I like to think of myself as a low-maintenance girl. I can handle a nasty hostel (as long as I’m not assigned to clean the bathroom as a paying guest — this never happened abroad, but did indeed in Santa Fe, NM), travel relatively lightly, be flexible with plans, and get ready for work in about 20 minutes — 10 if I don’t do anything with my hair. Sometimes, though, I notice this is changing. Packing for this conference, I had to cut back to four pairs of shoes. I have the brown heels, the black heels, the tennis shoes (in hopes of taking a few long walks), and the casual flats I’ll be wearing on the flight. I haven’t ruled out bringing the sandals, either, because they look better than the other flats with one of my casual outfits. This is a five day trip, and I am probably bringing five pairs of shoes. Awesome.
I’ve taken a few 3-week+ trips on which I’ve had a pair of shoes to wear all the time and a pair of flip flops for the shower. What’s different this time? I have to look professional. I need to wear black with black and brown with brown. I also feel compelled to wear heels, even though I abhor them. This is mostly because my pants are too long (or maybe my legs are too short) to wear flats, and I don’t really have any professional-looking flats anyway. I should probably take some action here: pay to have the damn pants tailored (much cheaper than having my legs lengthened, I’m sure), and pay for a couple cute pairs of flats. My feet will be happy, and so will my pants.
Speaking of heels, do you think it’s true that they make a woman’s butt look nicer? We had a conversation about this last night, and a couple of people (one butt-observing guy and one heel-wearing girl) swear that this is the case. I’m pretty sure I don’t care enough about how my butt looks to put myself through the torture of wearing heels. I also don’t care that I’m 5′4″ on a good day, and heels could help me out with that. Still not worth it…
Reading back through this post, I’m reminded that “pants” in England refer to underwear. Just to clarify for the Brits, I’m talking about trousers above, and you can leave behind thoughts you were having of me in heels and (too long, but very professional) lingerie… When I studied abroad, a flatmate marveled at the fact that I’d packed so lightly and asked if there was anything I wished I’d brought more of. “More pants,” I replied, explaining that I only had two pair, and I didn’t like re-wearing them too many times in a row… We only sort of speak the same language.
6 Comments
March 26, 2007 at 10:11 am
I will give you some of my legs and maybe together we can share some well-fitting pants. Had fun at the party–enjoy St. Louis.
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March 26, 2007 at 10:13 am
Er…Kansas City
March 28, 2007 at 3:36 pm
I’ve recently discovered that not all heels are bad – just the cheap ones. I figured this out by buying second-hand shoes that were originally $90, and then buying a $110 pair (they were on sale and not nearly that much). Anyway, both pairs are really comfy and I’ve even been dancing in them (at Lipgloss!). In the end, boycott all heels from Payless!
Also, regarding the trousers, there’s a product that’s called “witchery-stitchery” or something similar, that shortens pants. Fold the hem over the “witchery” stuff so the pants are the length you want, then set it by ironing. A coworker swears by it.
March 28, 2007 at 8:22 pm
Great advice! I still live in the (highly discounted) $70 shoe world. I’ve tried, but I have trouble feeling good about buying shoes anywhere but DSW… Maybe if I just paid a little more there, I’d be set. What size are your feet? Maybe I could just give yours a try? Thanks for the witchery-stitchery suggestion, too. I tend to have bad experiences with tailors (all involving bridesmaid’s dresses and my ever-fluctuating bust line), so maybe it’s better to avoid them altogether…
April 12, 2007 at 7:06 am
[...] I’ve had sore feet. I choose comfort over fashion. Which is why I brought one pair of shoes (not five) on this trip: the trusty Dansko clogs that are moderately hideous (or at least orthotic-looking). [...]
January 3, 2009 at 12:48 pm
I don’t wear heels super often, usually just when I want to look my best– but heels do tend to make your legs (and butt, probably) slimmer.