I’m not gonna lie – love me some shoes me!  I am a fan of fabulous shoes and I’m fortunate to own several pairs that I love.  That being said, I can’t imagine having enough to fill an entire closet, but a girl can dream right?  And apparently, that dream isn’t so crazy because for some time now, I’ve been noticing a trend on Pinterest toward shoe closets.  That’s right folks, closets dedicated solely to shoes (no pun intended).  When did this become a thing?  Well, I don’t see a shoe closet in my future, but I sure could use some help on shoe storage in my clothes closet.  Sound familiar?  Maybe we can help each other through the shoe storage dilemma…

My Name is Misty Ann and I’m a Shoeaholic

First, let’s talk about “cool” shoes.  My other brother Gerik once observed that both my brother Bill and I always wear “cool shoes”.  I remember the three of us determining that my brother and my obsession with cool shoes probably dates back to when we were small children forced to wear braces on our feet and legs, followed by hideous corrective shoes.  Thanks to those braces and corrective shoes, we both have perfectly normal feet and legs today, but we’re also determined to make up for those early day of horrible shoeware!  I’m definitely an unapologetic shoe lover.

That being said, I’m not Imelda Marcos either.  One of my fellow Devereux Board members once held an impromptu fundraiser based on how close participants could come to guessing how many shoes are in my closet.  They were so disappointed when they heard the actual number.   Some of my shoes are as old as my adult son so I’ve accumulated a few, but it’s hard for me to purchase something unless I feel I really need it and will get my money’s worth.  But even my collection can be hard to visualize stored in boxes as it is now.

Shoe Care & Storage

I’m hard on my shoes just walking around.  It might be my gate or just that I’m bad about bringing a pair of flats to drive and walk in – I really wear all my shoes everywhere.  Plus, I’m a klutz and tend to miss things like cracks in the pavement when I’m wearing skinny heals that get caught in them.  For years I refused to purchase fabric or leather heeled pumps for just that reason.  But how you store your shoes can also impact wear and tear.  In my 20s I was notorious for throwing my shoes on the floor of my closet.

Somewhere along the way I discovered keeping my shoes in the box they were purchased in helped preserve them a little better.  Although as I recently learned (see Who Will Save Your Sole video on the Closet Reboot YouTube channel) even storing shoes in the box over time can be problematic for preservation.  And of course, even my shoe boxes that have pictures and descriptions on the box still prevent me from really seeing all my shoe options.

My concern about keeping shoes lined up on shelves without the box though is primarily dust – how to keep the dust off my shoes??  I’ve asked a few friends who keep their shoes on open shelving and the answer I usually get has to do with joining their cleaning lady in a regular dusting every one to three months.  Hmm, no pain no gain I suppose.

A Shoe Display

Shoes do make me very happy – even when I’ve put on a little weight, my shoes usually still fit fine.  And part of my closet reboot process is to walk into a small room that makes me happy in the morning.  So displaying shoes makes a lot of sense!  The challenge for me right now is that my closet is not currently configured with a shoe rack.  My shelving is not optimal unless my shoes remain in their box.  I recently got these clear storage bins at Container Store, but they would have to live way up on my overhead shelf where I would need a ladder to retrieve them and where they may be hard to visualize.

Obviously, I need to take another look at my space and do some research which of course, I’ve already started.  We’ll save that for the next post though.  In the meantime, tell me about your shoe storage solutions and if you’ve posted them somewhere, please leave me a link in the comments so I can include them in my “Shoe Closet” Pinterest board!

XOXO,

Misty Ann