liebe: Bensimon shoes

due to the sheer number of pictures taken in France (800+), any posts about my trip are definitely going to have to wait!
i admit, one of the first things that i look at when i'm people watching are the shoes that they're wearing. and in France, i saw so many girls wearing Bensimon shoes! They're basically the French version of Converse, and i really wanted a pair. despite looking for them in stores, i wasn't able to find my size [besides being substantially shorter than me, apparently French people also have tinier feet.] i came back home, thinking that they just weren't meant for me.
fast forward to yesterday. i stopped in at Madewell, and they had Bensimon shoes! in my size! in a Liberty print! basically they were the best combo of French and British influences, and i was in love. i am definitely a champion for flat shoes, heels are so bad for your feet!! plus when you're walking over a mile to class everyday, you need to aim for comfort.

successful shoe shopping trips are always fun. besides the Bensimons, i had to pick up a new set of TOMS...i love the fact that they donate a pair of shoes to a needy child for each pair that they sell...as well as being the most comfortable shoes in the universe!
i'm coming to terms with the fact that its ok that i love shopping. for me, its not about greed or trying to compensate for something else, its more about the quest to find items to edit my environment with, to be constantly surrounded by things that spark my creativity and make me happy.

obsessive consumption

we are not the sum of our material possessions. although i completely believe in this statement, at the same time, i am a collector of things...books, vinyl records, CLOTHES, jewelry, cameras, magazines...the list goes on and on. however, i do not think that i have these things for the sake of having them. this book, Obsessive Consumption is a compendium of Kate Bingaman-Burt's purchases over the course of several years. I looked through it the last time i was in Barnes and Noble and thought that it was groundbreaking--are we simply our belongings? can a person be judged on what is in their shopping cart?

so many people follow these complete extremes--either being attached to objects is selfish and unnecessary, or an obsession with things is exaggerated.
i enjoy surrounding myself with beautiful objects that inspire me and reflect who i am as a person. while clothes and fashion can appear shallow at best, how i dress is a daily creative outlet--a vehicle for me to express myself and my personal aesthetic. the same goes for my collections--i like the ongoing hunt to add to my collections, and experience joy when a record i've been searching for or a novel i've wanted is found. silly? probably. but manifesting something you like is always a blessing, in my eyes.
it does make me a little sad when people feel a need to have things merely for the sake of having them--or being able to brag about them on Facebook. i do not think that you should purchase any article of clothing, or accessory, or newest Apple product just to be able to say that you own it. in all reality, who cares? it really doesn't matter if you've acquired the newest designer purse or iPhone...it does not make you a better, kinder person, and boasting about it via the Internet...just trashy. this is not to claim that you cannot speak about the good things in your life without sounding rude and bragadocious, but to say things in a manner where you are trying to instigate jealously has been more and more common online, and i sincerely hope that i never come across this way, as it is not my intention.
i'm aware that this is essentially a rant, but i am not speaking about against materialism or anything of that nature. things should be purchased out of their own merit because they bring your personal happiness, not based on who is going to be envious of your owning it. i just think that material possessions do not alter the person you are in the inside--they are accoutrements, not your identity.