My shoe collection, which is a bit bigger than I realized

[Queendust]

Well...perhaps I'm CRAZAZY...but as of TODAY, my personal collection of shoes numbers 308. At one time it actually reached close to 600. Most of these are stilletos. I hate flats. I admit it's an addiction. So, how do I manage a collection this large? First of all, I have them all stored in acrylic "shoe pods" that are a wonderful shoe storage method that I found on line for this purpose a few years ago. They are stacked like honeycombs so any one of them can slide out without the others falling. Each of those pods (boxes) are numbered. Then I have a notebook, with a photo page for each, divided by color. This page lists the brand, size, when and where purchased and when. It also list some notes on each such as whether or not they are comfortable for walking or standing. MOST IMPORTANTLY, it lists the pod # in which the shoe is stored. With this method, I can take my shoe catalog out each day and look through it and when I find the ones I wish to wear, I can somply go to that pod and pull the shoe with no hassle. Otherwise, I don't know how I could possibly control or store the shoes. This way the are protected and can be found in seconds instead of having to search for the shoes. My collection was once featured on the Sharon Ozburn TV show, thanks to a letter from my daughter to the show's producers. I also have about 250 purses and a clothing collection that requires 17 commercial clothes racks to house them all. This is my only VICE. I don't drink, smoke or do ****s. I don't golf or play tennis or spend lavishly in any other way.....SHOES ARE MY LIFE!!!

[anne022196]

whatta huge lists of shoes..well i have only 10-20 pair of shoes..

[hhfan]

Originally Posted by anne022196

whatta huge lists of shoes..well i have only 10-20 pair of shoes..

Care to share them with us? I am sure we would all appreciate some Pics

[JBlue]

Hello and good morning! Just wanted to come in and say hi. I'm Jerry. I enjoy cooking, volunteering, doing Paint Shop on the computer. I also like to listen to country, 70's and 80's music. Thanks for letting me join your group!

[iSlingback]

I spent the entire weekend Friday-Sunday getting my closet together. This also included on Sunday ALL day Sunday, photographing my shoes and pasting the picture on the boxes. I do this because I have so many shoes in boxes, some I have not worn yet (waiting on the right outfit) and this will save me time in the morning. Here is a picture of the outcome. :




It took hours and these are only the shoes that were in this closet. I don't have time to list the brands and exact shoes. I can say I have a lot of Steve Madden, A lot of Aerosoles, a LOT of Charles David..and my new Manolos..my prized possession which I have not worn yet.

[galligator]

Good for you. I do the same thing using printable mailing labels. I can keep more shoes neat this way. It also helps me to remember what I have so that I can try not to buy shoes that are too alike.

I see there's lots of rainbow box tops - that's the Charles David, right? I have one that's super comfortable & another that is not (though it is gorgeous). Is that normal?

I find I have a lot of Steve Madden, Betsey Johnson, BCBGirls & Seychelles. A lot of people seem to think the SM are uncomfortable, but they work really well for me.

And I know what you mean about the prized Manolos - my prize is 2 pair of Prada that I haven't worn out of the house yet. I don't know about you, but for me, it has to be mindblowingly special to spend more than about 2 bills on a pair of shoes since there are a lot of great quality shoes that can be had for $50-200 - especially if you can get a good clearance price on a mid-brand shoe.

Whoa, ramble over.

[galligator]

Queendust,

You should put up a picture thread sometime...we love seeing what other people are drawn to.

Originally Posted by Queendust

Well...perhaps I'm CRAZAZY...but as of TODAY, my personal collection of shoes numbers 308. At one time it actually reached close to 600. Most of these are stilletos. I hate flats. I admit it's an addiction. So, how do I manage a collection this large? First of all, I have them all stored in acrylic "shoe pods" that are a wonderful shoe storage method that I found on line for this purpose a few years ago. They are stacked like honeycombs so any one of them can slide out without the others falling. Each of those pods (boxes) are numbered. Then I have a notebook, with a photo page for each, divided by color. This page lists the brand, size, when and where purchased and when. It also list some notes on each such as whether or not they are comfortable for walking or standing. MOST IMPORTANTLY, it lists the pod # in which the shoe is stored. With this method, I can take my shoe catalog out each day and look through it and when I find the ones I wish to wear, I can somply go to that pod and pull the shoe with no hassle. Otherwise, I don't know how I could possibly control or store the shoes. This way the are protected and can be found in seconds instead of having to search for the shoes. My collection was once featured on the Sharon Ozburn TV show, thanks to a letter from my daughter to the show's producers. I also have about 250 purses and a clothing collection that requires 17 commercial clothes racks to house them all. This is my only VICE. I don't drink, smoke or do ****s. I don't golf or play tennis or spend lavishly in any other way.....SHOES ARE MY LIFE!!!

[Stefanie_Chicago]

Woow it is really interesting to read all your stories about your collections of shoes!! I really love shoes too and actually I am doing my graduation research about why women love their shoes.

At this moment I am in urgent need of participants for my study. I need female Americans who:
• love their shoes
• are willing to participate in this research (includes two interviews and keeping a diary)
• live in Chicago

This is how it goes:
In this first interview I would like to see your collection of shoes. I am interested in your love for shoes and stories you have about the pairs of shoes you own.

The diary will be given in the first interview and I will explain how to fill it in. It will be about a specific pair of shoes you love to use. You are supposed to keep the diary for a month before I will take the end evaluation interview.

The interviews will be recorded on video and pictures may be taken of your shoes. All the information you share through the interview, diary and video’s remain confidential. I won’t associate your name or image to any of the data you give to me.

If you consider yourself a shoe lover and are interested in participating,
please reply on this message.

Feel free to pass this on to shoe lovers you know (in Chicago)!
Your participation will be of great value for my research!

Best regards,
Stefanie Tumewu

Visiting Scholar from the TU Delft, the Netherlands
Institute of Design | Illinois Institute of Technology
350 North LaSalle Street
Chicago, IL 60610