I have a confession: I am not a practical shoe person.
I have tried. I really have.
I have bought the sensible flats. The comfortable sneakers. The shoes that “go with everything.” But somehow, the shoes that end up living rent-free in my mind are always the ones that make absolutely no sense.The shoes that are too pink.Too sparkly.Too dramatic.The shoes that make you ask, “Where exactly would you wear those?” as if that has ever stopped anyone from wanting something beautiful.
Because isn’t that the whole point?
A shoe is never just a shoe. It can be a personality trait, a memory, a fantasy version of yourself waiting to come out. The right pair can transform a boring Tuesday into a scene from a movie. They can make you feel like the main character, even if you’re just walking to grab coffee.
Maybe it’s because shoes are where fashion gets to be the most playful. They sit at the bottom of the outfit, but somehow they can hold the entire story.
Recently, I’ve been obsessed with the shoes that feel less like something you wear and more like something you experience. The kind of shoes that make you stop scrolling, stare at your screen, and think, “I need these.”
Do I need them?
Absolutely not.
Do I want them?
That’s a different conversation.
I Blame Barbie
I first heard about these Versace Medusa Satin Pumps on The Goodbuy Podcast when Petra Collins mentioned them. Ever since, I haven’t been able to get them out of my head.
It’s the color that gets me. This almost impossible shade of hot pink reminds me of the plastic Barbie heels I used to chew on as a kid—the tiny ones that always seemed to end up at the bottom of the toy bin, somehow carrying more personality than the dolls themselves. Maybe that’s why these feel so familiar. They tap into the same part of my brain that still thinks dressing up is a form of play.
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the prettiest shoe of them all?
These Tory Burch Peep- Toe Slingback pumps, obviously.
They look like someone shrunk a disco ball, added a kitten heel, and somehow made it elegant. I don’t know how they manage to be both incredibly glamorous and a little camp, but they do.
And the peep toe! Justice for the peep toe. We’ve spent far too long pretending toes are embarrassing when, in reality, a tiny glimpse of one is about as flirtatious as footwear gets.
These are party shoes. Not because they’re covered in crystals, but because they seem to bring their own personality. You could wear the most boring outfit imaginable and they’d still be having a better time than everyone else in the room.
And if anyone on the Tory Burch team happens to be reading this... I certainly wouldn’t stop you from sending me a pair.
If a Ski Lodge and Gucci Had a Baby
Every closet needs one pair of shoes that makes your friends question your judgment.These are mine.They’re giving Old Hollywood starlet who accidentally wandered into a ski lodge. They’re giving vintage Gucci, eccentric aunt, and the woman at the hotel bar who orders champagne before noon. They’re completely unnecessary.
I couldn’t love them more.
A Shoe Made for Eating Cake
These Souliers Dulion are the shoes Marie Antoinette would wear if she had a Pinterest board.They’re giving birthday cake, ballet recital, French doll, and the ribbon your mom insisted on putting in your hair before school pictures.Do they go with everything? Absolutely not.Do I care? Also no.Sometimes a shoe’s only job is to make you irrationally happy. Everything else is just logistics.
The Shoe My Alter Ego Owns
The final boss of my shoe fantasy.After all the pink satin, crystals, bows, and glitter, we end here: a shoe with a little bit of danger.Because sometimes the prettiest thing you can wear is something that feels slightly wrong.These Gucci Queercore shoes have that perfect balance of elegance and rebellion. Like a Victorian gentleman got bored, joined a punk band, and decided to make a shoe about it.Fashion is at its best when it doesn’t behave.