Moving to NYC

We have now been in NYC for a couple weeks.  Throughout the moving process, I have had to force myself to make some tough choices about getting rid of stuff.  I'm not a hoarder by any means, but I do have a hard time getting rid of things sometimes.  So we got rid of quite of bit of stuff before we left, but it was mostly household items--I did not really do much with my clothes and shoes.  Once we got here and started moving things in, I had to face the hard truth that I just had too much to fit in our closet (even though it is a walk-in).  I knew in my heart of hearts that this would probably end up happening, but it was just too hard to get rid of things until I really faced the reality.

So as I filled the closet, I made myself get rid of things that I really just don't wear that much anymore, or I know I won't wear much at all now that I'm a stay-at-home mom instead of a working girl, or that are similar enough to other things in my closet that I can live without them.  So I have reduced my total number of shoes from 108 to 94 (I know 94 is still a lot, but hey, I'm still me).  These are the ones I'm getting rid of:

 I got these ones from Payless probably 8 years ago or so and was totally in love with them for a long time.  Something about them gave me kind of  70's vibe that I thought was super fun.  One of the straps broke a few years ago and I actually bothered to have it repaired instead of just throwing them out because I like them that much.  But they have started feeling a little clunky and I just don't wear them much anymore so it was time to go.

These are handmade shoes from Chile that I got in high school to go with one of my prom dresses.  It is a nice heel height to have around, but I just don't find myself needing silver shoes all that often these days.

These flip-flops are so soft and comfy!  Unfortunately, I really don't have much clothing in these bright colors so I don't have anything that I really wear them with.

I got these shoes from Mervyn's back when Mervyn's existed.  I used to get all sorts of great shoes there and these were one of the first.

 Back before my shoe collection really became what it is today, I just needed a basic pair of black church shoes so I got these.  As I went through looking for ways to downsize, I did have to wonder how many pairs of plain black heels one person really needs so these had to go.

I bought these in high school (almost 12 years ago) to wear to a semi-formal dance.  I loved them for SO long that even though I haven't worn them for a couple years, I was having a hard time letting them go.  It is finally time.

I called these my Cinderella shoes.  I got them to wear with my bridesmaid's dress for my sister's wedding.  The dress was actually REALLY cute, but was a little bit short for me to wear comfortably so I sadly got rid of it.  I have a similar pair of white open-toed shoes, so I had to choose one to get rid of.

I got these at Forever Young shoes (oh how I miss that place!) when I was just beginning to get into pumps.  Similar to the black shoes I talked about earlier, I had to wonder how many pairs of plain brown heels I really needed so these hit the chopping block.

I got these at Walmart because they were just a fun color and good for wearing to the pool and such, but I don't love the rubber strap and I've just kind of stopped wearing them.

I got these when I was doing my student teaching (more than 5 years ago, if you can believe that) because I needed a good mid-size heel to wear with pants.  Now I have several options and these just don't get chosen often enough to warrant keeping them around.

Pretty much the same story as the ones above, but the brown version.

 These were one of my more brave purchases, back before I really had many pairs of colorful shoes.  I still think they are super cute, but I have never worn them much (and one of the dresses that I did wear them with I am also getting rid of).

I got these on clearance at DSW shoes because I needed a fairly flat pair of black shoes.  I have since found other ones I like better and basically stopped wearing these.

I got these at Charlotte Russe (they have some SUPER cute shoes).  I was looking for red heels and not having much luck, so I got these espadrilles instead.  I have since purchased a couple pairs of red heels and the color on these has been faded a bit by the sun, so after much debate I finally decided I had to let go.

So those are the ones to go.  Now that we living in the big city and spending ridiculous amounts of money on rent, I probably won't be able to get new shoes nearly as much.  But I do have a new goal that anytime I get something new, I have to get rid of something I already have.  We'll see if I'm actually able to do that! :)

High Heels Are My Achilles Heel

I know, that title is super dorky, but I just couldn't resist.

As I mentioned (or jabbered on about) in my last post, I have a serious lack of practical shoes. Since that post, I have purchased 4 new pairs of shoes and they all had at least a 4 inch heel (as a side note on that, check out the updated slideshow below). I keep telling myself that if I'm going to buy shoes, I need to buy more flats or at least shorter heels--ones that I could actually walk around in all day--but when I get on a website and start looking at shoes, logic seems to go out the window. All the high-heeled shoes are just so stinking pretty!! I mean, look at this picture I found on google:

Yeah, those flats are cute. But look at those heels. Va-va-voom! And they're not even a fun design or color.

I've heard some people talk about how high heels just objectify women and such other nonsense. You can feel that way if you want, but I don't. When I'm walking around in my high heels, I just feel good. Not only do I feel like I look good, but I feel good about myself all around. I feel like I can do anything (except maybe walk up the 2 large flights of stairs to my office...the elevator is my friend). I feel empowered! I start walking around all sassy-like thinking "Man, I am so awesome. I am like the most awesome person in the world." Okay, maybe not that extreme, but I do feel pretty great. It also doesn't hurt that heels do so much more for your legs than flats.

So I guess the emotional high is why, when I see a cute high heel, my brain turns to mush and instead of thinking about how I really don't need any more high heels in my soon-to-be New York City life, I just drool and click "Add to cart." Whoops.

I did buy several pairs of more practical shoes when I was pregnant because as much as I really wanted to keep wearing all my awesome shoes, the extra 30 pounds and increased lack of balance really weren't letting that happen. (Increased lack? Does that even make sense?) My point is that I clearly am capable of buying practical shoes if it becomes a matter of necessity. It's just not nearly as fun. And somehow I feel like I'm not getting as much for my money. I know that is probably weird/ridiculous, but seriously. When I compare a pair of heels for $50 to a pair of flats for $50, the flats just seem like a rip-off. There is so much less shoe there! Kind of the same philosophy that leads me to buy 4 pairs of $20 shoes rather than 1 pair of $80 shoes. Why would I spend x amount of money on flats when I can spend the same amount and get an amazing pair of heels? I feel like flats should cost about half as much as heels. Really, does anybody else feel that way or am I totally on my own here?

On top of all that, I feel like heels just make an outfit look so much more put together. They are more professional, more composed, more sophisticated and refined. Perhaps this harks back to my not-so-secret wish that our society was less casual sometimes. I kind of long for the days when you got dressed up to fly and housewives walked around in dresses, heels, and pearls. Obviously there are many parts of the 50's and 60's that I am glad we left behind, or have at least tried to leave behind, like the racial inequality or the lack of seat belts. Or even on a purely superficial level, the black and white televisions and lack of cell phones. But I can't help watching shows like Mad Men and Pan Am (don't judge) and wishing that we were a little classier.

Like this lovely lady featured on the V&A website. Doesn't she just embody class and sophistication? Also, I'm sad that we don't wear hats anymore. Can somebody bring that back please? I will volunteer to learn millinery. I told my husband the other day that I want to be British royalty just so I can wear beautiful hats and not look silly.

Ha. When I started this post I was merely intending to explain my incredible weakness for all things high-heeled. Who knew it would lead me to my apparent issue with modern "casualness" (better called laziness or sloppiness most of the time) and my love of hats. Actually, I could probably write a whole separate post about hats...I have so much more to say on that topic! I guess you just never know what you're going to get here.

Shoe Conundrum

Well so it's been a while. Lest you think I've lost my love for shoes (how tragic would that be?), make sure to check out the slideshow and see the several new pairs I've purchased since my last update.

I've run into an interesting conundrum lately. Come this fall, we will be moving to New York City and I will go from being a working girl to being a stay-at-home mom. So the issue at hand is that as a stay-at-home mom in NYC, I'm just not sure I see myself wearing all of these 3, 4, and 5 inch heels that I have. I mean, obviously there will be times here and there, but it will not be an every day thing like it is now--especially since we won't have a car and I will be doing a lot more walking.

So do I start buying more "practical" shoes now? Which brings up a whole other issue in that we are trying to live more frugally now since NYC will be super costly so my shoe purchases are going to have to decrease, at least for a little while. What does one wear around New York when you don't have practical shoes?? And why is it that "practical shoes" so often equal "ugly shoes"? I know, I know, there are lots of cute flats out there now. But still--when it really comes to good, comfortable walking shoes there aren't a lot of beautiful options out there. And let's face it, I like beautiful shoes.

Also, do I just wear my high heels around the house everyday for nobody but myself? Do I chase my toddler around in high heels (but then change shoes if we're going somewhere because we'll have to walk wherever we're going)?

My husband likes to tell me about all the women he has seen in NYC walking around in skirt suits and tennis shoes, like that might encourage me to be more practical. Silly man. It's like he doesn't even know me sometimes. No offense to you practical shoe people out there, but I would not be caught DEAD in a skirt and tennis shoes. I rarely wear tennis shoes as it is, but certainly not with anything other than casual clothing. I just won't do it. It looks stupid. There, I said it. You people walking around with your pantyhose and your sneakers: you look dumb. I know there are like a million of you in Manhattan and you could easily take me down, but that won't make it look like any less of a fashion faux pas. Obviously this is a hot-button topic for me.

I know some of you out there are probably thinking, "Just wait, once you've lived there and experienced it, you will change." Ok, maybe you're right. But I really don't think you are. I have been known to change my mind in the past, but this is one area where I just don't see that happening. At least not in the near future. I mean, maybe when I'm an old lady stuff like that just won't matter that much anymore (I don't get why that happens, but it totally does). But for the foreseeable future, don't count on it.

So next time you're in New York (after September 2012), come by and see me and admire my shoe collection--you may be the only person in NYC that gets to enjoy it. Or maybe you'll find out that I'm braving the streets in my heels for the amusement of others. Who knows.

Well that's enough of a rant for now. By the way, I'm open to suggestions on how to handle this NYC shoe thing.