Jenny Bicks said, ‘The fact is, sometimes it’s hard to walk in a single woman’s shoes. That’s why we need really special ones now and then to make the walk a little more fun.’ And as you know, single or not, wearing 6 inch heels or raggedy All Stars, girls just wanna have fun.
A Brief History
I could go into the entire history of the shoes right now, but I’ll keep it extremely brief because what you really want to read about, let’s face it, is about the shoes of right now.
Let’s see, the Mesopotamian’s wore a soft shoe made of wraparound leather almost like a moccasin; that there was no difference between the left and right shoe until about 1850; and that high heels have been documented in fetish paintings since the late 1800s.
Whatever the history of the shoe, one thing is for sure… it has come a long way. We are spoilt for choice in this day and age.
Shoes: An Obsession
As I sit and type this, I gaze into my cupboard and see an array of different styles of shoes to choose from.
I have my raggedy All Stars, scribbled over in my favourite self indulgent quotes in marker pen from my varsity years; my black Steve Madden suede ankle boots with rose detail; my thigh high leather boots bordering on fetish heels; my 6 inch gladiator sandals; and my shocking red heels… I could go on forever here.
I never realised until now, but I have a cupboard filled to the brim with shoes. When did that happen? I blame that Carrie Bradshaw woman from Sex and the City; not my stupid spending habits. Sweet, sweet denial.
If the Shoe Fits
Why do woman love shoes so much? Well, there are about a thousand answers I could give right now. The most obvious is that shoes are the ultimate accessory to any outfit. They have the ability to make an outfit smart or casual, add an element of sex, or add a young, fresh vibe to any ensemble.
Throw on a little black dress and mix it up with all your different shoes, from sneakers to those fetish heels I spoke about, and you have a different outfit on each time you simply change your shoe. How could you not love shoes?
Then there is the high heel or stiletto. Why are these all the rage? Well, if you are on the shorter side, like me, adding extra inches to your frame makes you feel prouder, more confident and sexier. It also helps for when you get tired of straining your neck looking up at everyone. The bottom line is that shoes seem to have this overwhelming ability to make us feel beautiful and sexy…
Do Shoes Define Character
Today we are surrounded by different types of people; some who label themselves and others who just are themselves. We have such labels as the jocks, the Emo kids, the Indie kids, the Hippies, the Hipsters and the Hip Hop Heads. All of whom have their own dress code to help define who they are upon first glance. And shoes play a major role in this.
You would never see an Emo kid caught dead in six inch leopard print heels from Aldo, but you would see an Emo kid in scribbled over All Stars and a Hip Hop Head is always wearing the best sneakers, even custom designed ones.
Shoes obviously do not define character, but they do seem to mould a person’s image.
When I was at varsity I wore my All Stars every day until the rubber tore and half my foot was exposed. Would I wear those now? Sure. Would I wear them to a meeting? No. Is this because I wouldn’t be taken seriously as a 25 year old business woman? Yes.
No one knows who made these rules, but the obvious answer, as always, would be the media. Regardless of whoever we can blame, however, you still wouldn’t go to a job interview in those torn up, shabby sneakers. Like I said, shoes seem to mould a person’s entire image because they are truly the ultimate accessory.
Imelda
One woman who knew that shoes were the ultimate accessory was not Carrie Bradshaw (gasp), but Imelda
This woman owned over 5400 pairs of shoes! I think even for Carrie Bradshaw that would be called excessive. She could never wear all those shoes in one lifetime, even if she tried. She is quoted as saying, ‘I did not have three thousand pairs of shoes, I had one thousand and sixty.’ Well, that makes it all better. No Imelda, you had 5400. Live with it.
Should we blame Cinderella and the fact that her glass slipper got her Prince Charming? Maybe. Or maybe Prince Charming just had a shoe fetish.
Modern Day Cinderella: Lady Gaga
Last week I wrote about hats as the understated accessory and, of course, Lady Gaga had to make an appearance in that article due to her fascination with weird and wonderful head gear. But her crazy get ups have nothing on the shoes she wears. Seriously. Have you seen them?
Come on now! Her feet must be the fantasy of every male or female with a shoe fetish. Lady Gaga has single-handedly made fashionable shoes that are impossible to walk in.
Impossible Heels
In her Bad Romance video, LadyGaga is seen wearing sky-high Alexander McQueen heels that resemble an alien from some bad B-grade horror film. But, for some reason, she managed to make those shoes seem fashionable and they can now be seen on celebrities from Victoria Beckham (if you can even call her a celebrity) to Christina Aguilera.
Lady Gaga has brought back the art of architecture within shoes. Fashion designers the world over are now creating shoes that have never been seen before. Designs that border on insanity and brilliance are now finding their way down the runway, with models trying desperately not to fall on their faces in these impossible heels.
A shoe that I will never forget is the ‘couture toe stilts’ that Lady Gaga is constantly spotted wearing. These are shoes designed by Helmut Lang that have an ‘invisible heel’. How she balances on them is beyond my understanding, but their architecture is definitely something to be admired… until you fall and break a limb on them, that is.
Shopping Time
As I sit here and think about the different styles of shoes that have come and gone from my life, I can’t help but think of them as my very own road map to where I am now.
In high school I tried desperately not to fit in, so I got myself a pair of Doc Martins to try and embrace the Goth within. Then came varsity and the Emo All Stars became my obsession and, of course, now I am embracing the fact that I can hide my short frame by rocking on a pair of six inch studded heels and still look businesslike.
Who knows, tomorrow I may wake up and rock those All Stars again. But for now I have a meeting I need to get to. So, time to find those boring black leather Aldo heels. God, I need to go shopping.
