The Tale of Two Shoes
I know that you have all been dying to know how I am (kidding), but I am finally beginning to kick this cold–two weeks later–and I am returning to the world of the living. I even managed to peel myself of the sofa on Monday (three day weekends are the best thing, EVER!) and attempt a shopping trip. Feeling sicky has actually helped me to save money and conserve a bit, I have hardly done any shopping for myself in the past two months, but the Christmas gift cards were finally burning a hole in my pocket.
I set out to purchase a new winter coat to accommodate my swelling waistline–to no avail. I think I waited to long, but in reality I hadn’t even thought about it–that is until the inside liner of my coat completely ripped last week because my body was taking up more space than the coat was willing to give. ha!
Next thought was jeans–I don’t need maternity jeans right now, but maybe just a larger size? Yes, well I am 5’2 and if you start to buy too large and your legs don’t fill the other space you start looking like a really bad 90′s hip-hop video, so I aborted that search as well.
Onto the shoes–shoes always fit, right? Well now the question was “What do I NEED?” The answer was very obvious that I NEED comfy shoes to commute in and to wear on the weekends. Blah–who wants to spend money on that? I explained to my husband who has been sending me links to comfy shoes and trying his hardest to convert me, that “I’m just not that kinda girl”. I said it felt like I needed to wear a juicy couture jumpsuit with the comfy shoes–they weren’t my vibe. I also had to tell him this horrible story from my first year in NYC (apologies for my digression). I used to walk to my first job in New York, it was about 1.5 miles from my house and I was on a HORRIBLY tight budget, so it helped save money. I originally tried to make the walk in my cute shoes–bad choice, then i switched it up to my converse hi-tops and they gave me blisters on the bottom of my feet! Then my dad purchased me a pair of very white Reebok’s to walk in. They were hideous, but they were like walking on pillows of air. I could make the walk in no-time and completely pain free. The only downside to these new found pillows of air was that they looked ridiculous and I had to walk through the East Village to get home. I felt moderately dorky, but because I had very few friends it didn’t matter at the time–that is until walking home one day in my 9-5 clothes and my white Reebok’s I was spotted by an old friend I hadn’t seen in ages and asked to join them in a pub for a drink. The group looked effortlessly cool and I looked like Ugly Betty. I swore never again would I be caught looking “that” comfortable.
Fast forward “some” years and now I try to balance cute and comfortable–I wear kitty heels and flat boots and I can get away with wearing mountain boots on my winter commute (gotta love Chicago!). If I need to wear comfy shoes I usually opt for my saddle shoes or Jack Purcell’s. But the times they are a changing and to be frank, my feet hurt! After lots of painful thinking I decided to get two new pairs of shoes and both needed to fall in the “I can totally wear these all day” category. Please see my choices below and try not to point and laugh. The Pumas were the least offensive running-type shoe that I could find and I have been looking for about 8 months and the Born shoes are totally the cute t-strap that I love, but they are filled with pockets of foot love on the inside. They are like grandma orthopedic shoes, disguised as casual chic.
Thoughts? Did I do good or I am on a slippery slope to mom shoes and leaving the house in gym clothes?
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I think you did just fine- no slippery slope. That second pair is super cute.
love the born shoes! and the pumas are a good choice. i usually wear sneakers to and from work. i actually add in-soles to my sneakers (when they start to wear out) and to my ballet flats. makes them much more comfortable! actually, the main reason i WEAR ballet flats is for the comfort (i’m on my feet a lot at work). if they ever go out of style…i’m screwed.
Good for you, girl. I have come to this point from the other side…started with hippy, sloppy college style, then on to mom/maternity stuff, finally ending up at I wanna look as damn good as I can, mom of five or not!
Born, Dansko and some others make really beautiful shoes with support for sore, aging. Looking through UO & Anthropologie catalogs I regularly see shoes similar to my Dansko’s…and I smile proudly.
I actually wish I could wear ballet flats–but I have a freakish foot. My arch is so high it hurts to wear completely flat shoes too. Seriously–I wish I could cut my feet off and replace them with new ones (possibly made of steel!)
Yes, Clark is actually getting surprisingly hip–they have a lot of 30-40′s inspired shoes. A gal I work with has a super cute pair that I wanted to buy, but didn’t want to jock her style too much.
Jessica, thank you for the support!
Hi there, in terms of the coat situation have you tried looking at thrift/vintage/consignment stores? 1950s swing coats % ’60s Mod coats are roomy and very forgiving– they would be able to accommodate your changing body in the next few months. Also, since they’ll be $30 or under you don’t have to feel guilty about not wearing it next year!
You’re cracking me up! I actually am feeling much the same way… I always try to buy shoes that are comfortable. To me the perfect shoe is one that is comfy and cute! I think yours definitely fit the bill. I absolutely love those Born shoes!!
And for whatever reason, the preggo body does not want to wear heels. At least mine doesn’t!! I actually bought a pair of casual maryjanes at Land’s End today (don’t even ask why I was in there)… I felt slightly shameful, but I feel sort of justified.
This is my plan B.