Pack Rat

I’ve come to the conclusion that the main reason I don’t like to travel is that I’m a horrible packer. I want to pack clothing, shoes and accessories for every possible situation which is unrealistic. In planning my wardrobe for my upcoming Vegas trip (have I mentioned it?) I’m attempting to pack lighter and smarter.

The clothing isn’t so hard because I’m wearing what I would normally wear to work, which is clothing I bought at work. I’m keeping the color palette simple by choosing black (like that was hard). The trouble comes when I try to find shoes to wear with my outfits. Oh, I have plenty of shoes, but what I need are ones that are stylish and comfortable. On Kathi’s recommendation, I’ll be carrying my black thong Birkenstocks in my bag but those aren’t acceptable for working the floor. I’m a representative of a chic clothing boutique so I need to look the part. Plus, I’m at shoe market which means I should be wearing shoes that look great too.

My ideal shoe is a black bootie with a small wedge and open toe. I’d consider one with a higher heel if it had a platform. I need good arch support but I found some great arch inserts I can use. I did find this bootie recently but it’s a 3″ heel and the platform is only about 1/2″. Still, I can get my orthotic arch support in it and it goes with all my outfits.

But do I need them? Don’t I already have shoes that are similar in style? Sure, I would actually wear them all winter with tights and jeans, but I’m not 100% sure they’re comfortable enough to wear all day running around the Las Vegas Convention Center. Then again, I’m not sure any shoe is comfortable enough to wear to run around the LVCC all day long! Perhaps I’m over-thinking this (shocker, I know). I already have these:

They’re pretty comfortable and they look really cool, but the heel is higher than the ones above and the cut-out sides mean I can’t stuff my orthotic in them (geez, I sound like an old lady). I honestly don’t think I need two black booties regardless of how different they are. The struggle continues…