I never understood the concept of ‘party shoes’ until I got a pair of party shoes. In short, they’re the most ridiculous shoes I own by a long shot, and they only come out when they’re likely to be truly appreciated and embraced for how silly they are. That, my friends, is the technical definition of a party shoe.
Of course, they must also be at least somewhat uncomfortable. Ideally, they’ll leave you with a hobbling through your door at the end of the night, and making a beeline whatever salt you have on hand. You can then collapse in a chair with your feet in a pan saline solution, knowing it was worth it for the attention, the wild exclamations and confirmations that you were sporting the best shoes known to humankind.
You have to be careful not to take them for too many spins during the festive season, or you’ll wind up with a bunch of unsightly corns and callouses. That sort of thing is always a risk you run if you’re going to be out and about in party shoes, so moderation is key in keeping things under control. After all, the last thing you want is to burn out your capacity to wear them before the season is through.
Luckily for me, there are plenty of great foot care treatments available near Cheltenham, which means I can get a bit more mileage out of my crazy clompers. That’s my take-home tip, party people: get yourself a podiatrist, and listen to their advice. If they say to shelve the shoes, then do it – unless it’s a really, really important shindig, and your life simply depends on it.
Even then, if you’ve gone and done in your ankle or something, always do what your foot health specialist says – never mind if it’s the party of the season. No one party is worth chucking in your whole party shoe-wearing career for.