Confessions Of A Shoe Addict + Saint Laurent Haul
I love shoes so much it's insane.
I love them as much as I love my cats and Geoff. Okay, that's a bit nuts and obviously, I don't mean that, but if my house burned to the ground tomorrow and there was nothing left, I'd be really sad about losing shoes that have taken me years to collect.
I've been obsessed with shoes for as long as I can remember. In high school, I was the only kid that wore "grown-up shoes" that clacked on the floor every time I walked. My peers would turn around thinking it was a teacher but nope, it was just me, in my Catholic uniform and fancy shoes.
I wore Doc Martens from the ages of 13-15 during my grunge/goth, and later in my late teens I was all about my black Converse Chuck Taylor's but I never stood as tall as I did wearing a nice pair of shoes. In fact, I used to hunch over a lot when I wore Docs and All Stars and I'd secretly hope that I was invisible and no one would notice me.
Even though I have an entire wall dedicated to shoes in the spare bedroom, I always have shoes scattered all around the house. Normally they're not kept on the piano but I couldn't resist for the sake of a good photo.
Matisse boots from their collaboration with actress Kate Bosworth. These are called the Charlotte boots. They're half a size too big but I only discovered them when they went on sale and had practically sold out. Better half a size too big than too small. All candles featured here are from Diptyque. The book is Walton Ford's Pancha Tantra, one of my favourites.
I scored these Saint Laurent Baby Cat studded loafers on sale at Ssense.com for about $300 a few years ago. They were my first pair of Saint Laurent shoes and I remember loving them so much I never wanted to wear them. The crossbody YSL bag behind them are a purchase from New York last year and the leather moto jacket is from The Kooples.
That's the thing with good shoes. They boost my confidence and instantly lift my mood.
I can wear the same black jeans day and in and day out without a care in the world but there's no way, I could ever wear the same shoe two days in a row. Nope. It can't happen.
MY OUTFIT IN THIS POST:
Silk leopard print blouse; Equipment x Kate Moss / Black skinny jeans; Zara / Leather belt; Brave Leather / Black ankle boots with star detail (pictured in the last 3 photos of this post); Matisse X Kate Bosworth / Bracelets; Valentino (left) and David Yurman (right)
Travelling is the toughest as a shoe addict because I have to narrow my choices down to 4 pairs, which of course takes up a majority of my carry on. I normally wear a comfortable and stylish pair on the plane. That can mean anything from my black platform Saint Laurent boots or a pair of Vans depending on where I'm flying. I pack a chic pair for evening, maybe a cobalt blue Alexander Wang strappy sandals, and of course I need a statement shoe, preferably coloured or metallic like my hot pink Gucci loafers. Hell, why not throw another statement shoe in there just for fun? Saint Laurent metallic sandals anyone?
The thing with collecting designer shoes that no one tells is this. It's the equivalent of buying a car. It's a bad investment and you'll never recuperate your money the way you would a designer handbag. Why? Because you wear shoes and they get beat up and scoffed and the leather wrinkles and never looks as cute as when they're unworn.
Shop Statement Shoes:
I've seen Chanel shoes go for $200 at consignment shops around the city and even at that price, I'd never think about buying them because I don't want shoes someone else has sweated in. Pass.
I collect shoes because I love them. They are my wearable pieces of art and each pair reminds me of where I was in my life -
what job I was working at the time and how much, er, how little, money I had in my bank account after I bought them because there was a time I was making shit money at a shit job and I had no business buying $600 Alexander Wang shoes, but there I was, buying them anyway.
I can't remember the last time I wore half of my Saint Laurent shoe collection but it doesn't matter. Having them on my shoe shelf is enough and I could never part ways with them. Not to be morbid but it would have to take me dying or my house burning down before that happens.