‘Footal Attraction’ leads to desperate shoe search

I’m a little fickle when it comes to footwear.

This summer, I had a fling with a pair of caramel-colored Mary Jane slides. It was sweet while it lasted, but, as we all learned from “Grease,” things change when fall rolls around: “It got colder, that’s where it ends.”

We may get back together when things start to warm up, but until then, I’m playing the field.

So far, it’s been fun. I’ve spent a few wonderful days with my new Skechers boots ($19.95 at Marden’s) – and they’ve helped me get over a long-term relationship with their predecessors, a pair of tough yet tender Nine West zip-ups. The bottom fell out of that romance, quite literally, when I busted out the sole on a trip to New York City last March.

But the feeling already had started to fade. I have a wandering eye, and earlier in March, during the Toronto portion of that vacation, a sexy little bowling shoe turned my head. (And yes, you can use “sexy” and “bowling shoe” in the same sentence.) Toronto is a stylish place, and I couldn’t help but notice all these little hipsters (dressed in head-to-toe black, of course) wearing great slip-on bowling shoes.

I had to have them. I dragged ShopGuy into every shoe store in that enormous city in pursuit of the perfect pair. They were not to be found.

The chase became thrilling, and the more elusive the shoes became, the more I wanted them. It was like “Footal Attraction.” I was ready to boil a bunny, or at least a bunny slipper. But I resisted. Soon, I resigned myself to the fact that it was not meant to be.

The Mary Janes took my mind off the bowling shoes for a while, but a trip to Burlington Coat Factory rekindled the passion. I went in there innocently enough – ShopGuy needed a hoodie, and I just went along for the ride. As he tried on sweatshirts, I wandered into the shoe department. I was not expecting to find love, just a diversion.

I found more than I bargained for: a whole aisle of bowling shoes, including a pair that looked just like the pair I coveted in Canada. There were slides in orange and baby blue. There were lace-up black shoes with white stitching. I felt a crush coming on, until I tried them on. Size 8, too small. Size 81/2, too big. I was like Goldilocks without any porridge.

Again, I resigned myself to the realization that it was not meant to be. Things were going along fine. My Skechers were filling the void. I resumed an affair with a pair of old, faithful Esprit boots. And I learned to walk without tripping in a new pair of Nine West stilettos.

I was teetering around town last Saturday during Octoberfest, ShopPal in tow, when a “50 percent off” sign caught my eye at the Grasshopper Shop. Surely those couldn’t be the shoes of my dreams underneath. I walked closer and couldn’t believe my eyes: In black and red, Steve Madden slides, a hybrid of bowling shoe and old-school sneaker, sturdy, rubber sole, $29. I tried one on, and it fit! I felt like Cinderella, but these were no glass slippers, and I was hesitant to commit after such a drawn-out courtship.

I went to TJ Maxx ‘n More. They had the red Steve Maddens, but I didn’t want the red ones, and they were the same price anyway. I went back to Burlington. Same stuff. The shoes filled my thoughts all week. I waited. If they were still there Thursday, I thought, then it was meant to be.

They were still there. I took the plunge. And I have the feeling this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

Until spring, anyway.

ShopNote

. In honor of Make a Difference Day, which is today, the Grasshopper Shop in Bangor and Ellsworth, Coyote Moon in Belfast, and The Store-Ampersand in Orono will donate 10 percent of today’s sales of Satchels of Hope bags to Spruce Run. The Satchels are hand sewn by women in transition, and any profit from the sales of the bags is donated to charities that benefit women.

ShopGirl would love to hear from you. Send questions, comments or suggestions by mail to: Kristen Andresen, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402-1329, or by e-mail to: kandresen@bangordailynews.net.