No More Limping!

Snakeskin-embossed platform heels I found at Fine Finds

"For many women, limping around in uncomfortable shoes is akin to childbirth: in the midst of it, you're in extraordinary pain, cursing under your breath and vowing that you will never go through this again. But as soon as you get home, you forget about all the agony and the blood; you see those cute little shoes sitting there looking so harmless and helpless and suddenly you're putting them on and going through the same thing all over again."

-Winona Dimeo-Ediger, Closet Confidential

Truer words were never spoken. I've fallen prey to this conundrum so many times in different incarnations depending on the shoe--high heels with very little padding at the front of the foot, flats that pinched, skinny little straps that dug in after an hour or two. The accumulated injuries caused by this pair of shoes or that caused me to only wear about 1/3 of my shoe collection in regular rotation, leaving the rest to lie fallow in stacked shoe boxes at the back of my closet. As part of a big year-end closet cleaning, I swept up these barely worn shoes along with a pile of clothes for donation. Good thing too, because I had more comfortable and very versatile shoes just waiting to take the place of the shoes I'd gotten rid of. These newer shoes may not be super exciting, but their classic appeal and sheer comfort factor mean that I'll be reaching for them time and again, guaranteed.

Slingback platform heels I found at Nordstrom Rack in Portland. Ladies, if the balls of your feet ache after an hour or so in high heels, try wearing platform heels instead. The platform saves your feet from arching too severely and cushions your steps.

The zipper-trimmed ruffle flats are from Nordstrom Rack and the blue suede studded flats are from Aldo. I actually bought the Aldo flats last fall and wore them constantly until the rain started, but never got around to taking a picture of them.