When I Turned 30, I Had No Desire to Wear These Shoes

Just as the eyes are the windows to a person's soul (or so they say), I find shoes to be the windows to a person's style. I build my outfits around shoes, I spend a sizable piece of my shopping budget on shoes and I rarely meet someone without taking a look down at their shoes. Maybe it's just me, but I find shoes to be a big deal.

When I turned 30, I realised several things about my style, which resulted in an edit of my wardrobe—and, in particular, my shoe collection. Hoping to achieve a more polished, grown-up vibe, I ditched five shoe styles in particular. While, of course, there's no right or wrong shoe to wear at any given age, for me, my overall style shift meant it was time to say goodbye to these styles.

Keep scrolling to see which styles I got rid of post-30 and which ones I'm wearing instead.

DITCHED: Sky-High Stilettos

Gone is my desire to suffer through a day or night out in a pair of uncomfortable stilettos. These days, when I want a bit of height, I stick to cool, walkable block-heel mules.

DITCHED: Animal Flats

While I still love Charlotte Olympia's Kitty Flats and imagine that they'd make me feel like Alexa Chung (always a good thing), more often than not, you'll find me in a pair of loafers when I choose to wear flats. Simply put, they make me feel like I tried without looking like I tried.

Shop Loafers:

DITCHED: Neon Sneakers 

Bright sneakers are a trend that I no longer have the desire to conquer. They're just too showy and difficult to style for me. I'd much prefer a pair of neutral sneakers (or at the most, blush pink), which are a lot more versatile.

DITCHED: Rubber Flip-Flops 

There is indeed a time and a place for flip-flops, and they've been threatening a comeback for a bit now, but with pool slides, I can achieve the same easy, comfortable footwear goal and still feel polished.

DITCHED: Synthetic Leather Shoes

Many synthetic leather shoes tend to look cheap and can make your feet blister. Luckily, there's a slew of great wallet-friendly options on the market made of genuine leather or fabric (e.g., satin, faux fur, or velvet).

Next up, see the grown-up guide to wearing shorts.