I hate buying shoes. 

Nothing ever fits…

I have size 11 feet and it’s really irritating trying to go shoe shopping. I find a style I like, but they don’t have my size. Or, they have a size 11, but it’s too tight, too narrow, or just pain ugly.

The next thing I hate about shoe shopping is when the salesperson hovers!

I’ve dealt with so much disappointment that I don’t need the salesperson lording over me as I try to squeeze my foot into the shoe. Like, go away!

Over the year, I’ve learned to shop for shoes according to the sticker, and not the style…

And I don’t mean the sticker that has the price. I mean the sticker that has the number 11 on the shoe box. I look for that sticker, and then analyze the style.

Often, the style is unforgivingly grotesque…

Okay, I’m exaggerating a bit, but not really. The size says 11, but then the shoe ends up being the wrong colour, or simply the wrong size, or in the wrong decade.

And then I try to convince myself to get it…

Buy them, I argue in my head. When will you find another size 11? And then my brain starts saying not to buy them because they’ll just end up in the back of the closet.

So I leave the shoes at the store, defeated.

Then there’s that zen moment when both sticker and style collide…

It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, I just cannot contain my exuberant joy! This happened recently when I went shoe shopping (which is, like, twice a year). I found these gorgeous pair of heels.

Are you seeing these?

Love, love, love them! I tried them on – and although there was a bit of a squeeze on my right foot – I really, really wanted them.

So, I took to my fanpage and asked what should I do…

I got so many tips. Some said not to buy them because you can’t substitute style for comfort. But most gave me tips on how to stretch the shoes after I bought them, for example:

• Wear them around the house with a pair of thick socks
• Wear them and put a hair dryer to them so they stretch under the heat
• Someone said there’s a spray available to help stretch shoes (didn’t know this)

BTW, I haven’t tried any of these methods, but I did get the shoe. Because…

(my apologies for referencing controversial former first lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos, but she owned one of the biggest personal shoe collections in the world and this quote is fitting)

You see, it’s moments like these that I’m so glad I didn’t settle…

I have come across many shoes. Salespeople who bring me a size 10 because “that’s the biggest size we have,” then try to convince me that it’ll stretch just because I expressed my interest in the style.

On the flipside, I’ve tried on size 11s that were my size, but didn’t align with my personal tastes.

It’s hard to wait…

Waiting means you pass up what looks like a great opportunity. However, if you put aside temporary pleasure for longterm results, you’ll finally get exactly what you’ve been waiting for.

Sticker + style = my new favourite shoe