Decidedly Feminine

It is an orange pointy slip-on shoes encrusted with tiny sequins.

It caught my eye, despite the assortment of shoes displayed all over this small shoe store in Glorietta (one of the big malls in the business district). The sequins give it a sparkle, yes, but it is its certain shade of orange that fascinated me.

I grab my friend EVA, she looks at the price tag and checks how the shoes look on my feet from the full length mirror in front of us. She nods in agreement, “It is great! Go buy!” (Thank God for girl friends! Especially when they support a purchase decision. Ha ha ha )

Yep, I bought it. On sale. At 50% off.

After asking the saleslady on how to clean and maintain this recent purchase, (cleaning it will be tricky), we leave the store.

Next, we go from store to store looking for a pair of white pants.

It can be quite frustrating looking for the right pair of pants. It got to a point where I seriously thought of buying white skirt instead. (It is more difficult to buy pants than skirts).

“It has been awhile since I wore a skirt,” I tell EVA. “Maybe it is time I go back to wearing them again.”

I had no particular reason why I decided to stop wearing skirts. It just became convenient to just slip on to a pair of jeans or slacks when going to the office (or anywhere else for that matter).

Then, a good friend, Beng forwarded me this article In Defense of my Pink Slingbacks.

“I remembered your floral shoes”, she tells me.

I realize then that, my flair for girlie shoes and accessories could well be my attempt to avoid falling into the gender-neutral zone.

I am sure all women will agree that the right pair of shoes does something to a woman’s stride. I think the right kind of skirt creates the same effect.

Going back to our malling, I found a nice pair of white pants from one of my favorite stores, its price hugely discounted as well.

As we find our way towards the counter, EVA says, “Yeah, I think it is time you start wearing skirts again.”

I give her a meaningful smile.