Last night, I was trolling the web in search of the perfect pair of heels; a woman on a mission. Now, I'll be the first to admit, my closet is cram-jammed with oodles of heels that, at the time of their purchase, were the perfect pair. But perfection is non-existant and style is ever-changing. So in search of more shoes I went.
All of this virtual shoe shopping gave me flashbacks to the days of standing in my mom's closet in front of a full length mirror, admiring my own teeny feet perched inside of her lipstick-red pumps. My love affair of fine footwear has been a long and often physically painful one. In junior high, it was all about the kitten heel with big, pleather ankle straps ala' Cher from the movie Clueless. In college, I opted for tall. Really tall. If I had a dollar for every time I nearly killed myself trying to walk through crowded, filthy fraternity houses in a pair of ridiculous 4 inch stillettos...well, let's just say I'd have bought out Christian Louboutin by now.
Then the post-college years came. A hectic advertising internship led me to forgo heels temporarily, as I opted for comfy, durable black Converse to carry my legs from coffee run to coffee run. Gone were the days of T-straps and wedges and peep-toes...it was all about survival.
As the 6 months of internship craziness finally drew to a close and my official "career" in marketing began, my relationship with The Heel was re-established. My new desk job required minimal physical exertion and allowed me to sport really tall shoes again without fear of breaking an ankle running sprints in the Starbucks parking lot. So the foot fetish began again....
Which brings me to the present.
As I type this little essay, I'm wearing a fabulous pair of leopard print, spike-heeled, Antonio Melani's. My plum, pedicured toes are on display for all to see and I'm so okay with that. I'm wearing the perfect pair of heels. And though they will likely be replaced next week with the tweed Kenneth Cole's I met last night on Zappos, they are the perfect pair today. And all is right in the world...
Do you remember the first time you wore heels? Do you remember what they looked like, how they made you feel? Mature? Glamorous? Empowered? I would love to hear all of your shoe stories, so leave a comment if you feel like sharing!
Tomorrow's Forecast
We'll talk sexy "backs" on Trend Watch Wednesday and look at some spine revealing pieces that are sure to please.
Photo credits: {this is glamorous}, Coco + Kelley, vintage Italian Vogue