Shoe Shopping

I should start at the beginning I suppose. In June I went to the US to visit a friend and a few cities, including his home town Pittsburgh. I had told my friend that the only thing I HAD to do was visit my Mecca.

Manolo Blahnik, New York

I was severally hung over but I had to go and buy shoes. I walked into the shop with a security guard and felt sicker. I was standing amongst hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of leather fashioned into some of the finest shoes the world had ever seen.

My mate took a seat and watch me as I walked past lime green crocodile, rosy red courts, yellow peak toes and simple black patent pumps.

I picked up a pair of pumps.

He shook his head and said, ‘If you’re going to spend this much on shoes, you can’t be able to buy them anywhere else.’ Then he pointed to the corner I had missed.

On a pedestal sat a black leather ankle boot. It had a slit down the side and a lace that went all the way around the back. The heel was a good 4 inches tall and zebra print. My jaw dropped.

I tried them on, but due to my delicate state my poor balance stopped me enjoying them too much. I handed over my credit card for those and another pair. I left the store a very happy girl.
I’ll post a picture of them and the other ten pairs of shoes I brought at DSW when they arrive from the UK.

Feet and Shoes

Talking about feet this morning in my post about the Corporate Suit got me thinking and made me super aware of what people were doing with theirs at lunch time. I popped into town to buy some books for the final semester of my Masters and found myself doing my usual London quick-pace around town, but slowing outside each shoe shop I passed.

Patent Leather is in this season, as is the 30s rounded toe, outward curved heel and ribbon fastenings, red, black and silver. I wandered into David Jones, the department store where you can peruse such brands as Malano, Robert Robert, Burburry, Jimmy Choo and many others all under one roof. I tried on a pair of black patent Robert Robert with elastic across the front of the foot, very sexy, but just a little too slim for plates of meat like mine. I suppose I should thank my Mum for making me wear ugly boy shoes as I was growing up, it means that I now have well formed, strong bones but it does mean that most modern shoes are just too narrow.

Then I saw the Jimmy Choo black patent leather ankle boots with a gold highlights around the toe and three straps with gold buckles. The sales lady was excited when I asked to see them in a size 38, but then I should think that was all to do with the commission earned from a $1250 pair of boots. Anyway, she brought them out and gave me a pair of granny stockings to put on, and then I did my best impression of an ugly sister, squeezing my foot into the boot. My toes went in fine, my heel slipped into place without too much fuss, but I had no hope of doing them up. There was a centimetre gap between the top of the tongue and the side of the boot, the straps hung limply, I had managed to turns these works of art into something ordinary. I removed them and stuffed the acid free paper bundles back into them before replacing them in the box, my heart sinking with each movement.

I left the store thinking it was probably best they didn’t fit, I’m still paying for the Malono purchase and I was carrying $142.70 worth of Uni (plus a couple of Alison Tyler) books.

As I walked back to work in my wide, comfy, flat, green leather thongs (made for me by Eugenia Neave of Adelaide) I found myself looking at the ladies feet around me and wandering why they insist on wearing nice, expensive shoes when they don’t look after their feet. Is there really anything less attractive than chipped toe polish, hardened cracked heels and blisters covered with plasters, shuffling along?

Sassy Shoes

Recently I counted my shoes. I only have 43 pairs.

My ex always accused me of being an Imelda I would like to refute that. For someone with a passion for shoes, I think 43 is a reasonable number. I understand that some may consider this to be an excessive amount of foot covering required by one person, but I would argue that at least five pairs don’t cover my foot at all, they just have a tiny strip of leather that barely holds them on!

I also have a few pairs that are what I class as sassy, not practical in any way (practical = being suitable for work wear). One such pair is my polka dots. They look fabulous with jeans and always draw the eye.

Shoe Fetish

Like a lot of women I have a shoe fetish (I’ve also spent a small fortune on corsets but that deserves its own post). This weekend I did something bad while waiting for a friend. I brought a new pair on impulse, no planning, no saving, I just did it.

I popped into a very large, but very bad shop for a little window shopping (I had an hour to kill) and I saw them, red, high, shiny and strappy. The brand has let me down in the past with narrow fitting and short ankle straps, but I thought I’d try my luck anyway. There was three of the same shoe sitting in a line next to a big sign informing me that there was 30% off.

I picked up the first, a size 36, too small.
I picked up the last, a size 41, too big.
I picked up the middle one, a size 39, just right!

I sat in the chair and took my foot out of my comfy sandal, pushing it to one side with my toes. I placed the red stiletto in front of me and hoovered my right foot above the gold lined sole. I lowered my foot and it slipped straight in. The one inch wide strip of red patent leather held my toes in its soft grip, perfectly.

I lent down and grasped the red strap, muttering that I would amazed if it was long enough. I pulled the strap through the buckle and pulled it tight, pulling until the strap was tight around my ankle, the holes in the strap easily fitted onto the buckle, releasing the pressure on my skin.

When the girl appeared with the box containing the partner for the shoe on my right foot she placed it on the chair next to me and pulled the left shoe and presented it me in both hands.

With the both on, I was only three inches taller, but felt much more than that. Everything about these shoes fitted. The colour, the shape, the size, I could stand AND walk in them…even the price. They had to be mine.

I paid the girl and because I was off to an all day event I had to leave my purchase there, in their care until I was able to return to pick them up.

I returned the next day to pick up my first pair of Malono Blahnik’s

Fyshwick Sex Shops

A friend of mine and I went down to Canberra at the weekend, or to be more specific to Fyshwick to visit the sex shops. The visit to Parliament House, the bird on a stick and the wineries were a nice diversion, but I was on a mission. I wanted a strap-on!

After asking the advise of a few mates that I know have spent time perusing the smut purveyors of the ACT and coming up with, ’I only know how to get there if I’m driving,’ and ‘Ohh there’s a really good one near Harvey Norman.’ We decided to go in blind.

So here, I pass my knowledge to you;
Hello Sexy – Corner Gladstone/Wollongong Street : New and with a great selection of shoes, outfits and video/dvd. Currently not a huge selection of toys, but loads of stocking and leather wear.
Adam & Eve – 107 Gladstone Street : Huge, claims to be the largest sex shop in Australia. Seemed to be unpacking still. Massive selection of toys, books, magazine, games, you name it, they had it.
Fantasy Lane – Molonglo Mall : more of a gay sauna than a sex shop. Heaps of gay porn on VHS and dvd.
----- Ranch – Molongo Mall : Can’t remember the first part of name, but you see it as you drive in. Seedy place with mostly videos and a few blow up dolls.
XXX Adult Shop – Gladstone Street. This unimaginatively name shop was just as it promised. An adult shop, but it had more prank stuff than toys or crops.
There was another one too, but I can’t for the life of me remember what it was called, but it was just across the street from the Molongo Mall exit on Newcastle street. It was small, but had a nice selection and a really cool logo. It was also conveniently next to a hobby shop. Ironic really!

And yes... I did acquire a strap-on, plus I got a Rabbit, a small suede flogger and a couple of books. My friend got a lovely new cock vibrator.