This post is kind of a 2-in-1: analyzing which shoes I wore the most this spring/summer, with special focus on shoes newly bought this year, as well as editing them out. There will be a similar post for booties+boots=fall/winter shoes later, minus the wear analysis. A third shoe post I am leaving for much later one will deal with my huge shoe holding zone I am dreading dealing with

As I mentioned in my bag post, I am a shoe gal. I have realized a couple of years ago that nothing can elevate a simple outfit like a pair of trendy shoes. My feet are also fairly fussy and can not handle heels higher than 2.5", though for special occasions I can go a bit higher, especially if we are talking wedges, my favorite types of shoes. I live in the four-season climate and need lots of different types of shoes.Thus, I have lots of shoes and will not be listing them all here, just some of the more important ones.

My work dress code does not allow for open-toed shoes, so even in the summer I tend to wear oxfords, loafers, dressier closed-toe ankle strap shoes and occasionally sneakers. Thus here I will analyze all my shoes that are not boots, excluding the holding zone. I have purged 5 very old pairs of various shoes and 4 pairs of sandals.

1. Sandals :
My relationship with sandals is complicated: I love them and it is sandal weather here at least 4 months of the year, but due to the work dress code restriction I can only wear them in evenings/weekends, and sandals are pretty much all I wear at those times. I do not shop for sandals every year, I haven't bought any new pairs neither this nor the previous summer. My sandal shopping happens in spurts - some summers I will realize that my collection is starting to look not-so-current, so I go on a spree and buy a whole bunch in the trendiest possible shapes and then they serve me for at least couple of years. After purging 4 very old pairs, I am left with 12, 6 from summer 2014 and 6 older. I have attached the 6 from 2016 in the first two rows of finds. The first row are the ones I have been wearing most often, with bone gladiator pair the MVP. I think that next summer, 1-2 new pairs are in order.

2. Shoes bought this season:
I went on a bit of spree this season in bought 8 new pairs (previous summer, 2015, I only got two new pairs). Finds #7-#14 show them, and #15 and #16 (coral flats and pearl grey sneakers) are from 2015. The silver TopShop and blush lace-ups were bought full price, an extreme rarity for me; the denim lace-ups and white Charles David on ridiculous clearance before the beginning of the season, about $15 each, and the other 4 pairs at typical sale these days, 30-40% off. I didn't count wears, but I have a fairly good idea of them. I am guessing that 4 pairs (baby blue oxfords, blush-lace ups, both white pairs) were worn a lot, at least 25 times; the navy AT ankle-straps got medium wear (between 10-25), and silver TopShops, denim lace-ups and orchid flats were worn less than 10 times.

3. Other often worn shoes which are 2014 or older were my white Munro loafers, lace slip-on sneakers, black/white and taupe snakeskin tiny wedge ankle-straps, silver, rose gold and bone oxfords, black triple-strap small block heels.

4. Since I was doing an internship, my three pairs of dressier pointy wedges (black, nude, light grey) got quite a bit of wear too.

5. A beloved pair of low black wedge with pointed toes and metal toe-cap has died due to 4 years of extensive wear. First two years it was worn often in regular outfits, the following two multiple times a week to and from dance practices where we usually wear all black most of time. I need to find a replacement, either early this fall or next spring.

6. I wore my two pairs of navy flats, oxfords and slipper flats, moderate amount. They would have gotten much more wear if their shapes were a bit trendier.

7. My dressy shoes: Okalas in black and burgundy and the new silver Jolenes did not get much wear, but are great to have for whenever I need them.

Some conclusions:

1. It looks that I am moving away from light tan/taupe (which bookends my dark blonde hair) to off-white/cream/bone as my preferred summer light neutral. I don't know if that is Angie's influence, the fact that bone works almost as nude with my super pale skin or something else, but there it is. I was nervous about getting the second pair of white ankle straps, but both got tons of wear, one served as a heel and the other as a flat, one more cream and the other bright white. My white loafers and bone oxfords also got tons of wear. It looks like it is good for me to always have these four: loafers, oxfords, dressier flat and dressier small heel in this color family.
2. Beside white, my main neutrals for summer seem to be silver and navy, as well as a little black.
3. I really enjoyed wearing blush and pale blue shoes too. I don't know if that was because they were really trendy colors or because they went well with my wardrobe, but it's good to keep in mind.
4. Moving from colors to shapes, oxfords and loafers seem to be the backbone of my lab shoe wardrobe. I haven't gotten any new ones in the last couple of years, so an updated version of each next summer is probably in order. For oxfords, a small platform a bit higher in the back is probably the way to go.
5. I enjoy having a couple of pairs of updated sneakers and while they do not get tons of wear, they are always good for when my feet feel tired. Same holds for a small capsule of dressy shoes for special occasions - good to have when they are needed. Thus I am glad I got the silver Jolenes despite them getting little wear.
6. The only shoe I regret buying this summer are the orchid BR flats. It seems that very flat shoes without much support/padding do not get worn much, even if otherwise comfy. Also, I am moving away from the whole concept of "pop of color" in shoes. I had similar experience with coral flats from last summer, though those were worn much more because they were comfier. So, I need to stay away from very flat and "pop of color" shoes next summer.
7. Finally, I need to give a special shout-out to the black/white ankle strap Kelsi Dagger mini-wedges. I call them my "little black magic shoes". I have had them for a little over 3 years now and they get worn a lot all the time, they well may be the most worn shoes in my wardrobe. They are very comfy and have held very well, probably due to the fake "calf-hair" texture in the front, as I am really hard on leather shoes and scuff them pretty fast. Also,probably a bit of the pattern and lighten-up black is what makes them special, too. I need to start looking for replacement as I strongly suspect the next year will be their last.