How many pairs of shoes do you own?

[Texboots]

Living my adult years in Texas has enabled me to work closely with several bootmakers in commissioning custom boots, numbering over 50 pairs. Plus I've been able to order another 10 pairs of bespoke boots of various styles...riding, polo, patrol, engineer from around the world. My off-the-shelf footwear include dress boots from Prada, Gucci, Tom Ford, Zegna, Ferragamo, YSL, Ralph Lauren, Belstaff, Lucchese, and others. If I count all my boots, dress shoes, and drivers, I'm somewhere around 150 pairs, including three pairs of boots I made while studying bootmaking with Randy Merrill in Utah.

 

[Texasmade]

Any pictures of some of your custom boots?

 

[carolineking89]

I would be in the 1-4 bracket

 

[mr monty]

I likely have 50-60 pair left. 10 years ago when I was collecting I had a vision of keeping up with Aportnoy. Of course that was impossible. I did have Hawaii as part of my territory the last 10 years of my career and was able to visit Tom Park and Leather Soul every month. That certainly enlarged my collection. Now 5 years into retirement, I wear nothing but spikeless golf shoes or deck shoes. I suppose I should find somebody that wears UK 8.5E so that the shoes don't just wither away in the closet. I don't think I have worn a leather dress shoe but once in those 5 years.

Wow, I remember Aportnoy (aka The Shoe Fairy). He not only had a great shoe collection, he was also a nice person

 

[pkincy]

Yes, reading his posts and see all his pictures of shoe Appreciation as he acquired new ones was definitely exciting. Not only did he have every model of Edward Green and John Lobb ever made, I think he actually had each model in every leather offered. Mind boggling it was.

 

[JustWilliam89]

I have:

1.2 pairs of MOMA (Biker Chelsea & Distressed Ankle)
2.Tom Ford x YSL Johnny
3. Acne Studios - Jesse
4. Superdry-Union
5. AllSaints - Spire
6. Belstaff - Rainer
7. Belstaff Fulham Biker
8. Henderson Baracco - Riding Boot
9. Red Wings Engineer
10. Red Wing Moc Toe (mid)
11. Timberland - Earthkeepers Stormbuck Chelsea Boot
12. John Varvatos x Will.I.Am Boot
13.Frye - Harness Chelsea Boot
14. Frye - Chris Chelsea Boot
15. Frye - 12R Harness in Gaucho
16. Frye - Office Cuff Combat
17. Guidi - 997 Cordovan (suede)
18. Guide Gear (tall)
19. Hall's Lineman (tall)
20. Officine Creative - Anatomia (burnished brown)
21. Officine Creative - Ideal (grey suede)
22. Margiela - Replica Buckle w/ metal toe & 4 metal clasps 1987
23. Margiela - Replica Distressed Cuban Heel Late 50's
24. Magnanni - Peyton in cognac
25. Magnanni - Marcelo in cognac
26. Buttero - x2
27. Ann Demeulemeester - grey suede combat boots
28. N.I.C.E. Collective - combat boots x2 (one suede and one leather)
29. Fiorentini & Baker - 3-strap black boots
30. F&B ^ - grey pull-on boots in grey
31. Sturlini - dark brown
32. Truman Boot Co.
33. Jean-Baptiste Rautureau - black 60mm heel
34. Julius - brown combat boots
35. Dsquared2 - Grey high-top boots (with zip, strap and laces)
36. Fabiano Ricci - Cognac Chelsea Boots
37. Carhartt - work boots
38. Cesare Paciotti - 6 strap boots (very Matrix-like)


That's basically my expensive hobby or things I collect. Whether it's cars, stamps, comics or action figures, you gotta have something, right?

 

[DapperPhilly]

Living my adult years in Texas has enabled me to work closely with several bootmakers in commissioning custom boots, numbering over 50 pairs. Plus I've been able to order another 10 pairs of bespoke boots of various styles...riding, polo, patrol, engineer from around the world. My off-the-shelf footwear include dress boots from Prada, Gucci, Tom Ford, Zegna, Ferragamo, YSL, Ralph Lauren, Belstaff, Lucchese, and others. If I count all my boots, dress shoes, and drivers, I'm somewhere around 150 pairs, including three pairs of boots I made while studying bootmaking with Randy Merrill in Utah.

I bought two pair of Lucchese boots in my early 20's. A pair of rough outs and a pair of blackish grayish elephant skin.
30 years later they are still in pristine shape and only resoled once.
In my opinion they are (were?) the best boot maker.

 

[traditional AE]

100 plus. Almost all various types of Allen Edmonds.

 

[Betelgeuse]

I’m at the 31 and 4 more pairs on their way haha. At least in Mexico, I bet that for a man the normal would not go further than 4 pairs.

 

[usctrojans31]

I would be very interested to see this data broken out against geography, specifically urban vs suburban. I cannot imagine many of the people who live in Manhattan, London or Hong Kong have the space for hundreds of shoes. Unless we have a bunch of secret billionaires on here.

 

[pkincy]

A walk in closet with a good organizer is very helpful. I have a small organizer on one side of my closet that is 10 shelves for 3 pairs each. It is only about 8 foot high and 25 inches wide and 14 inches deep. In the main part of my closet organizer there is another 3 shelves for another 9 shoes and then you always have the floor space under your hanging clothes. And I live in a modest 1730 ft2 home. The organizer is from Home Depot's Marsha Stewart line and is quite reasonable. Boots and golf shoes go in the downstairs closet and I have Home Depot floor mounted 3 stacked shelves there, so that easily holds another 20 pair.

 

[DapperPhilly]

I would be very interested to see this data broken out against geography, specifically urban vs suburban. I cannot imagine many of the people who live in Manhattan, London or Hong Kong have the space for hundreds of shoes. Unless we have a bunch of secret billionaires on here.

I'm guessing some are either greatly exaggerating, pulling our legs (feet?) about their shoe collections or should possibly start an SA (Shoeaholics Anonymous) support group.

 

[Franky In T.O.]

I consider myself a minimalist AE fan and a non-typical SF member (I don't post often and I would call myself a perpetual novice - or maybe just slightly above entry level, despite wearing AEs for more than a decade).

3 AE Park Avenue - Black (1 in Cordovan)
1 AE Park Avenue - Dark Brown Cordovan
1 AE Park Avenue - Coffee
1 AE Fifth Avenue - Dark Chili
1 AE Harrison - Black
1 AE Flatiron - Black
1 Rockport - Black (my "beater" shoes)

See what I mean when I say I'm an AE minimalist? Vast majority are not only AEs but are PAs.

I do still have on hand 2 remaining decade-old dark brown PAs that I've upgraded and "retired" just this year that I'm excluding.

So that's 9. I'm pushing it when I include a pair of brown leather John Varvatos boots as they aren't dress boots but they are a classy casual boot.

I rotate through the first 6 on the regular and am at my "sweet spot" in terms of collection and rotation. If I were in NYC trying on a pair of Carminas and fell in love or if I decide to up my boot game then it would be out of pure appreciation over necessity. So I can see myself entering the 11-20 range one day.

 

[Thin White Duke]

Bed Bath & Beyond @

Honey-Can-Do® 10-Tier Rolling Shoe Tower in Chrome | Bed Bath & Beyond

The Honey-Can-Do Rolling Shoe Tower is perfect for those with an ever growing shoe collection. Holding up to 50 pairs of shoes, this durable shoe rack comes with 2 locking casters and 2 non-locking casters for extra mobility.

www.bedbathandbeyond.com

Nice rack!

But errrr ... either you have the tiniest pixie feet or the rack is expandable width-ways, as your collection has five men’s pairs per shelf and the pic in the link looks like it can only accommodate four pairs of ladies’ shoes.

I’m trying to decide the best way to stash my shoes so my interest is piqued!

 

[smartie-pants]

Nice rack!

But errrr ... either you have the tiniest pixie feet or the rack is expandable width-ways, as your collection has five men’s pairs per shelf and the pic in the link looks like it can only accommodate four pairs of ladies’ shoes.

I’m trying to decide the best way to stash my shoes so my interest is piqued!

HAHAHAHA I'm not sure if I should take offense to this post, but we're all friends here.

I wear a size 6 shoe. Before I discovered the likes of C&J, Carmina, Trickers, Sanders etc. I had a really hard time finding dress shoes in my size AND that were readily accessible. I would say the majority of that AE rack is comprised of MTOs. Sadly, I rarely wear my AEs nowadays and have some truly limited editions in my size.

The rack does expand and I have it the longest length w/o the center dipping due to weight. I also have shoe trees in all of the shoes - ****'z HEAVY and this rack does the job perfectly.