How do you like these beauties? They are by an Italian shoe maker called Moma. I purchased them last spring thinking that they could easily transition into fall and winter. More orange than brown and more loafer than pump, they stood out to me. So far they have worked well with both pants and skirts.
I’m working on my blog photography skills. Turns out it’s hard to take a shoe selfie. I may need to get somebody else involved like my husband but I haven’t mentioned it to him yet. He’s a good photographer and pretty supportive about my shoe lust.
By now you may be asking, “What about the whole mid life musing thing?” For me, thinking and writing about shoes has been part of a mid life phenomena . I began this new found passion somewhere around my 50th birthday. Before that, I never gave much thought to my shoe wardrobe other than I had to have a modest assortment to get me through the days, weeks and months. I had an awakening of sorts; that my feet were a pretty big priority in the grand scheme of things. Comfort and style did not have to be mutually exclusive. Maybe quality plays a part. Maybe you get what you pay for. Maybe you deserve better because you’ve earned it somehow.
Around the age of 31 I realized some of these same things about eyewear. At 19 my parents bought me my first pair of glasses and I used those frames until I was 23. When I finally broke down and bought new ones I was shocked at the sticker price. This was back in my day care center days in Boston (think crappy synthetic pointy toe shoes). I was visiting my family in Omaha and went straight to one of those eyeglass outlet places to find the cheapest pair of frames I could. I was so proud of my frugality. A few years later, when those broke, I found a pair of wire rims at a friend’s antique store for $25.00 and had them fitted for lenses. Being both delicate and ill fitted to my face, they only last a year or so. I eventually started wearing contacts but still used glasses as a back up. I would try on pair after pair only to discover that my favorites were always the most expensive. I would settle for second or third choice because the price was lower.
I’m not sure exactly when it was or what brought it on but one day I suddenly understood that how I looked mattered to me and my face was a big part of that. I took care of my hair and my skin. I spent all kinds of money on make-up and hair products and the magazines that would tell me how to use them. I spent money on clothes, jewelry, perfume like any other female. Why wasn’t I willing to spend a few extra dollars to get the frames that made me look and feel my best? After all, I would wear them every day… on my face. I gave myself permission to walk into the nicest eye glass store in town and pick out my favorite frames regardless of price from that point on. I felt I was really onto something.
The same thing happened a few decades later regarding shoes and a lot of other intangible things I hope to explore on this blog. Having a few decades under your belt can be very liberating. Middle age can be about loss and disappointment so much of the time but I think it’s important to celebrate the little personal awakenings that come along with the AARP cards in the mail.
In the meantime, there’s some great shoes out there just waiting to be discovered.
Sole Searching 