Shoes are some of my favorite fashion items and I have a lot of them. But did you know that some pairs have been in my collection for years? Or that some were bought in random stores in London and New York? Or that some of these shoes were bought at a bargain price or my trusty companions on many job interviews? Here are 5 pairs of shoes that have a special story behind them.
And for some reason all those shoes are black or grey. I could probably tell more stories about some of my shoes. From the white pair of wedges I wore to work one day only to rush out to grab a bite to eat and take a tumble down some steps which led to a nasty scar on my right leg that is only now disappearing. Or that one time I wore a new pair of shoes that were made out of fabric on a rainy day and I had surveillance duty in the park next to the school I worked at. So many shoes, so many stories, but these are the most fun and/ or memorable ones.
Black All Stars
The first pair I have to show you is my pair of low rise black Converse sneakers. I bought these in 2009 in a sneaker shop in SoHo New York. I took the trip with my best friend and I knew I wanted a pair of converse. Because of the exchange rate they were only 33 euros: half the price of a pair in The Netherlands and they have been a go to shoe in spring and summer ever since. At first I was really careful with them as I didn’t want them to look too busted, but since those days these shoes have tracked many a mile. From Dublin to Berlin and from Toronto and many festivals: these shoes have come with me on every single trip I took since I bought them. By now they are quite destroyed as I wore them during a rain storm in Prague last year, but I just can’t part with these just yet.
Grey/ blue loafers
On to one of the most ‘marmite’ type of shoes in my collection. These are shoes that you either like or you don’t. I bought these a few years ago from a vintage shop in London, before the massive loafer rage. Yes, these are granny shoes, quite possibly worn by someone’s granny, but I think that’s part of the charm of these shoes. And now that loafers are back in style, I’m sure that they will draw a little less attention than they did when I bought them in 2010/ 2011.
Standard issue combat boots
The oldest pair of shoes is the pair I no longer wear. But as you can see these combat boots have been well loved. I wore these things to death between 18 – 23, that’s pretty much all throughout college. I remember buying these with my parents at an army consignment store. I had been wanting a pair for years, but since I have small feet, I couldn’t buy them from just any store. Then my dad heard about this place not too far from where we live where they sold these shoes in all possible sizes. I remember wearing these shoes during fresher’s week at uni and my feet were killing me. But I did break them in straight away and me and these shoes became inseparable.
Black studded brogues
A true eye catching pair are these brogues from ZARA. They are the biggest steal I ever found. These shoes were originally 100 euros and I had been eyeballing them on the ZARA website. But I found 100 euros a tad steep for a pair of shoes that I knew I wasn’t going to wear on a daily basis. I went to the store when the sale was on and first found them at half price, then at 70%. And then when I found there was only one more pair in my size, I took them to the till and got them for less than 25 euros. That’s what I call a bargain!
Grey mary jane heels
Finally, this pair of beat up heels. It is one of the first pair of heels I owned. When I first got these, I wore them constantly. I walked on these like any regular shoe and it’s the first pair of heels that I really taught me how to walk in heels. After a while these went to the back of my closet as my heel wearing became more daring and I bought stillettos and other heels in many different shapes and colors. But these are still in my closet awaiting the next job interview. They are comfy and a heel, but nothing too high. A good choice for a semi-smart shoe.
What’s the story behind your shoes?