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> Second, I didn't want to get involved because I'm not sure how much of the size of my shoe collection can be attributed to the fact that I'm the oldest female participant around here.

Move over, Mousie, and we'll arm wrestle for the title.

> Lots of the shoes I own are shoes I've collected over the years -- years which many of the ladies here haven't had in which to accumulate a collection. I tend to buy classics that stay in style no matter what the latest trend is, so I can keep shoes over many years and not feel like they're wasting space in my closet.
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A woman after my own heart. I have a pair of my mother's brown suede pumps from the 50's that still look stylish because of their classic line.

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> And I'm just as particular when it comes to wearing them. The shoe can make or break an outfit. For instance, I probably have five pairs of black heels. Some have open toe, some closed, some straps, some not, some thicker heels, some pointy. They all get worn. Let me tell you: there are some things you just can't wear a round toe and a thick heel with. There are some things you need to wear an ankle strap with. It's all got to go together, and one general pair of black heels doesn't cut it for me.

Thank you thank you thank you. Flats with wide-leg pants leave you looking like an elephant; Heels with leggings say, "I'm a bimbo". Shoes can effect the balance and proportion of a whole outfit.

Having said that, I still think there is a happy medium somewhere between conspicious consumption and minimalist boredom.

My formula: One pair of flats and one pair of heels in each basic color of black, brown, and navy; one pair of neutral colored sandals in flats, one pair same in heels, one pair running shoes, one pair sneakers, and one pair slippers. That's it. So far they've been able to cover every shoe-wearing occasion that's come up.
Plus they all fit in my closet.

> Now, on a day-to-day basis, I have probably three different pairs of shoes I rotate throughout the work week, [snip]

...here's where Mousie shows her true genius.
If you rotate your shoes, you will get lots more wear out of them. I don't mean they will last longer because you're not wearing them as often.
No, it's something about allowing them to rest in between wearings (especially "natural" materials like leather) that prevents them from wearing out as fast. I understand that if you wear a pair of shoes 100 times--wearing them every other day--that they will show less wear than if you wore them 100 times every day in a row.* Plus, I think it's better for your feet.

> And still, I maintain I am not a "shoe person." I can see, however, how easy it would be to fall into that lifestyle.
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Me too. Because shoes are fun to shop for. Feet hardly ever have "fat days".

koalamom

*and tangentally, I believe this is partly why God created a day of rest. So that people won't wear out as fast as they would otherwise. :-)