Shoes: A Not-So-Guilty Pleasure

[Principessa]

A Not-So-Guilty Pleasure

For months now, consumers have been hunkering down in an economic storm, buying only what they need to survive, like groceries, diapers, medicine — and shoes. Shoes? The American public, it would seem, cannot carry on without new shoes. Boots, booties, sneakers, pumps — for the last few months they have all been selling well as the broader economy struggles toward recovery.

Still, a few months of healthy sales may be a sign that some consumers are experiencing what Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst for market research company NPD Group, calls “frugal fatigue.” “They are getting tired of having to be so frugal and not spend on anything,” he said recently while observing the packed shoe department of a Bloomingdale’s in Short Hills, N.J., during a sale. “Repairing those boots yet again? Nah. Time to step out and buy a new pair.”

Frugal Fatigue, I like that and have definitely been experiencing it of late. How about the rest of you? Is anybody experiencing 'frugal fatigue?' :frown1:

 

[naughty]

Yes Lawd! This is even without going on a total discretionary spending diet. My ready answer for a new pair of shoes that mysteriously appears at the front door, "This is what keeps me from mortally wounding you" No more questions! LOL!

 

[D_Ivana Dickenside]

omg yesssss... i've been feeling more frugal than ever and i'm growing tired of it! being unemployed for the majority of 2009 has really hit me hard because i can no longer do the things i used to do *cries* :frown:

 

[Pendlum]

I have had the same pair of shoes for like, 2+ years easy.

 

[D_Ivana Dickenside]

I have had the same pair of shoes for like, 2+ years easy.

nothing wrong with that :tongue: i still have the same cross-trainers i wore during my high school tennis years, and i'm 23 yrs old. however, i only wear them when i'm working out so it's not like they really count

 

[Pendlum]

nothing wrong with that :tongue: i still have the same cross-trainers i wore during my high school tennis years, and i'm 23 yrs old. however, i only wear them when i'm working out so it's not like they really count

Mine are the only shoes I've got right now. So I wear them for everything, including when I play tennis. :tongue:

 

[nudeyorker]

I never suffer frugal-fatigue when it comes to shoes. Shoes are very important to me in that they have to be perfect in every way in order for me to buy them, and because they are rare finds to fit my criteria; when I find them I buy them.

 

[Northland]

When I buy shoes I stick with the same manufacturer and style again and again. The only time I change is when the manufacturer ceases making a particular style. Currently a several year wearer of Hush Puppies shoes, Glen style. A flat bottomed lace up which comes in a nice wider width to make my feet happy. They have a decent lifespan and go as well with a suit as with a pair of casual trousers.

 

[Principessa]

When I buy shoes I stick with the same manufacturer and style again and again. The only time I change is when the manufacturer ceases making a particular style. Currently a several year wearer of Hush Puppies shoes, Glen style. A flat bottomed lace up which comes in a nice wider width to make my feet happy. They have a decent lifespan and go as well with a suit as with a pair of casual trousers.[/QUOTE]

I am so disappointed. :frown1: I had you pegged for the flashy shoe and socks kind of guy. I was so sure you owned a pair of two-tone wing tips. :biggrin1:

 

[MercyfulFate]

I have the minimum amount of shoes I ever need. Dress shoes, and regular shoes. The regular ones getting the daily wear, the others collecting dust in the closet.

I never understood the desire for many different types of shoes, and some people need them to be perfect. I just need them to be comfortable.

 

[nudeyorker]

I have the minimum amount of shoes I ever need. Dress shoes, and regular shoes. The regular ones getting the daily wear, the others collecting dust in the closet.

I never understood the desire for many different types of shoes, and some people need them to be perfect. I just need them to be comfortable.

Perfect shoes...Let me see if I can state this briefly.
Shoes are totems of Disembodied Lust. They are candy for the eyes, poetry for the feet and the icing for your soul. They stand for everything you have ever wanted: glamour, success, a rapierlike wit, a date with the Sex God (ess) of your choice. Shoes hint that attaining these things are as easy as slipping them on your feet. They have a magic power to make you into something else.
People who understand shoes know all of this. They know that a life without the perfect footwear is a dull, shoddy expanse of gray days and fitful, sleepless nights. They know that the perfect shoes will give them the strength they need in life to go out and do what needs to be done.

Hope that helps!

 

[naughty]

Perfect shoes...Let me see if I can state this briefly.
Shoes are totems of Disembodied Lust. They are candy for the eyes, poetry for the feet and the icing for your soul. They stand for everything you have ever wanted: glamour, success, a rapierlike wit, a date with the Sex God (ess) of your choice. Shoes hint that attaining these things are as easy as slipping them on your feet. They have a magic power to make you into something else.
People who understand shoes know all of this. They know that a life without the perfect footwear is a dull, shoddy expanse of gray days and fitful, sleepless nights. They know that the perfect shoes will give them the strength they need in life to go out and do what needs to be done.

Hope that helps!

LOL! OMG! How could anyone not love you after that description? You take shoe love to a whole other level. Plain and simple , shoes can be wearable art. I have pairs that if I were that wasteful I could justify buying for their design alone.

 

[Gillette]

Shoes are totems of Disembodied Lust. They are candy for the eyes, poetry for the feet and the icing for your soul. They stand for everything you have ever wanted: glamour, success, a rapierlike wit, a date with the Sex God (ess) of your choice. Shoes hint that attaining these things are as easy as slipping them on your feet. They have a magic power to make you into something else.
People who understand shoes know all of this. They know that a life without the perfect footwear is a dull, shoddy expanse of gray days and fitful, sleepless nights. They know that the perfect shoes will give them the strength they need in life to go out and do what needs to be done.

I'm having this put on a t-shirt and written in calligraphy for my closet door.

Once again, Nudey, you rock!

 

[Northland]

When I buy shoes I stick with the same manufacturer and style again and again. The only time I change is when the manufacturer ceases making a particular style. Currently a several year wearer of Hush Puppies shoes, Glen style. A flat bottomed lace up which comes in a nice wider width to make my feet happy. They have a decent lifespan and go as well with a suit as with a pair of casual trousers.[/QUOTE]

I am so disappointed. :frown1: I had you pegged for the flashy shoe and socks kind of guy. I was so sure you owned a pair of two-tone wing tips. :biggrin1:

Socks? I was supposed to wear socks? I did wear argyles for a while and then I went through the red socks phase as I imagined Van Johnson was my long lost father (I was a rather disturbed youth (or as is said here in NYC, a distoibed yute)). Now when wearing socks they are always black.

 

[Ethyl]

Not really. I have the basic necessities and when I had more disposable income I purchased quality shoes and boots i'd rather pay to re-heel than buy new ones. My not-so-guilty pleasures fall into three categories: Books, hair, and skin. Yes, i'm an odd woman.

 

[naughty]

Not really. I have the basic necessities and when I had more disposable income I purchased quality shoes and boots i'd rather pay to re-heel than buy new ones. My not-so-guilty pleasures fall into three categories: Books, hair, and skin. Yes, i'm an odd woman.

Books are wonderful and having seen your lovely image i can say that money spent on hair and skin are well worth it,

 

[Ethyl]

Books are wonderful and having seen your lovely image i can say that money spent on hair and skin are well worth it,

:redface:

Sweet as always, Naughty.

It's not that shoes aren't fun to buy and wear - we know better. :biggrin1: I simply prefer to wait and pay for what I really want rather than something that's cute and trendy. Plus, I get a bigger buzz from my hair coloured/cut to suit me, my skin soft, and my brain stimulated from reading.

 

[Riven650]

I am good at living frugally... But I do like good shoes. I don't hoard them, and I don't go shoe shopping very often at all. Which may seem strange, as I'm a bit of a foot fetishist. But when I get the urge to treat myself to some new shoes, whether it's walking boots, deck shoes, or whatever shoes I'm in need of replacements for, I'll go to great lengths to find the right replacements.

 

[naughty]

This is now making me want to see what other people consider their favorite designer or even that one unique pair that they love and treat reverently.

 

[nudeyorker]

This is now making me want to see what other people consider their favorite designer or even that one unique pair that they love and treat reverently.

Well naughty, shoes like love has been a rollercoaster ride. Shoes that I have loved and lost, because they are no longer made are...
David & Joan
Jimmy Choo (Mens)
Bennis Edwards
But the old standbys have been...
Gucci
Ralph Lauren
To Boot New York
Walter Steiger
Fratelli Rossetti
Barney's New York Private Label
I am currently enjoying a fling with Manolo Blahnik.
And my Frye boots and K-Swiss tennis shoes, Sperry Top Sider's and Dansko clogs are always replaced on an as need basis.
I have dilly dallied with other shoes but we just were not meant for each other for various reasons. I just don't have Prada feet and Robert Clergerie's just don't cut it for what they cost.
Truth be told my rubber slippers by havaianas are my favorite footwear, I have them in 15 different colors.