How to Cultivate a Sustainable Shoe Collection

Hi There – welcome the wonderful topic of shoes!

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The other day whilst shopping with friends I spotted the most awesome pair of shoes which I didn’t buy because at that stage I wouldn’t have known where to put yet another pair and I definitely thought I didn’t have a single pair I was prepared to get rid of…that was until the moment of truth came – ARGH.

Back home and having a closer look at what was once thought of as a wonderful collection of shoes I then realised that most of them were far from perfect. I hardly found a single pair with perfect heels. Some sandals had elastic that had given and no longer held and then there were those shoes which had totally discoloured over time – does any of this sound familiar to you?

So how do you stop this from happening?

How to Cultivate a Sustainable Shoe Collection:

1. Go through your current shoes and put aside any  that are damaged.

2. Make sure your shoes suit your life style – i.e: if you work in an office make sure you have enough to get you through the week without having to wear the same par twice. If you never need to dress up then there’s no point in having a wardrobe full of cute heels and hardly any for every day wear!

3. Invest money in good quality staple shoes and spend less on spur of the moment trends.

4. Each Spring and Autumn buy one expensive pair of shoes and one fun pair – once you have a certain amount of shoes though make a rule to throw an old pair out for each new pair purchased.

5. Before buying new shoes make sure you don’t already own a pair that are very similar (i.e. 6 pairs of black pumps is not cultivating a sustainable shoe collection).

6. Make sure you have at least one pair of shoes that goes well with each of your dresses and skirts (trousers are much simpler to match with appropriate shoes).

7. Keep an eye out for new trends – be open to trying out something new each season – you’ll be surprised how just one new pair of super trendy shoes each season will lift your whole wardrobe!

Now lets go shopping for this Summer’s essentials:

The nude sandal:

From left to right; Karlie Beige High Heel Sandals (I’m going to order a pair of these), Sandi Embroidered Raffia Sandals, Minx Natural Platfrom Block Heels

 

Something Metallic:

From left to right; Backless Leather Loafers (new hot trend), Glamorous Embellished Cross Strap Flat Sandalshttp://Glamorous Embellished Cross Strap Flat Sandals, Daisy Street Pom Pom Tie Up Heeled Sandals

 

The Fringe:

From left to right; ASOS RESULT Leather Fringe Ankle BootsASOS FLASHY Suede Tie Leg Fringe Sandals, Vero Moda Fringe Detail Wedge Sandal (perfect for completing this seasons Boho look)

 

The Espadrille:

From left to right; Carvela Leather Embellished Espadrille, ALDO Scarantino Platform Espadrille WedgesASOS FURTHER ON Espadrille Mule Flatforms

 

The Party Shoe:

From left to right;  Jerry Printed Leather Sandals, Selina Platform Peep Toe Sandals, Lena High Heel Sandals

 

The White Sneaker (last but not least)

From left to right; Lipsy Toecap Trainers,  adidas Originals White And Red Stan Smith TrainersPull&Bear Message Trainer

 

Wishing you all loads of fun sorting out your shoe collection and hoping that you’ve fallen in love with at least one of the styles shown above – smile!

Have a fabulous day and see you again soon on funkyforty.com

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FunkyForty

Hi! I’m Yvonne, a 40 something (wink) Kiwi, living in Zurich. I love fashion, travel, shopping and food – believing chocolate will cure almost anything!

17 Comments
  1. But I don’t want to throw out any of my current shoes! I keep convincing myself that one day I will have this dream closet where there will be room for all of them…we’ll see if it really happens!
    -Kristin
    countdowntofridayblog.com

  2. Very nice I bet you have your shoes now all in order 👍👠👠👟👟👡👡👢👢👞👞

  3. I have to confess to being a hopeless shoe addict, I just have no discipline! I’ve got to the point now where I have no more space to store them (husband is constantly nagging!) so I am having a mini purge. I think my Stan Smiths were one of the best shoe purchases I ever made, so comfortable!

    Emma xxx
    http://www.style-splash.com

    1. I have to confess too – I have one pair of black heeled sandals but found some slip on ones on sale yesterday and they are simply going to have to come into my wardrobe…eek
      Happy shoe collecting dear!

      xxx Yvonne

  4. You’re a girl after my own heart! I have a huge shoe collection, most of which are lovingly stored in tissue inside the box like new. I polish/clean them after wearing and don’t return something into storage unless it’s ready to wear. All of this was taught to me by my father who was a Marine and instilled in me the need to take care of clothes and shoes to keep them buffed and perfect. These lessons have stayed with me all my life – thanks dad! Well done you for sharing your tips. BTW those orange heels are adorable!
    Have a great week x
    Anna
    annasislandstyle.com

  5. Nice post! I just did this. I bought a few new pairs of shoes I found at a great price, but made very well. I then donated several pairs I just wasnt wearing anymore. I find that I want to buy qulaity over quantity. Great tips here!
    Thanks for linking up with turning heads tuesday
    jess xx
    http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com

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