Fashion: Shoe lovers' sole indulgence

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By Karen Goldberg Goff

In the "Sex and the City" movie, an audible gasp went through the theater when protagonist Carrie Bradshaw stepped into the dream closet her fiance had built for her. It had drawers and cubbies, sleek panels to hide clothes and huge racks for shoes. Lots and lots of shoes.

At Lee Brown's Reston home, things weren't conceptualized by a Hollywood set designer. In fact, it was her husband, Seth Salmon, who installed the first of many shoe racks as a Valentine's Day present. In the years since, they have added many more racks for shoes. Lots and lots of shoes.

At last count, Ms. Brown, an engineer, has more than 500 pairs, including a big collection of boots. She has turned a small bedroom in her home into a combination exercise room and shoe closet. Racks stretch over two walls and are considerably taller than the 5-foot-tall Ms. Brown. More racks, boxes and hanging bins go floor-to-ceiling in the walk-in closet.

It has been a few years in the making - Ms. Brown and Mr. Salmon have lived here since 1999 - but Ms. Brown finally can see her whole collection.

"I was storing them in different places in our old house," says Ms. Brown, 41, "but I couldn't see what I had."

What she has is a vast inventory. Some of the pairs go back to when she was a teenager looking for ways to add personality to her Catholic school uniform. Almost all are high heels - a big load of flats and sneakers has been exiled from the shoe room to the basement.

There are serious shoes in serious colors. There are florals and patent leathers. There are several pairs in the same style but different colors. There are a couple of designer names, but most are from off-the-rack discounters including DSW and Zappos, Ms. Brown says.

There are fun shoes - such as a custom-made pair of pink printed Chuck Taylors some of her air-traffic-controller friends had made for her and a pair she calls her "taxi shoes," which feature yellow patent leather and big black-and-white checks.

"Lee knows it is a good day if someone tells her her shoes stand out," Mr. Salmon says.

Says Ms. Brown: "Shoes are a huge part of our culture. It is a great way to express yourself. This is a fairly innocuous way to indulge. I don't really drink. I don't smoke. I do my own hair and nails. Shoes are my indulgence."