Now that I am officially “old” (whatever that means), I have had to make some changes in the shoes that I wear. Gone are the 4″ stilleto heels (sob, sob). While I have decided I do NOT have to emulate my grandmother and wear only sensible shoes, shoe shopping has become more and more of a challenge, especially for those of us with Parkinson’s.

First, some backstory. I needed a new pair of dressy shoes to wear at my anniversary party last week (50 years of wedded bliss with Mr. Twitchy!) I still have shoes in my closet that I can no longer wear because of Parkinson’s. Looking through what remained after I finally gave away my last pair of 4″ heels with pointy toes, there was nothing that worked with my dress. I needed to go Shoe Shopping!

The 4″+ Platform Heel

First stop, the local Nordstrom. On prominent display was this lovely shoe. Now doesn’t that look like something we should all be wearing now? Gotta love that platform which hides the 4″ rise in the shoe. The heel is gratefully not a stiletto, and that ankle strap makes it look safe. Yeah, right. If you want to feel like you did walking around in your mother’s high heels when you were 4 years old, go for it. Just make sure you have your Medicare card with you because you will definitely end up in the emergency room.

And then I saw this one, with a nice chunky, somewhat lower heel. But that ankle strap??? Oh my. That will be impossible to put on with my shaking hand. The search continues. On to other stores and maybe other styles.

The Pandemic Effect

But there are almost no other useable styles. For the past 3 years, much of the world has gone nowhere that required dressing nicely. So the fashionistas seem to have forgotten what that even means, and have tried to replace that style with fancy — and very expensive — athletic wear adorned with designer labels and, as they say in science, CRAP. Apparently, the more the better. These seem to be flying off the shelves in the stores I visited. Some have very fat heels, which would cause me to trip over my own feet. Some others even come with platforms which, I guess, will look great if you are going clubbing (or whatever they call it now). I see women of all ages wearing something like this not just with yoga pants, but with work clothes and even party dresses. The look just does not work for me, not to mention that those of us with PD would risk life and limb walking around in them. By the way, I’ve seen these styles on men who are guilty as well, wearing them with golf pants and tuxedos and everything in between.

Striking Gold (well at least silver)

After visiting a few more stores, I finally found the right pair of shoes, with a low chunky heel that I could wear with confidence that I wouldn’t fall over while standing still. I can wear them with just about everything but yoga pants and shorts and I won’t hurt myself. Yay for old-PD-lady shoes with style! I don’t have to look like my grandmother after all.

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!