Advice for a confused Shoe-lover

[Tempic-mhh]

Do you have any old pairs that are on their way out anyways? They don't have to be heels either. You don't have to start destroying shoes with your most treasured expensive pair.

Although you do need to realize that your most favorite shoes are destined for the trash heap one day, no matter what you do. One day they will be garbage, even if you kept them pristine to the end of your life, so you should enjoy them while you can.

[Erinh]

Do you have any old pairs that are on their way out anyways? They don't have to be heels either. You don't have to start destroying shoes with your most treasured expensive pair.

Although you do need to realize that your most favorite shoes are destined for the trash heap one day, no matter what you do. One day they will be garbage, even if you kept them pristine to the end of your life, so you should enjoy them while you can.

Oh I totally agree with you, but the difference is Im not quite convinced that "enjoying" my shoes means messing them up and/or ruining them! I enjoy wearing my shoes a lot, so its not like they are sitting in the closet never to be used.

Well the thing is I'm not aiming to "start destroying shoes", haha. I'm curious about the messy part of this site and maybe, MAYBE the abuse side, but I'm more looking to see what it's like one time than start doing this frequently. So I kind of want the full experience, which seems to mean that I'll need to do it with really nice shoes. So basically, if I'm only going to do this once in my entire life, what kind of shoe should I use and what should I do?

[Tempic-mhh]

Pick a pair that you know is nearing the end of its lifespan, and just start wearing them without regard. Sooner or later you'll come across a situation where you'd have to go out of your way to avoid damaging your shoes... and then... just don't. If you find yourself enjoying that you'll know where to go from there.

[sophie_loves_shoes]

Its as adictive as buying the shoes, trust me!

How about you post pictures of your shoes. Post your 5 favourite shoes and let the forum deceide which ones u mess, and then potentially abuse. Then you dont have to deceide which pair....


Soph xx

[Erinh]

Its as adictive as buying the shoes, trust me!

How about you post pictures of your shoes. Post your 5 favourite shoes and let the forum deceide which ones u mess, and then potentially abuse. Then you dont have to deceide which pair....


Soph xx

Thank you for the suggestion. Ill think about it and if I want to probably make another thread with the picture in the morning. But i want to be absolutely sure that Im doing it before posting!

So do you think that I need to try both messy and abuse to really understand the subject? I know that getting the shoes messy gives me a chance to clean them and wear them again, while abuse means actually ruining them?

[Tempic-mhh]

Abuse doesn't have to mean total destruction, it just means doing anything that leaves a mark on them...

[love_prada_and_gucci]

So do you think that I need to try both messy and abuse to really understand the subject? I know that getting the shoes messy gives me a chance to clean them and wear them again, while abuse means actually ruining them?

If you want to give a try, yes, I suggest to try both, but if you don't want to "destroy" a pair of shoes you really like, don't abuse them. In my case, it took years to convince me to destroy a single pair, but it's quite a rush! To get them messy, I suggest to take products that they are easy to clean, like whipped cream or shaving cream. Then, if the pair you want to get messy are old or at the end of their life, you can use other products. To abuse them, like Tempic said, you don't need to destroy them literally. You can scuff them by using sharp objects, bend the heels, etc.

And doing this on expensive heels is really a rush of adrenaline. Because, they are produced in limited quantities, they are expensive (of course) and it's almost a crime to destroy them *LOL*

[Wetshoe]

Its easy to start. Next time its raining hard, put on a sexy pair of heels and go to work or do whatever you do all day. Will give you something fun to pay attention to all day. May also be fun to catch guys looking.

[baum-mhh]

Its easy to start. Next time its raining hard, put on a sexy pair of heels and go to work or do whatever you do all day. Will give you something fun to pay attention to all day. May also be fun to catch guys looking.

That's actually the best advice to try things out for the first time.

I'm most interested in specific trainer/sneaker models but also some boots and recently heels as well. They don't have to be expensive, but they should look "decent" - and from what I can say about the shoes of my current and former partners, heels and flats should at least be of a mid-range quality (and price), else I'm really not a fan of them. They smell like chemicals, don't feel nice and look cheap.

As wetshoe mentioned, just wear a pair which you like but you wouldn't wear to a formal event anymore and be a little less careful than normal. It rains? So what. There's a huge puddle? Oh my... let's see how high the platform really is. Oh no, you're going to the beach and are wearing your beloved heels? Well, tough luck. You get the idea. The fun part should be that you'll feel being naughty, that you're doing something which is socially questioned (what would your coursemates say if they saw you wearing your expensive heels being all muddy - the type that keeps them in pristine condition?) etc. You can feel like a child again - one which is curious, wants to have fun and doesn't care so much about social restrictions.

In fact, I think it's the girls' perspective on life which I'm also attracted to. Shoes (and clothes) are an object to them. One which shouldn't hinder them to do something fun. To try new things. To be active and do something, not just sit on the couch all weekend. Eventually, your shoes will show "scars". It tells something about their owner, doesn't it? You're studying fashion, you might be able to relate to that part. After all, think about e.g. Converse - there's a lot of people saying that they have to look dirty. Why? Same about jeans. About Doc Martens. And it's exactly the opposite about expensive heels and boots. It's perception, it's about own branding, about representing a certain picture of yourself. What do you think when seeing a well-dressed girl in good-looking and expensive clothes but scuffed heels? You could think of what horrible incident happened to her heels just now. Or you could diss her for not having enough money to buy new shoes. Or could you not also think of it as a fashion statement?

[pumpfancier]

Wetshoe and Baum have got it right. Just wear your shoes outdoors in wet and muddy conditions. No reason to wreck them; just accelerate the `wear and tear' that would happen naturally anyway. You can gradually become more adventuresome in this if you want to, or restrict it to certain pairs, keeping others looking pristine.

PF