Help! I Own Too Many Shoes – Shoe Storage Solutions

Recently I was asked how many shoes I own.

(Thanks, Ally!)

I wasn’t keen on sharing the number.

I’m ashamed of my shoe/clothes hoarding addiction.

137 pairs.  Not including sports shoes, winter snow boots or rain boots.

Now I know what you’re all thinking…

“What size are you and can we play sharesies?”

Why on earth do I need so many pairs of shoes?

I’m not a millipede. I can only wear one pair at a time. (This makes me a little sad.)

Lilly Allen put it best when she sang,

“And I am a weapon of massive consumption. And it’s not my fault it’s how I’m programmed to function.”

I firmly believe that shoes can make or break an outfit.

They can be an outfit’s exclamation point or its sad ending.

I’m not tall or lanky and shoes help me elongate what I lovingly refer to as my “short man legs”.

Often I create an outfit from the ground up, starting with my shoes first, dependent upon my activities.

Now that I am fifty, I am no longer able to ignore foot pain. When my feet hurt my brain hurts and I’m mean unhappy. Heels above 2.5″ are out of the question unless they are boots. Flat shoes are also a big no-no and make my plantar fasciitis scream. Even Oprah’s favourite shoes, Tieks gave me blisters after about 20 minutes. (BTW…I will be selling these Tieks I bought for $115 which I wore twice.  They are a size 7 if you are interested email me.)

I’m trying to replace my fancy “10 minute” aka “bedroom shoes” with more comfortable versions that are still stylish.

This is one epic challenge and akin to winning the lottery. Most fashionable shoes aren’t made for my feet.

The progress is slow, but I am beginning to weed out the shoes that are impractical and painful.  Once I can find a replacement I will be saying goodbye to those red ones in the photo above. (Insert very unhappy face.)  They are too pointy, too tall and have no straps. My feet walk out of pumps 90% of the time.(Even when I add in those little pads to stop my heels from coming out.) Am I the only person with this problem?

I’m on the lookout now for some 2-2.5″ red heels with a little strap.

In my quest, I bought these…

 

I was high on new shoe fumes when I put them on my feet and they didn’t hurt. These will not replace those red pumps. My plan was good but I’ve already strayed. Keep tuned to see if I can get back on track!

I will be sharing some of my favourite most comfortable shoes that I own and other comfortable shoes that I’ve researched in two more upcoming posts.

How do I store all these shoes?

When one owns this many shoes one needs a second house  an intervention brilliant storage solution. I adore my Ikea Pax closets.  (FIY this is not a sponsored post.)

Prior to getting these closets, my shoes were scattered throughout the house in five different places.

The closets are very deep and allow me to easily place one shoe behind the other so I am able to view my entire shoe and boot collection at a glance.

I own quite a few pairs of boots and hats as you can see here.

You can configure the Ikea wardrobe shelves to the height you require.

In each of my closets, I have the upper shelf for hats stored inside boxes.

My three drawers are divided with Ikea drawer organizers.

I roll all my t-shirts so I can see them at a glance.

The second drawer is for underwear, socks and tights all stored in drawer organizers.

The third drawer is filled with accessories including bracelets, scarves, hats, watches, pins and hair accessories.

In conclusion, this closet is my wardrobe saviour.

I rarely have an issue finding something. There is a place for everything and everything in its place.

*Additional Boot Storage TIP*

I roll cardboard or newspaper and stuff my boots with it to keep their shape and make sure they stand upright.

 

So now you all officially know that I am two steps away from being Imelda Marcos The Second.

Do you have any special shoe/boot storage tips/secrets that you’d care to share?

You know I need all the help I can get.

 

Linking up with Your Whims Wednesdays, What I Wore, Throw Back Thursdays