Stupid Boy, Let's Get Some Shoes, Let's Party

I'm known amongst my friends as a bit of a shoe fetishist. I suppose in some ways it is understandable-- the Midwest has a tendency towards conservative fashion, whereas my style doesn't typically run parallel to theirs (and I suppose in a place where people are conservative with fashion AND money, ~45 pairs of shoes may seem excessive, though I'd hardly call it fetishism). While many of the girls I know admire the beauties on my feet, it isn't unusual that I hear comments like, "Oh, I don't own that many pair of shoes," or "I have some pretty ones, but never wear them." I myself often fall in to that last pattern, although I'm trying very hard to rectify it this Fall.

Jeffrey Campbell, Betty 2; Betsey Johnson, Whitfield;
Irregular Choice, Eclipse;Betsey Johnson, Lavonne;
Betsey Johnson, Leopold; Steve Madden, NLIGHT.

It seems that people are intimidated by fun-loving, bright, vibrant shoes! Recently, a friend of mine asked in regards to the plaid & patent Betsey Johnson's above, "Incidentally, what would you wear with those?" In some ways, I think the question might have baffled me a bit, but it's completely valid. What DO you wear with that really great, but totally unusual pair of shoes?

For the pair she asked me about, I gave her three versatile options for the Fall:
Day: Dark wash jeans, a great & simple turtleneck sweater. A bold and chunky scarf (I'd go with green myself), paired with great, vibrant natural stone jewelry.
Work: An accordian pleated skirt, with solid, jewel-toned silk blouse. Textured or opaque black tights.
Evening: Personally, I think shoes like these are amazing with a chic, classic black dress at a cocktail event. They're a completely unexpected surprise. Or for a more risque evening, I might pair them with a plunging-neckline dress, a black patent belt, and nude fishnets (to play up the schoolgirl element).

That's where versatility plays in-- you could probably replace any of the above shoes for the above plaid & patent ones, and have a completely different, yet stylish outfit. Too often men and women alike get caught up in the "persona" of a fashion item, and the rules that accompany that item. Yet fashion seems one of the few places where people seem willing to forget that rules are made to be broken, and if you're comfortable and confident with what you're wearing, no one will recognize that you're wearing white shoes past Labor Day.


Shoes are the exclamation point at the end of your fashion statement.
Uncredited, as I can't remember who said it.