I know that the location of your footwear depends entirely on the space that you have at your disposal, but as far as possible try to make it easily accessible and close to a full length mirror. Even if your shoes are downstairs or away from your clothes, cross check your entire outfit before you head out. (Please get a full length mirror if you don’t already have one — I get anxious seeing people balance on top of bath tubs to see their outfits from top to toe).

I have the space to keep all my footwear together (I don’t have loads of shoes), so that’s my preference. I like seeing all shoe options when I get dressed in the morning as opposed to finishing off my outfit downstairs before I leave the house. Although I keep my footwear in one place, this isn’t essential. Some people need to swap out seasonal footwear while others like to keep the footwear that is in heavy rotation by the door while the rest lives elsewhere.

Once you’re got the location, there are several ways to organize the storage:

• Shoe racks: We place all our shoes and booties on rectangular shoe racks for maximum accessibility. My racks are positioned under hanging clothes in our walk-in wardrobe while Greg’s are in the coat closet downstairs. We don’t swap out seasonal footwear or keep more frequently worn shoes elsewhere.
• Built in shoe racks: You can also have permanent shoe racks built into parts of your home or closet.
• Closet floor: I keep mid-calf and knee-high boots in boot shapers on the closet floor.
• Over the door shoe organizer: This is a great closet floor space saving idea and holds ballet flats and sandals especially well.
• Stacking rack: I’ve seen this idea work well in a garage, kitchen or mud room.
• Hanging canvas shoe bag: Another great closet floor space saving idea. Sometimes you can fold knitwear in some of the larger cubby sections.
• Shoe cubby: This type of organization is an excellent idea if you have a wall to spare.
• Clear shoe boxes: I never understood the reason to keep shoes in boxes because they aren’t easily accessible. But the penny dropped a little while ago when I realized that boxes stack neatly when space is at a premium. So using limited space to stack shoe boxes is a better solution than creating untidy piles of shoes. Shoe boxes are also a nice way to keep shoes that don’t come out very often dust-free. Clear boxes make the most sense because you can see the shoes. Boxes that are the same size keep things neat. Shoe drawers are pricey but very practical because you pull out the drawer from the front instead of  needing to take out the box and lift off the lid.
• Under-bed shoe organizer: This is an ideal way to store off-season footwear when space is limited.

Effective footwear organization will prevent you from digging around for shoes that end up in several heaps around the house. It also keeps them looking nicer for longer. Finally, it will help to keep your footwear collection top of mind so that you actually wear your shoes and don’t waste money duplicating something that is lurking at the bottom of the pile.

How do you store footwear? Have I left anything out?

These made last year’s comfy Summer footwear selection and they still reign supreme. You just can’t beat buttery soft straps and a cushioning footbed for sandal comfort. That is, of course, if your own arches offer sufficient support — unfortunately sandals like this do not offer arch support and also can’t accommodate an orthotic.

Looks like gladiator sandals have become a mainstream basic. This is our third Summer season and there is no stopping the trend. Available in four colours, all of which look equally fab. There are no half sizes, so size down. Anyone still not into the look of the gladiators (and I don’t mean Russell Crowe)?

Style and fashion experts often encourage us to invest in stylish, high quality wardrobe items because the cost per wear whittles down to nothing when we wear them frequently and over a long period of time.

In theory I agree wholeheartedly agree with this reasoning, since I’m a less-is-more kind of gal who will save up to pay a premium price for a single killer piece that’s beautifully made. But there are also other factors that play a role in our wardrobe purchasing decisions and sometimes that big investment is not a good idea.

• Your budget: If you can’t afford to invest then you shouldn’t be spending the money.
• Your stage of life: In your teens and 20’s, investment pieces often make less sense. If your tastes and style preferences are still in flux, then experimenting with many different fashion personas is part of the fun. Shop budget brands and let the sky (and your budget) be the limit.
• Your changing body: If your body shape and size changes frequently due to weight loss or gain, or pregnancy, it makes little sense to invest in expensive items of clothing. Accessories and footwear are impacted less by body shape changes.
• Your changing mind: You might not like the idea of wearing something frequently or for several years. If you get bored with your wardrobe quickly, be careful of investing in premium pieces.
• Volatile trends: If you like the idea of a trend but aren’t sure about its longevity or its place in your style, it’s a good idea to first purchase an inexpensive version of the item to road test the look. My first pair of skinny jeans were not premium denim and my first boyfriend jacket was from Express. But after successful road testing I bought better-end versions of both items a few months later.
• The value of “premium”. Some items, like T-shirts and knitwear, never justify the expense of a high end purchase. They have a short life span no matter what, and there is often little difference in fabric and manufacture between the good mainstream brands and the expensive premium products. You really are just paying for the name.

Premium items make a lot of sense in certain situations, but in many others they don’t make sense at all. Make savvy purchase decisions, considering all the factors that play into the potential return on your investment. How much value will you get from the item each time you wear it? How frequently will you be able to wear it? For how long will you be likely to LOVE the item? How long will the item last?

Finally, if you’re in doubt, don’t do it. There is always another purchase opportunity right around the corner.

We’ve been running informal polls on the forum and blog and the results have been fun to tally. Some of them were predictable while others were very surprising. For example, I would have bet money that more people use cell phones than watches to tell the time. But judging by the responses to the poll last week, I was wrong. Team Watch was by far the favourite.

On to the next poll. I frequently wear skirts and dresses and love both items. But I definitely prefer dresses to skirts. I enjoy the simplicity of one item, the strong vertical integrity and unbroken line, AND that I can wear shorter dress styles over skinny jeans. A straight, high-necked sheath dress, either form fitting or sack-like, is one of my very favourite items of clothing in the world.  Paired with ballet flats or boots, dresses are an FFBO for my style. So I’m Team Dress all the way.

Are you Team Skirt or Team Dress? Tell us why. Hard for those who love both items equally! But you have to choose and no batting for both sides.