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I Guess I’m Not Grown Up Enough Yet For Fancy Shoes

I have finicky feet.  I have discovered over the years that the higher priced the shoe, the happier my feet are.  Which is rather unfortunate for the budget.  For years I was a Nine West girl, although lately their styles have been letting me down.  Or perhaps I have been letting them down.  In other words, I think I’m getting old.

I generally do okay shopping for shoes in what I like to call the budget section of Nordstrom (yes, there is a lower-priced section at Nordstrom) but there is one style of shoe that constantly eludes me.  That is the pump.  (Which is why I live in sandals and flip flops in the summer and boots in the winter.)

The pump hasn’t been as visible in recent years so I haven’t had to deal with it, but lately it seems to be making a comeback and I do like a pretty pump.  But the pump is the one style of shoe that KILLS my feet. I think it’s because I have a narrow heel, and they are constantly slipping, even if I buy a narrow width.  And yet the front part of my foot is not narrow; it is quite squarish, in fact.  So if there is any point to the shoe at all, it squeezes my poor pitiful toes.  This does not bode well for the pump.

Every time I watch What Not To Wear and Stacy London puts some poor schmuck in a pump and they say that it is comfortable, I say BAH!

UNTIL my mom, who does not have college to save for or three children to clothe and feed and likes to spoil her loved ones, treated me to a pair of luxury shoes for Christmas.  These sassy ruby red patent leather pumps came from that swanky side of the shoe department that I only look at wistfully as I pass on my way to the budget section in the back of the store.

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And I discovered that there ARE comfortable pumps in the world if your shoe budget rivals the federal deficit. Seriously, I can wear for hours on end without wanting to cut off my foot at the ankle.

And now I’m a believer
Not a trace
Of doubt in my mind
I’m in love
I’m a believer…

Oh hi.  Are you still here?  Please pardon the musical interlude.

So yesterday morning I got dressed for church and put on my sassy red shoes and headed out to the car.  On the way we stopped at a convenience store so I could pick up a box of donuts for the food table at church.

I hopped out of the car and as I started across the sidewalk, I stepped my itty-bitty red patent leather-clad heel right smack dab into an over-sized crack in the sidewalk. I kept walking but my shoe did not. It was one of those moments that you immediately look around to see how many people just saw you make a gigantic fool of yourself.

When I went to retrieve my shoe, and I had to give it a healthy yank to dislodge it from the crack.  The good news is the heel did remain attached to the shoe, but the bad news is the heel now looks like this.

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Sorry, Mom.  But this is why I shop in the budget section of the shoe store.

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34 Responses

  1. Oh No!! As a shoe girl myself I am totally shedding a tear for those absolutely gorgeous shoes and you too of course since they were after all your shoes. I am the same way with pumps, they hurt! I am determined to find a pair sometime though. I’m always amazed by those who wear them barefoot. My foot always sticks and sweats and well it’s just gross. One day I’ll grow up too and wear big girl shoes and until then I guess it’s wedges for me!! Have a great week.

  2. So what is this brand? I must know–I have the same problem. I love my pointy-toe black Nine West…but they HURT!

  3. ::gasp::

    Though I suspect no one else would ever notice the flaw, I am so sad for you. Dear Lord heal that shoe, amen.

  4. Oh no, your poor shoe!
    I really hope you can get it fixed, it’s so hard to come by a shoe that is that pretty and comfortable too.

  5. Poor shoe! They are very pretty! I have yet to find a comfy pair of shoes with more than a 2 inch heel that I can wear for more than 3 or 4 hours (let alone walking to a commuter train and office and back). I got a new pair (on sale) at Kohls of pretty Vera Wang’s this past weekend. Maybe I can make it a day in them?

  6. Ugh – that’s the WORST! that’s even worse than when your heal sinks down into the mud – at least you can wipe that clean….yours actually need to be repaired!

  7. Hoping for repairs. I’ve had lots of success with the Michelle D brand at Dillard’s. Cost wise it is similar to Nine West. I have a fabulous pair of black peep-toe heels that I love. And my boots are the same brand. I did have to add heel inserts though, because I have narrow heels too.

  8. This is so sad! I never wear pumps because they hurt, and I cannot spend what it would take to buy a comfortable pump. I hope you can get that poor shoe repaired! It is too cute to say goodbye to.

  9. I wear heels only when we have big meetings at work. Otherwise, flats or comfy slight heels. My feet SCREAM everytime I wear something higher than an inch…and knees are never happy with me either.

  10. I hope your mom bought those at Nordstrom–they are so good at customer service. If she did, I would hightail it down to the store, explain to the person in the shoe department that you JUST GOT THEM AT CHRISTMAS and look what happened! They may take pity on you and offer to help you get them repaired.

    Good luck!

  11. I am mourning the perfection of your shoes. I hope you can get them fixed soon. Since they’re from Nordstrom I have a feeling there will be NO problem exchanging them….

    Good luck!! And I now want a pair of those shoes…

  12. That shoe is Exhibit A as to why I wear flip flops or sneakers to work every single day and then change into my shoes in the office. I even have a fancy schmanzy shoe bag to carry my shoes to and from work every day. I wear heels just about every single day at work – they make my 5′ 5″ self taller which goes a long way when you work in an environment of all men…

  13. Oh, so you DO understand me. You replied to my shoe issue earlier, and YES pumps are the worst! I sometimes have trouble with sandals and other flats, but pumps are absolutely the worst.

    I might just have to splurge before Fall.

  14. The only difference between discount shoe shoppers and fancy pants shoe owners are they fancy pants people have enough money to not care when they scuff a shoe. They just buy another pair! UGH!! Oprah needs to have a yard sale!!!

  15. Get thee to a cobbler! If the shoe company can’t fix them then you will be amazed what a cobbler can do. My life in London with all the grates and cobblestone roads would have been over without the amazing skills of cobblers who had reattached heels and straps, replaced the ends of heels and (once) even lowered a heel height for me on a pair of shoes that were 1/2 inch too high! You will lurrrrrrve your new cobbler friend!

  16. I’m with you. Leave the pumps for those professional New Yorkers. Give me my flip flops and I’m a happy camper…

  17. I’m not really a shoe person, but that IS a sad story (and super cute shoe). However, I have to admit that all I could really think while reading your post was…”Oh my gosh, you were THIS close to almost being hit by a dumpster and being rescued by Matthew McCaughney!” Because that’s what happened to JLo in The Wedding Planner. Because I have seen that movie about a gillion times. Seriously.

  18. Yes, Mujercita, slingbacks are better, but I still have trouble with my toes hurting. And the slingback usually gets painful after a while. But they are usually easier for me to wear than a traditional pump.

    All of your comments crack me up. I do have an update, but I’ll post it separately.

  19. Those are some stylish shoes! What is the brand? Do tell!

    I actually do agree about the correlation between high-quality shoes and sum of money. My more expensive shoes are almost always more comfortable so I pay “top dollar” for shoes. That, and a good pair of designer jeans. I will pay good $$$ for “the perfect pair” of those too because I know I’ll wear them enough to justify the price…

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