A shoe philosophy

Phoebe, she of the hair cut that I copied for about a month, is really quite a style icon. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't have a bit of a girlcrush on her. She has the greatest blouses, which is something I really struggle with. I'm always looking for tops b/c they somehow stymie me. I have found in my time a few cute tops, but I really don't have any good blouses. Also jackets, something I have learned the benefits of from those style gurus Stacey & Clinton. Phoebe has great jackets. She even has summer jackets, which I do not have even one of those as my efforts have all been concentrated on accumulating winter jackets. And Phoebe was the first person I knew to wear suit shorts to work. I wear cotton city shorts, with heels, but Phoebe actually owns suit shorts. Which she wears with her fabulous platform heels.


And Phoebe's shoes...Phoebe's shoes...here's the really interesting part. Phoebe has a SHOE PHILOSOPHY. And it is this:

At first, when she shares this philosophy with you (b/c even though you've sort of noticed this, on some level, you're one day discussing shoes - as women are wont to do - and she actually says, "I don't wear black shoes."), you're taken aback for a moment. B/c you've never heard of someone having a grudge against black shoes. Or having a shoe philosophy at all. Plus, black shoes are the standard. How do you not wear black shoes?

And the answer is simple: By wearing other colors. B/c let's assume for a second that you're wearing a black pants suit. (And I'm sorry I don't have a photo demonstration for you, but it took me long enough to create that shoe graphic.) Black shoes and bag are kind of boring, no? What about brown shoes and bag? Now you're accessorized! (And you know what they say about our ability to accessorize!) Black dress? Try a metallic shoe or a splash of color.

And so I have decided to adopt Phoebe's shoe philosophy. In all fairness, I will never claim it as my own. I will always credit the philosophy to Phoebe. The transition will have to be gradual, as I can't really afford to throw out all the black shoes in my closet and replace them with other hues. But NO BLACK SHOES will be my goal. That, and getting that icon onto my sidebar.