Bottled Sky

I was walking to the train station with my colleague Jacq after work last week when she shared that she had only five pairs of shoes. FIVE. PAIRS. OF. SHOES. The shoe fiend in me was stunned. After picking up my jaw from the pavement and confirming several times that I had not misheard her — “Five, Jacq? Really? Really?!” — I jumped right into convincing her to expand her footwear collection. She has since bought a new pair of heels and is now thinking of buying more. I am that good.

As I walked the same route with Christina, another work buddy, a few days later, I told her about Jacq’s impressive resistance to shoe lust. She reacted with comically familiar shock and disbelief — “Five? Really? Really?!”

It led us to ponder, if we had to give up all but five pairs of our beloved shoes, which would we pick? (Specialized footwear for athletic or artistic activities don’t count. I also have to note that Singapore is a tropical country so we don’t need to worry about dressing for winter.) It was a tough call, but I managed to narrow down my choices to these final five:

Black perforated suede ankle-wrap sandals, Rubi. Laid-back without being sloppy, these are the most comfortable sandals I have ever owned.

Black round-toe slingback heels, Charles & Keith. Sensible office shoes with the right amount of detailing to save them from being boring.

Jeweled t-strap snakeskin wedges, Charles & Keith. Dressy enough for a night out but still appropriate for day.

Navy & white striped sneakers, Urban Outfitters. Nothing like crisp navy and white stripes to bring a humble pair of lace-up sneakers from so-so to super cute.

Black t-strap Mary Jane flats, Marks & Spencer. I like to think of these as grown-up Mary Janes, whimsical but elegant and just darling with tights.

What types of shoes would you pick to be your final five?