A sweet and unexpected surprise came my way recently. A colleague of mine and I were chit-chatting away and somehow got on the topic of shoes. She looked at me and said, “What size do you wear? I have a pair of gray patent leather pumps that I can’t wear anymore.”

Now, I’m a size 10 (huge feet, I know) by trade, so when she mentioned they were a 9.5 it didn’t stop me one iota when she told me she’d bring them in for me to try on to see if I liked them. Note: I can wear a 9.5 when the shoe is designed slightly too big or they’re cute enough (and free) to deal with a bit of a snug fit!

Say hello to my new gray, patent leather, mary-jane, peep-toe pumps (whew!) What I love about these shoes is that yes, they actually do fit (who-hoo!) and typically, this is a shoe that if I saw sitting on a display, I wouldn’t even consider wearing. When I got home and tried these guys on with a few looks, I was pleased that I actually had something different from the heels that are my closet. Ironically, I’ve been itching for a bit of a tweak to my look and I know these shoes will carry me from the office to any plans I might have after work. A win on all fronts and a lesson learned about being more open with your style! Maybe my tastes are simply changing.  A huge thanks to the kind fellow shoe-lover that passed them on rather than let them collect dust in her closet.