Can You Have Too Many Shoes? - YouLookFab Forum

Category

Shopping

About: Fewer Pairs of Shoes

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Can You Have Too Many Shoes?

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

kkards, asked this question on the post, and I'm answering it here.

FWIW, this is how I see it:

If you wear them, enjoy them, are a shoe-person, know what you have, are not overwhelmed by your selection, and most importantly, can STORE your large footwear collection in an organized way - you can have many, many pairs!

I have friends and clients with over 120 pairs of shoes, and the management of their large capsules is meticulous. They tick off the criteria listed above with ease. I don't think they have too many shoes. Some can store more.

I also have friends and clients with 15 pairs of shoes, and it's too many for them. They are overwhelmed and do better with fewer pairs.

My late Dad in the Netherlands - age 89 - had THREE pairs of shoes for many years and that was the perfect amount for him. Brown sturdy lace-ups. Black dressy lace-ups. Birkenstocks for at home. He needed absolutely nothing else.

Currently, I have about 30 pairs of shoes (live in a 4 season climate). No seasonal switcheroo. That includes two pairs of sneakers that are for doggie-beach-days only, at home slippers, snow boots, and three pairs of formal shoes that come out once a year. I can store NOTHING MORE in our small loft, and am not a shoe-person. Clutter and overflow stress me out so I'm strict about the numbers. I would do better with 25 pairs from a storage point of view. I also have a few footwear holes that need filling. I will be passing on some old worn out shoes, and less than perfectly comfy shoes too. I would like to get down to 25 pairs.

I also have 25 bags! Surprisingly, I can store them beautifully, use them all the time, and absolutely love them. I swap them out frequently. My bag is a more important part of my outfit than my shoes. I am a handbag-person!

It would be nice to have 25 bags AND go down to 25 pairs of shoes.

Yes, you can have too many pairs of shoes. There is no one number to rule them all. FIND YOUR SWEET SPOT. Mine is 25. My friend's is 125. My Dad's was 3.

Shopping

41 replies

Latest reply was from Helena

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

As I mentioned on the post, my sweet spot is 12-16. That gives me sufficient variety across multiple forms. Big caveat though—I don’t have to deal with months of snowy weather, so I’m able to get away with just one trusty pair of snow boots reserved for travel purposes. Having no need for insulated footwear allows me to run leaner than someone in a true 4-season climate.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

This is too many for me—but he’s organized! Even on the road with his shoe bag. https://youtu.be/z9Jbw6Fx3EQ

kkards

Veteran

Angie —thank you for the call out …clearly anyone who has ever looked at any of my WIWS will know that I am a shoes person. And I often shoes as the statement piece in my outfits…and given that I live in a true 4 season environment, I need a combination of shoes, boot’s, sandals, fashion sneakers, and “real sneakers”. but even I’m realizing that there is a tipping point…and I’m probably there.

cat2

Veteran

After the shoe thread, I looked at my Winter collection of flats. I have worn everything in it, except for a pair of cocoa colored shoes I forgot I had bought to match a cocoa leather purse that was a freebie. I also wore out several pairs: almost all of my navy, two pairs of black flats, and one pair of aubergine. And two burgundy pairs are on their last legs. So I am firmly in the camp of thinking it’s just fine to have my admittedly large collection. My boot and heel wear was still much lower than before the pandemic, but I always have what I need when we do get out, and have worn out a pair of my heels and a pair of boots as well.

BlueJay

Veteran

I do love my shoes! As I said on the forum, I have many pairs, they're mostly stored in shoe boxes and then stacked on a shelf, three boxes high, in the closet. In the summer, I was looking for a particular pair of shoes, and it became apparent that I was not wearing some of them as they were incredibly impractical and uncomfortable (3.5 inch strappy sandals!), some were beyond repair but I loved them (red, patent, peep toe flats), some I didn't like anymore, some I had forgotten about entirely. It was time for me to be realistic about my shoes, so I went through them all and organized and put some aside for consignment, donation and retired. I will do more in the spring as I would like them to have good homes. So, yes, five good reasons for too many shoes! It felt cathartic going through them.

Cardiff girl

Veteran

I am not sure how many shoes l have but it’s definitely around the 20 to 30 mark rather than the 130.l have a sneaking admiration for people who can sit with that number in their closet and not get stressed out!
A lot of my shoes are for practical reasons,l have wellies,walking boots ,hikers etc.l don’t have a lot of what l would call fancy shoes although l really like high heels l never have the opportunity to wear them.
l am hanging onto all my shoes though as l am a uk 51/2 and alot of retailers don’t do this size anymore.It saves me from buying alot of shoes though!

LaPed

Veteran

I'm at 16 pairs (18 if you count indoors-only slippers and shower slides) and wouldn't want to go any higher. 20 would be too many for me. In a climate with four distinct seasons and lots of precipitation, 16 pairs means I have some redundancy, but not a lot. I could go down to 12 pairs without too much trouble, but I'd lose some fun/novelty in doing so. In a warmer, dryer climate, I'd probably be happy in the 8-10 range.

Sal

Veteran

I have 25 if I include slippers, trainers, hiking shoes and rain boots! But I think if it as 20 of fashion every day pairs. This number requires swapping out boots for sandals seasonally. Sneakers get worn all year.

I am on a one in and one out system.

My heels at five pairs could be reduced - but I love them all.

My shoes last a long time because most of my walking is in trainers- so I don’t wear them out quickly.

This year I will get some EVO Birkenstocks for our travels and possibly replace one pair of boots.

Irina

Veteran

Currently I have 36 pairs. I’m more comfortable around 30 and had less than that for many, many years. 30 is more than enough for my 4 seasons climate.

I added some shoes last year after the injury. I now know that I will have to trim my boots collection as I will not be able to wear half of them.

I have around 6 pairs as the potentially Edit out selection. I do have 2 pairs shoes on my list, so maybe I will evaluate more.

pirouette

I have about 45 pairs. But I have plenty of storage and I love shoes. Thankfully I have no foot issues so it’s really easy for me to find shoes and often in sales due to small feet as small sizes are often available in sales.

LJP

Veteran

. I have many many many shoes /boots / sandals/ sneakers . Too many , I do acknowledge , and not enough storage for them . And yes , I am stressed out about this every time I open my bedroom and front hall closet doors . It’s awful , and if any of you saw it I’d be fired from the forum forever . Why do I have so many ? Well I don’t wear any one pair so often that they wear out . I never wear the same shoes more than once a week ( exception of course for outdoor winter boots which get worn almost daily ) . I like shoes , they fit me fairly easily , and to my eye can make or break an outfit . I love to update according to what’s current but then don’t get rid of much so the collection builds until it’s ridiculous . I need to figure out better storage or the thrift store is going to receive a massive box of shoes soon . I’m easily in the +100 category .

LJP

Veteran

Never mind

Anonymous

I had to count! I have 14 pairs of shoes including 2 slippers. It is a little high for my storage space. Purchased a new pair of boots and Vans last year. Some of the others need replacing and may discard more than one pair for new purchases.

Very cool to have your shoes and bags be the same number. Nice organizational tool. Maybe I will count my bags this weekend

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I’ll chime in, in the spirit of candor, and admit to a collection that’s probably around 80 pairs. I do have good storage for them, and I do switch out some of the collection seasonally — right now most sandals are packed up in the same boxes that hold tall and/or bulky boots during the summer. They are up on high shelves in my closet where I can get to them easily if I need to (for travel plans for instance), but they’re out of the way. I keep some things for a while when I don’t seem to be wearing them anymore, to be sure I’m giving them a fair shot — I’ve had one or two times I gave up something I loved right before it started trending again. I’ve also been slow to edit during the Covid years, but am now settling into my new wearing patterns so I may be willing to let go of some styles that are no longer calling me.

But this collection includes boots, booties, flats, sneakers, sandals, in a wide spectrum of casual-to-dressy. It’s nice to know I can find a shoe I love for any outfit I come up with. That’s not always been the case in my life — in my 30s I owned a collection of black shoes only, and they were pretty utilitarian.

Anonymous

I’m scared to count my shoes. They are tucked into all kinds of spaces, and I’m terrible about letting them go because I am so picky when I buy them. They aren’t something I buy impulsively, and I obsess over the smallest details and drive myself nuts during the selection process. I don’t feel like I’m at hoarder-level yet, but I’ve put myself on notice about buying new ones. Shoes have a strange power over me, it seems! It may have something to do with an austere upbringing, where we only got one new pair a year. I guess I’ve made up for that!

LaPed

Veteran

Back to say: my bag count is much smaller than my shoe count. Three cross-bodies, a couple of big canvas totes, and a smaller leather tote. I sometimes wonder if I should trim the collection down a bit because for the past few years I've really only used my biggest tote and my smallest crossbody (actually a fanny pack). I'm even less of a bag person than a shoe person! That said, I do also have four different gear backpacks (two for backpacking, one for day hiking, and one for trail running). I don't include them in the fashion inventory, but they took up a good chunk of my budget and are totally indispensable.

Tanya

Veteran

I am with Kkards and LJP, I have quite a few pairs of shoes, and not so many bags. I do have the storage space for them and wear most of the regular shoes pretty often in appropriate seasons. The ones that don't get worn often are special occasion shoes, special weather shoes (like snow boots), some old sentimental favorites and random types that I wear a lot in some years and not at all in others (e.g. espadrille wedges).

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I counted. I have 29 shoes/ boots/ sandals across all seasons, including indoor-only footwear and snow boots, hiking boots, gear runners.

19 pairs are actual "wear outside the house with an outfit" shoes or boots (vs. gear or indoor). That feels about right to me. I could eliminate a pair or two but I do enjoy footwear and don't want to go too much lower. For many years I lived like your papa and owned 3 to 4 pair of shoes, and it was a misery to me. I find that switching out my footwear helps my feet as well as my outfits, so I do want to maintain some variety.

I do switch out seasonally -- I find it helpful to do so because it's when I do my major edits. I re-evaluate items as a season begins and think about replacements (if needed).

I have 9 bags. A few I rarely use, but I'd also like a few more in different styles. The ones I don't use are clutches. I kept them because, well, who knows? I like the patterns and shapes of them. Maybe they will come into vogue again.

Shoes feel more integral to my outfits because people don't see my bags all that often since I work mostly from home. When I worked outside the home more often, and travelled more, I found bags felt more important.

Jessikams

(website)

Veteran

I have waaaaaay too many pairs, accumulated as we move from climate to climate, city to city with different lifestyle needs. Plus, I adore them from a design point of view. And I love how a shoe can really change an outfit!

Fortunately for my numbers, my dog also loves shoes. He killed 2 pairs just yesterday because I accidentally left them out

Sloper

Veteran

I have too many pairs. For many years I refrained from buying many, and was fine with a couple pairs for work, sneakers for walking, cowboy and stompy boots for fun. Then bought more during some stressful times. I don’t have good storage, so they end up buried and forgotten.
But yeah - it is possible for me to have too many.

Looking at beautiful celebrity closets and shoe storage is vicarious fun!

UmmLila (Lisa)

Veteran

Errrrr

1

MsMaven

Veteran

I counted up my shoes--around 25 pairs including shoes, boots, and sandals in boxes waiting for warmer weather.

I've never had so many shoes. It's a foot issue--shoe brands that worked well for me just a few years ago are no longer comfortable. My feet have changed and continue changing. OTOH, some of my favorite older brands have disappeared.

I'm so glad sneakers are in style. And so happy there are so many colors and varieties available!

rachylou

Veteran

I find this a difficult question. I have too many shoes for daily life and just the right amount when I’m trying to make outfits…

Bonnie

Veteran

When I moved into my present home, I had an IKEA closet put in with shoe storage for 24. It's now full with 25 pair, I tucked the extra pair under one of the shelves which is just a temporary solution since they are getting a bit squashed. Gear shoes are stored in a bench by the back door or in the car. To answer your question, I think in my case that I can have have too many pair for the space I have. However, I may be able to work out a system of switching out the sandals and boots seasonally by storing them else where. I do that with summer tops and winter sweaters. It will just take a bit of rearranging and donating which is long overdue.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

Well I checked the lists I brought on holiday and of my 37 pairs of shoes there were 6 that I did not wear in 2022. 3 had a higher heel than I now prefer, 2 were tall boots which I seem to be off for the last few years but do not want to edit out, and one is a pair that was originally bought for Art Deco but stays in my normal closet since they are actually normal shoes not vintage. I don’t like them that much but they are my only low contrast pair. If I keep not wearing they may need to go. Otherwise everything fits in my space and the other 31 pairs all got worn last year.

LJP

Veteran

Lol Lisa . Shoe sister .

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

I think 20, plus specialty things like cleats & slippers, is a good number for me
I’ve found a good use for the fashion sneaks that hurt my lower back: at my parents’ house, because it is in the kind of neighborhood that requires driving. I won’t be walking far enough there for them to have a chance to cause me pain. There’s also a pair of black ankle boots that I keep there.

Jessikams’ dog story reminds me of the yoga instructor in Florida a couple weeks ago. She was wearing boots because, she said, a client’s dog had eaten her only pair of sandals the day before and she hadn’t had a chance to buy new ones yet. That’s too much minimalism for me!

SarahD8

Veteran

I have 35 pairs of shoes. 36 if you count the extremely beat up swedish clogs sitting by the back door as "I'm just gonna run outside for a mo" shoes and 37 if you count the pair of way past their prime sandals I just left at my parents' place in Arizona to force myself to replace them this year. (Are you sensing a theme?)

In contrast I have I think 4 bags, only 2 of which I use regularly. I am a shoe gal for sure!

I think 3 dozen is about the right number for my storage space and brain but I am not sure these are exactly the *right* 3 dozen. Hm. Perhaps an edit is in order.

DonnaF

Veteran

I used to be a few pairs of (black) shoes and a bag or two gal. I now own dozens of pairs of shoes and have run out of storage space. And a few pairs I haven't yet worn which means I own too many. I also have a dozen or two (cheap) bags. One has started to peel at the top and probably others will soon -- which happens when they're not leather.

I learned somewhere (here?) that the same shoes shouldn't be worn two days in a row because they need airing out. I guess mine get a lot of air!

12