Handbags and Shoes

I'm getting better every day, so thanks to everyone for the "OMG - Heal Quickly" messages. All those good thoughts are working and the sharp pains are far more rare now. I think a big part of it is being able to get back into the pool as well as having found one pair of shoes that I can wear comfortably. 

These aren't mine, but I wouldn't mind adding a couple of these
to my collection. I do adore handbags. 

I'm not really a shoe person - probably one reason why I found it so difficult to find a pair when I needed one. But most of my friends could understand having many pairs to choose from - we seem to find clothing accessories to collect, covet, and crowd into our lives. For me it was/is handbags - I love them. If it had been a handbag I had needed, I would have had a much larger selection to choose between. 

Fashion in the 1940's featured matching
shoes and handbags. Here there is also a
matching belt and a fashionable hat. 

My mother was a rather typical 50's housewife - matching shoes, handbag and a pair of complimentary short gloves always available in the glove compartment of her car. Didn't you ever wonder how that compartment in the dashboard of your car got that nickname? Well, there you go. It was the glove compartment - the place for that spare pair of gloves so that you would be properly dressed if you were caught off-guard in an unusual situation. 

Here's a modern twist on matching shoes and handbags. The
print fabric is carried through from the shoes to the bow
on the bag. A bit over-the-top for me - I don't wear
high heels like that. 

I still find myself watching commercials for handbags and shoes. Do they match? Do they compliment the clothing? It's part of styling, but on that Red Carpet, it's often just a simple clutch without flair and many times the shoes are almost hidden by the dresses, although the shoes probably cost more than a month of my pay. 

This is a little closer to things my mother might have
worn (although she would have gone for solid colors). This
set is cute, though. 

But I don't collect shoes. I wear a single pair every day until it wears out, then I find another pair. In the winter I wear Sorrel snow boots in the snow, then change into indoor wear when I arrive at work. The rest of the year I'm usually in slip-ons of some type. (With my orthotic inserts, of course.) It's the inserts that allow me to walk without pain, the shoes only exist as the vehicle to hold the inserts. 

This vintage set, I really like. It's classy, beautifully formed, and the
shoes even look as if they might be comfortable (for about five
minutes). I'd take the handbag in a New York minute, though. It's
a beauty. 

What about you? Do you love shoes or handbags? What's the most expensive pair of shoes you've ever owned? Or maybe just tried on for the sake of trying on one pair of super expensive designer footwear? I'm actually wearing my most expensive pair right now - my Renaissance Festival shoes from Beaver Tracks were more than $300. But I've owned them for more than ten years now and I wear them often. Right now, with this broken toe, they're worth every penny. 

Have a great weekend! Enjoy your days and spend some quality time with friends and family.