The week before my finals at University I broke my toe.
The week before my finals at University I broke my toe. Not only was I in immense pain as my toe was jutting out at an obscene angle, but all I could think about were my celebrations when I finished my exams. You see, as a treat for all my hard work and studying, I had bought a dazzling pair of new shoes. They were black patent peep toe with a little gold buckle on the side. I had bought them in Faith and I fell in love with them as soon as I saw them. The thought of not being able to wear these babies on my night of celebration brought me out in a cold sweat.
Having to put the toe/shoe dilemma to the back of my mind and concentrating on my exams, I shuffled in and out of college in the most hideous pair shoes ever. I couldn’t wear open toe as it was raining so I had to wear an awful pair of silver pumps that were wide enough to accommodate my bandage. They were so wide at the top I looked like Coco the Clowns’ sidekick.
As I finished my last exam and made my way to the union for pre drinks I tried to convince myself that my toe was getting better and the pain wasn’t TOO bad. After a few gins I no longer had to try to convince myself as the pain was numbing with that lovely dancing juice. Getting ready to move onto a nightclub, I was literally squeezing my foot into my shoe but even the stern words of my (sober) housemate weren’t enough to make me take off my pretty shoes. They were staying on.
To cut the long story short I went out, tried to dance, ended up standing in almost the same spot all night and having to be given a piggy back home as I literally could not walk any further. That was four and half years ago and my toe is still kaput. The lesson I should have learnt from this to let a broken bone heal properly (no matter how small it is) but I know how pretty my shoes were and as they say, beauty is pain!
The reason I have babbled on about this is to illustrate my love of shoes. Every girl has a shopaholic weakness for something and mine is shoes. I probably have enough pairs to protect the feet of a small nation. Just think of all the varieties there are to cast our wishes on – stilettos, peep toes, wedges, boots, shoe boots, sandals, flip flops, pumps – the list is endless. Heels are my favourite as they can dress up any outfit. Take a pair of skinny jeans, a vest and pumps – nice for during the day but whack on a pair of heels and your ready to go for a drink or a bite to eat. There’s something about the feeling when your wearing high shoes – you feel more confident (providing you can walk) and they do your self-esteem wonders as you stride along. Plus (and this is a huge plus girls), there are rumours out there that wearing heels can make your legs leaner, stronger and more toned. Who wouldn’t want that?! Win, win situation – wear pretty heals and get toned legs. That alone is reason enough to splash the cash on heels.
Men on the other hand can never understand why we love shoes so much. Apart from the obvious – the confidence and leg toning thing, we have some pretty valid reasons why they play such a key part in our lives. We just can’t wear the same pair of shoes every day – they need to match our outfits, activities and lifestyle. Varity is the spice of life! Shoes are also an investment and as much as I like to follow trends I do think its worth investing in a few key pairs such as a good pair of boots or peep toes that you can wear over and over again with a number of outfits. My personal pair of shoes that go with everything and are actually really comfortable are my black platform shoe boots. They are my lifesavers and go everywhere with me.
As well as looking and feeling good, I reckon that the best thing about shoes is that no matter how much of a fat day you are having – your shoes will always fit! There is no starving yourself before a big night out to fit into your shoes. If diamonds are a girl’s best friend, then shoes are most definitely a woman’s best friend.
