The above quote from Marilyn Monroe is one of my favorite quotes of all time.
Some people might see it as cheesy and no doubt out-dated in today's society, but to me...it's true...ok not literally true...but it perfectly sums up my feelings on foot wear and how a simple pair of womens shoes can be SO much more than just something to protect your feet!
I guess I used to feel that way about clothes in my younger days.
I was ALWAYS shopping for new outfits, when I got my first job at 16 I was forever spending my wages on new clothes to wear for evenings out...and long before that my poor Mum's money was forever being dwindled away in local dress shops as I twirled myself around in the changing room mirrors feeling like a million dollars in whatever hideous sequin-adorned creation I had fallen in love with that day!
But as I got older....and wider rather than wiser....clothes shopping became less fun.
At 17 years old and a size 8 the fashion world is your oyster, there's no pair of jeans too tight, no mini skirt too short...at least there wasn't in MY mind back then!
But as a 30 year old with more than my fair share of bum, boobs & tummy I was much more self-scathing when it came to fashion purchases - nothing that showed my upper arms, legs, too much cleavage or ANY tummy or back area was allowed...certain patterns and colours also seemed necessary to avoid once over a "certain age" and with children in tow, and so with so many self-imposed restrictions it all just lost its fun factor.
These days I find myself shopping online for pretty new things only to return almost all of them and keep only the standard black t shirts and patterned leggings...my Mummy Uniform, as it's become.
But one thing never had to change over the years and that thing was shoe shopping.
My foot size always remained the same (aside from the last few weeks of pregnancy, anyway!) and I never suffered any embarrassment trying to squeeze myself into anything a size too small.
There were far fewer restrictions on foot fashions...I can still buy sparkly shoes if I want to, even at the grand old age of 32!...I usually refer to them as "Christmas Shoes" but they sit happily in my wardrobe waiting for the season to roll around and they make me smile every time I see them!
I can still buy the pink jelly sandals that signified summer when I was 6, which still get me all excited for ice creams and days at the beach whenever I see them!
Shoes never make me feel guilty if I've indulged in too many treats, they never surprise me by suddenly not fitting one day and forcing me to replan an entire outfit.
Shoes give all the pleasure that comes with buying pretty new things, with none of the dread of trying on an item of clothing I love only to find that it was designed with flat-chested & hipless uber-models in mind and that there's no way in hell my 36EE's are getting anywhere near it.
Yes...shoe shopping makes me happy.
Of course, there are some downsides to a shoe obsession.
The main one being that shoes tend to come in pairs...which means that everytime I have a little splurge on a new pair, I have to find enough space to fit two whole shoes in my wardrobe. ...My wardrobe which is already absolutely bursting at the seams with beautiful shoes that never see the light of day...Much like the downstairs shoe cabinet...and my shoe suitcase under the bed (What? Everyone has a shoe suitcase, don't they?!)
The other downside is the style-over-substance approach I have to shoe shopping...a beautiful pair of shoes can lure me in like a Kardashian to a Twitter War....and suddenly, despite my best attempt at staying calm, all sense is lost and I'm charging toward the cashier with credit card in hand.
Do I have anywhere to wear a pair of pink diamante encrusted 7 inch heels? No!
Can I get from A to B in them without looking Bambi learning to walk (but far less graceful)? No!
Will I buy them anyway? HELL YES!
Sometimes I wonder where this fixation I have with gorgeous shoes really came from.
Personally...I blame it all on the movies.
The movies I saw as a little girl only re-enforced my belief that shoes were the solution to all of my problems.
PRETTY shoes, at that.
Can you imagine a pair of smelly old trainers sending Dorothy back to Kansas?
Or a sensible, super comfortable pair of crocs helping Prince Charming to track down Cinderella?
No, no, no...sod the comfort...sod the need to be able to walk without the feeling of a thousand fiery daggers through the soles of my feet...if the shoes aren't high heeled, sparkly and beautiful then they're just not good enough!!!
Thank goodness for my ultimate heroine Carrie Bradshaw who let me know it's ok to be this way.
My favorite romantic scene in any movie has to be the proposal scene in the Sex & The City movie...when Mr Big finally pops the question to Carrie...with a gorgeous pair of shoes in lieu of a diamond.
Now that I'm a mommy of two, its rare that I get to spend any money on myself...instead it's poured directly into the bank account of Mattel to feed my toddlers high-dependency Thomas The Tank Engine addiction.
But when that rare opportunity comes up to treat myself, you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be treating my feet to yet more pretty pumps and sexy stilettos which will never be worn...but will make me smile with the possibilities of where they might one day take me whenever I see them.
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