I am afraid to count, but keep them for years& I so agree:-"Footwear is really important when it comes to assembling an ensemble, and can make or break an outfit."
I have blacks, burgundy, browns, taupes and some whites for the cold season, then mainly tan+blush with some blacks and other colors (corals, fuchsia, yellow and blue) for an accent in spring/summer.
Oh and the dressy capsule is another thing of course (there I have suede and patent finished mostly of my neutrals+ 1xanimal and 1x forest green).
I repeat both styles and colors, but very rare identical -thus I always regret not buying 2 pair of my trusted ones...:-(

(ETA: --when you're done with the cheetah printed loafer, pls send it my way!:-))

He he, I am with Janet and Lisa P on the number of shoes, I have quite a few. Shoes are my weakness, like bags
are Angie’s.

In terms of your question, I tend to do a combination of both. There are certain types of shoes I wear the most (booties, low-to-mid block heel pumps, usually with ankle straps) they have a lot of, both in my usual neutrals (black, navy, light tan/bone) and some real colors. Then there are styles I wear less often (loafers, sneakers, sandals), they usually have a couple of options in: a neutral or two, one or so fun colors/metallics.

I agree, kkards: “..a larger collection means less yearly wears per pair, but more years out of each pair...”

I remember back in my 20s and early 30s when I had meager closet space and I owned a very tight collection of only black shoes. They were also cheaper than what I buy now, but they wore out fast, and I was quickly shopping for new black boots or black pumps that didn’t look shabby.

It’s a nice luxury to have shoes that last for years because they are not worn to death with daily wear. I have some boots in my closet that pre-date YLF, and some that go back to my first couple of years here. They tend to be a bit more timeless in style (either classic or so quirky as to defy trend), so I’ve happily worn them for years.

Janet, good point about quirky defying trends!

I have lots of shoes, but I keep them a long time and definitely buy into the saying "shoes can make or break an outfit", in fact I have said that many times I think boots alone I have 8 or 9 pair including tall black ones that haven't been worn in a few years but I will keep them because you never know...

I have 29 pairs of shoes and boots. This is the biggest shoe collection I’ve ever had. I walk a lot and used to work from the office 5 days a week. So, if I want my shoes to last, I need variety.
The consistent color across all styles is black. It’s my safety blanket, in any eventuality I have an appropriate pair of black shoes
I repeat styles or types but prefer to get it in different materials. For example, I have 3 pairs of pumps: black suede, dark burgundy patent leather, calf hair in leopard. Out of my 3 pairs of oxfords, two are black one is smooth leather and another one is nubuck.
I mostly buy shoes in my main colors plus a few extra for fun.

I won’t be counting either! For formal work events I keep a current set of pumps in my dark neutrals in the closet, along with a back up set in their boxes in those colors so if I ding a heel I don’t have a wardrobe crisis. I also have kitten heels and loafers in my dark neutrals and some of my accent colors, for more casual in office days. I also wear the loafers on the weekend, in rotation with ballet flats in summer and booties in winter. Other than the back-up pumps, I won’t buy a second pair in the same color with the same function (so I only have one pair of brown loafers or black booties). I also keep a set of evening shoes updated so I don’t have events where I have to buy event shoes last minute, as that is where I have ended up with the most expensive and egregious mistakes. I think that if I plan ahead, only buy brands that truly fit, and buy on sale as much as I can, I keep the spend down....

I have limited shoe space in my hallway and don't tend to wear shoes kept some other place on a regular basis. I rotate between +/- 8 pairs every season. Because I crave silhouette variety I'd say I don't repeat styles. You might say I own tall boots in black and cognac and lace-up booties in black and cognac but all pairs are quite different to my eye so that they really change up the outfit they're in. See examples below :).

My total footwear number is 24, which includes half a dozen gear shoes and seven pairs in a holding zone due to comfort issues and/or heavy wear (added links since I'm pretty proud that I'm finally using the Collections feature!).

I don't plan on getting rid of any shoes until we are post-pandemic as I don't feel I'm in a good position to assess footwear at the moment, when everything remotely public/social takes place outdoors and involves wearing gear, not "real clothes"... I'd love to re-evaluate and rebuild my smart-casual and dressy footwear capsules, but I'm waiting until those options will actually get some wear.

My silhouettes are pretty consistent: oxfords, mary-janes and sneakers for transitional; flat strappy sandals for summer; higher shaft ankle boots, both lace-up and pull-on for cold weather. Black and oxblood/burgundy dominate, with a smattering of mustard, brown, metallic, and green.

It feels like so many, but reading others' responses I realize I'm on the low end...

Well now. Currently have 85. This despite believing both that shoes help determine an outfit and that I am *not* a shoe person And despite regular purging. Number includes sandals, flats, heels, various
booties and boots and sneakers, some weather boots. Oddly, I never seem to have slippers and don't like being barefoot. For relaxation, I seem to want a high degree of support and structure. My current "slippers" are a white and a black pair of dad sneakers. Aaahhh. Flipflops don't seem comfortable to me anymore and whatever non-laceup shoes I buy going forward have to be ankle strap. This allows a somewhat roomier fit while the shoe stays on no matter what.

I am one of those people whose feet seems to change sizes with weight gain and loss. I also have fussy feet. I have had one minor bunion for maybe 15 years and two tailor bunions. Also high volume feet. I will usually purge for fit but also can't abide faux leather lining because it
starts to peel. Recently got rid of 2 pair of Easy Spirt heels that looked a little Fluevoggy, in a red and a blue, because I bought the 2d pair - second hand - before I wore the first enough to discover that the insole
was bubbling up. Aiyeee. Tried modpodging it over but didn't work. Because of open nature of mid shoe, couldn't slip an ordinary insole in lest it show glaringly. Wore for awhile with a loose leather insole I could
put in and then just got fed up with that.

I instinctively duplicate whenever I find a shoe that is comfortable, stylish in a way I want, and gives me a confident stride. So I usually have at least one duplicate that is exact, most that are in different colors. I have a lot of black, some white, some tan, some red, bit of brown, couple olive, some metallic oxfords. I have favorite brands: Waldlaufer, Fly London, Wolky, Wanted. Almost all my shoes are either part of a decades long pass along swap I belong to or purchased from the like of ebay, mercari, poshmark. I have a couple "new" retail purchases from Walmart that fit perfectly including a cinnamon colored chelsea boot and a white slim heel ankle boots. I used to buy Clarks but they don't fit as well anymore, though I have identical pair of chunky heeled black ?rubberized bottoms with a black patent pump upper. Love these and tend to think of them as my dress shoes.

One of my very favorites is this vintage pair of Coralie French oxfords that are multicolored. Can't say they have any special padding or support but they go with "everything". In fact, when I found this photo, I clicked to see what size and how much they were in order to duplicate but they were sold already.

Since I love thrifting, I own lots of shoes...more than 50 for sure.
Sneakers, platforms, ankle boots, heels, sandals.
Recently I bought a pair of combat boots from Roc boots Australia and a pair of buffalo London

I currently have 22 pairs of shoes with space for two more pair since my closet shelves hold 24 pair. I have a lot of sneakers, 7 low top and 3 high tops, 6 pair boots, 5 pair sandals, and 1 pair oxfords. 11 pair are black, 5 pair are white, 2 pair are blue, 2 pair are mustard, and one pair is a metallic light taupe color. I did not include my hiking boots, they live in the car or on a bench by the back door. So far I have been able to make outfits for every type of activity I've been to with this collection. I have aspirations to add a pair of Fluvogs but I'll wait until I can shop their store in person. I keep thinking I also need red sneakers but which red? I've only duplicated the chucks and the Cole Hann sandals in black and white are close in style. I'm more of a top/topper person than a shoe person but I do like shoes, too.

I had a eureka moment today...!
When I am going from point A to point B, and point B is indoors, I reach for a *totally* different shoe than if I am going to multiple places, or otherwise walking around v. staying put.

@ nemosmom - when form follows function!

Love your shoe collection, bonnie

Ohhhhh. This subject makes me want to cry.... because I'm a "shoe person" and own a lot of them, and wear a lot of them (because I usually walk so much) and this year because of my injury, I've hardly been walking, and because of the pandemic, I've hardly been anywhere, so I'm hardly wearing anything but my indoor shoes -- not shown in this collection.

This is the current winter collection including gear, minus my sole pair of pretty pumps, which really are unrealistic for right now.

I haven't worn most of these this year more than once or twice.

Seriously.

You can see a pattern, though. I repeated a bootie style I found particularly wearable 4 times! I like the heel height, the toe shape, and the waterproof nature of that Blondo bootie. Sadly, I've barely worn any of those this year. Having said that, all versions got a lot of wear last year and the year before, and unless styles change substantially, I anticipate at least another year from each pair.

Several of the booties/ boots that look black are actually blue or burgundy. But I do own two black booties -- a casual Blundstone and a less casual Blondo.

I think the word "waterproof" is most meaningful to me now (apart from style) when it comes to winter footwear. I love the Paul Greens but they are not waterproof -- so guess what? I wear them a ton in fine weather, but in wintery conditions, they don't get much wear.

White shoes and sneakers dominate my wardrobe. Most of it is just that!

Then there's blush, red and yellow. Here are all my shoes excluding a pair or rubber wellies and snow boots. I don't need workout shoes so I don't have any of those.

Wonderful plaid boots, Suz!

Adore the sandal clogs, JAileen!

Not sure I want to say. Maybe 35 before I began my recent evaluation. As much as I have loved certain pairs, my feet now differ with me and have their own opinion. I've been saying a sad goodbye to shoes that were once favorites. My much loved black patent AGL, (just under $400 5 years ago!) while in good shape, have grown mysteriously small through the toe box. Worn to dressy dinners and like occasions, they now are awaiting donation. My formerly narrow feet are spreading out through the ball of the foot and my toes apparently don't get along now because they can't stand to be squished together these days.

If a shoe works I often buy it in different colors, but lately I find that while a pewter leather works well, the same style in black isn't so great. I hope the stiffer leather loosens up over time. I did buy a shoe stretcher, which helped a couple of pairs.

Within the last couple of weeks I have assigned 5 pairs in good shape to the donate bag and almost that many have been tossed because although they've given good service to me, they are worn out. Mephisto sneakers and all kinds of Munros worked for me, now most of them have had to go.

Sneakers are not an easy solution for me: I have arthritis in the top of my left foot and the metatarsal, so I can't lace them all the way up.

I once wore Stuart Weitzman's with joy, usually a 10 narrow, but those SW's below, bought and exchanged for a different size twice, still barely worked for me to make it through one wedding.

Not sure how many sandals I have--I'll work on them when it's warmer.

I expect to be have around 15 pairs when I am done. I look forward to feeling comfortable going back to the stores and trying on as many pairs as I can.

As a little girl I loved trying on my Mom's collection of great high heeled shoes. I felt sad when she reached the point where she could only wear SAS with velcro straps. I was determined that this would not happen to me.

I am afraid to count. I would have to be up there with the higher numbers, and that is after a significant cull of higher heels recently (though I've kept my Alexander McQueen heels). But I've always been a shoe person and I firmly believe that the right shoes can make an outfit. There are countless styles of shoes, so the sky's the limit as far as options.

As for duplicating color or style, I tend to duplicate color, as realistically, there are only so many colors available. When a person has north of a certain number of shoes, there is inevitably going to be some color duplication, but I've never exactly duplicated a style - except for Birkenstocks.

This is my collection:
• Lined ankle boots for winter: 1 lilac, 1 black
• Unlined ankle boots: 1 black
• Lined knee-long boots for winter: 1 black
• Unlined knee-long boots: 1 grey, 1 black
• Sneakers: 1 grey, 1 black
• Loafers/shooties: 1 teal, 1 white, 1 silver, 2 black (1 flat, leather; 1 heeled, suede)
• Ballet flats: 1 blush pink, 1 red, 1 light grey, 1 snakeskin (grey/black), 1 black
• Heeled mules: 1 navy
• Sandal shoes: 1 blue, 1 black&white
• Birks: 1 white, 1 silver, 1 navy, 1 black
• Dressy sandals: 1 white
• Heeled evening shoes: 1 silver

My ideal is to have 2 or 3 pairs in most categories--1 or 2 neutrals and 1 or 2 non-neutrals.

I've got 29 pairs, and this includes two pairs of snow boots.

I have to always be on guard not to buy too many shoes, because shoes are the only area of my wardrobe that is easy for me to buy for. I have a readily available size, and I don't have fussy feet. I also really love shoes! I would like to have more but don't have the space.

I have tried duplicating the exact same shoe in a different color, but I always wear only one color and leave the other to languish. So I have stopped duplicating in this manner. I go heavy on the neutrals (lots of black and brown) but also have a little bit of color (red, mint green, leopard). I used to have a pair of pale pink flats that were super cute, but they ended up hurting my feet, so they got purged this year.

In the past I had well over 150 pairs, but I have done major editing over the past two years. I had to run to my closet to count because I had no clue, but, all my shoes fit in my closet except my winter and hiking boots which are stored in our mud hall. I no longer need under the bed storage or to switch out my shoes to accommodate the local seasons.

1. Fashion Sneakers- 19
2. Oxford style lace up or buckle shoes- 9
3. Loafers - 4
4. Ballerina flats - 2
5. Booties- 12
6. Fashion boots (longer length) - 6
7. Casual sandals - 5
8. Shoes with heels 2” or more, including all categories, not yet counted in above-14
9. Winter boots - 4
10. Water shoes- 3
11. Hiking boots/shoes -3
12. Running sneakers - 3

My total is 85! Wow, many fewer than in the past. Not counted were my Birkies or Ugg slippers, which would add another 3 pairs for a grand total of 88. In that total are 9 that are gear.

Ms Maven, you’re mostly in flats these days, I see, but those are far from the Velcro-only boring shoes you feared. I hope you agree!

Staysfit, do you still buy shoes? I’m surprised at how many people have said they buy them secondhand; to my mind, shoes are a personal item that molds to a person’s foot, so they don’t trade well. For that reason, I think once you have as many shoes as you once did, the best thing is not to give a munch away at once, but to slowly whittle down the pack as they wear out, which seems to be what you are doing. Nice!

FashIntern-I’ve been known to sell shoes that have been worn 2 or 3 times because they were uncomfortable for me, but would be pretty much like new to who ever bought them..

Good point, kkards. I hadn’t thought of that.

Fashintern, I replace my running sneakers, but I haven’t needed to purchase any new shoes in a while. DD’s best friend takes the same size shoe as me, so she took many of my purged items that were in good condition.

Staysfit, I have a niece who wears the same shoe size as me and has similar taste, so it’s nice I can pass along some good shoes to her! Even though she is no longer a starving student (now a therapist and making good $$, yay!), it’s always nice to pick up a freebie or a good deal, and a lightly worn pair of excellent shoes is always a good score.