As I referenced recently in What’s In Your Wardrobe, earlier this month I’d spent the better part of a day doing my latest semiannual footwear review and seasonal rotation. I also do this same task in early April.
In the present configuration of my closet, a significant chunk of footwear storage space is on shelves above the hanging rods that can only be reached with a tall step ladder. That is where I store the footwear that I’m least likely to wear between now and the next rotation which is mostly due to seasonal appropriateness. For the most part, sandals, open-toes, and such are for Spring/Summer; tall boots and sturdier shoes are for Fall/Winter. There are some styles like fashion athletics and lighter-toned booties that I deem wearable no matter the season.
These are the rules I follow and I make no declaration that anyone else must follow them. You do you. A sun dress with knee-high boots? A mini-length slip dress with chunky loafers? Ensembles like these often look fabulous in celebrity photos or magazine articles and, while those outfits might spark a bit of inspiration, they’re not likely to translate well into my typical daily life.
For me, it’s about practicality and comfort as well as style. Being ready to engage in what the day may bring and still feeling like I’m putting my best foot forward. And I mean that both figuratively and literally. Of the changes that have occurred since the onset of the pandemic, the stay-at-home/work-from-home lifestyle has led to the realization of how good it feels to be able to wear shoes that don’t leave your feet screaming for relief halfway through the day.
Back to the results of my latest semiannual seasonal rotation and subsequent footwear review. Honestly, my entire wardrobe needs a thorough re-evaluation but I’m not ready to tackle that just yet. However, since I was already reorganizing my shoes, it seemed a most opportune time to reassess that collection and perhaps do a bit of culling. And with an outcome anticipated to be wonderful fodder for a blog post, I started off by updating my inventory count.
When I last did this rotation, the inventory count was 111 not including 9 pairs that were culled for donation/reselling. A description of my wardrobe storage as well as photos of those areas and my many boxes of shoes can be found in this post from April, The Ol’ Closet Switcheroo. My left-brain thinking dictates that I should do more than just count how many pairs I have. I also assign my footwear into 1 of 12 categories as follows; careerish, dressy, tall boots, mid-height boots, ankle boots, higher-heel sandals, lower-heel sandals, casual/low-heel shoes, fashion sneakers, flip flops, walking sneakers, and house shoes.
The category designation is mostly based on how/when/why I would wear said shoes. Those in the category of “careerish” are the last of the holdovers from when I was working that don’t really suit my current lifestyle (spoiler alert). I’ve held onto these last ones mostly with the idea of using them in photos for blog posts but I’ve come to the realization that those potential looks wouldn’t authentically represent me. Many of the shoes in the “casual/low heel” category could/would do quite well as “careerish” but as I’m no longer a career gal, they get a different descriptive label.
Knowing that I’ve added a few new items to my footwear collection in the past six months, I decided to start off with a baseline check to see if it would match the numbers from April. I hadn’t specifically labeled the boxes by category so barring a couple of differences in my judgment, my initial count was only off by 1. See the side-by-side columns for April ’22 and October ’22 (before) in the table below. Which two pairs of boots had I counted as mid-height before and now was counting as ankle? IDK. Which pair of shoes did I originally count as casual/low heels and now as fashion sneakers? Who cares. The additional pair of higher-heel sandals? Let’s not dwell on that, ok?
| October ’21 | April ’22 | October ’22 (before) | Out | New | October ’22 (after) | |
| Careerish shoes | 13 | 11 | 11 | -9 | 0 | 2 |
| Dressy shoes | 3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Tall boots | 13 | 13 | 13 | -5 | 1 | 9 |
| Mid-Height boots | 10 | 10 | 8 | -1 | 0 | 7 |
| Ankle Boots | 21 | 21 | 23 | -5 | 1 | 19 |
| Higher heel sandals | 11 | 10 | 11 | -2 | 0 | 9 |
| Lower heel sandals | 11 | 10 | 10 | -1 | 1 | 10 |
| Casual low heel shoes | 14 | 15 | 14 | -4 | 1 | 11 |
| Fashion sneakers | 9 | 9 | 10 | -3 | 4 | 11 |
| Flip flops | 4 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Walking sneakers | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| House shoes | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Totals | 111 | 111 | 112 | -30 | 8 | 90 |
Once all the boxes were organized and counted, I went category by category in my footwear review to assess what should stay and what should go. Some decisions were easy but a lot of them tugged at my heartstrings. Many of the careerish holdovers had been my absolute favorites with wonderful details that I’d had for 10+ years, some of which were shown in earlier blog posts (see gallery below).
All in all, 30 pairs didn’t make the cut, nearly 1/3 of which were from the category of careerish. For a moment in time last month, there was a possibility that I would be hired by my former employer for a short duration to help with a special project and it would be an “in the office” thing, not WFH. While I wasn’t thrilled about commuting, a part of me was a bit excited about the prospect of getting dressed for the office. However, when thinking about what I might wear, none of the nine careerish shoes were a consideration. Favorites or not, those beauties are now destined for new homes. So if careerish shoes like these heeled loafers are what’s out, then what’s in?
Would you believe real deal Converse hightop platform and lugged sole sneakers? Back in mid-summer, I’d caught a glance of a woman wearing the lugged sole style in black while I was out and about. I was so dazzled that later that evening I was online looking for them and wound up buying two pairs because I couldn’t pick between the two styles.
These platform ones are just as comfortable as any other sneaker and make an entirely different statement than the retro running shoes that are currently trending. The lugged sole ones I bought are in off-white and I think they’ll be great for a “coastal chic in Fall” vibe. Be on the lookout for that.
And speaking of “coastal chic in Fall”, that’s what was on my mind when I put together this next look and example of “what’s out, what’s in”. You may have taken note of the total number of boots that are on their way to being rehomed. Mostly, the ones culled are those with heels taller than 2″ which puts them more in the category of “sitting shoes”. Those were okay when more of my day was spent at my desk and walking was limited to short distances, like to and from a conference room or to and from my car. Nowadays, if I’m out of the house, “sitting shoes” won’t cut it because I’m on the move.
So instead of tan stacked-heel booties that I might have worn this outfit, I’m opting for fashionable light-toned hiking boots with a much more modest heel. They’ll take me anywhere I’ll want to go whether I’m wearing wide-leg crops like in this look or jeans or even a dress. You can be sure that I double-sprayed them with a protectant in an attempt to keep them from getting dirty or stained.
Below is another of the boots that are on their way out. These were an online impulse buy that I convinced myself I needed to keep only to never wear. Time to cut my losses but don’t worry, I soothed that sting with a replacement purchase that I’ll be sharing in an upcoming post.
Even so, I went from having 120 pairs of shoes (112 + 8 new) down to 90. There are probably about a half dozen or so more that I gave a pass to this time around that will likely not make it through the next footwear review and seasonal rotation.
Let’s Wrap This Up
Now, onto the Fine-Whatever link-up. My favorite post from the last link-up was Am I An Imposter? written by Marsha over at Marsha In The Middle. Her musings on presenting herself as an authentic blogger even if she doesn’t always wear flowered frocks and fancy boots mirror much of my own thoughts on the subject.
It would seem that this latest footwear review has led me to greater insights into the changes that are occurring in my style. How have your wardrobe choices evolved and what changes have you made to your closet lately?
Stay well and let’s keep in touch! Subscribe, tweet, follow, friend, pin … all options are available. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
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Note: This is an unsponsored post; however, some or all of the links to clothing items are associated with an affiliate program where I earned a few cents for each click.
Photo credit: MMPerez
19 Comments
After my first foot surgery in 2010, I changed out my shoes for lower heeled, comfort first kinds of shoes. I was still teaching so I needed something with really good arch support. I had three or four pairs of shoes at my desk and would change them throughout the day. Now, I still go for comfort before anything. I don’t know if it’s our demographic, Covid, or a combination, but it seems comfortable cute shoes are now more available than ever. I tend to find a few brands I know will work for my foot and stick with them. This was such an informative post (and it made me feel way better about my shoes)! Thanks so much for the shout out as well as the link party!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
Oh women and shoes right! But you have a lot, lol. I used to wear heels, but because of my lung problems, which makes walking very hard, I choose flat heeled boots or shoes. But when I go to a party, I’m wearing heels! A sitting party that is.
So fun to see how you categorize your shoes. When I switched out my closet for fall I got rid of about 25 pairs of shoes. I had so many that I hadn’t worn in years that I was holding on to for no good reason. I love your term sitting shoes. That’s how I feel about heels now! Thanks for the linkup!
Jill – Doused in Pink
Now that’s a shoe collection! I love how organized you are. I don’t think I have that many pairs of shoes but I need to check. Never did anything like this before. I love your sitting shoes but I get that they don’t work with the comfort factor. Thanks so much for the link up!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
Good for you to scaling back! I had to do that recently when my son moved back home for a few months and he needed one of my closets. I made the decision by comfort. If I couldn’t walk in it, they went by-bye! I had a lot of uncomfortable shoes, and now my number rule when buying shoes is they have to be comfortable.
I love that white and black plaid outfit – the jacket is so great with the shawl collar and side vents, and the way it picks up the white in the plaid and the soles of the Converse is *chef’s kiss*. It can be hard to say goodbye to old favorites even when they’re no longer serving you, right? I haven’t made much change in my footwear lately but I have long since passed on most of the few uncomfortable shoes that I have. I have two pairs of very modest heels from my last job search almost 9 years ago that I have held on to, but otherwise, all my shoes are wearable. Not necessarily wearable for an entire day on my feet! But for my current work situation, I’m in good shape.
Rena, I love this post and I love your outfits and I love your footwear choices for both looks! After recently cutting my wardrobe in half, I have been stalling on the shoe clean out. But I am seriously considering getting rid of most of my heeled footwear as well. They just don’t suit my lifestyle or desire for the utmost comfort anymore. I am super impressed that you got your shoe wardrobe under 100 pairs! I have no idea how many pairs I have but I am guessing it is likely closer to 200 and I probably only wear 20% of those! But I really struggle with getting rid of shoes way more than any clothing! I guess I will wait until the mood strikes me to start pairing down the footwear!
Shelbee
I think comfort is always important without sacrificing style. It can be important when it comes to fashion and what looks good on you. I definitely love ankle boots and trainers that are comfortable yet still chic. I celebrated my birthday recently and saw Dubai. If you haven’t been I highly recommend it. Here is my guide on it that will be helpful if you travel there. I love your outfit and the shoes look great. Like anything, I think investing in a comfortable great pair of shoes is essential. Have an amazing week.
https://www.bauchlefashion.com/2022/10/5-things-you-should-know-before.html?m=1
These are nice shoes; I sure have a fav. The black wide leg pant is super cool.
melodyjacob.com
Very nice shoe collection. I maybe own 10 pairs. LOL. Thanks for hosting and I hope that you have a wonderful week.
Since leaving my in school job 4 almost 5 years ago, I have rid my closet of the ‘careersih’ shoes. It felt good to let them go and now I only want shoes that feel good. I should do a closet inventory like you did Rena! I am inspired!
I am really loving the look of the platform Converse – they look comfy!
xo,
Kellyann
What a fascinating post. I’ll have to add up how many pairs I have! I have, without trying, reduced the number quite a bit because I have got rid of my quirky Poetic Licence collection. I sold the best pair and thrifted the rest. These were my “careerish ” shoes, although I haven’t worn them for 2 or 3 years.
I’m amazed you had so many shoes as I’ve always been more of a bag person than a shoe person, haha! It’s awesome you were able to edit the collection down and it’s nice to have options for the perfect shoes to wear with an outfit. I feel I’m in sneakers in the cooler months and sandals in the summer and don’t really deviate – even when I was in the office every day it was just ballet flats, nothing fancy!
Thanks for the link up! Hope you’re having a good day.
You have done a great job culling your shoes! Years ago I would count and categorize my closet. You’ve inspired me to go through it again!
Loved reading about your shoe culling process! I always have a couple pieces in my closet that I think I would wear at least for blog posts that end up getting a new home. Especially shoes. Well done!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
My newest footwear was a very bright pair of ASICS trainers that I absolutely adore, in fact I’m wearing them again today because they’re the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever owned! But I’m terrible for shopping for shoes…terrible as in, I can’t help it lol. My husband is the same, he’s always looking at new shoes! I haven’t gotten rid of any for a while, although my last cull was to get rid of a lot of uncomfortable heels!
Hugs
Suzy xx
What a great collection!! #TrafficJamWeekend
Thank you for sharing this post at the Talent-Sharing Tuesdays Link-Up 39.
Carol
http://www.scribblingboomer.com
Love the trainers and those cute little boots with cut-out detail. Pass them onto me when you’ve done with them! Thanks for adding to my linkup. Hope to see you again this week. Jacqui x