RhondaLynn
05-08-2005, 01:54 AM
Hello Ladies,
I've been sitting around the house tonight evening reflecting on the evenings events and scrutinizing my new possessions, and felt compelled to share my conclusions with everyone in case anyone else may be intgerested in, but have limited experience with: Buying Ladies Shoes.
I haven't really been out shopping for footwear since the 80's - I still have one of the 3 pair of leather pumps I bought back then, as well as two pair of used shoes I picked up online within the last year or so. Until today, I had a pair of black classic 3" pumps (12), a pair of 2" pumps, and a pair of flats - all solid leather body. I had decided about a month ago that it was time for new footwear, and today, I put on a pair of thigh-highs under my jeans & sent the guy out to acquire shoes. I found myself all up in a shoestore for far over an hour - bargain shoes, nothing quite like i was looking for, but hey, quite an assortment of things i didn't expect to find or consider. I strolled around, picking out one of each of the style/styles I was intested in, lining them up in the back near a bench to test-fit. One of the employees was 'taking inventory' (read: kept showing up back there asking if i'd found everything ok) - only a few customers wandering through the ladies sandals & pumps size 11 and above.
I finally sat down to try a few on for size. I slipped off my shoe, exposing the black nylons on my feet. I was both surprised and impressed when I realized I had forgotten my toenails were polished, and it stood out quite well. Other than in the car, it's probably the only time i've seen them exposed in public. After awhile i just let it all go and went into shopping mode - if a guy is shopping for ladies shoes, why would anyone be surprised that he also had on hose and nailpolish (oh - those 2 fingers on my right hand w/ the clearish polish on - i forgot about them too).
Anyway, I left the store owning 3 new pair of leather heels - none were classic pumps or flats as I had hoped to find. All three were open-toe strapped sandal-like heels with ankle straps. I've never worn open-type heels before, and this was a new experience.
After several hours spent evaluating my new wardrobe items, I've made some mental notes of specific facts regarding women's shoes, solid vs. strapped, sizes, etc.
1. A Classic Pump does not breathe well, and your feet get uncomfortable after awhjile. The open-sided strapped heels are quite the opposite. I considered this while shoppig, but had no idea how nice it would feel as the breeze blew across my feet in them. A definite plus, unless you end up walking in damp grass (like me).
2. Unlike pumps, the strappers DON'T fall off your foot. This could be good or bad, depending on whether you like to let your shoe's heel to fall away & dangle from your toe like the gg's do. I like the dangle thing (cools my foot off) and their ease of slipping into/outof, but the STRAPPED TO YOUR FOOT is a definite advantage.
3. Since the uppers aren't solid but some combination of straps and/or heel panel, they will stretch to fit your feet much more than pumps, so you can downsize a bit. I didn't, so I see another trip over there my future - I DEFINITELY like one style. The other two are acceptable. Even though they are all a bit large for me, they DON'T COME OFF unless I want 'em to.
4. The styles with metal inserts in the ankle strap holes are PREFERABLE to the ones without them - after bending over for 10 minutes trying to ght the fastener through the strap (although I really enjoyed the view & feel of the hose on my legs), the pair with the wide ankestrap & metal inserts were MUCH easier to put on & take off. And the wider strap gave them more stability.
I thought of most of this at the store, but didn't truly embrace how much it would impact my next shoe purchase until now. My only regret is that I didn't spend more time comparing the sizes of the styles I selected - if I had worn them longer, looked @em in the mirror and paced in them a bit, I would've seen that a size 11 in all 3 would've probably worked ok. But there I was, in stocking feet w/ dark reddish toenails, trying on strapped heels, so I decided that the 12s would do.
The guy usually wears a 10.5 or 11 male shoe, and based on the older pumps I have, the 11W was both too short & a bit tight in width, and the 12s were a bit oversized & tended to fall off or slide off while walking. The strapped styles, although obviously a size larger than I could wear, still feel good and don't come off. I only went with the 12s because I thought the 11s felt too snug in width & they had verrrry few 11W styles, and NO half-sized.
If my camera was up, I'd post photos of them. Coincidentally, I found a long-lost dress last night that I'd outgrown years ago, and was delighted to find that it now fits perfectly (I've lost a bit of weight this year). I bought one paif of the heels EXPLICITLY to wear with this dress - they match the dress' color pattern farrr too perfectly - they should've been sold w/ the dress.
Anyway, I'll close this novel for now. If i find my webcam, I'll post photos of new footwear for those who may be interested. I'm off for a walk, or perhaps a night-drive. Hmmm.
Love ya,
rhonda.
I've been sitting around the house tonight evening reflecting on the evenings events and scrutinizing my new possessions, and felt compelled to share my conclusions with everyone in case anyone else may be intgerested in, but have limited experience with: Buying Ladies Shoes.
I haven't really been out shopping for footwear since the 80's - I still have one of the 3 pair of leather pumps I bought back then, as well as two pair of used shoes I picked up online within the last year or so. Until today, I had a pair of black classic 3" pumps (12), a pair of 2" pumps, and a pair of flats - all solid leather body. I had decided about a month ago that it was time for new footwear, and today, I put on a pair of thigh-highs under my jeans & sent the guy out to acquire shoes. I found myself all up in a shoestore for far over an hour - bargain shoes, nothing quite like i was looking for, but hey, quite an assortment of things i didn't expect to find or consider. I strolled around, picking out one of each of the style/styles I was intested in, lining them up in the back near a bench to test-fit. One of the employees was 'taking inventory' (read: kept showing up back there asking if i'd found everything ok) - only a few customers wandering through the ladies sandals & pumps size 11 and above.
I finally sat down to try a few on for size. I slipped off my shoe, exposing the black nylons on my feet. I was both surprised and impressed when I realized I had forgotten my toenails were polished, and it stood out quite well. Other than in the car, it's probably the only time i've seen them exposed in public. After awhile i just let it all go and went into shopping mode - if a guy is shopping for ladies shoes, why would anyone be surprised that he also had on hose and nailpolish (oh - those 2 fingers on my right hand w/ the clearish polish on - i forgot about them too).
Anyway, I left the store owning 3 new pair of leather heels - none were classic pumps or flats as I had hoped to find. All three were open-toe strapped sandal-like heels with ankle straps. I've never worn open-type heels before, and this was a new experience.
After several hours spent evaluating my new wardrobe items, I've made some mental notes of specific facts regarding women's shoes, solid vs. strapped, sizes, etc.
1. A Classic Pump does not breathe well, and your feet get uncomfortable after awhjile. The open-sided strapped heels are quite the opposite. I considered this while shoppig, but had no idea how nice it would feel as the breeze blew across my feet in them. A definite plus, unless you end up walking in damp grass (like me).
2. Unlike pumps, the strappers DON'T fall off your foot. This could be good or bad, depending on whether you like to let your shoe's heel to fall away & dangle from your toe like the gg's do. I like the dangle thing (cools my foot off) and their ease of slipping into/outof, but the STRAPPED TO YOUR FOOT is a definite advantage.
3. Since the uppers aren't solid but some combination of straps and/or heel panel, they will stretch to fit your feet much more than pumps, so you can downsize a bit. I didn't, so I see another trip over there my future - I DEFINITELY like one style. The other two are acceptable. Even though they are all a bit large for me, they DON'T COME OFF unless I want 'em to.
4. The styles with metal inserts in the ankle strap holes are PREFERABLE to the ones without them - after bending over for 10 minutes trying to ght the fastener through the strap (although I really enjoyed the view & feel of the hose on my legs), the pair with the wide ankestrap & metal inserts were MUCH easier to put on & take off. And the wider strap gave them more stability.
I thought of most of this at the store, but didn't truly embrace how much it would impact my next shoe purchase until now. My only regret is that I didn't spend more time comparing the sizes of the styles I selected - if I had worn them longer, looked @em in the mirror and paced in them a bit, I would've seen that a size 11 in all 3 would've probably worked ok. But there I was, in stocking feet w/ dark reddish toenails, trying on strapped heels, so I decided that the 12s would do.
The guy usually wears a 10.5 or 11 male shoe, and based on the older pumps I have, the 11W was both too short & a bit tight in width, and the 12s were a bit oversized & tended to fall off or slide off while walking. The strapped styles, although obviously a size larger than I could wear, still feel good and don't come off. I only went with the 12s because I thought the 11s felt too snug in width & they had verrrry few 11W styles, and NO half-sized.
If my camera was up, I'd post photos of them. Coincidentally, I found a long-lost dress last night that I'd outgrown years ago, and was delighted to find that it now fits perfectly (I've lost a bit of weight this year). I bought one paif of the heels EXPLICITLY to wear with this dress - they match the dress' color pattern farrr too perfectly - they should've been sold w/ the dress.
Anyway, I'll close this novel for now. If i find my webcam, I'll post photos of new footwear for those who may be interested. I'm off for a walk, or perhaps a night-drive. Hmmm.
Love ya,
rhonda.