shop by size

Anyone who knows me knows I love shoes the most. In the early 2000s I became obsessed with retro- and Euro-style sneakers, then it was on to pointies (Jamie tracked down the cutest Stuart Weitzman boots for me). A couple of years ago it was old lady pumps. Now it's flats, flats, and more flats ... and maybe a wedge, platform, and a pair or two of slouchy boots.

Thusly, shopping for shoes at places like Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie is totally pointless, as they never-hardly-ever carry anything smaller than a six ... and did I mention that I wear an unheard-of size 5? Just before Christmas, I left the mall in tears when not ONE pair of boots I tried on came smaller than a size 6 or 36. I had already searched the Internet high and freakin' low. Only someone with an equally small foot understands how incredibly frustrating this is.

As you can see, I'm in quite the predicament: the things I want most are the ones I literally can't have. While it leaves my bank account a little fuller, my closet (not to mention my heart) is being emptied.

I'm always told to look in the children's department, that I'm "lucky" because I can save money there. But, get serious, though I own one pair of children's boots that I really like, the designs are generally lacking. And it shouldn't be hard to see that someone whose foot slides easily into a five might have a complex about being small and/or looking young.

I had just about had it. Until I started employing "shop by size." The spring collection at Urban got me excited about summer shoes, but, this time around, I got smart. Forget Urban. If you have petite feet, head on over to teen hangout Alloy where the the prices and sizes are halved (well, almost).

There wasn't much for a size 5, but for a 5 1/2, the selection got pretty good: