Cleaning out my closet. I always do this around the changing of the seasons. Cheap tee-shirts may come and go, but good shoes? A worthy investment. These stand the test of time, I’m telling you. By a bunch of cheap pairs and toss them every couple seasons, or invest in any pair of these, wear them day in and day out, and never tire of seeing them on your feet, for years to come.

Lucchese cowboy boots. So sexy with a good pair of jeans. I once read a quote from Michael Kors that said something along the lines of a woman walking around Manhattan in a pair of these looks ridiculous. I absolutely disagree. And I used to love Michael Kors. Used to.

Frye Campus boots. These should be in every woman’s closet. Wear them with any and everything. Under jeans, over jeans, skirts, dresses. Forever. Then pass them on to your daughter. She will worship the ground you walk on when she realizes she’s now the proud owner of the coolest boots in school.

Bernardo Milly sandals. They have a fantastic selection of neutrals, but if you visit the Bernardo website, you can also opt for the more vibrant red or turquoise versions, which in summer bring a nice pop of color to an otherwise neutral wardrobe that I’ve been accused of sporting.

Dr. Scholl’s. Do you remember your first pair of these? I do. Mine were white. Over the years, I’ve had black patent leather, leopard. This time I went with a plain old nude (tan) color, and no one is more shocked than me to say that I’ve worn them more than I’ve worn my Havaiana flip-flops this summer. There’s just something so comfortingly old-school about them.

Birkenstocks! Yes! I’m not kidding! These are not your hippie-dippy mother’s crunchy sandals, either. They are so far improved from the meatloaf-looking he-walks-on-water shoes from my youth. I have a pair of Gizehs in olive leather and they are so comfy and totally respectable, in my opinion. My absolute favorite Gizeh ever is the black patent leather one, but somewhere between my studio apartment on Christopher Street in NYC and my charming Sears catalog bungalow in Ames, Iowa, they disappeared. Someday, I’ll spring for a replacement pair. But for now, I’m very happy with my earthy green ones.

A good (but relatively inexpensive) pair of ballet flats. Mine are by French Sole and are bronze leather and I wear them year-round. With jeans, with shorts, and everything in-between. This particular line runs crazy small. I generally wear a 38 (European), but in these? I have to size up an entire shoe size. Keep in mind if you ever order a pair…

I think this is the first time in a long time I’ve been pretty content with my shoe collection. The only thing I never seem to have are dress-up shoes, but seriously, where I live? There’s just not much dressing up to be done.