Fashion Organization: Shoes

I love dressing for Fall & Winter.    Boots, sweaters, coats, mittens, scarves: pulling an outfit together can be fun.  I was recently asked to share some of my tips on Fashion as a woman who is blind.   For me, I love to express myself, my mood, my creativity through my clothing.    I will agree this can be an added challenge on each level being blind.   I realize now, I don't see this being something that I ever give up.  I used to tell Steve, let me shop because there will be a time that I won't enjoy it.  Poor man, we both realize now that is not the case!   So, I am going to share, and I hope someone will enjoy.  Dad, I understand if you have moved on by now.  I'll label as Fashion Organization/Blindness.

As with my  blogging post , I hope those of you that are blind or visually impaired will also share your tips and techniques as well.   We will start from the bottom with shoes.  Here in Utah we have distinct seasons so when it begins to turn chilly, I switch out my sandals for closed toed and boots.  With a new season, I go through my shoes and have someone with an eye tell me if they are still in fashion and look good.  Then, I clean them and spray them with protectant.  My winter boots/shoes are almost all either brown or black.  So, this makes for easy division.  (Maybe a little boring. I loved my pair of red boots that I had a few years ago.)  I have one pair of navy dress shoes, but they are a very different style so easy to identify.  I have the same  pair of boots in black and brown so it is really important that I put them back in the same place so that they don't get mixed up.  (I am sharing this from a previous embarrassing experience.)  This year, after doing an inventory I needed a pair of brown casual shoes to wear with dress pants.  Because I knew just what I wanted/needed I was able to go into the store on my own and tell the clerk what I needed.  Sometimes I will ask, what is the fun new boot/shoe this year.  They love to share.  You can get a lot of helpful information from other people.  She told me she had a pair of rider boots that are a rustic brown that will go with denim, browns, colors, etc. They were on sale, so done!   I am late 40's , ouch,  so I am not going to go crazy with the fads but may incorporate part of it into my outfit such as my animal print sandals or a belt with glitter.  I probably won't wear a full dress in this print or a glittery top, but a fun accent. 

I keep my shoes comfortable with a little style in the Fall/Winter.  Cricket and I will be walking through uneven terrain, mud, ice, slush so good traction is important.  I love boots.  

With this system, there isn't really a need for further marking or labeling on the actual shoes.  At times, I may get sloppy and leave them throughout the room and need a little help with the boots that are the same style/different color.  Other than that, they are easy to identify. 

Running, biking, hiking shoes are in a separate place.  They are all very different and have a distinct feel to them.