This ethical shopping business is no joke. Trying to add shoes to my wardrobe for the fall/winter season was far more difficult than I imagined. Gone are the days of simply wandering through the mall trying on whatever catches my eye or hunting through the shelves at Nordstrom rack.
I’ve been scouring the web for ethically and well produced shoes. They are few and far-between, not to mention expensive. The higher price point had me overthinking my choice to add nauseam. I bought and returned four! pairs of shoes before finally keeping the fifth pair.
I learned a few things along the way, and I thought I’d share so you don’t have to be like me! ><
1) Keep an eye out for an ideal shoe but remember no shoe is going to fully complete you or your wardrobe. Because shoes can be such an investment I fall into the trap of being convinced the shoes need to work for everything ie: chasing kids, walking around the city, dressing up, etc. That line of thinking is a trap because if you try and buy a shoe that works for everything, it will likely just be okay at all of them and not exceedingly good at any of them. Let a dress shoe be a dress shoe and a boot be a boot and a flat be a flat. Don’t try and look for the universal, all-perfect shoe. Because you’ll always be disappointed.
2) Go with your gut: don’t over-think yourself out of your decision. Do what makes your heart soar (within your budget of course). Follow your instincts. Buy the shoes that equal love at fist site. Don’t rationalize yourself into thinking something better might come along. If they are what you want and what work for you now, embrace them. Of course there will always be something better to come along, but if you keep waiting for the next better thing, you’ll never buy a pair of shoes because there will always be something “nicer” on the horizon.
3) Remember this one piece does not singularly define your style. Just because you buy loafers doesn’t mean you’re 100% preppy now, or because you picked up harness boots, you don’t have to suddenly be committed to being one hundred percent rocker-babe. Part of the beauty of personal style is that it’s nuanced. Mixing and matching pieces is how you create your own signature formula. This is true style.
4) Don’t second-guess yourself. Can you tell I am writing this advice for my personal benefit? Once you’ve worn them outside they’re yours. Unless of course you want to try to re-sell them for pennies of what you paid. Don’t waste your time or thoughts wondering if you made the right choice – time will reveal that to you. I can think of several occasions when I have second-guessed myself after a significant purchase (okay, everytime!) only to discover down the line I love it. I think I need that time of wearing/owning/using the item for a few months to begin to really “own” it. At a whole season of use I often have more fondness for items in my wardrobe because they no longer feel like something”off-the-rack,” instead they are my beloved booties, or my cozy jacket, or my go-to flannel.
On a side note, these shoes are the last of my three items I added to my wardrobe for fall. I technically added four, but the extra item was a thrifted blazer that has yet to make it into my closet because it needs to visit the dry cleaners first.
I hope you’ll find what I’ve learned helpful, and that you’re not a fretter or regretter like me. :)
xo
Outfit Details:
Love the booties! I have had good luck finding higher end shoes through eBay. I usually look for a pair that has been minimally worn, that way I save a bit of money and I am not adding to the consumerism by buying a new item. Usually they are a pair I have seen or tried on in a store. As much as I would like to buy new ethically produced items, my budget can not handle it, so this is a good compromise! I agree with not second guessing yourself…so many times I have passed up an auction on eBay only to kick myself later on.
What a great strategy Rebecca! I love this. I normally am a little unsure of second-hand shoes, but buying barely worn ones is definitely an easy choice. So smart to pre-shop them in a store first too.
Thanks for sharing this, Andrea! I’m in the throes of shoe shopping myself, and I kind of hate it.
Oh man, I kind of hated it too! :( Maybe that means I shouldn’t do it again for awhile. ;)
I feel like you’re speaking straight to my soul with this post. I constantly second-guess myself and agonize over purchases, searching for that perfect something that will go with everything and work for every occasion. It’s no wonder it’s so hard! It’s impossible and too much to expect of myself and also a shoe. Thanks for sharing this!
Soul sister! I am glad I am not alone, and you now know you’re not either! It IS impossible! And it all goes back to “slow”-fashion and slowly adding the right pieces to a wardrobe, rather than trying to do it all at once by forcing an item to be more than it was designed to be.
#1 is a really good point that I haven’t thought of, and something I agonise over a lot for most of my clothing purchases. I think my black Chelsea boots are pretty close to being an all-rounder, but at the same time I don’t have any dress codes (e.g. corporate) that I need to stick to right now.
I am also ALWAYS second guessing myself and feeling guilty. I leave tags on clothes for weeks at a time, haha! But like you say, 95% of the time I end up loving the item after all.
P.S. I have been wary of wearing my grey cardigan over my grey tops but your outfit here has inspired me to try it out!
I believe it about black chelsea boots, they are pretty great all-around shoes. (Can you hear my jealousy?)
I am totally guilty of the tag thing too! Haha!! The option to return stays in the back of my mind way too long! :) Good luck with your grey on grey – you should blog it! ;)
I did this with boots this season (and sneakers and flats actually). I returned like 7 pairs of shoes, because I kept settling and then second guessing. Crossing my fingers that the boots I just bought on ebay will be the ones.
Buying shoes remotely is extremely difficult isn’t it?! Are you familiar with Fortress of Inca? They look like they have some good options…
Hi! I think I came across your blog while searching something about white-button downs, I read a few of your posts – so great! Thank you for sharing everything you’re learning about capsules and slow fashion. What were the other brands of shoes you found that met criteria? I really want to put effort into my purchases, I wish there was a website just listing all the ethical brands…
Ok, well you can delete the previous comment. I just saw have a list of retailers on the left hand side!! THANK YOU! and after I sent that above comment I realized I had just started following you on Instagram this week! :)
Yay!! Did you find what you are looking for? So glad to have you following and a part of this community!