To Each is Own

Usually I blog about what I love, but this blog is about what I don't like. I was in Marshalls today buying a motorcycle jacket (see above blog) and wandered over to the shoe department. I was amazed at the amount of U-G-L-Y shoes that the buyers are trying to peddle off on some poor soul.

All of the shoes were on clearance, where they should have been, since a garbage can wasn't available. As I slowly walked down the aisle with my mouth hanging open, I thought it would be different to showcase some shoes that are um, well, different.

These are Kate Spade's. What was she thinking? Shoes with pom poms are a don't.

Cave women don't exist anymore and neither should these shoes.

They still make these? I had a similar pair in 9th grade and they were gross back then, too.

I have no words.

Coach needed some coaching when the designers put pen to paper with these.

Sequins are hot, but these are not.

The In-Between Shoe

The weather is changing. The high today in New Jersey is 67. What's a girl to do for footwear when it's not quite warm enough for flip flops, but not cold enough for Uggs?

I found several pairs of transition shoes that should help us out until fall really gets here.

These cute ruffle booties are a steal at Bakers Shoes for $59.99. They also come in black. There's enough coverage to keep your feet warm on cool mornings, but the peep toe still says summer/fall. You could rock these with jeans or a sleek pencil skirt and colored tights. Purple or navy would be hot!

These comfy flats make a great weekend shoe when you have a ton of errands to run. They are the B.P. Frankie flat at Nordstroms for $59.99. They also come in turquoise/aqua.

Vintage is always hot and these totally wearable vintage Pink Studio Reed shoes can be found at Piperlime for $95.

This super cute Dollhouse Kim bootie is also at Piperlime and it's a Rachel Zoe pick. It's a steal at $70 and also comes in chocolate brown.

A T-strap will always be in style. Anthropologie, which is my favorite store in the whole wide world, is selling this lovely Budding shoe for $138.

I had to include a full-on boot. On the East Coast, especially in NYC, girls wear boots year 'round. I wore these Frye Harness 15 R boots the other day with a short dress. It was 78 degrees out. And I'm wearing them now with white skinny jeans and a dark sweater. They sell for $278.

The Women's Shoe Suffering Movement

These are the shoes I wore last night to Delta's in New Brunswick.

No matter where I ended up last night, I was wearing these Betsey Johnson Reese shoes because they have been in my closet for about a year and have never seen the light of day. In case you're wondering, this is a sure sign that one has too many shoes, when you buy them and seriously take your time getting to them.

I saw them last fall in Nordstrom and like I do with all things fabulous, I instantly fell in love. I mean, look at them! Who wouldn't be a victim of love at first sight? The bow. The deep blue body with bright red trim and the added elegance of suede. I wore them with Theory dark skinny jeans that I cuffed into the boyfriend-jeans look and a short, red double-breasted jacket from Anthropologie

My friend Raven and I bought the shoes at the same time after we saw them individually (she lives in the D.C. area) and realized that we had to have them. Even with my infatuation, I was slightly hesitant because of the price - $165. I knew this was not going to be a shoe that got a ton of wear, but I also knew when I wore it, they would be show stoppers.

And they were show stoppers.

While I received several compliments, they hurt like heck. I'm praying that it was because it was my first time wearing them and not that they are just going to be shoes that hurt all the time. I have shoes that have never broken in no matter how many times I've worn them.

So, the situation begs the question of why women torture their feet (mine were still hurting this morning) for great shoes?

Post your answers in the comment section.