This Is a Story About Shoes

This is also a story about bad decisions and getting tricked by celebrities.

Do you guys know about the Mints?  ShoeMint, StyleMint, HomeMint, JewelMint, etc.?  Basically, they are online retail "clubs" that have new products every month.  You join the club, and then each month you check out what's new, and decide if you want to buy something.  I belong to all the Mints.  Mostly because they are celebrity-endorsed and, well, that is a marketing strategy that works well on me.

This is a story about ShoeMint.

ShoeMint's celebrity is Rachel Bilson.  She's actually the cutest person on the planet (and Heidi is her doppleganger).  I trust her choice in footwear.

the shoes i can't resist.

When I saw these shoes, I knew these were the ones.  They were striped and sort of French-looking and had a perfectly pointed toe.  They would be the ones to properly induct me into the ShoeMint club.  I immediately ordered a pair in my regular size.

I imagined running into Rachel Bilson on the street someday.  We would both be wearing our striped black and white flats from ShoeMint.  She would compliment my style.  I would ask her what it's like to kiss Jason Street on Hart of Dixie.  We would probably high-five at some point.  I would be approximately 12 inches taller than her.  It was going to be great.

The shoes arrived.  I tried them on.  They fit, but they fit just right.  Like, if they were a half a millimeter smaller, they would be too small.  "My feet are just swollen!"  I thought.  "It's hot and I just got home from work for the day, and in the morning when my feet are back to normal, these will be just fine!"  I planned an entire outfit around these shoes for the next day.

In the morning, I got dressed, pulled out my beautiful flats, slipped them on, and was out the door, imagining how many compliments I was going to get today!

Half a block later, my heels were screaming in pain as the backs of the shoes ripped off all of my skin.  We're talking blood here.

When I got to work, I immediately took off the shoes, partly to bandage up my raw heels, and partly to look at the soles of the shoes.  It was too late.  The damage had been done.  They were sufficiently scuffed and had some sort of New York City street remnants on them that there was no way I could return them.  DANG YOU RACHEL BILSON.

I was left in a tough position.  They were no longer returnable (and were $79 in the first place[!]).  But Rachel Bilson told me to buy them.  They are very slightly too small.  But Rachel Bilson told me to buy them.  What's a girl to do?

Well, this girl decided she was going to have to wear them anyway.  I'm training my feet to accept that they are going to be in these shoes, and be slightly more crammed than comfortable.  I've been weaning myself from BandAid use and slowly building up callouses in the right places on the backs of my heels.  I've been sprinkling enough baby powder in them each time I wear them to keep my feet dry and cool, because if my feet swell up even the tiniest bit, it's over.

And it's working!  I can make it through a whole day without BandAids now, and even though when I take my shoes off when I get home, I leave a little trail of baby powder footprints across the floor, I'm okay with it.  Because when you buy way-too-expensive shoes that don't actually fit but you keep them instead of returning them because you love them too much and also there is a chance you'll see Rachel Bilson one day and be shoe twins with her...you have to make it work.

Does anyone else sacrifice their feet for fashion?  Please reassure me that I'm not the only one who does things like this.  Please...