My $300 Shoes and Me

If you’ve been reading this blog for awhile, you know quite well that I’m not a fancy lady. I like things easy, and fun, but I’m no girly-girl. You’re far more likely to find me in sneaks and a sweatshirt than a dress and heels.

That said, I clean up well. I’m not bragging, it’s just a fact. When I do manage to get into a dress, I look and feel great for the most part. The one exception in this department, however, has always been shoes. I can’t deal with heels. I watch celebrities and clubbing types do it with ease, as though they were born with heels on (that’s a gross image! Sorry!). I’ve never understood it. I thought there was some secret world of girldom that I was not privy to.

That is, until December 30, 2011. A day that will forever go down in the history books for me as Shoegate. And why is this? Well, I dropped into Umeboshi, a lovely shoe store on Main Street in Vancouver. I’ve been there before, and I’ve even tried shoes on there before. But I’ve never even come close to buying anything. Why? Well, when you mostly wear flats and boots, you’re not likely to spend over $200 on your footwear.

But on that day, I happened to be walking by when I saw them. There they were, in the window, staring at me. Angel music played, and a light descended from the heavens. I walked in, and looked at other shoes, but before too long I could no longer hide the fact that I wanted the window pair. I asked for a 6 or 7 (I’m usually somewhere between and have to compensate accordingly). The lovely shopgirl told me they had a 6.5. Curious! That’s rare! Did it herald good things to come?

I took off my boots and socks and slipped my foot in. I did up the strap. I stood up. In a word? Magic. I was comfortable. I was balanced. I looked hot. I did a mini catwalk around the store and got a few looks. I had found the perfect shoe.

I cringed when I asked, but I had to: How much? It didn’t matter. If they had been $500 I might have balked but somewhere in my mind, $292 sounded perfectly reasonable. I do not do this ever, but on that day I bought a pair of $300 heels.

And then, also magically, I wore them. For 8 hours straight, on New Year’s Eve. I felt super sexy and super confident. AND I walked home in them at 5am. Seriously. The result? One tiny blister. Otherwise, as comfy as a pair of sneakers. That, my friends, is why you buy expensive shoes. They work.

So, you’re asking, what do they look like? Well, here you go. Coclico (the brand) and Umeboshi will definitely be getting more business from me!

image via IKOL