I never thought I would be living in a town where the nearest mall was forty-five minutes away. I’ve lived near cities, where I could hop on the metro and be in Washington, DC in less than ten minutes. When I lived in Portland, Oregon I could ride my bike to Pioneer Square and spend hours in my local Forever 21. Gambier is different. Luckily, nowadays we don’t have to be near an actual mall to do some serious shopping.
Online shopping has always been one of my favorite pastimes. On rainy, windy, cold days (hello, Ohio winter), you don’t even have to leave your warm bed to find fabulous designs and deals. There are great sites such as ModCloth, Ruche, and Asos. Clothes can be hit or miss when you peruse online sites: some can be poorly made and size fours can look and feel like size twos or eights. That’s why I concentrate on shoes.
Shoes can make or break an outfit, no question. A legging and t-shirt combo can immediately become chic when coupled with a great heel or boot. They can make an outfit fun or professional with a simple switch.
I don’t like shoe shopping in actual stores. The places I most usually buy my shoes are stores that focus on clothes. I always feel uncomfortable sitting down, usually on the floor, and taking off my shoes as people step over me to grab the cardigan they’ve had their eyes on. Urban Outfitters, Zara, and Topshop primarily focus on clothes (and don’t get me wrong, I love what they’re doing) but sometimes the perfect outfit doesn’t click until you find the right shoes. Instead, I turn to their websites. Here are some sites that I rely on for fun footwear:
Urban Outfitters — Most of Urban Outfitter’s shoes come in half sizes from 6 to 11, so no worries if whole sizes don’t work for you. Urban does sell a lot of their own brand shoes, but they stock a ridiculous (and beautiful) amount of variety. You can find simple black Mary Janes, with deals like two pairs for 20 dollars, or high-end Jeffrey Campbells covered with cats or flowers or spikes for 200 dollars. This is not a store to try new sizes with, though. If you know your size, stick with it. Their sizing is consistent, and 7 ½s are not going to fit into size 7s or 8s. I’ve tried it. They do make returns very easy, though. They send a sticker with your shipment, and all you need to do is put the prepaid sticker with their address on the box and send it right on back.
Asos — I was a little late to the game when it comes to Asos. I was very nervous to order from their website without ever seeing a store, so I never bought anything–I was totally missing out! Asos does not have half sizes, which was terrifying for the three seconds I spent thinking about if it was worth risking shoes not fitting. I ultimately decided that I had to order them: platform sandals with electric blue straps, a pair of booties with patterns of red, orange, and yellow, emerald green flatforms that lace up—they were way too cool to not do it. That amount of color can make even a simple black and white outfit completely unique. Even though I ordered a half size up, the straps and laces were adjustable, so they fit perfectly. And the boots fit great with socks! I usually don’t order three pairs of shoes at a time, but since I was taking a risk I decided to go big. I’m so glad I did! The green flatforms, with a two and a half inch heel, are, surprisingly so much more comfortable to wear than my Doc Martens. I honestly feel like I’m floating when I’m wearing them (probably because I’m so far off the ground!). Asos also includes a prepaid label with their packages, so if any problems do come up, you won’t be paying for it.
Topshop — Before Topshop opened up in New York I spent more money than I care to admit on exchange rate charges to bring my shoes from England to me! This transatlantic journey meant they took forever to get here, cost more than I was hoping for, and were a huge hassle if I wanted to return them. Now things are better, and easier! New York is not too far away for when I do crave the brick-and-mortar experience, but sometimes going through the sale category on the Topshop website gives you the taste of the big city you were craving. Topshop has fabulous shoes that are a bit flashier and more avant-garde than the likes of Urban Outfitters. The trendiest of accoutrements are commonplace here. Their size range is often even bigger than UO, with sizes 5 ½ to 11 ½. The shoes here are usually pricey, but they last forever. My favorite pair of dressy shoes came from Topshop. Dark blue and matte, from the front they appear casual. The heels, though, are covered sparkles in all different pinks, purples, and blues. It’s just the right amount of girly sparkle. They’re not overwhelming or obnoxious, but they change an okay outfit into a great one. I try to make them work with as many outfits as possible and not one sparkly gem has fallen off! A worthy investment.
So, ditch the homework for a little while, put on your bathrobe, and make some tea…it’s time to go shopping.