Finding the perfect pair of sensible shoes
“Mom,” my daughter guffawed. “You’re dressed like Miss Havisham! What’s with those sensible shoes?”
“Don’t be cheeky with me, Miss,” I retorted, but then looked desolately down at my feet and we both laughed.
Yes, I know in my heart that sensible shoes are just that, sensible. There is nothing exciting or glamorous about them. They are boring, basic and uninteresting.
You wouldn’t have caught me wearing them in the dead of night had you met me a decade ago. Age and bunions do that to you. The former creeps on you insidiously, one year at a time but the latter made a sudden appearance and all at once my former footwear was redundant.
Now most mornings I stand in front of my cupboard and mentally tick off each shoe for its myriad reasons of discomfort and dysfunctionality and then again put on the same old staid and sensible one.
What happened to all those years of collecting trendy stilettos and fashionably pointed shoes? The wedge heels, highheeled boots and delicate Roman sandals? Well, with a heavy heart I have to admit that I probably need to give them away since I seem to have no further use for them.
These days, I glumly walk past stores displaying handbags and dresses and hurry up the steps of any shop displaying sandals or shoes in the hope of finding that perfect, comfortable and stylish pair. Now I don’t even question or raise an eyebrow at the price. Just a pair of shoes in a neutral shade, elegant and classy and comfortable, with a heel that can contribute towards adding a few inches and most importantly, don’t squeeze and bite my toes. You would think I asked for the moon!
Any time I plan a trip or holiday, my biggest worry is footwear. Comfortable walking shoes with their antiquated laces and lumpy shape make the most sense but vanity dismisses them immediately on account of their stolid and outdated look. How can I be walking down High Street with those monstrosities buckled on, when all around me I see sprightly girls trotting along smartly, coffee and laptop in hand, on unbelievably high heels? I don’t see a frown or twinge of pain as they go skittering up and down stairs and elevators, their skirts and trousers falling perfectly on the ankle, while I feel and look frumpish in my sensible shoes.
Is it just me that is unable to find the perfect one?
The good looking pair I discovered to my delight the last time I bought one soon developed a nasty mind of its own and chooses to remind me of its existence by pinching me sneakily, should I wear it longer than half an hour.
This is a no brainer. All that needs to be done on a war footing by any astute entrepreneur is to design that perfect pair with flawless comfort, colour, design, style and he/she can be assured of a million hysterical blessings from ecstatic women all over the world. I’m willing to bet that as they tighten their belts to storm the stores, they will simultaneously be loosening their purse strings in an endeavour to definitely buy a pair and another as a contingency. The fairer sex is known to be farsighted, prudent and practical.
SHOES IN NEUTRAL SHADE, ELEGANT AND CLASSY, WITH A HEEL THAT CAN CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS ADDING A FEW INCHES BUT DON’T SQUEEZE AND BITE MY TOES