Is this a wardrobe hole? - YouLookFab Forum

I live in a cold state with lots of winter. I currently have 3 pairs of black booties, but one pair gets worn a ton. The other two pairs are not nearly as comfortable or as sure footed (we have no carpeting in our building, and the wet slush can make the floors slick. So can spilled coffee!)

The three I have are:

#1 - Eccos

#2 - Taryn Rose

#3- BCBG

I had the BCBG resoled as I slipped and fell in them at work. The new soles make them more stable, but they are nowhere near as comfortable as the Eccos. I am disappointed in the Taryn Rose ones as they are also nowhere near as comfortable as the Eccos and are only slightly more comfortable than the BCBG.

Is comfortable black booties a wardrobe hole? Or is having one pair you wear a lot just par for the fashion course?

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12 years ago

Astrid

Veteran

Do you have any outfits where you would prefer #2 or #3 but settle for the Eccos because of comfort? If yes, I'd say you need a comfortable dressier option.

April

If you wear one pair of comfortable black booties to death, you probably do need another pair. I have several pairs and like them for different things: two are completely flat, one has a 1.5" heel, one has a more casual lining that peeks out at the top and is only great with jeans, etc.

The Taryn Roses are *so*pretty but if they're not comfortable, that's a total dealbreaker.

MuseumGal

I have read several places that you should not wear the same pair of shoes 2 days in a row, both for the sake of your feet and for shoe longevity. So if you are wearing your one pair of comfy booties that frequently, then I'd say, yes, it is a genuine wardrobe hole.

Emily

Hmm. Do you still wear the other two pairs somewhat regularly?

I live in a climate with serious winter. I wear my flat leather booties about twice as much as any other pair but that's okay with me because I wear the other pairs a lot, too, with appx equal frequency to each other. I have 7 pairs total - two pairs tall leather boots, two flat booties, two heeled booties, and a pair of gear boots.

I'd say if you want to try a different colour or style maybe look for another super comfortable pair. But otherwise, as long as you are happy with your selection and feel like they get adequate time to dry between wears, no rush for another flat black pair.

Gigi

I think it depends on how uncomfortable we're talking. Are we talking minor discomfort or all-out pain? Have you tried insoles to relieve some of the pressure?

Are there short engagements that you could wear the less comfy booties to, outside of wintertime so that slipping isn't an issue?

I have a very practical side and so like to try to get my money's worth out of something before I get rid of it. So I wear my more uncomfortable purchases for shorter engagements where there isn't much walking. And I also have played around a lot with insoles and even different types of socks. So I'm speaking purely from a practical point of view here, of trying to get your money's worth.

unfrumped

i think comfort is addictive and also relative. You don't know how uncomfortable something is until you've tried, ahhhh! Or vice versa.
So you may have a new comfort-bar.
I don't know about rules but I like to let most of my footwear have 24 hrs between wears if possible--but nobody's keeping count. So I'd expect to have at least 2 pairs of footwear on the go for any given week (weather-dependent as to which ones are in rotation), and more for style or color options is great, too.
So if it isn't prudent to wear the other 2 pairs to work regularly for significant stretches of time, when the weeks are not interrupted by happier weather days when it is fine to wear the others, then it seems you could look for something that ticks all the right boxes.

(website)

I'm not sure a hole is the right word. Maybe you are needing to upgrade your black booties collection. This is akin to having 3 pair of jeans that fit okay (maybe one is too low or the other too light a wash, etc) vs one killer pair that is perfect in every way. Why have 3 pairs that aren't quite doing it?
If you wear one pair a ton and feel a second pair would be worthwhile, I'd oust the other 2 to make room and simplify your closet to what you are really wearing.

Jules

I've gotten more into owning multiple pairs of shoes/boots since ylf (used to very minimal). But I still see some value to wearing the ones I love a lot while I love them, and buying a new pair either when something strikes my fancy or I really need to. Do you *want* another pair of black booties? Sounds like it will be a bit of a hunt anyway to get something more comfortable than what you have.
I don't buy that shoes need to rest, I suspect they wear out by total days of wear and not exponentially faster due to frequency.

Thistle

I do wear the other two from time to time, but they require more effort on my part. Especially in winter. And I am much more cognizant of them during the day, especially from a comfort standpoint. They are not uncomfortable, per se, it's just that the Eccos are soooo comfy I have to consciously pick one of the other pairs. If that makes sense. I reach for the Eccos all the time. The others require more effort. And yes, I do settle for the Eccos from time to time when I would prefer something more ladylike. Fortunately, you usually can't see the hardware on them with my pants.

Perhaps insoles would be in order. It would be a relatively inexpensive way to get some life out of relatively new booties.

And honestly, I think part of it is the dank epochs of winter. Anything fashion becomes harder. The BCBGs were partially purchased to go with skirts and dresses. Which won't see life for quite sometime!

Mary Beth (formerly LBD)

I consider it a hole, if one pair is seeing wear again and again, and the other two are far behind on the 'fallback's list. I think it is very good for your feet to rotate shoes on a regular basis. But I would try insoles first.

I'm in the rotating school camps; I always bring at least 2 pairs of equally comfy shoes on a trip so that I'm not wearing the same ones back to back! So if you don't have any other winter and work appropriate comfortable shoes that you're wearing regularly, you probably have a wardrobe hole. If on the other hand you do have such shoes, they're just not black ankle booties, you're probably set.

rachylou

I think it's a hole too, in the Deepest Darkest Winter capsule.

Diana

I agree with MuseumGal about not wearing the same pair of shoes 2 days in a row. It's better for the shoes AND for your feet, especially if they are fussy. I notice a significant decrease in comfort in pretty much ALL of my shoes if I wear them for a second day in a row since all shoes (no matter how comfortable) still produce certain pressure points on your feet. Switching shoes changes the pressure points.

So I'd call it a hole if you are wearing the Eccos more than once every other day...

Angie

Fashion Stylist

As Queen Fussy Feet, I echo Diana.

And in your climate, we never have enough comfy and warm boots.

Jaime

I think shoes you are aware of all day are too uncomfortable. You need another comfortable pair that you can pop on as thoughtlessly as the Eccos.

shiny

If it were me, I'd totally duplicate the Ecco's. A second pair in black so you can rotate, and if they are offered in another color, get that too.

Then donate the other two pairs since it doesn't sound like you are wearing them all that much, and I don't see all that much difference between the three styles, as far as fashion holes go. Seems to me you filled a hole with three different options and the Ecco's won, hand's down.

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