You Probably Own Way Too Many Pairs Of Shoes, Study Says

You Probably (Definitely) Own Way Too Many Pairs Of Shoes

Stop for a second and think about how many pairs of shoes you own. The answer? Probably too many, according to a new study.

One look at our closets and we can concur with the results of a survey conducted by www.VoucherCodesPro.co.uk, which found that women are only wearing a quarter of the shoes they're purchasing. The study, which polled 2,352 women over the age of 18, found that ladies own about 20 pairs of shoes on average, yet they only put 5 of them into their regular rotation. (We're assuming Imelda Marcos wasn't among the respondents.)

So why aren't we taking advantage of our extensive footwear collections? Apparently, our kicks are just too darn uncomfortable. Here are the top excuses we're giving about why we're neglecting our shoes:

1. Too uncomfortable (too tight on feet/too high heels) (64%)

2. Hard to match with an outfit (55%)

3. Scared to damage/were very expensive (41%)

4. Were given as a gift and don't like them (37%)

5. Didn't like them as much when I got them home (21%)

What's more, the survey found that 86 percent of women own at least one pair of shoes that they've never worn. Is this a sign that we need to slow down and rein in our apparent shoe-purchasing addiction? Perhaps. With fast-fashion retailers hawking shoes cheaper and trendier than ever, it's no wonder we're stockpiling footwear like tissues. We're starting to think that paring down our collection might be just what we need for peace of mind (and a less cluttered closet).

Obviously, this wasn't the most extensive or conclusive study. But hey, if Kate Middleton can survive off of a single pair of nude L.K. Bennett pumps, why can't we stop making excuses and streamline our shoe wardrobe?

We imagine these might sit in a woman's closet untouched...

Christian Dior Fall 2013

Wildest Shoes Of All Time

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