In Search of the Perfect Shoes

The RWA national conference is rapidly approaching and once again I am need of a dress and a pair of shoes for the awards ceremony.

The way I see it, Cinderella had it made. She had a fairy godmother, who could whip up the perfect pair of shoes to go with her fabulous prince-catching dress. The rest of us have to trudge through the malls to find the perfect shoe. Malls, as in many, if you live in a large city in Southern California. It’s grueling work, but being a practical Virgo who doesn’t want to waste precious gas or time, I’ve worked out a plan to kill two birds with one stone.

It also happens that I’m teaching my oldest daughter to drive. Next to potty training, this is the mom duty that puts the most gray hair on my head, but like the former, can’t be avoided. So, for the last two weeks, we have been taking driving lessons to the various malls so I can search for the perfect shoes to match, what has turned out to be, the not so perfect rust-colored dress. Rust is not the hot color for shoes this year. Lots of pewter and gold. And lime green. What’s with that? If only the shoe designers and the dress designers could get together for coffee once a
year . . .

But I’ve got the daughter trained. When the clock tolls 6, she grabs her keys and eagerly asks, “Where am I taking you tonight?” I groan and she smiles, knowing she’ll end up with something and I’ll come away empty-handed—because rust is not the in-color for shoes this year! Before you ask, yes, I have also been looking for another dress that might actually go with the available shoe supply. But even that seems beyond my reach. It’s prom dress leftover time. That probably explains the surplus of lime green shoes. The younger generation has a practical streak the shoe designers didn’t predict, it seems.

In any event, I am gaining a new understanding for heroines who are shoe obsessed. I’ve come to realize that shoes are more than just a fashion statement. They announce to the world who you are. They are a reflection of your personality and your view of the world. Flats are for the times you want to feel grounded and secure and comfortable in your surroundings. Heels are for those adventurous moments when we want to tower over others and draw attention to ourselves. The one that puzzles me is the high-heeled boot. The heel says sexy, yes? The boot aspect says hidden and mysterious, I’m guessing. The whole boot thing makes me claustrophobic. But then again, I live in Southern California where shoes are optional most of the year. But writers of women’s fiction have to consider such things. Shoes reveal character. So on July 29th, I’ll be revealing mine in front of two thousand people, in the perfect shoes . . . I hope.

Lorelle

posted by Lorelle @ 8:52 AM