Cat in Heels

I once had a sales associate at at shoe store tell me that I would ruin the sole of my shoes if I wore them outside. On the list of dumb shit I've heard in my life, this ranks up there. Aside from the obvious fact that a main purpose of any kind of footwear is to protect your feet from the elements, I was unaware that there are shoes that have soles not meant for outside. Sure, there's a billion different materials, accouterments, designs, styles and materials that can make shoes a little more difficult to wear in various outside weather, but to not be able to wear them on concrete seems a little insane. One of the first ways I break in a new pair of heels is to take them on a stroll around the neighborhood, wear them on my commute to work, or walk the dog around the block in them. It helps the shoe conform to your foot, gives you an idea of where the problem points will be (if any) and tears up the bottom a little so when you are inevitably inside on carpet you don...

A few days ago I couldn't find the shoes I was looking for in the closet. There I am, rushing around, getting ready for work, probably brushing my teeth while trying not to trip on a shoe and end up bleeding to death on the floor of my closet with a stiletto in my temple, and I couldn't find my damn navy blue heeled loafers. Finally I gave up, grabbed a different pair and ran off to work. Once I got to the office all my suspicions were confirmed. The missing shoes were sitting in a drawer. Yep, a drawer. Some people own less shoes than I keep at work. I have managed to create a shoe drawer at work in one of my file cabinets. It's rare that I travel to work in certain shoes, especially when it's raining or snowing. Sure, cheap shoes put up with crap weather, but rain ruins suede and tweed, sidewalk construction can rid the patent off a pair of covered heels, and snow...I don't even feel the need to explain myself. As a result of big city living, I often c...

Shoes wear out. I realize that, and am totally OK with it. Sometimes I can get them fixed. A new heel cap or sole does wonders to breathe life into a new pair of shoes. Then other times shoes are damaged in a way that makes you want to cry. (Like when my puppy chewed the strap off a Fluevog ). Or today when I saw a tear in a pair of Steve Madden shoes that are near and dear to me. From this angle it's hard to see the tear. These are affectionately known as my "Grandma" shoes, because she would have loved them. That means their either old lady shoes, or my grandma had awesome taste in footwear. Hint: It was totally the latter. So you can imagine my horror today when I saw a tear in the side of my white and black snakeskin shoes. A tear in the middle of the shoe, near the seam, that was a folded piece that created a little pocket. A little pocket of terror. A pocket with a tear that is threatening to become something larger and ultimately destroy my shoe. How do...