Staff Writer
They come in all shapes and sizes, colors and patterns, designs and textures. From tennis to stiletto, boot to flat, flip to flop, everybody has a pair of shoes. But there are some who love shoes so much, they have over taken their closets, dorm rooms and dresser drawers.
Morgan Welch, a junior in communication who wears a size 8 1/2, said she stores some of her shoes in the bottom drawer of her dresser because they do not fit in her closet.
Other collectors have the same storage problem.
“My mom gave me a box to bring to college. She said I could bring as many shoes as I could fit in the box,” Marielle Kissick, a freshman in business management who wears a size 6, said.
Kissick has about 60 pairs of shoes, but she rotates between 35 pairs she wears on a regular basis.
“Usually I pick out my shoes first and then I pick out my clothes to match,” Kissick said.
Karrica Finch, a sophomore in art and design who wears a size 10, said she coordinates her shoes to match her outfits as well.
“I buy a new outfit every week and a new pair of shoes to match. I do most of my shopping online,” Finch said.
With so many shoes, shoe collectors must create a special way of organizing and sorting them. Finch organizes her shoes into four categories: daytime, nighttime, event and special event.
“The daytime shoes don’t have much detail on them, plain colors like yellow. The nighttime shoes have sequins, rhinestones, embroidery and more details,” Finch said.
Event shoes are purchased for specific outfits and special event shoes are for cocktail parties, business parties and other important outings, according to Finch.
Not all shoe collectors are as specific with the way they organize their precious collections. Welch said she organizes her shoes by the seasons.
“They’re seasonal. There are cold-weather shoes and warm-weather shoes,” Welch said.
Welch started collecting shoes at about age 15, when her feet stopped growing. Now she has a collection of all styles from pink to white to orange to green.
“These are my favorite by far, above and beyond. They are too hot for words,” Welch said as she put on a pair of teal suede wedges with a hint of gold around the edges.
Kissick said her favorite type of shoes is heels.
“Most people can’t believe I wear 3- or 4-inch heels around campus every day … they’re my favorite accessory,” Kissick said.
Kissick started her collection her freshman or sophomore year of high school after she stopped wearing the uniform shoes that accompanied her Catholic school uniform.
With shoes falling out of these students’ closets, one wonders where they all came from.
“I buy a lot of shoes on vacation, some from Europe, Egypt and from different parts of the country — California, New York. I travel a lot,” Kissick said.
Finch’s collection also comes from all over, although she grabs a few from her mom’s closet when she gets a chance.
“My mom has so many shoes. She wears them once and never again,” Finch said.
Finch said she did not even realize she was a shoe collector until one day when she was doing some spring-cleaning.
“I didn’t even know I collected [shoes] until one day I was cleaning out my closet and realized — I have tons of shoes,” Finch said.
And there are always compliments from those who simply admire the collections.
“Of course they comment. People love my red high heels,” Welch said.
So whether they are high heels, stilettos or have no heels at all, shoes are a popular obsession that some women and men cannot live without.
“I see a pair of shoes and think ‘Oh, those are cute’ and then they come home with me,” Finch said.