The Chosen One

Boot shopping for me is like the average person shopping for a house... & while I am a home-owner, I think I've spent more time searching for this particular style of boot, & boots in general, than I did searching for my home. The most common problem that I encounter is that there are a very select number of designers that will make the boot shaft large enough to fit my curvaceous calves. For a long time, this simply didn't exist, so it was years before I owned my first pair of mid-calf boots... which ironically were purchased from Nine West (see previous post for inside joke :)). So, in the past couple boot seasons, the over-the-knee boot has become outrageously popular, & it has taken me approximately a year or more to find one that would not only fit over my curvaceous calves but also my curvaceous knees... LOL! So, this one by Aldo pictured here, my friends, is the chosen one, & MUST be had ASAP...

My only, sincere reservation in purchasing this lovely boot is that Aldo is infamously known for creating the most uncomfortable, cheaply-made, overpriced footwear known to man... Case in point, I purchased a delicious pair of pointy-toed, stiletto, black patent leather pumps from Aldo, for about $100 (not too expensive, but also not worth it given the following story) approximately 4 years ago. Now being that I have a healthy shoe collection, these pumps were not worn on a regular basis. I'd estimate their usage to be 4 times per month over the course of the 3or 4 years that I owned them; probably much less. So, sometime last year, I noticed that either the soles or heels (I can't remember which one, right now) of the shoes were somewhat unsteady... meaning it felt like that part of the shoes would split in half @ any moment. But, being that I didn't wear them that often, I didn't believe that it would actually happen & hardly remembered the issue when I pulled them out for wear earlier this year. But, sure enough, no more than 30 minutes after I'd arrived @ work that day, I felt the shoes slightly, not fully, break. Luckily, I had a pair of flats in my car that I quickly retrieved; however, unfortunately I had to walk around the rest of the day w/ extremely long slacks folded up b/c I had to switch to the flats... a rather tacky look. So, I've since retired those shoes, & haven't decided if I'll invest in having them repaired, which I'm famously known for... example being that I spent $30 for re-enforced soles for a pair of booties that I purchased from Forever 21 for around $25... yes, I loved those shoes that much! Another example of Aldo's wretched footwear is a pair of peep-toe, ankle boots that I purchased about a year ago... lovely, sexy little darlings... but, when I tell you that those boots signify foot-murder, I MEAN IT! The sheer thought of those boots makes me want to cry... I don't know when I'll ever wear them again! It would have to be for an event that entails extensive sitting!

So, I must, must, must think loooooooong & hard before I invest in these lovely creations. & @ $250, they're not exactly a cheap buy, though I have paid much, much more for the object of my affection in the past. But, I'm a firm believer in cost-benefit analysis where boots are concerned. I don't mind the cost to invest b/c I know that they will be w/ me for many, many, many seasons to come.