Confessions of a Shoeaholic

"He said either the shoes go or he goes. I said I'll miss him."
Anonymous

Mimi Pond was once asked, "What do women want?" She had a one-word answer, "Shoes!" 50 pairs of shoes and still not satisfied? Yeah! Join the club. I'm a staunch believer that a girl can never have enough shoes and accessories.

When a new pair of shoes catches my eye, it's like the universe is giving me a sign. A sign that I have to, need to own this very pair, to complete my collection. There goes half my salary! And then I walk into the next store, only to find myself drawn to another gorgeous pair that renders my collection incomplete. What can I say? It's a vicious circle.

This affair is an old one. Remember Cinderella's glass slipper? Next walked in, this generation's shoe queen, Carrie Bradshaw! Gasp! Those Manolo Blahniks! And the question arose, why this obsession. Ever so often, I stand staring into my wardrobe, which according to my mother, has enough outfits to clothe three people!

And it dawns upon me that I have nothing to wear. Sounds familiar? So I put on that comfortable pair of old jeans with a black top (the blessed color!) and then what? My mirror is screaming Plain Jane. But sitting there, staring at me are my gorgeous animal print stilts! That very moment I know, I'm going to step out feeling every bit like the fashion diva.

I've had several of those. And I come home feeling dejected and empty without those shiny new shopping bags. And may I add, this coincides with the day when I have a happy, stuffed wallet. Sigh. Sometimes even exaggeration seems rational.

Picture a change of scenario. You've not found a single outfit and have accepted that it just isn't your day. Maybe it's time to leave, when suddenly, your heart leaps with joy as you catch the glimpse of a killer pair of heels! Hell yeah, you couldn't be happier and neither could your feet!

I've had to let go of so many sexy dresses and stylish pants and cute skirts, because they just weren't the right fit. Isn't it frustratingly annoying? And then, there is shoe shopping. An activity that always delights me. Have you ever had to let go of a pair of shoes because you could do with losing a few inches? No, right?

That's the beauty of shoes! I can have a bad hair day, a not-so-stylish day, feeling anything-but-pretty day, but here comes in my pair of beauties like a knight in a shining armor and saves the day. Am I looking ugly? NO. Am I looking fat? Is that even possible? My dear, dear shoes, I love you. Dear men around the world, are you listening?

Sexy outfit - check; beach-wavy hair - check; smoky-eye look and lots of gloss - check. And then you slip your feet into a pair of heels, to find the goddess within you waking up to take notice.

Have you noticed how the sound of heels clinking makes heads turn, even before the woman has entered the room? I've always felt that there is a particular sexy feel about the way a woman walks when she's wearing high heels.

Maybe it's because she feels sexy on the inside. Pretty shoes have an element of femininity that very few other accessories possess. As a little girl, you must have played dress-up and sneakily slipped into your mom's shoes to feel like a woman. Do you remember Barbie and all her fancy shoes?

I'm a firm believer of retail therapy. Yes, it does uplift my mood and no, I'm not materialistic. Very few things bring me joy as immense as opening my shoe closet and gazing at my collection.

At this point, I will also admit, that I have given in to the temptation of buying heels that I can wear for a maximum of half an hour, but then that's another story altogether. In my defense, something so insanely gorgeous deserves a place of honor in my collection.

From my mother who does not understand my obsession yet helps maintain the ever-growing collection, and a dear friend who cannot stand the color pink but successfully takes it upon her to hunt for and gift me the perfect pink heels to a special friend who winces at the sight of girlish stuff (men!) but gifts me my coveted shoe pendant,

All my loved ones are playing their part of the perfect wingman to make sure my soleful love story will always be a happily ever after one.

This story, this love story would be incomplete without Marilyn Monroe's words, "Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world."