Boots from Whistles (last years, similar here)
Trying to edit my current wardrobe down was hard enough, but when I calculated I'd left myself only 8 spaces for shoes, the task seemed nigh on impossible. Rather than give up on the challenge, though, I embraced it; I might have a lot of shoes, but how many do I actually wear? A quick look back through past blog posts highlights a lot of repeat offenders; shoes I love and wear over and over again (this summer, as per usual, was sponsored by the Chanel ballet flats and the Bruno Magli vintage sandals)
Autumn brings a new set of footwear rules and as it's almost too cold to go out sockless, I had to think about the shoe styles I wanted to include. I settled on:
-Whistles black chelsea boots
-Whistles patent black ankle boots
-Zara leopard print loafers (one of the oldest items in my wardrobe, a birthday gift from Adrian back in 2009. They first made it into an outfit post back here)
-Lace up vintage Bally brogues (seen before here)
-River Island suede slip on loafers (currently my go-to style)
-Vans lace up trainers
-Hobbs lace up derbys
It was hard to select just 8 pairs of shoes, and annoyingly they are almost all the same. 2 pairs black ankle boots. 2 pairs lace ups, 1 pair trainers, 2 pairs of flat loafers. 1 pair heeled loafers. When I laid all of the shoes out, they all looked so similar that I wondered what I'd got wrong, and then I thought about it: that's my style. That's what I wear. All of the pairs are insanely comfortable (except on occasion the pointed boots, but they aren't too bad) and they are all pairs that I would reach for, and do so, on a day to day basis. No stiletto heels or thigh high boots here, much as they would befit the current trends; I just wouldn't wear the blighters so what's the point of wasting valuable shoe space on anything but favourites?
What I am learning from this whole capsule wardrobe project is that I kept a whole lot of stuff that I didn't wear, and there is usually a reason behind why that is. The shoes I have selected for the autumn capsule are like old friends. They fit my small, narrow feet perfectly. They don't pinch or rub and they look nice with a lot of different looks, too. With renewed vigour I pounced on boxes of shoes to give the sack/ebay/chazza; 'only worn them once, they cut my feet to ribbons/ half a size too big, gave me a blister / have needed reheeling since 2001 / make my legs look a bit stumpy / definitely have never had a need to wear a green shoe' and so on goes the list. Identifying what I really, really liked allowed more clarity to see what I really didn't.
Lots of my shoes are more summer related, sandals, ballet pumps etc and these have been carefully stored away to be revisited when I change over to the spring and summer capsules. I've also got a couple of wintery styles that I might consider swapping over with some of my picks for the winter capsule, but after I've swapped them over, any other wintery footwear that hasn't been worn over those capsules can be cleared out, as I know I'll always reach for my favourites over them.
I have two pairs of dress shoes, too, which I will keep stored with my dress attire (I have a couple of outfits) and occasion wear is considered independent of your capsule as it's not something you would wear everyday, but most women will need a couple of go-to looks for parties, events etc. I'll be posting my occasion wear looks in a separate post but it's quite liberating to realise that you don't have to buy a new outfit in a mad rush for a particular occasion; you've probably already got the necessary looks in your wardrobe.
XO Amie
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