Ladies and their shoes

This one’s for the girls, but don’t leave the room, fellas. Take heed, or suffer the consequences.

I’ll ease into this as gently as possible. Women are ballistic about shoes.

I don’t mean loafers, slippers, hikers or joggers, although plenty of women have these as part of their collection.

What I’m discussing are those outrageously classy, wickedly stylish high heels that turn heads for both sexes: on the female side, what’s new, what’s hot and where did you find those, honey; on the male side, calf-defining skyscraper high boots and shoes that have attitude written all over them. You can’t not look, you know what I mean?

I had a chat with Valerie Rafuse Saturday afternoon about women’s shoes because I can’t fathom what it is about them that garner such appeal. Valerie just opened Saucy Strides on Main Street in Wolfville, an upscale store for women with a penchant for heels.

These aren’t ordinary shoes by any means, either. We’re talking red carpet variety; mind-blowing examples of style and stature that are just about transcendent.

Who knew that women wanted this kind of thing? The proof, of course, was self-evident.

You might as well have had a revolving door on Valerie’s shop Saturday. Women -- with boyfriends or husbands in tow in some instances -- came by on a regular basis, and Valerie said clients visited from as far away as Halifax and Bridgewater to check things out.

She had plenty of local support also, teachers and friends who have worked with her over the past 20 years in her capacity as an educational assistant at Central Kings. “Women are connoisseurs,” she said, and great shoes make a woman feel like a princess. Your size can change, weight may fluctuate, but your feet stay the same. You can dress them up easily as a result and Valerie says there’s a shoe for literally every occasion: Christmas; New Year’s; wedding; prom; dinner and dance. You name it.

She should know. She’s the proud owner of 78 pairs of shoes, not including boots. Women I polled at work and elsewhere checked in at around 30-40 pairs of shoes, which is so beyond my experience that I’m stunned by the profusion.

I have winter boots, rubber boots, a pair of running shoes, cycling shoes and one pair of dress shoes that I will wear until they fall off my feet.

Women buy shoes to match a dress, a mood, an occasion, eye colour, or simply because they make you feel good. Walk out of a store in a new pair of heels and you’re making a statement, Valerie says, and who could argue with that?

A couple of women with whom I spoke said that good high heels are like chocolate for the feet. They’re a treat. Part of me thinks, ‘You’re kidding, right?’ However, most girls would say they’re worth it and then some.

I look at my bunions, fallen arches and such remarkable podiatric disrepair and wonder: ‘Hmmm. Did she say, “treat for the feet”?’

Whatever. Shoes are huge, boys. Dinner and a movie are fine, but if you really want to make a statement, there’s only one way. Take your squeeze shoe shopping. When it comes to high heels, the sky’s the limit.