Ever since I can remember, I have had an obsession with shoes. Studs, bright colors, and fun prints make me weak in the knees, rendering me completely incapable of resisting an urge to buy yet another pair. Over the years, my complete lack of willpower helped me acquire quite a substantial collection of shoes. Yet, at the end of the day, there are probably around ten pairs that I have in constant rotation, and the rest are just sitting on my shelf in complete obscurity.

I am the first to admit that I’ve made my fair share of shoe purchasing missteps. Did I really have to buy bright pink studded 7-inch high-heel pumps? Probably not, but it sure seemed like a good idea at the time. Trying to understand what I was thinking at the moment made me realize that, when it comes to shoes, I don’t think. Logic and reasoning go out the window and I turn into a zombie with a single purpose in life, which is to get more shoes. In light of this realization, I decided that it was time for a change, so I came up with a formula, if you will, to substantially minimize my shoe-buying mistakes.

Now, before I get a new pair, I take a deep breath, avoid making eye contact with red and white polka dot Christian Louboutin pumps that I’ve already spotted on the next shelf, and ask myself a few simple questions.

1. Can I come up with at least five different outfits that I could pair with this shoe? And no, that dress, or jeans, or something else I saw last week but didn’t buy yet but will seriously consider buying now that I’ve found a perfect pair of shoes to go with it don’t count. If I can’t come up with five outfits, I gather the last ounce of strength I have left and walk away. If the answer is yes, I proceed to the next question.

2. Can I actually walk in them? This one is a deal breaker. In the past, I’ve given in to temptation and bought many pairs of what I like to call “sitting shoes.” They’re beautiful on the outside yet so horribly uncomfortable that I am screaming in pain before I make it out the door. A perfect example, and a daily reminder of my weakness, is a gorgeous pair of Dolce and Gabbana espadrilles that is collecting dust on my shelf. They were sold out in my size, but it was love at first sight and I got them anyway. So what if they are a size too small, and so what if my toes turn purple when I put them on? They are fabulous and I love them. Walking home barefoot that night, my new shoes in my hand, I knew I was never going to wear them again. I guess purple toes are good indicators that this love is not meant to be.

3. Finally, I ask myself if I really need them. This one is tough because every cell in my body is screaming “yes, yes, yes” and I find myself locked in a battle with a shoeacholic inside. But to give in means that you can find yourself with a tenth pair of perfectly fabulous black pumps to add to an existing army of similarly lovely ones that are already sitting in your closet. My Achilles heel happen to be black booties, and somehow I am always able to come up with a reason why they are different from all of the pairs I already own. But I had to stop the repetitive cycle because side buckles, studded heels, and mesh inserts are simply not good enough reasons to get the same pair of boots that I already have.

In the end, if I answer positively to all of the above, I find myself a proud owner of a new pair that I am actually going to wear. Of course, I have to admit that battling my shoe addiction is a work in progress. I am human, after all, and Giuseppe Zanotti makes shoes so fabulous that no woman in her right mind could resist. But practice makes perfect, and I like to think that today I am a reformed shoeacholic.

Text by Annabelle Fleur of VivaLuxury.Blogspot.com

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