I CAN’T say that I ever felt like Kylie Jenner and I were kindred spirits. . . until she showed off her amazing £750,000 shoe collection.
The reality TV star and cosmetics mogul gave fans on Instagram a sneak peek at color-coordinated rows from Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana and Christian Louboutin.
A pure paradise for shoe addicts like me.
From heels to thigh-high boots, stilettos to wedges, the 24-year-old has enough shoes to fill a store.
Shoes can transform your outfit and improve your mood. It’s about trust, the same feeling as when you get a new haircut.
My shoe collection is an INVESTMENT.
I have around 60 pairs, worth over £6000 in total.
From heels and sneakers, to designer shoes and bargains, the collection covers all the bases.
And I don’t discriminate. All shoes are welcome in my dressing room, even the most painful ones. . . as long as they look good.
‘CONQUER THE WORLD’
Unlike Kylie, who is considered by some to already be a billionaire, I have a modest salary.
So I save and, don’t judge me here, I sometimes use interest-free credit cards to buy new pairs.
If I’m desperate to get my hands (or feet) on an expensive pair, I’ll cut back on my groceries, for example, to save money. I once lived on jacket potatoes with baked beans for a month to buy Prada shoes – complete with crystals – which cost £950.
And I wouldn’t be afraid to do it again.
My Prada shoes take pride of place in my archive – alongside £670 Fendi trainers, Ralph Lauren loafers and Guess trainers costing around £100 a pair – in fitted wardrobes in the hallway of my one-bedroom apartment .
Lockdown was great for me because I wasn’t spending money on travel or eating out.
It was the perfect time to invest in my collection.
My buddy Aaron, who I live with, doesn’t know half of it.
I was guilty of lying to her and saying a new pair of shoes was on sale when in fact it wasn’t.
I even told her that I couldn’t cover my share of the rent because I had spent so much on our grocery store, when in reality I had snapped up a pair of heels.
A girl gotta do what a girl gotta do, right? As design legend Coco Chanel once said, “Accessories are what make or mark a woman.”
I know some would say I look crazy. But it’s all about priorities – and mine may be different from yours. Some people love to dine out.
Accessories are what make or mark a woman
Coco Chanel
I would rather save that money for something I can keep. Some drive. I’d rather save on gas and walk – in an exceptional pair of shoes.
My obsession started at 13, when my mother bought me my first special pair. They were leather loafers with Swarovski crystals and they were so comfortable.
I thought I was the knees of the bee when I wore them with my school uniform, although later I got in trouble for wearing them to school.
Since then, I love adding to my collection. And I’m not the only one to blame for filling up.
One in eight women in this country owns more than 100 pairs of shoes. It’s a shoe for every occasion, and more.
Even so, Kylie has come under fire for showing off her fabulous shoes, with critics calling her ‘tacky’ and ‘shallow’.
I do not agree. If you have it, post it. And while I don’t own anything like the number of shoes that Kylie owns, I know what it’s like for people to be interested in my expensive hobby.
My friends and family constantly ask me, “Do you really need it?” And: “Why did you spend so much?” Or: “Where did you get the money for these?”
A friend even said she was “appalled” that I “wasted so much money” on shoes, adding that I needed to clarify my priorities.
But I don’t care. People love art – and Kylie’s shoe collection is art to me. I am more than willing to make the investment.
The shoes make me more confident and make me feel like I’m ready for anything. As actress Marilyn Monroe said, “Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world.”
And hey, if the shoe fits. . .