Popsugar’s newsletter claimed the No. 1 Fashion Faux Pas you can’t recover from is wearing heels you can’t walk in.
Really?
I can understand ill-fitting undergarments (no. 4); too tight items that send the wrong message (no. 2); and even being too scantily clad (no. 3). But wearing fabulous but uncomfortable shoes as the No. 1 fashion faux pas you’d regret?
Let’s be real. We all have had that moment– in my case, many moments– when, after falling in love with a pair of soles that were not “sensible” or “practical,” we wore them out on a night that required walking, standing, and/or dancing. You know, the things shoes are supposed to help you do well. At least in theory.
Shoes like these:
Just sayin’. (seriously, how do you say no to those????)
Admittedly, it’s happened to me more times than I can count. And the reason is simple. I love beautiful things–especially beautiful shoes — heels, to be exact. I have a hard time saying no when they just scream “YES!” The inability to walk miles in a pair of shoes is not a deterrent. Ever. Never ever.
Indeed, I remember a night a few months ago when I opted for a pair of 4 inch black suede stiletto Jean Michael Cazbat heels that paired perfectly with my leather skinny pants on a date night entailing dinner in North Beach followed by a concert at a nearby venue. They looked the best between the two pairs I tried, though the other pair were about 3 inches shorter and more comfortable. But the look required the higher heel — so, against my head, I followed by heart, and wore them.
Fast forward three hours. It was getting ugly. I couldn’t feel my toes. My feet were burning, and starting to swell. As nutty as it sounds, I refused to take my shoes off. Never mind the fact that were at a crowded club in San Francisco — the thought of my bare feet touching the beer and booze splattered filthy floor hurt more than the shoes. So I suffered in silence. And even though my husband rolled his eyes at me with that look of “I told you so,” I grinned and bore it because the truth was, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. And I would do it again.
We do it and would do it again because there’s something about the perfect shoe. It cements your look and outlook for the evening; and the attitude wth which you approach it. DVF agrees. It’s what carries you. So even if they are too high, too tight, or otherwise not quite right, they are so fabulous that you pull a Carrie Bradshaw and exclaim: “Hello Lover!”
Alas, as practical as I’d like to consider myself, love is love — and the brain and the heart never quite align when it comes to these sorts of things. Wearing your valet heels (the shoes you can only successfully walk to and from the valet in, metaphorically speaking, of course) is not a faux pas. Not buying the shoes that move you IS.
So buy them and wear them. Wear them even if it’s not practical because you know they are fabulous. No-one will shun you for wearing fabulous shoes — if anything, you’ll elicit sympathy for your amazing taste from every other woman who wishes she was as bold and brave as you. Besides, pain is temporary. Style is forever. I choose style, everyday. Will you?
Xo BFF Betina
