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Cover story taken from velocityweekly.com
Cover Story
Shoe & Tell
Everybody needs shoes. Some women just need them a lot more than the rest of us, as MAISY FERNANDEZ has discovered.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Photos by Matt Stone
Kristin Geisler basked in the glory of owning more than 50 pairs of shoes.
If we've heard it once from men, we've heard it a thousand times: "Do you really need another pair of black shoes?" Or, "Why are women so obsessed with shoes?"
The answers: "Yes!" And "We just are."
Truth is, any woman worth her salt knows the best feeling in the world is shopping for shoes while wearing a new pair of shoes. Science hasn't proved it or anything, but it seems that ladies who aren't fixated on shoes are an anomaly.
With more than 300 pairs to her name, "I need a room just for my shoes," said Kimberly Cecil, who works in marketing and promotions in Louisville.
"I keep them in the boxes. I have shoes stacked up to the ceiling, and they're organized by color," she said. "I would buy shoes before I eat."
Kimberly Cecil owns more than 300 pairs of shoes, some of which she has worn only one time.
Both Cecil and Kristin Geisler remember playing dress-up in their moms' closets as children — and that's where both women think their shoe fetishes began.
"My mom had all kinds of shoes, in every color of the rainbow," said Geisler, who, at 21, already owns upward of 50 pairs. "She had something to go with every outfit."
While both women can always find a pair of shoes in town (Geisler prefers Nine West or Guess), neither limit themselves to shopping locally.
Cecil's most recent purchase — a pair of purple sandals with a 6-inch heel and purple ribbons that wrap around the ankle — was in Cincinnati. And she always makes a point to shop for shoes when she's traveling.
Meanwhile, Geisler's most recent find was "these awesome black-on-black Pumas with a heel," she said. "I ordered them from the Czech Republic."
Bootism
Shoes are such an important fashion staple that two authors recently wrote a book dedicated to shoe **********s.
Thanks to "Bootism: A Shoe Religion," women who spend an inordinate amount of time obsessing about shoes now have "a voice and community."
Or so says the blurb on the back cover of the 2003 book by Michael Duranko and Penina Goodman, who teach readers important mantras like "There is always room for one more pair" and "Bootists know they are not whole until they find the shoe that completes the outfit."
Kristin Geiser ordered these leather Puma pumps from the Czech Republic.
That's something Cecil — who at last count has 152 pairs of black shoes, boots and sandals — knows all too well.
"You can have the same black dress for 10 years, but you can make it trendy by the shoes you wear," Cecil said. If there is a template for Cecil's shoe collection, it is the program "Sex and the City," which on more than one occasion dealt with Carrie Bradshaw's (Sarah Jessica Parker) weakness for expensive shoes.
"There's a certain pair of shoes that go with every outfit," Geisler agreed. "You have shoes that go with everything, of course, but there are jeans shoes, dress shoes, skirt shoes, strappy sandals, heels — the more the merrier."
Kara C., who was interviewed in "Bootism," said visions of heels make her sleep better.
"I fall asleep by thinking of outfits and what goes together," she said. "I must visualize my shoes, and sometimes if I can't, I won't be able to fall asleep. Other times, in my dreams I will find myself wearing the wrong shoes and I'll wake up."
In the defense of women, not everybody is quite that tunnel-visioned. Then again, we haven't had a dream where we're wearing our cutest frilly skirt and fabulous top with a pair of beat-up Birkenstocks — that might just jolt us from a deep slumber, too.
Cecil loves shoes; she buys an average of a pair or two every week.
Shoe-gasms
The right pair of shoes can instantly take an outfit from drab to fab.
Sure, you can throw on a T-shirt, jeans and tennies to walk the dog. But trade in those Adidas for a sharp pair of stilettos, add a nice handbag and voila! You're as stylish as Reese Witherspoon.
"Shoes complete the outfit," Geisler said.
Besides making your legs appear more shapely, a nice pair of heels can make you taller, which Cecil and Geisler called a bonus. Also, "shoes can give you a sense of power depending on how they look or how innovative they are," Cecil said.
And, perhaps best of all, shoes — unlike clothes — will always fit you right. They aren't too tight in the hips or too loose in the waist. (They may not always be comfortable, but true shoe mavens will suffer through the pain for the sake of style.)
Finally, shoes just make us chicks feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
"I have a real pair of Manolo Blahniks," said Cecil, who admits price is rarely a factor when she spies the perfect pair. "I've only worn them twice, but sometimes when I'm feeling really depressed, I will pull those out and feel better."
So next time a dude asks you what your deal is with shoes, you can either try to explain it — or just ignore him and keep shopping. The nonbelievers will never understand, anyway.
Are you a bootist?
Those of us who have a problem, er, love affair with shoes find it comforting to know we're not alone. If you answer "yes" to most of the following questions, we recommend picking up "Bootism: A Shoe Religion," from which these queries were snagged.
Written by Michael Duranko and Penina Goodman, this light-hearted book is filled with justification for buying shoes, handy tips for sneaking new finds past your spouse/partner and fabulous quotes about footwear.
Long live Steve Madden!
1. Do you forget people's names but remember their shoes?
2. Do you have more than 10 pairs of black shoes?
3. Do you often use "love" and "shoes" in the same sentence?
4. Do you have a system for displaying shoes in your closet?
5. On your way to the grocery store, have you ever ended up at the shoe store?
6. Are shoes the most important part of completing an outfit?
7. Do you have a standing pedicure appointment?
8. Do you know the next season's shoe trends before they hit stores?
9. Have others expressed concern about your interest in shoes?
10. Do you daydream about shoes?
Cover Story
Shoe & Tell
Everybody needs shoes. Some women just need them a lot more than the rest of us, as MAISY FERNANDEZ has discovered.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Photos by Matt Stone
Kristin Geisler basked in the glory of owning more than 50 pairs of shoes.
If we've heard it once from men, we've heard it a thousand times: "Do you really need another pair of black shoes?" Or, "Why are women so obsessed with shoes?"
The answers: "Yes!" And "We just are."
Truth is, any woman worth her salt knows the best feeling in the world is shopping for shoes while wearing a new pair of shoes. Science hasn't proved it or anything, but it seems that ladies who aren't fixated on shoes are an anomaly.
With more than 300 pairs to her name, "I need a room just for my shoes," said Kimberly Cecil, who works in marketing and promotions in Louisville.
"I keep them in the boxes. I have shoes stacked up to the ceiling, and they're organized by color," she said. "I would buy shoes before I eat."
Kimberly Cecil owns more than 300 pairs of shoes, some of which she has worn only one time.
Both Cecil and Kristin Geisler remember playing dress-up in their moms' closets as children — and that's where both women think their shoe fetishes began.
"My mom had all kinds of shoes, in every color of the rainbow," said Geisler, who, at 21, already owns upward of 50 pairs. "She had something to go with every outfit."
While both women can always find a pair of shoes in town (Geisler prefers Nine West or Guess), neither limit themselves to shopping locally.
Cecil's most recent purchase — a pair of purple sandals with a 6-inch heel and purple ribbons that wrap around the ankle — was in Cincinnati. And she always makes a point to shop for shoes when she's traveling.
Meanwhile, Geisler's most recent find was "these awesome black-on-black Pumas with a heel," she said. "I ordered them from the Czech Republic."
Bootism
Shoes are such an important fashion staple that two authors recently wrote a book dedicated to shoe **********s.
Thanks to "Bootism: A Shoe Religion," women who spend an inordinate amount of time obsessing about shoes now have "a voice and community."
Or so says the blurb on the back cover of the 2003 book by Michael Duranko and Penina Goodman, who teach readers important mantras like "There is always room for one more pair" and "Bootists know they are not whole until they find the shoe that completes the outfit."
Kristin Geiser ordered these leather Puma pumps from the Czech Republic.
That's something Cecil — who at last count has 152 pairs of black shoes, boots and sandals — knows all too well.
"You can have the same black dress for 10 years, but you can make it trendy by the shoes you wear," Cecil said. If there is a template for Cecil's shoe collection, it is the program "Sex and the City," which on more than one occasion dealt with Carrie Bradshaw's (Sarah Jessica Parker) weakness for expensive shoes.
"There's a certain pair of shoes that go with every outfit," Geisler agreed. "You have shoes that go with everything, of course, but there are jeans shoes, dress shoes, skirt shoes, strappy sandals, heels — the more the merrier."
Kara C., who was interviewed in "Bootism," said visions of heels make her sleep better.
"I fall asleep by thinking of outfits and what goes together," she said. "I must visualize my shoes, and sometimes if I can't, I won't be able to fall asleep. Other times, in my dreams I will find myself wearing the wrong shoes and I'll wake up."
In the defense of women, not everybody is quite that tunnel-visioned. Then again, we haven't had a dream where we're wearing our cutest frilly skirt and fabulous top with a pair of beat-up Birkenstocks — that might just jolt us from a deep slumber, too.
Cecil loves shoes; she buys an average of a pair or two every week.
Shoe-gasms
The right pair of shoes can instantly take an outfit from drab to fab.
Sure, you can throw on a T-shirt, jeans and tennies to walk the dog. But trade in those Adidas for a sharp pair of stilettos, add a nice handbag and voila! You're as stylish as Reese Witherspoon.
"Shoes complete the outfit," Geisler said.
Besides making your legs appear more shapely, a nice pair of heels can make you taller, which Cecil and Geisler called a bonus. Also, "shoes can give you a sense of power depending on how they look or how innovative they are," Cecil said.
And, perhaps best of all, shoes — unlike clothes — will always fit you right. They aren't too tight in the hips or too loose in the waist. (They may not always be comfortable, but true shoe mavens will suffer through the pain for the sake of style.)
Finally, shoes just make us chicks feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
"I have a real pair of Manolo Blahniks," said Cecil, who admits price is rarely a factor when she spies the perfect pair. "I've only worn them twice, but sometimes when I'm feeling really depressed, I will pull those out and feel better."
So next time a dude asks you what your deal is with shoes, you can either try to explain it — or just ignore him and keep shopping. The nonbelievers will never understand, anyway.
Are you a bootist?
Those of us who have a problem, er, love affair with shoes find it comforting to know we're not alone. If you answer "yes" to most of the following questions, we recommend picking up "Bootism: A Shoe Religion," from which these queries were snagged.
Written by Michael Duranko and Penina Goodman, this light-hearted book is filled with justification for buying shoes, handy tips for sneaking new finds past your spouse/partner and fabulous quotes about footwear.
Long live Steve Madden!
1. Do you forget people's names but remember their shoes?
2. Do you have more than 10 pairs of black shoes?
3. Do you often use "love" and "shoes" in the same sentence?
4. Do you have a system for displaying shoes in your closet?
5. On your way to the grocery store, have you ever ended up at the shoe store?
6. Are shoes the most important part of completing an outfit?
7. Do you have a standing pedicure appointment?
8. Do you know the next season's shoe trends before they hit stores?
9. Have others expressed concern about your interest in shoes?
10. Do you daydream about shoes?
