CONFESSIONS OF A SHOE FETISHIST

miss gala darling
it's true. I have a bit of a shoe fetish.

I think the steep slope of a fierce heel is seriously sexy – I know it will cause me immense amounts of pain. I know. but ohhh....

where I am in the world right now it's -40°C and there's like 4 feet of snow out there. sad but true: the only real shoes you can really manage to wear out of the house are big, clonking insulated boots. not without their charms but also not particularly sexy.

combine that with a growing obsession I'm having right now with karla's new stripper boots:


(doesn't she wear them so well there?)

...& today I'm writing a little ode to shoes as a bit of a gesture of longing and lust.

if you let them, shoes have a magical quality to totally make an outfit. really. think about it: I can throw on my favourite jeans and a well-worn t-shirt and it's just another jeansandtshirt deal. but throw on a pair of chuck tayors... or 5" platform heels, or red cowboy boots, or strappy electric blue sandals? well, now you've got something. or a little black dress with black pumps... or 18-hole doc martin laceups, or purple velvet ankle boots, or big green rain boots? imagine the possibilities!

shoes also have a way of saying "yes, I did this on purpose. aren't I fabulous?" unless they're particularly loud, shoes are usually the last thing most people see in your outfit when they look you from face to feet. you can be wearing the craziest, most original, or most questionable outfit ever, but if you're wearing a serious, well chosen pair of shoes, your curious observers can see you've put some thought into this get-up – you've got something going on here. if you're wearing any old shoes – a pair of uggs, a beat up pair of sandals, whatever – it's a lot harder to pull off that effect. (though I also have a fondness for outfits that are extremely well thought out paired with that old beat up pair of sandals... but I digress.)

I also feel like I can try out almost anything on top if I've got on a pair of shoes that say, loud and clear "this is the real me." I have a personal soft spot for boots of all kinds – cowboy boots! docs! ankle boots! knee-highs of all shapes and sizes! – as well as ridiculous, S&M-ish heels, and shoes in bright bold colours that make me feel good about otherwise wearing head to ankle black.

I love shoes that make you feel fabulous the second you put them on, shoes that have something to say. "look at me, look at the way I walk, I'm going somewhere, just you wait..."

the shoes you choose can dress up a casual outfit or dress down a formal one. shoes can take a regular outfit and add a hint of drama, daring, sexuality, defiance, kink... if you let them.

of course you can always hide them under your pant legs, too.

xo laurel.