Talk about shoes and being fashionable! I used to have dozens of pairs of shoes, and wore heels exclusively -- no kitten heels either. I wore 2-1/ to 3 inch heels. Each pair purchased to go with one particular outfit.

I felt well turned out this way, and professionally proper. Generally this was never a problem. However, I recall traveling to DC for a conference and a chance to lobby with my legislators back in the 80s. I was traveling with a client: the mayor of a community and a couple of city council folks -- all men.

(We were hoping to meet at the White House with the VP (Al Gore) and had appointments with Senators Harkin and Grassley, as well as several of our congressmen. Our goal was to convince FERC (the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) to allow one of the Mississippi's Lock and Dams to be retrofitted for hydro power. We thought it would be a "slam dunk" if we could get VP Gore behind the concept. But I digress...)

So I packed my bag with what I thought I'd need in order to look professional no matter what sort of event or meeting came up: I took along about 8 different outfits, all completely accessorized -- and with a different pair of shoes for each outfit. Plus a couple extra pair, "just in case" the selected pairs were not "right" for whatever event might develop.

The men were traveling with one suit bag each -- but of course I was weighed down with two suitcases and a carry-on.

They gallantly offered to carry my bags. And the ribbing I received over the weight of the bags was good-natured and inevitable: "What do you have in here -- wet towels?"

We held all the meetings except couldn't get with the Veep. And I doubt any of those senators or congressmen paid one iota of attention to my clothing. I recall that Grassley had his shoes off and feet on his desk when we met with him. Harkin was more decorus. We got to ride the underground tram with him.

Fun memories...

But these days I work at home in cords and a turtleneck or a dressy tee and my footwear generally consists of thick wool socks. Except for when I go out to get the mail. Since that involves a hike down a steep hill, I wear sensible flats for that!

"Back in the day," I was totally comfortable in my heels, and often stood on my feet in them for hours on end -- with no pain. I would even go from my day job to the college where I taught night classes in marketing, all the while wearing my well-accessorized outfits, pearls and heels.

These days I have no ideas how I did that in comfort! I guess I was fueled by my total love of fashion!