We look for signs everywhere, seeking confirmation from simple things of our hopes and plans.
Late last November I ordered a pair of brown shoes, size 5M. Nothing fancy, just nice shoes for dress slacks, comfortably padded. I mail-order almost all my shoes, and that’s not just a Tallahassee thing. I can’t walk into a store and find piles of shoes in my size; in fact, most shoe stores just shrug me off. My experience with the “good shoe store” in Tally was that the clerk told me I was really a 6 and then stuffed things into the toe of a pair of ugly shoes to convince me to buy them, which did not go far with me.
The shoes promptly went back-order, with an estimated ship date of March. Since then, I have ordered three other pairs of brown shoes, and sent all of them back; they were all too big, size inflation having apparently hit the shoe market as well. I couldn’t exchange them because the shoes weren’t available in smaller sizes.
I pondered foot extension surgery, something to bring me up one full shoe size, to a 6. Women may constantly yearn to be a smaller dress size, but no one ever says, “I’m so happy my feet are size 5.” You can’t see the difference to have size 5 feet, and it just brings grief to your life.
My pretty new brown pantsuit, bought with such anticipation (and half-off, too), patiently hung in the closet, its tags dangling in the dark, its pants hems quietly awaiting chalk and ruler.
Time came, time went. Once in a while I wore a horribly outdated pair of brown shoes with another outfit (shoes that also clacked so loudly on the library floor that students would turn and frown), but I deigned not to despoil the perfect brown suit with the wrong shoes.
My “summer job” ended.
The email then arrived: “Your shoes are shipping.”
Sure, whatever. I’ve been through this.
I slip them on my feet.
I stand, I walk. They’re perfect.
New shoes, to take me new places.
Posted on this day, other years:
- ACRL and "diversity": A rainbow has more than one color - 2010
- With writing and teens, it really *is* all good (but we need to be good, too) - 2008
As someone who wears a 9AAAA shoe, I feel your pain and frustration. I’ve been looking for a pair of brown shoes, to wear with my new brown pants, for months but nothing I’ve found is narrow enough. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had salespeople tell me to wear two pairs of socks. Excuse me??? Anyway, I’m glad you were finally successful…maybe I’ll find my perfect pair of brown shoes eventually.
I really understand your problem. As another adult professional with a size 5 foot, where are the good shoes for us? I’m glad you finally got the ones you wanted. I know how hard nice-looking, professional-looking shoes are to come by in our size.
10.5 wide, with pes cavus feet to boot. Just TRY to find a good-looking shoe that doesn’t cause blisters or sprained ankles. I gave up years ago. I wear clodhoppers and try not to look at them too much.
Being just a brain in a jar, I don’t worry about stuff like this … but if I did, I’d buy shoes from Zappos.com. Excellent website, useful search, user reviews – library OPACs should be this good. Plus shipping AND return shipping are free. Hard not to love it.
Cavlec, I feel your pain, how I do. John, I tried Zappos… hmmm. It was feast or famine, and when I tried winnowing results, it would bounce hte other fields back to the default. When I finally closed in on size 5M brown casual, the results were sad.
Amazon-related http://www.endless.com is very nicely set up. Whether it delivers what you want is another story 😉
Much more promising, Lorcan! I like the way I can narrow the type of shoe very quickly… as someone who never wears sandals with things that goe between toes (I have too much webbing).