https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Sun, 03 May 2026 00:55:37 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story/page/2#post-289620 Mon, 31 Jan 2011 05:22:45 +0000 mamaKate 289620@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My husband is known to say, "the things you girls do for shoes!" My worst shoe stories involve hiking boots or ski boots, but I have a story like Rute's: At an interview for my second job out of grad school, I somehow ripped almost the entire length of the center back seam (about 8 inches) of my suit trousers, just as I was checking in with the receptionist. She must have seen in my face that something was terribly wrong, so she asked whether I needed to use the restroom. I said yes, and do you have a few safety pins? Magically she did (only 2) and I spent the next 5 minutes placing them as strategically as I could. The receptionist was then kind enough to advise me whether there was any gaping when I walked, since my suit jacket was short! It was a cheap suit and my underwear would definitely have been showing! She said no, but I never knew if she lied or not. The men must not have noticed because I did get offered the job (although I accepted a different one.) Needless to say, that suit did not live to see another job interview! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story/page/2#post-288629 Sat, 29 Jan 2011 18:23:01 +0000 catgirl 288629@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thank you all for humoring me! Such well-told horror stories! Maya, there are women here who do that as well, and sometimes in open-back or open-toed stiletto shoes. Heck, the teens even wear flip-flops in winter sometimes. I can't imagine how they walk without getting direct snow-to-skin contact. SHUDDER. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story/page/2#post-288609 Sat, 29 Jan 2011 17:55:41 +0000 Diana 288609@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ha! Maya, your story reminds me of a former coworker of mine who swore up and down that the best shoes to wear in the snow and ice were stiletto boots because the heels acted like spikes in the ice. Ummm... yeah... she got stuck a lot and still slipped all over the place. My good friend lived on the same street as her, and whenever they would walk home together, my friend would complain about how it had taken her twice as long to get home as normal because stiletto girl had to walk sooooo slowly! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story/page/2#post-288602 Sat, 29 Jan 2011 17:41:20 +0000 Maya 288602@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ugh ugh ugh! Yesterday on the way home from work I saw a girl tottering around in a pair of tan 5" stiletto laceup booties. Keep in mind we are still recovering from Wednesday/Thursday's big storm. The snow is melting and flooding certain streets (there is a huge un-passable puddle on 5th ave that has affectionately been dubbed "The Lake") and there is slush and patches of ice everywhere. She was with 2 guys who had to walk probably half as fast as they usually walk so she could keep up with them, and every time she came to a patch of ice or slush, she would cling desperately to one guy or the other. It was such an awkward and painful dynamic to watch. On top of that, even when she was on solid ground, she could not seem to straighten her knees. </p> <p>To add insult to injury, she didn't even look good. She had her pants cuffed mid-calf, exposing her white athletic socks. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story/page/2#post-288577 Sat, 29 Jan 2011 16:29:05 +0000 bella 288577@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I should add that my poor mom has very fussy feet. At one time, she actually had a condition (I can't remember the name) that caused her to get sudden, unpredictable pain that caused a burning sensation in her toes which made it impossible for her to tolerate any type of shoe. Needless to say, during that time we concluded many excursions by my mom having to buy a cheap pair of flip flops just to be able to walk back to our transport or hotel. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story/page/2#post-288575 Sat, 29 Jan 2011 16:21:31 +0000 Kari 288575@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh! I do have a memory that involves crummy shoes, but it wasn't really the shoes' fault in this case.</p> <p>I was a bridesmaid for a friend's wedding, and the groom's mother kindly paid for the bridal party to get manicures or pedicures. It was at a mall I hadn't been to before that has a large, open parking lot without many landmarks - just a series of long, un-numbered rows.<br /> Well, I cannot keep polish on my fingers chip-free to save my life, so unwisely I opted for a pedicure - unwise only because I'd never had one before, and I have TERRIBLY ticklish feet, so the whole procedure (except for the part where they actually painted my nails) was really pretty excruciating. Being my first pedicure, I also hadn't got the memo that you were supposed to bring your own thong sandals to wear after the appointment, so they gave me a pair of those flimsy foam thong sandals to wear out to my car - which SHOULD have been fine.</p> <p>So I leave the mall and start heading back to my car. And it's not there. I walk down the next row in the area where I thought I'd parked - still not there. It escalated to the point where I was walking up and down rows in these flimsy foam shoes pressing the "lock" button on my keypad in the hopes that my car would honk at me, and I was getting terribly lost and starting to wonder if my car had been stolen. And it was also one of those rare days where it was about 85 degrees. Well, after a few minutes of this, the flimsy temporary shoes ripped in half so I ended up walking around barefoot in the parking lot until I finally, FINALLY found my car. Needless to say, the pedicure was totally ruined by that point! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story/page/2#post-288573 Sat, 29 Jan 2011 16:19:45 +0000 bella 288573@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My mother has a pretty funny story, and she's such a good sport, she wouldn't mind my telling it here. </p> <p>My mother has limited closet space for her shoes so she rotates them. At the beginning of each summer, she puts away her winter boots and takes out the summer sandals from the storage. Early last summer, the whole family went to my nephew's swimming competition. My mom put on her cork slides which were seeing the light of day for the first time that year. Throughout the event, she started commenting that her shoes were feeling like they were coming a little loose but she couldn't quite figure out what was wrong. Finally, towards the end, the sole of one pair practically ripped apart into two! My guess is that the cork had been somehow damaged due to humidity, temperature change, etc. My mom had to practically limp to the car, dragging her right foot behind her, since she didn't dare lift it from the ground.:) It was a pretty funny scene. My mom has a good sense of humor, though, so she found it as amusing as we did.:) </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story/page/2#post-288570 Sat, 29 Jan 2011 16:14:37 +0000 Kari 288570@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm not sure I have one story that stands out as being particularly disastrous, but I have numerous memories of wearing shoes that ended up chewing holes into my feet. One such example was at work a couple years ago, where I was helping out at a company event. For some reason, the reasonably comfortable Nine West pumps I was wearing became incredibly uncomfortable that day, and started rubbing "hot spots" on the side of my pinkie toe within an hour. I had to duck out during my lunch break to run down to the nearest place that sold open toe shoes, since by that time I had open sores on both of my feet and could not possibly wear closed-toe shoes.<br /> I also used to have a lot of trouble with my hiking boots, which were actually pretty expensive shoes. For some reason they made the boots with a thick seam running horizontally at the back of the ankle, which never failed to create enormous blisters when I wore them. After years of failure to combat blisters with moleskin and other blister-preventative treatments, I took them to REI, who suggested that I use SmartFeet inserts to see if slightly changing the height of my heel inside the shoe would relive the pressure. Amazingly, it actually worked! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story#post-288548 Sat, 29 Jan 2011 14:44:02 +0000 Kristine 288548@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Well, I can't think of a specific horror story so I'll tell you about my love affair with a pair of knockoff Uggs. It was probably 2003 or 2004, Uggs were just starting to become popular. I found a pair of pink knock-offs at Target (this was when pink and baby blue were everywhere). I loved them, I wore them all the time! </p> <p>Fast forward a few years. The pink had gotten dingy and I was tired of them. They were still super comfortable, so I decided to PAINT them. Yes, it's true, I painted my $15 knock-off Uggs. I had a weird phase in my style where I modified things all the time. It could be creative and fun but sometimes it went a little far. </p> <p>Over time I realized how ridiculous it was and decided to find a new pair. I bought at least two or three pairs then returned them because they weren't as comfortable. It was only last year when I finally forced myself to put them in the garbage and bought a pair of scuff slippers. I still kind of miss them. Uggg! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story#post-288280 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 23:15:15 +0000 April 288280@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My college boyfriend took me to Atlantic City to go to the casinos, and I dressed up because I thought casinos were glamorous places. (BWAH HA HA HA. Let's just say that AC is hardly Monte Carlo...) </p> <p>Anyway, I wore spike-heeled pumps -- this was back in the days when I could wear such things without much problem. Except I didn't realize that in Atlantic City, you get from casino to casino by walking down the boardwalk. The boardwalk -- where the boards have spaces between them that are exactly wide enough for a stiletto heel to slip down into. My heels kept wedging into the cracks between the boards, wrenching my ankles. </p> <p>Here's the thing, though. This was such a common problem that there were vendors all along the boardwalk selling these little things that looked like large ping pong balls with a hole in one side. You were supposed to slip your spike heel into the hole, and the size of the ball would keep you from falling between the boards. </p> <p>I don't remember if we bought a pair of those little devices -- I think I was undecided as to whether I would look like a bigger idiot sinking into the boardwalk or walking around with ping pong balls on my heels. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story#post-288186 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 21:30:34 +0000 RoseandJoan 288186@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>All I need to say is it involved a student (me) a dicso (of the grungy variety) a broken heel (on my first pair of stilettos) and no money for a taxi home. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story#post-288140 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 20:26:01 +0000 Becky 288140@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>When my college roommate got married, she asked me to be a bridesmaid, and I happily agreed. She took our measurements and had gorgeous green velvet dresses with taffeta trains custom made for us (it was a Christmas wedding). She also asked for our shoe sizes and purchased green velvet 3-1/2" stilettos for each of us. (I'm a flats girl, and rarely wear a heel over 1-1/2" and never over 2". Adding to the problem: I wear an extra-wide width, but these shoes didn't come in anything but medium, so I squeezed my EEs into a B, but not without pain.) Only a few minutes into the ceremony, I could tell things were going from bad to worse as my feet began screaming in pain and then became almost numb. I seriously considered leaning back against my groomsman escort (who was standing behind me), but he was only an acquaintance, and I was afraid he'd be so surprised that he would drop me! In the end, I toughed it out, but literally ripped those shoes off my feet at the back of the church as soon as I was out of sight of the congregation. Oh, the things we do for our friends! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story#post-288051 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 18:12:56 +0000 Lynne 288051@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I showered after biking to work one day then dressed to discover I'd packed one navy pump and one black....I stayed at my desk ALL day... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story#post-288033 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 17:49:58 +0000 Isabel 288033@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>B'sM, oh that is awful, blame the doorman !!</p> <p>At least your shoes matched your dress ; 0</p> <p>One of my sisters-in-law bought a killer pair of platforms one year while I was visiting ( and I was 8 months pregnagnt ) . She decided to throw the ball for her dog wearing her new shoes, afterall she was just standing there, but somehow she fell off the platforms and broke her leg.....leaving a gigantic me to haul her into the house and onto the couch and ice her down and eventually take her to the ER. It must have been a very comical sight...though there was no one there to see it except the dog - who was standing there with the ball in her mouth looking VERY confused. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story#post-288003 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 16:55:15 +0000 biscuitsmom 288003@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>We went to the Mn Orchestra Hall to see Bernadette Peters earlier this fall and it was a rare occasion to dress up...I had a pretty knee length dress that I knew fit, but neglected to find the right bra to wear with it till it was time to go and of course with the right bra the dress gaped at the bust so I had to wear a pin to hold it closed correctly and thought well at least my new shoes are good...not quite. I need to use a cane (or walker if I go far) and my DH dropped me near the door and went to park and the nice doorman was watching me and holding the door for me to enter and as I walked up my foot slipped out of the shoe, I turned my ankle and fell flat on my ass! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story#post-287999 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 16:52:07 +0000 Isabel 287999@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Like Rute, my stories are mostly clothes related. But, like Maya, I have a couple of other people's stories that affected me :</p> <p>I few years ago, a local farmer allowed an anti-gang group that I volunteered with , to let us have a day at his farm with the teenagers in the group. I brought my children. My daughter was 3. After she ran around screaming at the animals, she ran back to me for me to pick her up. Well, her shoes were covered in dog poop and it got ALL OVER my dress !!! The farmer's wife had to give me clothes...and our sizes and styles couldn't have been more different. The kids laughed all day at me ! Quite a way to get a gang member to lighten up ! And I am sure that I smelled like poop the entire time. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story#post-287990 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 16:42:34 +0000 Diana 287990@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh my goodness, all of your poor poor feet!</p> <p>My worst shoe story does not actually involve foot pain, but it is the primary reason why I refuse to ever buy Aldo shoes again. I used to have these awesome red leather Aldo ankle boots with a big chunky heel and a bit of a platform. The heel and sole were fairly heavy and solid, and, as I found out, molded all as one piece. Well, I was walking around with some friends in the city when I noticed a flapping feeling under one of my feet. I looked down to discover that the entire back half of the sole, including the heel, of one of my boots had come detached and was flapping around every time I took a step! It was really annoying, not to mention dangerous when you are walking around on Boston cobblestones with the heel and sole of your shoe dangling off the bottom! I ended up having to ditch my friends and take a cab home before I wiped out on the sidewalk!</p> <p>Most embarrassing shoe moment: tie between flinging a clog halfway across a restaurant when I swung my legs, and getting a skinny heel stuck in a subway grate and having to yell at my friends to stop while I spent a few minutes trying to extract it. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story#post-287977 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 16:17:43 +0000 morethanbeige 287977@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I went to the Inaugural Ball 2009. I was so excited and actually bought a dress for the occasion. I wore some "already broken-in shoes" -- they weren't 8 hour shoes by any stretch, but I thought they would be ok for one exciting evening where I would be so focused on the festivities! It was freezing out and we ended up having to walk quite a way outdoors just to get to and from the car. On the way back to the car my feet were screaming in pain. I wanted to take my shoes off and just walk barefoot, but it was so cold, that would have involved more pain. There was another woman walking right by us in the same situation. We bonded over foot pain! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story#post-287975 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 16:13:51 +0000 Tricia 287975@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I was 15 and got my first pair of long-coveted Doc Marten oxfords for Christmas. They were the right size, but they were very stiff leather. A few days later I wore them for the first time to go to the mall with my boyfriend, and neither of us could drive yet so we walked - probably about two miles from my house to the mall. By the time we were halfway home, I had blisters so bad I could barely walk. My boyfriend had to half-carry me the rest of the way.</p> <p>Those shoes did break in beautifully later on and I wore them for years until they almost fell apart, but I can still remember how badly that hurt. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story#post-287971 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 16:04:45 +0000 kellygirl 287971@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I've definitely had my share of blisters and foot pain but I can't recall any specific instance. I do remember the first time I wore pointe shoes. I think I gave up after 3 months. No amount of moleskin or lambswool was ever going to make that kind of pain bearable. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story#post-287931 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 15:23:41 +0000 rute 287931@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>hum.. I don't have any horror shoe story.. I have one with pants.. Long time ago I was at the office and my pants ripped off.. I could see my underwear .. luckly I had a long coat that I couldn't take off the rest of the day! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story#post-287925 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 15:06:20 +0000 Lisa 287925@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I tried to be a smart packer and packed two pairs of shoes (ballet flats) for a trip to London that involved a lot of walking. Well I forgot socks or foot peds and my feet sweat all the time. After the first two hours, my feet were sloshing around so much I had multiple blisters. Eventually I had to purchase knee high socks with crazy patterns to wear with the shoes to buffer the sweat and now blood. And I was wearing a dress. To say the pink/yellow/red/black/green/blue knee high socks clashed with a printed white and navy dress is an understatement. I felt like an idiot but my feet were in so much pain I didn’t care. I spent the rest of the day like that until we found a place where I could purchase a new pair of shoes and SOCKS! There are not many chances to shop non souvenir items when on a walking tour of the popular sights. And for every photo we took, I would remove the socks so you couldn't see them. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story#post-287822 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 08:02:29 +0000 Sally 287822@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>The worst is the last one I can remember. I went clubbing for the first time in years earlier this year. I wore my strappy silver sandals which i had only wore once before years ago. Anyway after an hour on the dance floor, I realised the only thing that was going to make me go home early was the shoes! The music was great, and the place was great my body was willing but my feet ached like anything and I had blisters the next day. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story#post-287817 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 07:40:46 +0000 Theresa 287817@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Goodness Gracious you gals have some stories!</p> <p>My most memorable moment was New Years Eve 2009/2010...</p> <p>I went to an NYE ball, (not a real ball, basically just an alcohol-filled party where everyone dressed in cocktail wear). I wore peeptoe shoes that I had worn once or twice before, and they hurt my big and little toes.</p> <p>So on the night I wrapped my big and little toes in bandaids and off I went... well, several hours of me bopping around and being on my feet ended up with my little toe on the right bleeding and very unhappy.</p> <p>A few weeks/months later, the toenail on that little toe actually fell off!!! I must have done some serious damage to the nail bed. It took forever before I could wear closed in shoes on that foot after NYE, and then once the nail fell off it was another long time! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story#post-287795 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 06:25:33 +0000 catgirl 287795@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oooh, sending sympathy to all fellow shoe disaster sufferers. My U2 debacle is the reason I wore FLATS to the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party. Grrrr. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story#post-287781 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 05:22:04 +0000 Steph 287781@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Two years ago I decided that I should try to buy a casual shoe that had a wedge, but something low (for me), so I found a pair of Keds "skimmers" with a two inch wedge heel. The soles were rubber, so I figured they would be very comfortable. I wore them for the first time when my parents came to town to sightsee. We walked the sites of DC's National Mall, which is several miles long, and I realized that the shoes were rubbing into my feet and giving me blisters. After about five hours of getting blisters, I could tell my feet were bleeding. Luckily, my mom and I wear the same shoe size, so we swapped shoes so my feet could have a break. Unfortunately, she had been wearing running shoes all day. This was good, because they were comfy on my feet, but bad because I hate the look of running shoes with a pair of jeans. </p> <p>I ended up giving my mom the shoes, and she still wears them. Humorously enough, my mom and I also went on a vacation together to California and while walking around Beverly Hills her sandals started hurting her feet, so we switched shoes at that point as well. It's great to have a mom who wears the same shoe size! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story#post-287780 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 05:04:17 +0000 Melissa 287780@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Aida, that's terrible! Here's hoping your feet recover.</p> <p>Like Maya, I find it hard to pick just one. Oh, the things we do for shoes.</p> <p>I will go with my very first tale of shoe horror. Back in the day, when I was just starting out in my career (I was just a teenager at the time), I had to attend a show where my firm had a booth. At the time, I wanted desperately to be taken seriously despite my youth in an old boys club atmosphere, and for some reason I decided that I absolutely had to have sky-high heels on to look professional.</p> <p>As it turned out, the show was held in a building that is literally a quarter mile long. Not only did I have to be on my feet for 12 hours/day, but I was also running around the building all day. I must have walked miles in my ridiculous heels, and by the end of the day I thought I'd die. When we left for the night, I had to beg my boss to get us a cab to go the six blocks back to the hotel because I couldn't take another step.</p> <p>I wear more practical shoes now, but the truth is that my feet still hurt after 12 hour days on concrete. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story#post-287736 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 03:19:22 +0000 catgirl 287736@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Aida, are you sure it wasn't your FEET that got broken in? OUCH! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story#post-287728 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 03:09:10 +0000 Dusty 287728@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hmmm.....hard to choose between these two, so I'll just do both - one fashion related and one not.</p> <p>Fashion first. Hubby got me tickets to see Wicked in Chicago for my birthday 3 years ago and we took the train up. It was January, but not too cold so we walked from the train station to the theater district. We had lunch and then had a few hours to kill so we walked around, went to the show and then walked back to the train station to catch our train home. It's just under a mile from the station to the theater, not including the other walking around we did. Oh, yeah, did I mention I was 8 months pregnant and had the bright idea to wear my knee high boots with 3" heels? I'd walked in them before and they'd been fine, but sitting on the train for 3 hours made my feet swell and by the time we got back to the train station, I was ready to *cry*. </p> <p>Number 2: I used to do a lot of theatre (I haven't in almost two years, but I probably will again). In college I was in a musical review of Carol King's music. One night as I walked on stage for the beginning of act 2, I slipped going down the stairs and broke the heel off one of my shoes. They found an extra pair of shoes backstage and brought me one to put on the next time I went off-stage. It was 2 or 3 sizes too small, so they only brought one, but the heel on that one was an inch or so shorter than the heel on the one I was already wearing. It's a little hard to dance with uneven heels, so they gave me the other small one at the next chance. I finished the act, dancing, in shoes 2 sizes too small. My feet were screaming at me by the end! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-tell-your-worst-shoe-story#post-287707 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 02:37:31 +0000 MsMaven 287707@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I was a freshman in college and I wanted to apply to be a reporter for the school newspaper. I was wearing Keds (like everyone else then) and I took a well-trod short cut across the lawn, only I accidently stepped into a little hole where the sprinkler head sat. It was full of muddy water. I went to the restroom and tried to clean up, then I walked to the student union where the newspaper office was. My shoe squeaked and squished every time I stepped on it. I was so embarrassed--I was a lowly naive freshman--but I charged ahead to talk to the editor, who gave me an assignment.</p> <p>Later I decided I didn't want to be a journalist after all, but it wasn't because of the shoes.</p> <p>Years later my sister, DH and I were in my home town because my father had broken his hip. We went to dinner, drank some wine, then some more wine, then decided to visit the old campus. I had never told anyone that story, but I did that night. </p> <p>When I saw this thread, that is the first thing that popped into my mind. </p>