Shoes.
Shoes. I am really, truly not the sort of girl who is that bothered about shoes. I know everyone says that, but you can tell I’m not lying because I’m not saying it in a high-pitched voice while tossing my hair around and giggling like a weirdo.
In fact, the shoes I am wearing today (left) are basically the same pair of shoes that I had when I was about eight: flat, black patent leather with a grosgrain ribbon bow. They may not actually be Start-rites, but they may as well be. Contrast these with the killer heels worn by someone who works in the fashion department of the magazine that I work for (right) and you will see that I tell the truth.
But there is something about accessories in general that has got me recently. I have bought three – THREE! – pairs of shoes in the last month (and am now ‘hoisting the black flag of impecuniosity’ as Trollope puts it). And a handbag. And several packets of kirby grips. And one pair of ridiculous earrings. Maybe it’s my way of coming to terms with the January economy drive (‘But these shoes are only £85! Why, if I bought a dress it would be at least twice that. Therefore I have definitely saved myself money by buying these shoes’). Maybe it’s because the last time I bought any shoes it was a pair of Converse All Stars in 2009 and I just needed some. Or maybe it’s that there are, in fact, whole hosts of new, somehow better shoes than there have ever been before, and I have subconsciously tapped into this zeitgeist despite knowing absolutely nothing about fashion.
Actually, though, I think it’s because accessories are lovely and that they make one feel cheerful and they are easy and – wait for it – accessible. A good pair of shoes is to a girl what a floozy on the arm is to a man: unnecessary and silly, yes, but pretty and confidence boosting and a good conversation starter when you’re feeling shy.
A version of this post first appeared on Violet Hudson’s blog.
