices. Maybe the one on the cover of the latest fashion mag isn't the best choice.