A Guide to Finding the Right Shoes

Wahyu Wulaningsih

“I want a pair of shoes that will never hurt my feet and I want them for life. It is very difficult to
find.” – Gigi Leung

Someone once told me that finding the right partner is just like finding the right shoes. I cannot ask for a
better analogy since I find it just accurate. However I have never put too much thought in it until last
night I bought a pair of shoes impulsively and turns out I regret it the morning after. I just suddenly
remember the saying...and I wonder, does someone's lack of ability to recognize the right shoes
correlate with his/her ability to recognize the right partner? Well it’ll surely need a validated study to
prove that, but it’s always worth learning to find the right shoes anyway.

I am writing this as a guide for myself the next time I get to choose another pair of shoes (yes, shoes -
literally) but for others, you may interpret it other way around ;)

1. Always, always try the shoes on first. The shoes you admire may look great, but do they suit you?
Some people are extremely lucky to find the shoes they bought online suit their feet, but don't push
your luck.

2. Okay so you have tried the shoes on. Try to walk in them. Only because they do look good on your
feet - and make you feel great wearing it - doesn't mean they are comfortable to walk in. Especially if
you are looking for a pair of shoes to wear for a long, long time.

3. If the shoes hurt your feet once you try them on, it is a really stupid, stupid thing to think and even
believe that someday, somehow, magically, they will stop hurting and you will feel comfortable wearing
them. This is my biggest mistake so far.

4. The same rule applies to shoes that are too small for your feet. Okay some shoes do enlarge as we
wear them, but first look at what they are made of because not all fabrics are designed to stretch.

5. As for the shoes that are too big for your feet? Stop doing silly things like putting a cloth to fill in the
gap left between your feet and the shoes. You will get bored of trying to work this out eventually and
you will stop wearing the shoes for good. Or maybe the shoes just fell off while you are walking so
smoothly you don’t realize it, although this is very unlikely to happen with real shoes :p

6. If your shoes of preference turn out to be uncomfortable to wear, do not hesitate to try on another
pair or maybe a few other pairs of shoes. This is important. Sometimes the shoes that don’t look that
great in the display just happen to look better once you wear them, or the shoes that just look ordinary
on your feet may turn out to be very comfortable to walk in. We’ll never know.

7. But again, it’s about what kind of shoes you are looking for, and which quality of the shoes which you
prioritize. Of course it would be great to have a pair of shoes that look utterly good, make you feel great
wearing it to any occasion, and are comfortable to walk in for no matter how long. But sometimes we
just have to compromise.

8. Sometimes we just fall in love with a particular pair of shoes. Either at the very first time we see them
in the display, when we realize that they look good on our feet, or when we find them unexpectedly
comfortable to walk in. But there’s a tiny yet fatal flaw we just cannot tolerate, for example the
tarnished clasp. At this moment it seems like there’s no other pair of shoes that compare these ones and
you’ll be surely haunted by them for days – maybe weeks. Well, don’t waste your time wondering
whether you will be finally able to deal with it. Just let them go... And yes you will definitely find another
pair of shoes that suit you better.

9. Next, it is also essential to consider your budget. It is okay to spend much money on a pair of shoes,
but what you need to consider is, is it worth it? Just think it through. We don’t wanna spend too much
fortune on shoes that only last a month, or shoes that actually make your feet look funny. If at present
you think they're not worth it, believe me...they would still be not worth it after a month, a year, or even
a lifetime.

10.Finally, don't be waiting too long until you become really, really sure that you do want those perfect
shoes ready for you to be brought home. Or worse, waiting for the next best pair of shoes to come. A
good pair of shoes usually don't last that long in the display...you may just lose the opportunity to have
them if you need too much time to make a decision. There's no guarantee that the shoes you desire, or
other shoes you may also consider, will last forever without needing any repair, but just pick one and try
to make your best in them.

I hope you find this guide useful. I myself will put these rules in my mind the next time I am about to get
a new pair of shoes. For now, I just have to get used to my newly bought shoes that terribly hurt all the
time – I’m still wishing that they would miraculously be comfortable to walk in one day. But I do not
advise that you do the same. So good luck in finding the right shoes for you... And for those who have
already found just the right shoes for them (well we're talking about a different type of shoes now),
lucky yous...just always remember to take care of them right to ensure that they will fit you perfectly for
a lifetime :)