Time for a shoe audit?

Look down. Go on. Down, down, down. Take a long, hard squint at your shoes. What do you see?

Do you see a pair of fashionable shoes, gleaming and in excellent repair?

If so, read no further.

If not, you could be murdering your look (or at least inflicting grievous bodily harm).

I followed a woman in to the elevator at work the other day. The first thing I noticed was her blonde hair – it was so artfully coloured, you could tell it was either dead-set natural or phenomenally expensive (since she was older than I am, I'm figuring she'd thown serious moolah at it). She had a great suit - Cue, if I’m not mistaken - and a red blouse that perfectly matched her lipstick. She wore those cute patterned tights that are in right now. Her manicure was French. And her bling was understated but elegant.

However, (you knew there was going to be a ‘however’, didn’t you?) her shoes were out-and-out cactus. They might have been fashionable five years ago, the heels were worn down to stubs and they looked as though they had never seen a lick of polish.

Clearly, this woman wouldn’t have dreamed of leaving the house with a pulled thread on her blouse or a run in her tights. She would have taken a sickie before attending work with hacked nails or no makeup. And yet, she mindlessly shoved on a pair of shoes that the Salvos would knock back.

Scuffed, dirty or broken shoes could cost you dearly – you might miss out on that date or promotion if the wrong person translates the untidy state of your footwear into your likely bedroom or boardroom performance.

Do yourself a favour. Do a shoe audit. Set aside some time and clean and polish every pair. Check them all for wear and tear. Take the fixable ones to the repair shop - ask for a bulk discount if you need three or more fixes.

Now, here’s the tricky bit: throw the trashed ones out (putting them in a garbage bag in the spare room or the garage doesn’t count). This way, you can’t pull the ‘just one more time, no one will notice they’re wrecked’ stunt we all know so well. (Tip: someone will notice and it might be someone important.)

Also toss the ugly ones. Yes, really.

The best part?

You get to buy new shoes!

Image: Carlos Porto