If the shoe fits...
Sometimes the only thing standing
between a girl and that perfect outfit is the last item that is being delivered
hours before the event. And suddenly everything depends on whether or not it
will fit.
A few weeks ago I was attending a garden party and had spent months researching and planning the outfit. I bought three dresses (all returnable), a bucket of jewellery pieces to go with all of the dresses and at the very last moment I found the perfect pair of shoes.
They were due to arrive the day before the party and I didn’t have a plan B. Those shoes suddenly became my universe and they had to fit, there was no other option.
I always took my relationship with shoes very seriously but this was a different level altogether. So when I got that email notification that my order had arrived at the store, I leapt out of my chair and flew to the shop. The deadline I was working on became so insignificant compared to this.
As I was approaching the store my stomach got tied up in the knots. I timidly pushed the door open, ''What if they don’t fit?'' – was all I could think.
The sales assistant was very helpful and produced my order in the matter of minutes. She then helpfully released my order from careful packaging and opened the box…
I released the breath I didn’t realise I was holding – the shoes looked perfect. In fact they were better than the picture. And I knew it would break my heart even more if I had to send them back – I was already in love.
''They have to fit'' – I nervously laughed. ''I have a garden party tomorrow and no plan B. But I’m a bit concerned that they might be a little too big.''
''Oh don’t you worry'', - she said and disappeared into the back room. Seconds later she came back holding a pair of insoles.
''Here'', - she said. ''These will give you that half a size you might need.''
She slotted the insoles into the shoes and put them on the floor in front of an oversized antique mirror. I nervously moved forward and stepped into the shoes. It was like a fairy tale and I was Cinderella. The shoes made me feel like I had just stepped out of a magazine cover, and they fitted perfectly.
I thanked my fairy god mother sales assistant and she just laughed it off: ''Comes with experience of working in a shoe shop. That, and years of making the wrong size shoe fit.''
With the shoes and a new pair of insoles safely tucked away into a big signature bag, I left the shop. But as her last words kept ringing in my ears, I couldn’t help but wonder, in the world of anything-is-possible, are we too used to quick little fixes? If we worked out how to make the wrong shoe fit, then does it mean we are settling for less?
That weekend as I got dressed for the party and slid into the shoes, I studied my reflection in the mirror. It was well thought through – the colours worked, the jewellery complemented the outfit and the shoes were just perfect.
I couldn’t resist a twirl and as caught the reflection of the shoes in the mirror I had a thought. Maybe I saw it all wrong, maybe it wasn’t about the settling for the wrong size at all. Sometimes life surprises us with something so amazing and rare that if all we have to do is apply a little fix to make it work, we would be crazy not to.
That weekend I knew I didn’t settle for less, I made something fabulous work.
A few weeks ago I was attending a garden party and had spent months researching and planning the outfit. I bought three dresses (all returnable), a bucket of jewellery pieces to go with all of the dresses and at the very last moment I found the perfect pair of shoes.
They were due to arrive the day before the party and I didn’t have a plan B. Those shoes suddenly became my universe and they had to fit, there was no other option.
I always took my relationship with shoes very seriously but this was a different level altogether. So when I got that email notification that my order had arrived at the store, I leapt out of my chair and flew to the shop. The deadline I was working on became so insignificant compared to this.
As I was approaching the store my stomach got tied up in the knots. I timidly pushed the door open, ''What if they don’t fit?'' – was all I could think.
The sales assistant was very helpful and produced my order in the matter of minutes. She then helpfully released my order from careful packaging and opened the box…
I released the breath I didn’t realise I was holding – the shoes looked perfect. In fact they were better than the picture. And I knew it would break my heart even more if I had to send them back – I was already in love.
''They have to fit'' – I nervously laughed. ''I have a garden party tomorrow and no plan B. But I’m a bit concerned that they might be a little too big.''
''Oh don’t you worry'', - she said and disappeared into the back room. Seconds later she came back holding a pair of insoles.
''Here'', - she said. ''These will give you that half a size you might need.''
She slotted the insoles into the shoes and put them on the floor in front of an oversized antique mirror. I nervously moved forward and stepped into the shoes. It was like a fairy tale and I was Cinderella. The shoes made me feel like I had just stepped out of a magazine cover, and they fitted perfectly.
I thanked my fairy god mother sales assistant and she just laughed it off: ''Comes with experience of working in a shoe shop. That, and years of making the wrong size shoe fit.''
With the shoes and a new pair of insoles safely tucked away into a big signature bag, I left the shop. But as her last words kept ringing in my ears, I couldn’t help but wonder, in the world of anything-is-possible, are we too used to quick little fixes? If we worked out how to make the wrong shoe fit, then does it mean we are settling for less?
That weekend as I got dressed for the party and slid into the shoes, I studied my reflection in the mirror. It was well thought through – the colours worked, the jewellery complemented the outfit and the shoes were just perfect.
I couldn’t resist a twirl and as caught the reflection of the shoes in the mirror I had a thought. Maybe I saw it all wrong, maybe it wasn’t about the settling for the wrong size at all. Sometimes life surprises us with something so amazing and rare that if all we have to do is apply a little fix to make it work, we would be crazy not to.
That weekend I knew I didn’t settle for less, I made something fabulous work.
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