Journalist. Mother. Bunny enthusiast. Pop culture junkie.

Journalist. Mother. Bunny enthusiast. Pop culture junkie.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

I'm Scared of My Shoes!



I was reading one of my all-time favorite blogs, The Panty Drawer, this afternoon when I realized my pal and I share a similar problem. He hoards MaxMara tights, without wearing them, because he's worried the brand will stop selling them (again). Makes sense, right?

Well, my problem is embarrassing.

I hate to admit this to the fashion blogging community, but here it goes: I hoard designer shoes and rarely wear them. I'm obsessed with buying designer shoes, but I'm too scared to wear them because I fear I will break them.

The victims (bought in the past three years):
Five inch bronze Jimmy Choo sandals (worn twice). Red Jimmy Choo high heels (worn once). Black Jimmy Choo high heels (worn once). Black and white strappy Ralph Lauren sandals (never worn). Kate Spade pink dragonfly sandals (worn twice). Kate Spade black and orange star sandals (worn once). DKNY pink high heels (worn once). Brown Prada flats (never worn). Wine colored Giuseppe Zanotti heels (never worn). Tan strappy Giuseppe Zanotti sandals (never worn). Navy blue Prada high heel sandals (never worn).

These were all bought brand new. Hundreds of dollars each.

Like I said earlier, I'm just too terrified to wear them because I fear I will break a heel or wear them out. So, instead, they just sit in my closet, staring at me. Intimidating me. Torturing me with their fabulousness. It breaks my heart.

I really want to wear these shoes. Shit, I paid the money to earn that right. But something inside of me stops me every time. When I go out on a date, I stare at them, and then opt for my black flats because those trusty GAP shoes have never failed me. If I get the black flats scruffy, I can always spend ten dollars on another pair. When I go to a girls night out, I throw on my chocolate brown Jessica Simpson heels. My heart wouldn't be crushed if I got drunk and stumbled off the sidewalk in those $80 shoes.

I don't want to sell my gorgeous designer shoes. (Is that selfish?). I want to wear them.

It's a disturbing dilemma. I have no problem wearing my designer clothes and coats. It's just those damn shoes that scare me.

Looking at my favorite fashion blogs, I have a hard time thinking other people have this problem when it comes to shoes. I feel really alone in this matter...



PS. I'm too lazy to find my camera to take a photo of my shoes and closet right now, so you're stuck with these very old photos. (Plus the shoes are all still kept in their original boxes, like museum artifacts). And yes, Kerrie & I often sit in my closet with my shoes and drink wine. So the shoes aren't totally unloved...

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, I used to have a similar problem: I used to buy high heeled shoes and then I never wore them because I felt embarassed... I'm already tall so I felt really out of place wearing them!

I've finally found the guts to wear them more often now though!

xxx
Vikki

http://stylometre.blogspot.com

Alicia said...

If it makes you feel any better, I'm too scared to even buy them. At least if a fancy event came up you would be prepared. My only options are flats or Jessica Simps.

Anonymous said...

They should make insurance to cover expensive shoes.

They could call it inshoeance.

Kellie said...

Oh my god, I have this problem with EVERYTHING. If I buy clothes that I really like, I won't wear them for a long time because I'm scared to rip or stain them or something. If I buy a lipstick shade that I'm obsessed with, I'll buy two of it and then hardly wear them because I'm afraid to run out. It's kind of ridiculous, haha!

Christopher said...

i always make sure i wear the hell out of my heels

errr forget i said that

Couture Carrie said...

I can totally empathize, darling! I have a similar problem with minidresses: I hoard them; some still have the tags on them, and I wonder, "Will I ever wear this or should I sell it on ebay?"

On another note, these pics are absolutely adorable/hysterical!

xoxox,
CC

P.S. Remember that you are gorgeous! You should totally buy that little red dress from my post today and rock it AS YOU ARE!

Bronzed Humanity said...

haha i love your writing...shoes can be scary...but i figure if you have the money to spend on them you certainly have the money to fix them?! kinda like a BMW?! oh who knows...wear them around the house so atleast they get some love...maybe...us girls r so strange about the weirdest things!
xx
http://www.hotpinkday.blogspot.com/

Josie said...

It sounds terrible to say, but it's choice time, my dear. I also have things that I wear rarely, if ever, because I love them so much, but that sentiment is finally leaving me. There's no point to owning something beautiful if no one ever sees it!
xo Josie
http://winksmilestyle.blogspot.com

Kimia Kline said...

hahah that's hilarious. i do the same thing with jewelry!

Tanvi said...

You are so cute! I just do that with the shoes that I have very pretty soles with prints and stuff and I feel when I walk on the road the print will get damaged.

But I wear my heels. But the expensive heels only when I do not have to walk on the streets but hop into the car and go straight to the restaurant or hotel!

Imogen said...

Wow Jennifer you make me smile. I can see your problem here. I want to just tell you to get them out and wear them but I know it's not that simple. I would love to see some of your designer shoes.

MariahSmile said...

Wear them! If you can't wear them for yourself, wear them for me! Think of poor Mariah with her lack of money and coordination in wearing high-heeled shoes and say "I'm going to wear these navy blue Prada high heel sandals for Mariah and take a picture of them out on the town for her to see on my blog!". I think that sounds like a good goal :-) haha

Imogen said...

In response to your comment I have another 10 days until summer holidays. If you see my facebook you will find out that I am counting down every day of it. Its so hard being the last university to finish. I know people from other universities in Sydney that already finished last week.

Amber Lucas A Mused Blog said...

Why do you live so far away? If we lived closer, I would totally grab a glass of wine with you and sit with your shoes. Hell, I would LOVE IT! haha.

I have a similar problem. It happens EVERY.SINGLE.TIME. I buy clothing. I buy it, feel guilty, and then stash it for a good month before I bust it out and wear it. It's the strangest thing. If i save up to buy something expensive, and look at the money and talk myself out of it. I don't understand.

Barbara von Enger said...

I don't have that problem since I only purchase what I do not already have in my wardrobe, but I feel for you.

You really ought to wear those fancy footwear, and if you end of 'Drunk' one evening, just hop in a cab. It's the most stylish way to travel when in that condition. xx

o said...

Haha u are too cute! I would love to sit in ur closet full of designers shoes with ya;) I think you should wear them or at least just for special occasions!:D They're gorgeous, they need to be showed off hehe If the heels or soles become worn down, you can always get them replaced;) At the same time, I feel ya, I do the same thing with certain pieces in my closet lol I hope you post ur gorgeous collection sometime teehee

TheOwlsCloset.blogspot.com

Vix said...

I love those photos and adore how you and Kerri sit in a cupboard drinking wine. How fabulously mad you both are. xxx

indianmakeupways said...

even I have tat problem to some extent... I dont wear my expensive shoes if am goimg out & end up wearing crappy trustworthy shoes...but I still make use of em...I would have worn 'em like 10-15 times ...tats it...guess I should wear it more often!

Sherin said...

Firstly, love the pictures!

Poor unworn shoes, but I have one designer pair of shoes...and I'm too scared to wear them, so you're not totlaly alone. I wish I had good advice on this matter!!

Anonymous said...

Whenever I buy a new dress, coat or whatever, I wear them straight away but when I buy shoes I wait so long before I wear them! I don't know why. They just never seem the same once they're not brand new.
Luckily I don't have any designer shoes, I don't think I would EVER wear them if I had a pair!
Steph, who blogs on Wardrobe, has a pair of Viv Westwood boots and I feel bad if I ever just accidently step on the back of them!

Bhav x

http://wardrobemag.wordpress.com

Cafe Fashionista said...

Ummm...okay, it is quite possible that we are bestie soul mates. I too am scared of my shoes, but in a different form. Whenever I find a pair of shoes that I truly love, I want to buy them in duplicate because I'm worried that I'll wear them out and never find another pair like them for the rest of my life, rendering me shoeless. Is that weird? :P

Tights Lover said...

Thanks for the shout-out...you are too kind :).

That is a very impressive shoe collection. And, as if you need me to say so, I totally understand the shoe problem. Sometimes I think Jimmy Choo's belong on display somewhere in the house like artwork, rather than be walked around on. Maybe we need some sort of pact where we agree to break into our previously-hoarded collections...hahaha!

...and I love the photos. At least you spend time with the shoes...that's a good thing!

Unknown said...

oh you see i love designer boxes!

Missy
Blending Style, celebs and Fashion
http://thefashionfusion.blogspot.com

Danielle said...

I have a similar problem. I'm always buying really expensive shoes and then I only wear them around work - My brain thinks that if I only wear them in the office I won't ruin the heels. :(

I am getting better though, I've started wearing some of my nice shoes on nights out, I just have to remember to change back into flats when I'm done dancing so I don't destroy them on the drunken stagger home! :)

x

http://puzzle-fashion.blogspot.com/

Venus Loves Virgo said...

I read the Panty Drawer too and also hoard designer shows without wearing them. I'll post here what I posted at The Panty Drawer, it's a disease!
By the way cute photo of you in the closet drinking wine XOXO

Hope Adela Pasztor said...

hahahaha i do the same thing sometimes! =)

http://pinkchampagnefashion.blogspot.com/

Aquiles Damiron-Alcantara said...

I also have a confession to make today. Although university forced me to take a break from the blogging world last summer, I still come back to read your words periodically. You are the only blog I come back for. It is so fresh and mind-distracting that I always wish for more; often craving more.

My best,
Aquiles

Jamie-Lee Burns said...

Oh my gosh! I'm kinda the opposite, I think if I'm gonna drop a bomb on a pair of shoes then I should get my money's worth, so I like to wear mine a bit. But my Burberry Prorsums are a bit sad and lonely in the cupboard... a little afraid to wear them...

http://pagesixxx.blogspot.com/

FASHIONISMYWAY by Cristina L said...

I think that it's because u buy those things and u wan't broke them!
When i buy something very expensive i have to put it for years ;)

I got Galliano's pants for exaple since 3-4 years and i put them in special occasion ;)

(sorry for the bad english, im from italy) xoxo

Ninjagaiden78 said...

I hoard shirts so don't feel bad.

windowshopz.com

Unknown said...

I've nothing to say about the shoes or the problem, I'm not a fashion blogger :), but I love reading you. Take Care.

Jaime @ laviejaime said...

WEAR THEM GIRL! if not, I will? LOL ;)

Jewelrybead said...

Love this post! Thanks for visiting my blog and commenting. I am a new follower and so glad to read your blog!

If I had those shoes, I would wear them to vacuum or possibly even to bed! LOL.

XO
Jolene