Foot Ware

I’m a little bit of a freak as a female, because I only own six pairs of shoes. Count ‘em: six. (Gigi and Fleece are writhing in horror as they read this, I bet.)

I don’t know why--I probably have seventeen versions of what is essentially the same little black dress, but for some reason I have always been able to get along perfectly well with one version or another of these footwear staples:

1. strappy high heels – The current ones are a shockingly comfortable pair I found, of all places, at the Greenhills tiangge (bazaar). I wear them every chance I get--well, at least whenever I actually have the energy to deal with the straps, and feel reasonably sure that I will not have to traipse over an expanse of loose, slippery stones (which happens more often than you would think).

2. kitten-heeled slides – because more often than not, I have to be able to just jam my feet into a pair of shoes and go! Which means these are the shoes I pretty much live in--they have to be low enough to walk around in all day, but still sexy.

3. pretty flats – My kulang sa pansin (desperate for attention) shoes: slides bedecked in multicolored sequins, for those days when I just can’t be bothered to think about what I’m wearing, but want to look smashing anyway.

4. dressy stilettos – for evenings when I’m sure I won’t have to stand for more than a couple of hours, or are so damned snazzy I’ll willingly endure the “agony of de feet”.

5. knee-high boots – I actually adore boots, and will wear these whenever the weather even hints at being appropriate (which is sadly rare in the Philippines). These used to be a pair of Doc Martens, but eventually the ritual of lacing the things up drove me mad; luckily, I was able to find boots that slip neatly over my calves while still hugging them sexily (or so I think). Above-the-knee would make me even happier, but being 5’8” makes tall boots a bit of a trial to find.

6. funky sneakers – I generally loathe sneakers, but even I have to admit there are occasions when you need shoes that are (gasp!) practical, and don’t threaten to either slide off your feet or give you a sprained ankle at any given moment. You know, like when I’m dragged, kicking and screaming, to some physical activity or out-of-town excursion. My XOXO shoes are fortunately cute enough that I can just about stand looking at my feet when these events occur.

The point I’m making is that when one of the aforementioned pairs of shoes finally surrenders to my relentless abuse of them, there is no backup. I literally have nothing to wear with a significant portion of my wardrobe. (My male readers will probably be mystified by this, but I’m sure my grrlz get it completely.)

It’s even worse when the Shoe Malfunction occurs when I’m out, which is exactly what happened yesterday. Dean, Sage, and I were having our usual Sunday family outing when the sole of my beloved kitten heel (Sob!) decided to part company with the rest of my right shoe. Luckily, I could still walk in it--long enough to get to my favorite shoe store where, even more luckily, my ultra-generous husband shelled out the cash for a new, improved, super-sexier pair. Sage helped pick them out, pretending I was Cinderella--and I felt like Cinderella! I know I’ve said this before, but my man rocks.

This was actually the second time this has happened to me. The first time, I was hanging out at the mall with Sage when my entire left shoe simply collapsed. Since these were high heels, I couldn’t walk around in just one shoe without lurching like Dr. Frankenstein’s Igor, so I took the other shoe off and walked around barefoot until I found a replacement pair I both liked and could afford. The amazing thing is that no one noticed--which goes to show just how far a big smile and ineffable aplomb will take you… even if you only have six (or five!) pairs of shoes.