A nation of shoe addicts? How the average American woman will spend over $20K on footwear in her lifetime (a fifth of which will never even be worn!)
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The average American woman will spend $20,557 in her lifetime - on shoes, according to a new study.
Researchers found the typical female will own 268 pairs during her adult life and blow $4,364 on shoes which either don't fit properly, or have been worn once - or never worn.
The study also revealed the majority of the money goes on plain black work shoes, block-color ballerina pumps, comfortable ankle boots and stiletto heels.
Best foot forward: The average American woman will spend $20,557 in her lifetime on shoes
The study, which was commissioned by Onepoll.com, involved 1,000 American women aged 18 to 60 across all 50 states, showed the strange attachment women have to shoes.
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The overall lifetime spend was calculated by multiplying four new pairs a year at $67 per time, plus an estimated $671 splurge on every pair of designer shoes.
The most common type of shoe to be purchased was a summer sandal, while a pair of red peep-toe heels rank as a more unusual, one-off purchase.
Around 20 per cent of the women who took part in the study admitted to having purchased a pair of shoes which 'left them in agony, but looked great.'
'Regular spending on shoes for women is not something that is going to go away any time soon'
And 52 per cent said they had shoes in the wardrobe which they had never worn, with 'I have no occasion to wear them' and 'I can’t walk in them' being the main reasons for them gathering dust.
The ever-versatile black shoe was overwhelmingly voted the color women first opt for, with 69 per cent choosing it as their favorite when it came to work shoes, stiletto heels, flip-flops or casual boots.
Other top contenders for footwear were brown, blue and nude.
More than one fifth of women would go as far as saying they are 'addicted to shoes', claiming to give in to brand new pair at least once a month.
When it comes to impulse buys, flip-flops are what catches a woman’s eye most often as almost a fifth admit they purchase beach footwear without a second thought.
Boots also ranked highly, suggesting the changing seasons causes the average woman to throw her cash at the most suitable footwear before the weather alters.
THE LIFETIME COST OF A SHOE CLOSET: A STYLE BREAKDOWN
- Designer heels - $6,043
- Plain black work shoes - $1,745
- Summer sandals - $2,484
- Plain black stiletto heels - $1,141
- Beach flip-flops - $1,913
- Cork wedges - $738
- Power heels - $839
- Casual boots - $1,477
- Block-color pumps - $637
- Black leather boots - $1,594
- Gold strappy sandals - $805
- Pastel-coloured wedding heels - $671
- Red stiletto heels - $470
TOTAL LIFETIME SPEND - $20,557
WASTED* SPENDS
- Unworn shoes - $1,678
- Shoes worn once or twice - $2,686
- Shoes we can't walk in - $2,182
- Shoes we buy with no occasion to wear - $8,729
*Wasted spend figures differ from the $4,364 figure in the main article due to crossover between sections.
However a glamorous one in ten women will most often splash out on a new pair of stiletto heels that they can’t resist – whether or not there’s a reason for them.
Unfortunately for their partners, it seems that a love affair with shoes can intrude on a real relationship – one in eight women have lied about buying shoes to get out of an argument.
Top excuses for when a partner asks about an unfamiliar pair includes: ‘I’ve had these for ages’, ‘I got them in the sale’ or simply claiming they didn’t cost much when they did.
Of those who have argued about shoe-buying with their partners, over a fifth ended up breaking up, while many have walked in a painful pair of heels purely to make a point during a shoe-fuelled row.
Amanda Sanders, CEO and celebrity stylist of New York Image Consultant, said: 'Women buy the wrong shoe for their lifestyle. I see it all the time and what’s worse is they can’t part with them, even when I push them to sell all those unworn pairs piling up in their closets.'
Image Consultant and Personal Stylist Heather Rae Mitchell of HRM added: 'I find that my clients often want a new pair of shoes for each look I shop for them.
'I sometimes try and curb this habit as it really is about incorporating key staples in to your wardrobe that are consistent and can work with a few looks.'
'Regular spending on shoes for women is not something that is going to go away any time soon. You see less quality hitting the shelves and the shoes often break down fast. It is important for women to understand that when you skimp on price sometimes you may need to replace more often.'
