If the shoe fits...
Back when I was a freshman nursing student, my shoe collection consisted of the requisite work shoes, some sneakers for play, and a couple pair of versatile pumps for dressing up. By the time I was 19, I was finally able to indulge in something a little more fun (thanks to a couple of well-paying jobs). My first less-than-practical purchase was a pair of purple suede platforms that were not only stylish, but made me five inches taller. I had so much fun suddenly being 5’9” instead of 5’4” that I immediately bought another pair (wedge cork sandals with white leather straps) that gave me the same vertical advantage. Little did I know how expensive my passion would become.
When I decided to write about shoe shopping this week, I knew I was moving into treacherous territory. Imagine a reporter with a gambling addiction writing an essay on casinos. But for you, dear Reader, I’m willing to suffer.
Every time I walk into Marshall’s, the shoe department seems to get bigger. This year the sandal section is ginormous, and their collection of flip flops covers an entire wall. If designer shoes are your thing, Marshall’s is the place to shop. In fact, Marshall’s is the only place to get Michael Kors shoes, since his Tanger Outlet store does not carry this line of footwear. From here I managed to escape for a mere $9.99, which bought me a very cute pair of bling-encrusted flip flops.
Because the Tanger Outlet directory lists clothing stores that sell shoes as well as strictly “shoe stores”, there are no less than 32 opportunities to indulge your footwear fetish. After looking at literally thousands of shoes, I can say that Nine West would get my vote as the store most deserving a return visit. They had a number of really cute shoes that I didn’t see anywhere else. Their summer selection was colorful and fun and offered a number of new and different designs.
The two newest shoe stores are ecco and Sperry (coming soon). Based in Denmark, ecco’s claim to fame is quality, reliability and stylish comfort. According to a sign on their wall, each pair of ecco shoes is touched by 210 pairs of hands before they reach the consumer. Impressive. To me the designs were a little understated, but check them out and let me know what you think.
Crocs was a big surprise and wins the award for most-evolved. While they still make the original ones that everyone made fun of (I both wore AND made fun of them), they now have dozens of styles that don’t look anything like the early models. They are the lightest pair of shoes out there, and are odor-resistant as well.
Did you know that the average woman owns more than 25 pairs of shoes? I am pleased to report that in this particular category I am well above average. Christina Aguilera owns close to 1000 pairs and Paris Hilton twice that. Considering that Paris wears a size 11, I would imagine her closet has its own Zip Code.
Blooming Boutique, with several area locations, carries a huge selection of lindsay phillips.
These are interchangeable shoes with either a strap or snap option allowing you a completely different look on the same shoe simply by replacing the decorative top.
They also carry Corkys Featherlights - lightweight, woven, elastic shoes with gel insoles that are becoming hugely popular.
While Loungin’ Lizard offers everything from clothing to jewelry and a smaller selection of shoes, I thought they were worth a mention because they do carry L'Artiste by Spring Step Burbank. This is a gorgeous line of shoes featuring French-inspired designs on hand painted leather.
A number of stores at the beach carry comfortable shoes, e.g., Aerosoles, Naturalizer, Easy Spirit, Rockport, SAS (San Antonio Shoemakers), Vernon Powell and more. I bought my first pair of Danskos (my faves for comfort AND style) at in2soles, a wonderful store on Rehoboth Avenue run by Sherri Swenson and Jane Klein.
Danskos can also be found at just COMFORT shoes at 18756 Coastal Highway, three doors down from my office. (Help!) This is a family-run store owned by the delightful mother/daughter team of Liz and Sharonlee Diehl; getting on their mailing list gives you advance notice of sales and special discounts.
Sex and the City added Jimmy Choo and Manolo Blahnik to my vocabulary, but I have yet to add them to my closet. A girl can dream can’t she?
Deb Griffin is a Realtor with Maggio Shields Real Estate, author of The Local Buzz and a partner in EatingRehoboth.com restaurant tours. Deb can be reached at Debsmyagent@thedelawarebeaches.com.
