The Economics of Beauty

Sad but true, 65% of UK workers feel that image is more important to their career prospects than their qualifications. I‘d be astonished if alongside the huge bombardment on ‘image’ from all media that those percentages won’t substantially increase.

It doesn’t seem fair does it, that people who look good are more likely to (a) be employed over others, and (b) earn more? It gets even more ridiculous when we find that taller people are considered to be more intelligent than shorter ones!
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Is my shoe collection big enough?

Every night before I go to bed I plan my wardrobe for the next day, trousers and a tailored jacket, fitted black dress or a fitted blouse and pencil skirt, now  that’s the easy part. The problem I have is choosing the right pair of shoes. Now, I am sure for many people a pair of shoes is say, more of  a functional item, however, for me, shoes  are the most essential part of the outfit.

In fact shoes are more than that, they are a passion, I love my shoes, I do, I swear! Obviously not in the same way I love my family, my friends or my nearest and dearest but in a way that only other women who share a passion for shoes will  know!  Yes, it’s true; I have a shoe fetish that is beyond extreme! For me, they are an expression of how I am feeling, most of my shoes I posses and own and I own a lot, in fact the latest count was 175 pairs! Yes, 175 pairs of how I can express my feelings!  From business woman to party girl, from dinner party hostess to lunch time drinks with friends, they are an expression of my personality!

I like and love to feel sexy and my shoes help to fulfil my sexy side! I have strappy ones, platforms, sling back, mules, kitten heals and wedges, pointy toe, square toe, peep toe and round toe, in fact, you suggest a style of shoe and yes, and I have probably got a pair somewhere. They will be either under the bed, in the wardrobe, in the box on the floor but I would no doubt have a pair tucked away for such a time that I need them!

However, for me, it is undoubtedly the stiletto style heal that will always be my favourite. The last pair I bought was a zebra print platform, with peep toe, red soles and red piping, they have a 4.5 inch heel and OMG they are so sexy!  In fact, I love these shoes so much that I have been walking around my house in them, yes, I know, mad, no one else can see them, only me, but please, if you understand how one can feel when they wear a pair of shoes then you will realise that I am not so crazy after all, I just love the way I feel when I wear them!

“How can one person need so many shoes?” my ex boy friend used to ask?  “You can only wear one pair at a time” (typical male comment) “You already have a pair of black strappy sandals, why do you need another?”  He would say when I would be trying on yet another pair in the shop!!  Now ladies, we all know that men are not educated in the same way as we are went it comes to shoe shopping. We know that a pair of shoes in the sale reduced to some ridiculous amount is a bargain, whether we need them or not. We know that need, want and desire ARE the same thing, of course we need those shoes and yes, our life would be unbearable if I do not buy those Versace suede knee length boots, how you dare even suggest we come back and think about it!!

OK, ok, even I have to admit that 175 pairs are rather excessive! I even find myself agreeing with my friends that I have too many shoes, though who really is to question what too many is and compared to what and who? But seriously, when you buy 4 pairs in a day (which I did the other week!) I have to accept that I have a problem! “Why?” my Mum asks “Do you have so many?” “I don’t know” is my reply “I just do”. I know why really, it’s because I love shoes, as I said at the start, they make me feel sexy, alive, I have pairs for all sorts of occasions but the problem lies in the fact that  because I have so many to choose from which pair shall I  wear!?

 As I said, my work attire is easy, well easier, I still deliberate about which jacket, what dress but then I do not have 175 dresses to choose from, if I did, it may take me a long time to put an outfit together! Anyway, choosing a pair for work is tricky, cannot be too tarty (not the right impression for work) nor to high (well, at times I ignore that rule!) must be comfy (oh again, that seems to skip the rule book too!) must co-ordinate with work wear, coat and bag, very tricky and still, ideally make me feel sexy! Phew, now that is a lot to think about for what is deemed as a functional item of clothing!

So, you would think, when I go out, that I can just lay my hands on a pair that will make the outfit complete, but oh no, would you believe it!?  In fact, just the other day I went to my first salsa lesson with some girl friends. My outfit was planned, black skinny jeans, black vest top with a red V neck jumper (obviously black and red for salsa, what other colour is there!!?) anyway, then I needed the shoes…….OMG…I have none…175 pairs and not a pair I feel are suitable for salsa. Panic, what to do? Think, think……….phew, it’s ok, I remember a patent black pair of Mary Jane stiletto courts that I sometimes wear to work, I slip those on and the outfit is complete.

So though 175 may sound a lot and if the true be known, it is! There are still times when someone with the capacity to open her own shoe shop up in fact, wear a different pair each day for half the year, still struggles to find that perfect pair for the occasion and outfit! So, in answer to my question…” Is my shoe collection big enough?” I would have to say, no, it probably never will be as I continue to feed my addictive shoe fetish behaviour!!

Helen Lacey

Some thoughts for working girls

Have you ever stared despairingly at your open wardrobe and felt deeply sapped by its array of shapeless, uniform black suits? Or sat in a meeting distracted by worries over the appropriateness of your outfit?

Putting together a wardrobe of elegant, contemporary and individual clothing is a day-to-day challenge, especially in a work environment. It’s dull to be always in a boring black suit, but difficult to be too ‘different’ in case you’re perceived to be outrageous, and inappropriate. However, it can be done, you can be different and I hope that in this series of articles I will be putting together for you I will help you to find your own style and banish a lot, if not all, of your black suits to the second-hand shop. (more…)