How many pairs of shoes does a person actually need? Is three too few? Is 10 too many?
High heels can provide women with a feeling of femininity or power; athletic shoes can provide sports fiends with energy; and sandals can put beach lovers in a Zen-like state.
Many shoe-a-holic wardrobes are built up over years of shopping. Graduate student Gina Compitello admits she has had success building
her collection because she takes incredible care of her shoes and buys classic pieces. Some of her 40 pairs have been with her since high school.
Others go through their shoes at a much faster rate.
“I usually give them away every
six months,” said Jared Hester, who purchases five to six pairs of athletic shoes a month.
These shoe addicts admit their
collections are worth anywhere
from $1,000 to some figure beyond their imaginations.
Hester said his favorite pair of Nikes could fetch $400 to $500 on eBay.
It is possible to invest in shoes and still be a price-savvy shopper. Junior Sarah Koski browses high-end
designer stores such as Roberto
Cavalli in Las Vegas, Nev., and then looks for similar styles in Eugene.
“Honestly, I love shoes so much, but I would rather get them on sale,” Koski said. “That way, I can get the designer shoes, but not at the designer price.”
With so much money invested
in large shoe collections, good storage is essential.
Compitello said she converted her hall closet into “the shoe
closet.” The shoes are lined up
neatly on the shelves and organized
according to style.
Hester keeps his shoes everywhere. They line the perimeter
of his bedroom, are coupled under his couch, and there are even
four or five pairs in the trunk of
his car — just in case.
“I always make room for shoes,” he said.
The most impressive storage
system, however, straight out of
a scene from MTV’s “Cribs” or HBO’s “Sex and the City” is the one belonging to Koski.
She keeps her precious pumps
in clear plastic stackable storage containers and has them stored separately according to styles: stilettos, athletic, daywear and business wear. Once these categories are defined, she coordinates the shoes by color.
Shoe lovers often allow their footwear to dictate their outfits. While some people plan in terms of weather or comfort, others think of which shoes they have yet to wear that month. For Koski and many others, shoes are a wardrobe staple, not an accessory.
“My shoes are my pride and
joy,” Koski said. “I dress my
outfit for my shoes. I accentuate my shoes with my clothes.”
On the Internet, there are countless groups for shoe lovers on
Thefacebook.com and even a quiz on greatestjournal.com to find out which kind of shoe you would be.
So if you are secretly carrying around a shoe vice, know that many others feel the same way about shoes.
“A pair of new shoes may not cure a broken heart or soothe a
tension headache,” said fashion writer Holly Brubach. “But they will relieve the symptoms and chase away the blues.”

Maresa Giovannini is a freelance reporter for the Daily Emerald