So Shoe Me

So. I have a lot of shoes.

I mean, a lot.  I know I have a lot.  People ask and I tell them I don't know.  I don't really know and I don't really want to.  And, you can't really count all your shoes since some are really so old and you don't really wear them that often.  Some are just for parties and they don't count.  But, I've been meaning to try and catalogue all the shoes and this weekend I cleaned out the closet and went through all my shoes.  I intended to photograph them all and justify to you all why each and every pair of those shoes deserves to be in my closet.  While I didn't photograph them all, I tried to do my best.  Here's the major overview of my shoes.

First - I have a patent leather problem.  I developed this problem about 2 years ago and since they still appear to be in style, I just keep getting more and more patent leather shoes.  They are just so SHINY!  How can I be expected to resist.  I knew I was getting more than my fair share, but didn't really realize until this weekend when I did the closet cleanout. 

Patent leather problem

Thirteen pair of patent leather shoes. 

Truth be told after I took this photo I found three more pair of patent leather flats that were in the shoe cubby we have in our entryway.  So, 15 pair of patent leather shoes all together. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three of my favorites.

These are my favorite 3 pair of the patents:

Black manufact brand - just got these in Rio and I love them.

Red Stuart Weitzman flats - I bought these within 2 hourse of completing my 3 week trial in San Francisco.  I was sitting having celebratory drinks with my co-workers and my adreneline started to drop.  I left and made a beeline for Union Square and didn't stop until I hit Neimans.  I felt better once I got these.  Yeah.  That sounds healthy, right?

Bronze peeptoe - These go with everything and are the perfect bronze/brown color.  They look like these Manolos I wanted but were a much more reasonable price.

But, my shoe collection doesn't end there.  Everyone invariably asks:  "How many black pair of shoes does somebody even need?

How many black shoes does one need?

Answer:  At least 11 pair.

Again, so long as we're being honest, this is not all of the black shoes I own.  These are only the ones in heavy rotation.

But, you can't just live in black shoes.  You need a little print now and then:

Animal Prints

 

I've got a couple giraffe, some leopard and fake snake.

 

 

 

Then there's the ones that are so nice, I buy them twice:

The ones I liked so much I bought them twice.

 

 

These are fantastic work shoes that are far better than boring brown pumps. 

I got the ones on the right first at Imelda's in Portland, Oregon.  I paid full price for them with no regrets.  I then found the ones on the left online for about 20% of what I paid for the first ones.

So, lets just say that I bought both of these for over 50% off retail.  Or some such math.

 

 

 

 

Then there's the ones that are a surprise.   

The ones that go with a lot more than you would expect.

I bought these on a total whim in a little boutique in Lake Tahoe.  I just loved the total froofy-ness of these shoes and thought them to be completely impractical.  But ... so fun. 

They actually are surprisingly comfortable and go really well with one of my tan work suits.  I wear them much more than I ever expected I would. 

The ones I can't part with.

As opposed to these yellow sandals.

These are the most unbearably uncomfortable shoes I own.  The heel is SO high.  The shoe is SO stiff and the wrap thing digs into my ankle. 

But look?!  So pretty and yellow!

I have had these for almost 8 years and I have worn them once.

 Then there are party shoes vs. tennis shoes.

Party shoes

Tennis shoes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally - my absolute favorite shoes of all time.  These are the best shoes I have ever purchased.  I bought these over 6 years ago at the Cole Haan store in Union Square.  In fact, I didn't purchase them when I first saw them because I thought they were too much of a splurge.  But them I thought about them for weeks and I ended up calling three Cole Haan stores before I was able to locate one that had a pair in my size and could overnight them to me. (Thank you Cole Haan in Beverly Hills!)  These are the most comfortable sandals and they went with everything.  Shorts, jeans, khakis, skirts....

As you can see, they are trashed.  I've been trying in vain for the last several years to find a replacement pair.  Nothing has come close.  I will be forever in debt of the person who guides me to a pair that can take over the role that these have filled in my life.

My favorite shoes of all time.

From the toes up.

Most mornings my outfit planning starts with the shoes and goes from there.  The shoes are dictated by whether or not I plan to walk very far that day (less tall and pointy) or whether it's just going to be a hang out in the office or sit in meetings day (can brave much taller and pointy-er). 

So, I start with the shoes, work up to what goes with them and the day.

Turns out, Amelia does much the same thing.  I got home last night and she immediately wanted to go to her room and change her clothes.  First she chose the boots she wanted to wear.  Then she spent quite a bit of time choosing the bottoms that she said matched.  She was taking so long that I left her on her own to get ready.  I found her outside later like this:

Outfit du jour.

What?  I think she's done a fabulous job.  It's all red, right? 

And if Lindsey Lohan has anything to say about it, tights can apparently double as pants.

Happy Mother's Day... across the wires.

It just isn't a warm family holiday without everyone gathering around the crackling warm glow of the ... laptop.  (cue predictable record scratch noise here)  Yes, with our family over 10,000 miles away, many of our holidays are spent trying to get properly hooked up with the MSN messenger or Skype so that we can at least feel a little closer.  It seems so normal now that we know when they have weekend barbeques and we try to Skype in during a Sunday afternoon just so we can see everyone and chat with family and friends.

Grandma!

When we finally do get connected, I know exactly where my family is.  If they are at my Vovo Didi and Vovo Chico's apartment in Ipanema, I know they're in the guest bedroom where the computer is with the air conditioner blasted to freezing.  The sound is on slightly too loud because my grandfather doesn't hear well, and the webcam is usually pointed down at the ground or at one of their stomachs.  We spend most of the call trying to see if we can hear one another, eventually deteriorating into a bickering between my grandparents between who gets to have their whole face in the camera.  My grandma always wins this fight.  The only bit we get to see of my grandpa is his hand as it waves off stage left in front of the camera.  Until my grandma pushes it out of her way. 

If I hook up with my family and they are at my Aunt Sonia's in the suburbs, they're all up in the TV room where no matter how hot it gets they never turn the air conditioner on unless we're visiting.  I can see them all, tan from the sun - especially at Christmas time - and imagine the smell from the kitchen and the noise from the street and the warm, ripe smell of Rio.  It takes me there immediately. 

The imagination of the smell is what really takes me there.  Recently my friend Blythe sent Amelia a dress from Germany.  Immediately when I took it out of the package, I smelled it.  It smelled ... well ... international.  But not quite like Brazil.  When we get back from a trip from Rio, I take weeks to unpack my luggage.  Every time I open one of the bags for the first time, the smell of Rio is on all of the clothes.  I was explaining this to my Aunt Sonia and she said that she feels the same way about our American luggage.  I told her that luggage from Brazil smelled warm, damp and like raw cotton.  When I asked her what American luggage smelled like she said "plastic and new."  Perfect.

At any rate, even though we struggle to try and talk over the computer with family back home to feel "like we never left," the struggles at least give Amelia a chance all year long to speak Portuguese with her great-grandparents, her god parents and cousins.  I hope this makes it a little easier for her when we go back for our visits.  I first left Rio when I was her age to move to the US.  I remember going back to see my family every year as my Portuguese got weaker, and being unable to communicate with my grandmother.  I want it to be more natural for Amelia.  However, we're struggling with getting her to speak Portuguese since she recently has announced "I don't want you speaking like Dinda." (Dinda=portugues for "Godmother")  So, the one way now that she even lets us speak in Portuguese around her is on the MSN messeger with family.  I want her to feel, even though she was born here, that she's Brazilian and that's her family too.  It hopefully makes our short annual visits easier for her since she "knows" these people from the computer.  I know it's been better for me, and my mom to feel more day-to-day in touch with our family.  

But, it's all really just a substitute for the real thing.  I mean, what beats this?

Just grandma & me.

  

Job Searching

No. Not me.  But Amelia.  Here's her discussion with Mike on the way to school the other day. (and I promise, shoe photos coming soon.  We're redoing the closet!)

Amelia:  Where do you go when I'm at school?

Mike:  I go to work.

Amelia:  What do you do at work?

Mike:  Um.  I help people.  (This is the lie that we lawyers all tell ourselves)

Amelia: I don't want to help people.  I want to sing.

Mike: What kind of singing?

Amelia: Opera 

 

(Nothing could be heard thereafter but the sound of Mike's heart overflowing with joy)

Discussion on the way to swimming.

Me:  You know what today is?  It's swimming lesson day!

Amelia: Yeay!  With the Pat from the swimming pool?

Me: Maybe, but maybe your teacher will be someone else.

Amelia: Ooooooohhhh.

Me: Your teacher might be Sabra! (she loved Sabra during parent/child class)

Amelia: (squints her eyes shut - then says in a sad, panicked voice) - But I can't see her!  I'm trying but I can't see her in my head!  She's too far away!

But then she saw her and she remembered her and all was good:

At swimming with Sabra

 

Swimming Princesses!