The Shoe That Changed My Life

It was 1999; I recently received a pair of shoes that would lead me on an unexpected journey to my career. They weren’t particularly special, a pair of plain black leather Diba booties with a chunky heel and a square toe. Just shy of age of 11, I had been gifted with my first pair of big girl heels.

My dad had taken a warehouse position with a local shoe company. This was nothing of too much interest to me, as I was more interested in hiding my crush on the neighbor boy and playing tag with the kids on the block. I was a tomboy and fashion was a foreign subject to me. As the years rolled by, I dreamed of travel and college and kept my nose to the books. As dances and formal events began to take up much of my time, the perk of free shoes from daddy began to gain some appeal.

The summer after my junior year of high school, my pockets were empty; I was in need of a job. The shoe company was looking for some help around the office to help them prepare for a move to a new building.  My summer job became a part-time job and 8 years later, my full time career.

Through my tenure of high school and college, my friends began to come to me for fashion advice and a great shoe discount. My Payless shoes and sneakers were replaced by riding boots and stilettos and a love for fashion began. Since the age of 17, I have never purchased another shoe brand and I have stumbled into a career that I never saw coming.

Do you have an article of clothing that changed your life?

I submitted this essay to Elle Magazine. Fingers crossed that it gets published!