Dear FlyLady,

My dog made me do it.

Dress to shoes, that is. This was 12-1/2 years ago when he would dance around and step upon my feet. Puppy weight is one thing upon one’s toes, 60 pounds of dog is another. I wore Crocs back then, easy to slip on and off, yes, but I never did until evening when I curled up and relaxed on the couch. When I got up from the couch, the shoes went back on.

An old boy now, the dog doesn’t circle me in excitement, but my shoes are still on and I’m dressed above them.

I must confess most of my shoes are slip-on, with a heel, not lace-up. They don’t get kicked off because for me it’s a long-established habit. I always wear socks. At night I have thick bed-socks and a pair of shoes on when I’m in my pjs. Last summer I tossed my last pair of heel-less sandals, and, because I had three pair of ballet-style shoes, I wore them all summer with liner socks. Guess what? My heels are soft and buttery. I don’t have to soak them in creams overnight because they’re so dry they hurt. Sound familiar? Nobody talks about this great benefit of wearing shoes all day, every day! I think getting dressed to shoes goes hand-in-hand with selecting the next day’s outfit the night before.

I love this habit! Of course I’ll skip a day and then I end up standing in front of my closet for five minutes, staring, like I don’t know my own clothes. Ha! Clothes ready for the next day are super easy to exchange, too, if the day turns out hotter or colder than I expected. For the most part another layer or one less layer takes care of weather-related issues. For the last three years I’ve turned the hangers around at the start of the new year and give away any clothes (with unturned hangers) I haven’t worn. At this point everything fits, all my clothes are well-loved, and a real sense of what I like to wear and what looks good has emerged, with is an unexpected benefit.

Thanks for all you do,
Dressed to shoes in Indiana,
Flybaby Teresa