Every once in awhile, I like to analyze a category of my possessions. I list what I own, and the reasons I own it. This exercise helps me gain perspective on exactly what I have—and more importantly, why I have it.
This week, I decided to take a look at my shoe wardrobe. Years ago, I determined that the best way to minimize my shoes would be to stick to a solid color. I chose black—so out went the brown loafers, the navy blue pumps, the bronze kitten heels, the silver flats, etc. (The base colors of my clothing are black and gray, so I knew black shoes would match everything.)
The grand total: six pairs of shoes, which I think seems like a lot for a minimalist. However, they each satisfy a certain need, so I’m not sure how to pare down any further. Here’s the rundown:
1. Ballet flats. These are my everyday shoes in the spring and summer. Wonderfully versatile—can be worn with pants, capris, shorts, skirts, and dresses.
2. Walking shoes. Black slip-on Merrells that function primarily as my travel and sightseeing shoes (or anytime I plan on walking more than a mile or so). They’re also my everyday winter shoe when I’m not wearing my boots. They’re versatile in the sense that they’re super comfortable, yet attractive enough to wear to a nice restaurant. The only drawback is they can only be worn with pants.
3. Knee high boots. I wear these constantly in the fall and winter with tights and skirts/sweater dresses. They’re slightly more frivolous than the first two pairs, but still play an important role in my wardrobe.
4. Office heels. Professional-looking heels appropriate for both work and dressier (but not formal) occasions. I wear these with skirts, suits, pants, and day dresses.
5. Dressy heels. Fabric sling-backs suitable for cocktail and more formal dresses. I wear these to weddings, parties, formal dinners, and cultural events like the opera, symphony, etc. Although I wear these the least of all my shoes, I’m always glad I have them when I need them.
6. Hiking shoes. These are a new addition to my shoe wardrobe, purchased for rambles in the English countryside. Unfortunately, my walking shoes were not up to the task (and would have been quickly ruined by the rain and mud). While I was reluctant to acquire another pair of shoes, they’ve enabled me to explore the gorgeous UK countryside with my husband.
At this point, I have to come to terms with the fact that my lifestyle requires a certain variety of footwear. If I owned only ballet flats, I wouldn’t be able to go hiking, or walk long distances while traveling. If I owned only walking shoes, I wouldn’t be able to wear skirts or dresses. Furthermore, neither pair is appropriate for business suits or formal attire.
If I was a hermit, I could certainly manage with a single pair of shoes. However, while I’m a big proponent of minimalism, I don’t believe it should detract from my experience of life. Therefore, I hope my little discourse on shoes (which may appear somewhat trivial at first glance) illuminates a more important point: that minimalist living is not so much about living with as little as possible—but rather, as little as possible to meet your needs.
(Note: I also started a thread on this topic over at The Simple Living Network; please see the excellent discussion there if you want to read more about simplifying your shoes!)
Thanks for sharing! As for me, I currently have the following pairs:
– flat sandals – for when it’s really hot, or when going to the pool or the beach
– ballet flats – summer walking shoes
– knee-high boots – winter walking shoes
– sports shoes
– heeled sandals – for special occasions
I have a minimalist wardrobe too, stick to a few colors and buy only classic and simple pieces. It took me a few years to pare down my wardrobe and find the right clothes, but it’s really worth it. Now it’s easy to mix and match pieces, sort the laundry by color, and pack for traveling.
Thanks for your comment, Mia–sounds like we’re on the same page with regards to shoes and wardrobe. It took me a few years to refine mine too. :-)
Hi..my name is Heather and I am a shoe-aholic!!! : ) This is one area I have a hard time with…I LOVE shoes!! The prettier the better. BUT I do keep them organized and clean and treat them all like gems. Someday…like 30 years from now…when I retire..I hope to only own flip flops. : )
LOL, Heather–part of being a minimalist is determining what makes you happy! :-)
For shame! A guy with more shoes than the women here. However, some are activity-specific so that I don’t wear them out too quickly. Here’s my list:
– sneakers (think Converse as opposed to Nike) – my everyday choice except if it’s really hot or really cold or really wet
– sandals – for the really hot
– work boots – steel-toed for trail building / construction projects / getting dirty. I’ll also use them in town on really wet or cold days
– runners – dedicated to running only
– trail shoes – dedicated to hiking only
– winter boots – dedicated to winter hiking / snowshoeing only
– dress shoes – for weddings and funerals; haven’t been worn in years
I also have snowshoes and crampons but, though they are footwear, they don’t count as shoes.
LOL, C-Note! But you only have one pair of shoes for each activity, so that’s perfect. (Now if you had four pairs of dress shoes, five pairs of sandals, etc, that would be another story…)
Yeah, but
shoes last longer if they aren’t worn every day–at least leather ones do, so you really ought to have two pairs of everyday shoes for each season. Down here in South Carolina, I am lucky that boots are not practical. I do have the kind of feet that seem to get blisters in hot weather, so I end up taking several styles of sandals and a couple pairs of shoes…
Thanks for sharing this, Kathryn!
I do like shoes, but don’t have a huge collection. You know how they cover celebrities on magazines and tv shows and show their huge shoe closets? I wouldn’t even have that even if I were wealthy. High heels are very uncomfortable to me, I gave up on them years ago, and I mostly wear flats (flip flops, sandals, sneakers). I also tend to stick to my favorite pairs so my shoe collection has been paired down to less than 10.
LOL — I’m with you, nyxmoxie, you couldn’t pay me to have a huge shoe closet! :-)
I’ve been eyeing up our bedrooms with a beady one for the clothes mountains dotted around, and this post on shoes is a good one to share with the Missus – whether she’d be receptive is another thing! She’s got loads of unworn ones while I make do with just four pairs for work, running, dressing up, and slippers! Well, actually not totally true. I do have possibly 3-4 more I don’t wear myself but most of these I could easily dump without regret! The Missus now….well!
Wow, I think I need more shoes! I currently only have a pair of sneakers and a pair of ballet flats… I really should get a pair of boots for winter. I’d love to trade the sneakers for oxfords, and add a pair of Mary Janes to alternate with the ballet flats. They would all go with most of my outfits. Or would that be too many shoes?
Hi Francine,
What kind of knee-high boot do you recommend? I am looking for a (single) perfect pair for all-purpose fall/winter (tourist/city walking but nice enough for skirts in an office setting). Thanks!!
Ashley
since i work in a suit and tie world i have the following set of shoes
-x-4-sets of hand made dress shoes for i love them and had them now for over 10 years with sending them back two at a time to be refubished to look new again with new soles and heels and bringing the leather back to life
-x-1-set of hand made hikeing boots for everyday wear and going out to the cabin i have to wander around the areas with a set of snow gators for use in winter time with snow..
-x-1-set of workout cross trainer shoes
Hi there . . . First of all, I absolutely LOVE your blog. You are my hero (heroine?) . . . thanks for your thoughtful, thorough, and totally inspiring words. I’m well on my way down numerous “minimalist” path (amidst a massive home purge right now!) but am struggling with finding a great pair of black shoes that can be my “travel pair” and the ones i wear every day. Which Merrills do you like??
Thanks!
LOL! I had to pop in here to read this because a friend of mine and I were discussing shoes recently. She could give Imelda Marcos a run for her money. I have two pair; one for dress one for work. But your list seems quite sensible to me. As you say; you can’t go hiking in ballet flats… or do ballet in hiking boots. :-)
I’ve been able to get along with three pairs of shoes.
1. Sandals – a set of mud brown Weinbrenners that I wear to work. I am a programmer and work at a place where a dress code is not enforced.
2. Sneakers – a pair of Filas that I wear for any non-sedentary activity.
3. Dress shoes – a pair of laceless Lee Coopers for the special occasions.
I will be changing firms soon, and may have to add a pair to the list.
I have 4 pairs of shoes: Fit Flops that I wear in summer, a pair of comfprtable but pretty flat shoes that I can wear for work throughout the year (without socks in summer, and with two pairs in the very cold winter), a pair of sneakers for walking, and a pair of dressy shoes for wearing with dresses.
Ah, perfect timing, I’ve been turning myself in knots trying to decide if I should buy a pair of REAL winter boots – warm, waterproof, midcalf or higher. Duh, I live in Chicago, walk as much as possible in the slushy/icy streets, and go sledding with the kids and am without a truly warm and dry pair. But, I’m trying so hard to get to the bare minimum of shoes so the dilemma is, what shoes to toss? I’m a maximalist in comparison with this crowd: running shoes, black flats, dressy work boots, flip flops, high heel sandals, mid calf boots, clogs, hiking boots (not waterproof, or high, but used for snow) and ankle snowboots (really old, not waterproof). Um, rain boots, too, that I’m 90% convinced can go.
Been reading your blog regularly for a few months as I’ve been deliciously purging our family of quantities of stuff.
Do you know the blog Zero Waste Home? So fabulous and she has details on her 6 shoe wardrobe: http://zerowastehome.blogspot.com/2010/04/zero-waste-closet.html.
Sorry that link didn’t work as I don’t know how to properly do that but the post is the “Zero Waste Closet” in April 2010.
For the questions on winter shoes/boots, I bought a pair of hunting boots that were better suited to the terrain I was hiking than the new style of hiking boots. They are Danner’s and have Gortex, are waterproof, my mother doesn’t think they’re ugly (she’s really mean about clunky boots), and look just fine for really almost anyplace casual. Bonus–the keep feet warm up to -20 or something like that…and protect against intense heat, too. So, there’s a thought for folks on multipurposing. I have a pair of Sketcher snow boots that are pretty, but they aren’t as warm as these others. I think they’re going to find themselves consigned soon, but we’ll see. I live in SD, and ‘dress’ snow boots are kinda nice. Both pairs are brown leather. –Tasi Beth
I tend to group shoes into the accessories (which punch up an outfit!) category, but then maybe that’s just me trying to own 12-15 pairs of shoes at a time without feeling bad about it. The crap thing is that my shoes don’t cover all of the occasions that yours do (my silver heels may quality as formal wear, but I’m not sure). However, I also read that you shouldn’t wear the same pair of shoes 2 days in a row so that you can give each pair the chance to dry out and not stink (and I totally ruined my nice hiking shoes during my last trip to Europe by wearing them almost everyday for 3 weeks – that smell won’t go away no matter what I try). I like to think this is a good reason for owning several pairs of shoes :)
I have more than halved my shoe collection since I returned from a six month backpacking trip, in which I only lived with two pairs of shoes (Teva sandals & trainers). Unfortunately it seems you need more than that to live a day-to-day life which covers a wide variety of activities! I now own eight pairs of shoes – which I also feel is too many, but I’m not ready to get rid of any more just yet – trainers, Teva sandals, walking boots, knee high boots (wear all the time), converse high tops, black pumps, black stilettos & a rather unnecessary pair of brown ankle boots which are gorgeous.
I know this post was from a while ago, but I wanted to share how your post inspired me to reexamine my own shoe collection. This is the first post on my new blog, Impact and Zen:
http://impactandzen.blogspot.com/2011/08/shoes.html
I somehow have fewer shoes than my boyfriend.
1 pair dressy high heeled oxfords.
1 pair Converse (only for exercise.)
1 pair flip flops. I’m looking for some ballet flats to replace them , but since I live in Southern California they’ll do in a pinch.
2 pair boots. One are 2″ heeled Victorian boots. The other pair I am just now replacing, but they’re my casual “every day” boot. Combat style, good for walking, hiking, running to the grocery store, or stomping through giant puddles.
Now to just get my shirts culled, and my closet might be the most coordinated I’ve ever had it.
1 pair of walkers (for work, walking, and most other occasions, all year round)
1 pair of old walkers (gardening etc)
1 pair thongs (for around the house)
1 pair ‘good’ shoes (church)
That’s me.
What shoes do you use around the house? I use flip flops and count them as a pair of shoes, but see that many people don’t mention them. I’d be too uncomfortable wearing my ballet flats around the house all day.
And I’d love to have just a few shoes, but I can’t seem to accomplish it. I have 30 pairs of shoes!
Would love to know the style of Merells you have, I need a good versatile walking shoe.
My friends all laugh at me (all in fun) for having so few shoes. I am a farm girl so the basis of my wardrobe is jeans. I can dress them up for work (high school science teacher) or go casual. I own two pairs of boots (“cowboy” or work boots, a necessity), a pair of walking shoes, a pair of slides for when I absolutely must wear shoes in the summer, and a pair of black crocs (my version of a dress shoe lol). I do not want more shoes.
I have oxfords for dressy slacks. Dressy flats for when I wear a dress. Flip flops for around the house, 2 pairs of gym shoes for every day. Sandals for on vacation. 6 pairs.