Can You Ever Have Too Many?

Have you ever noticed that on average men have one pair of shoes for every 20 pairs a woman has? Most men seem content with one pair of dress blacks, one pair of brown casuals for work, two pairs of sneakers (one for everyday and one for yard work) and one or two pairs of sandals. That's it. Women, on the other hand, have at least 10 pairs of black shoes of varying styles. I, personally have over 100 pairs of shoes. I keep them in two closets - many in their original boxes. Any man I go out with knows better than to ask the question, "How many pairs of shoes do you have?" Unless I'm moving them into your house, the answer to that is irrelevant.

Women have a special relationship with their shoes. Every shoe has a story...a personality of its own. We remember where we got each one or which outfit(s) we bought it to go with. And every shoe aficionado can relate to the sight of fashionista, Stacy London, as she breathes in the glorious scent of shoe leather while holding the bright blue pump in the intro of What Not to Wear. London herself has a wild fetish for shoes. She's seen here in her own shoe closet.

Shoe lovers found their muse in Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker). She adored shoes...new ones, old ones. Each pair like a member of her family. She maxed out her credit cards on shoes, while single-handedly making Manolo Blahnik a household name. Who can forget the episode where she started her own registry to replace the pair of Manolos stolen at a friend's baby shower? Or the day she interviewed at Vogue and found the vintage pair of Mary Janes (right). Many of her ridiculously high heels can now be found represented in a great print entitled, "The Many Shoes of Carrie Bradshaw" (popchartlab.com $29).

You don't have to agree with someone's preference in shoes to admire the way they've displayed them. Shown above (top) is Khloe Kardashian's shoe closet. I love the way she sorts her shoes by style, then color. Her designer of choice seems to be Christian Louboutin, and she keeps many of them together like sisters. Does a shoe obsession seem crazy? Maybe, but not to someone who has one. To us, shoes are more than an accessory...they are THE accessory!

Have a terrific week! Keep me posted on your sandal success.

Happy feet make for a happy home!

Erica