The Shoes That Earn Their Place in Your Wardrobe
The footwear worth investing in depends on your life, your comfort and what you genuinely love.
· 4 min read · Tania Cottew
When asked which shoes have earned their place in my wardrobe, my first thought was, “Oh gosh, I’m not the person to ask that - I still have shoes I bought when I was 18!”
So this is not going to be an instruction to own five sensible pairs and part with everything else.
Some shoes are practical favourites. Others are beautiful, memorable or simply difficult to let go of. There is room for that.
“The black shoes have been with me since I was 18. The blue sandals were bought in Florence in 2016 and have been all over Europe with me, as well as New Zealand, Australia and Singapore. The other two arrived somewhere in between, simply because I loved the colours. I can no longer walk in the champagne, bejewelled four-inch stilettos, but I still love looking at them.”
But when we are deciding what to buy, replace or repair, it helps to distinguish the shoes we enjoy owning from the shoes we need to rely on.
Begin with your ordinary day
The most useful footwear investment is often the pair that makes everyday life easier.
That might be a comfortable sneaker, a loafer, a flat or a supportive walking shoe. The style matters less than whether it suits the places you go and the clothes you wear.
Can you walk comfortably? Do your toes have room? Does the shoe stay on without your having to grip it?
A pair that looks lovely but distracts you with every step is unlikely to become a dependable favourite.
Make room for the weather
Useful footwear also depends on where you live.
You may need boots or weather-resistant shoes for wet days, with soles suited to the surfaces you walk on. In warmer weather, you might reach for sandals or a light, breathable shoe.
Neither category needs to contain every possible style. Start with the weather you actually encounter and the pair you most often find yourself wishing you had.
That is a more useful guide than somebody else’s list of essentials.
Have something that makes an occasion easy
There is comfort in knowing you have shoes that work when an invitation arrives.
They don’t have to be high heels. A beautiful flat, a low heel, a polished loafer or an elegant boot can finish an outfit just as thoughtfully.
Try them with the clothes you already own. Can they work with more than one outfit? Can you manage the walking, standing or dancing the occasion might involve?
The right occasion shoes should help you enjoy being there.
Look after the pairs you love
Investing in footwear is not only about buying.
It can mean replacing a worn heel, having a sole assessed by a repairer or caring for the material appropriately. Check older favourites before wearing them, especially if they have been stored for a long time. Looking good in the box doesn’t always tell us how they will feel or hold up on our feet.
Our feet and comfort needs can change too. We are allowed to love an old pair without expecting ourselves to wear it now.
Leave a little room for delight Not every shoe has to justify itself through practicality. There may be a colour, a shape or a detail that gives you particular pleasure. If you have the room and want to keep it, that matters too. The aim is not the smallest possible shoe collection. It is knowing which pairs support your daily life, which help you dress for an occasion, and which you keep because you love them. And if some of those have been with you since you were 18, there is no need for this column to be the thing that makes you part with them.