You are inventing new Indyx workflows in real time!!! We're just trying to keep up over here...and, your closet may seriously need its own case study soon lol
Hah! I feel like half my Indyx use is just me going, “What else can I do with this?” SO MANY USE CASES. And as for the case study, my secrets will be out in the open 😂
Agree! Situations like this really should be Harvard case studies for business schools. I would have been much perkier reading about this instead of another Nintendo Switch/Best Buy/Apple/blahblahblah tech company case study.
What’s amazing is that if you replace the word ‘shoes’ by ‘outerwear’ we can apply your framework to figure out which coats and jackets we need in our lives. It is gonna be in our minds in the next few weeks. Weight (light/heavy), shape (slouchy/sculptural), length (short/long), vibe (casual/polished), texture (smooth/icky)… pick your 2x2! And each grid would be highly personal because tailored to our local weather throughout the year and to our own lifestyle. Maybe it would also works for bags? Because bags are emotional too? And they can be organized in the 2x2 casual/polished and slim/big.
Yes yes yes exactly! I hope to tackle bags next. I reserve the rights to change my mind about this but as of now I’m thinking for bags it probably is casual polished and then slouchy vs structured. But need to test it for a couple of days to see if that’s real. Love the idea for outerwear! So smart.
As someone who is a SHOES girl, this post is EVERYTHING!! I mean, the quadrant framework (how lucky are we that you even gave us the template?!) is amazing. I love the way your brain works and I cannot wait to read and reread this 12000 times.
Ahhh, coming from a fellow shoes girl, this means everything! I’m so glad the quadrant landed. it’s one of those things that’s been living in my head forever, so finally getting it out into a template felt so good. Thank you so much, Kelly.
This is exceptionally helpful. Finding a framework to analyse what really is one of the most personal elements of personal style is so clever. Likewise your use of tools to get there and provide opinions like if - not canva pro then Indyx or lay them on the floor etc is so accessible. It is fascinating to see the technical thinking that goes into your beautiful and unique style. I’m with Anna, this deserves a standing ovation.
This means so much, thank you. ❤️ I really do think shoes are one of the most personal (and most misunderstood) parts of style, so hearing that the framework and the tools felt accessible makes me so happy. Half the fun for me is taking the technical thinking in my head and translating it into something people can actually use. Thank you for your kind comment.
If this post were on paper it would already be dirty and coffee stained, that's how much I've pored over it this morning. (and the Kilchu rec! wow!) Anyway, THANK YOU. xx
This might be my favorite comment ever I’m so glad it resonated and now I’m picturing it with coffee rings and dog-eared pages, which feels like the highest compliment. And yesss to Kilchu. dangerous in the best way.
Asta, huge thanks for all the tools and frameworks you share with us. I’ve started to follow you because of your shoes choices and your approach is so amazingly inspiring. What can be better than make emotional buys based on strong analytics 👏👏👏.
Your Canva template is even more useful than I thought at first, for example if I have no any pair in some category I will definitely try some shoes from two adjacent categories to see which pair will work.
And also I predict Kilchu wearing selfie boom here on 3-4 weeks )
This made my day, thank you! I love that you’re mixing the emotional with the analytical (it’s basically my happy place too). And yes, the “adjacent category” experiment is such a good way to spot unexpected winners.
Ahh shoes. I have a love/hate relationship with them. I have such a hard time finding shoes that fit and look nice on my giant baby feet (chubby). So I seem to stick with basics. Sneakers, Birkenstock Arizonas, Doc martens 1461 that I’ve had for years (but in fabulous colors), chunky loafers and clogs. 99% of the time these all work perfectly fine for my life. But sometimes I just wish I could find an elegant shoe for wedding type events. 😩
I feel you so much on this coz shoes can be such a pain when it comes to fit, especially when you want them to be comfortable and good-looking. Honestly, your lineup already sounds like the dream for 99% of real life (and the fact that your Docs are in fabulous colors makes me love them even more).
The wedding/elegant shoe gap is so common. I think it’s the one category where comfort and style have the hardest time coexisting. I’ll keep my eyes out for options that have that elegance without feeling like foot torture. Because no one should suffer through a night in bad shoes just to look polished.
I LOVE this! I both need and absolutely DO NOT need more shoes. It's complicated. Either way, I'm in love with your polished slim (top, left) pointy toes black flats. Could you share the details on them. Thanks for a useful way to consider the shoes I own and my future shoe purchases.
I feel the same about shoes! The top left is actually pumps, not flats. It’s the Tibi Albert heel. Currently offline but will be on the site in a week or two I believe.
Love me a good closet matrix! Excited to do this exercise. My biggest hurdle with shoes is always step number 1. I'm currently obsessed with the idea of a slim, slingback heel. While in reality, I've been barefoot all day.
Thank you! I really like the idea to think about the weather. While we don't have snow in Melbourne, Aus, we do get seasons. I first did the matrix and had a pair of chelsea boots and some suede flats in the same spot on the matrix - made me realise that they really serve the same purpose, just at different times of the year.
Now, unfortunately for my heart, this exercise has also made see that the heaviness of slim and polished shoes in my closet means that I do not need some soft loafers that I've been eyeing.
The only thing that could convince me otherwise is that a high number of my polished flats are not all that COMFORTABLE.
Thanks again. Look forward to reading your part 2 now :-)
I love this reflection. Yes, the weather lens is such a good extra layer. And wow, great catch on the Chelsea boots vs suede flats overlap that’s exactly the kind of clarity the matrix is meant to surface.
And re: the soft loafers, comfort is definitely a valid differentiator. If a pair makes you actually reach for it instead of avoiding it, then it’s serving a different purpose than the polished-but-painful ones.
A shoe post for analytically-minded shoe lovers! I was vibrating while reading this, going like "yes!" and "YES!" It felt like so many of my footwear musings of the past several years had been distilled into a package and wrapped up with a bow.
I have many footwear brands I follow, and also those I admire from afar but aren't aligned with my personal style. I. Love. Shoes. ❤️
One idea I'm preparing to act on is shoe customization: did you know that you can paint leather and finish it into any color or pattern you can execute on (within reason)? Custom sneakerheads have this done all the time. I want to try this on shoes where I love the shape but want to change up the color!
This comment gave me chills in the best way, shoe nerd solidarity I love that it resonated with all your musings, because that’s exactly how I feel when I finally get the framework out of my head and into words.
And YES to customization! I’ve seen it in the sneakerhead world, but I love the idea of taking it beyond that especially for pairs where the shape is perfect but the color isn’t quite right. Please keep me posted when you do it, because that sounds like the most fun kind of shoe experiment.
Oh my gosh I think this is my favorite shoe post of all time!! Combines so many concepts that have been on my mind and produces a beautiful (and adaptable for everyone) 2x2 framework that my former-consultant brain loves 🥰 I’m going to share this with everyone who has ever asked me whether they should buy a particular pair of shoes. Bravo!! 👏👏👏
This makes me so happy, thank you! The fact that it clicked with your former-consultant brain feels like the highest compliment (my grids feel seen). And yes, please share away. <3
Just done my shoe situation analysis. The conclusions are solid but what’s interesting is that my brain is adjusting to seeing the shoe as a tool and I like the shift in the way I think about it
Orit nailed it! It is not so much about the final grid as it is about the act of going through the activity with your own shoes. Definitely enables us to see them as tools, which makes the next part easy (coming tomorrow AM)
You are inventing new Indyx workflows in real time!!! We're just trying to keep up over here...and, your closet may seriously need its own case study soon lol
Hah! I feel like half my Indyx use is just me going, “What else can I do with this?” SO MANY USE CASES. And as for the case study, my secrets will be out in the open 😂
Agree! Situations like this really should be Harvard case studies for business schools. I would have been much perkier reading about this instead of another Nintendo Switch/Best Buy/Apple/blahblahblah tech company case study.
<3<3 But yes def agree this is way more interesting
@Asta what you shared here makes so much sense. It's really hard not to want to apply this immediately to my shoes! Thank you!
yay I am so glad to hear that, thanks for letting me know!
This. My immediate thought is let me start doing this there 😮
Yes! Perfect in Indyx.
Indyx + Asta is my Roman Empire
So so good.
What’s amazing is that if you replace the word ‘shoes’ by ‘outerwear’ we can apply your framework to figure out which coats and jackets we need in our lives. It is gonna be in our minds in the next few weeks. Weight (light/heavy), shape (slouchy/sculptural), length (short/long), vibe (casual/polished), texture (smooth/icky)… pick your 2x2! And each grid would be highly personal because tailored to our local weather throughout the year and to our own lifestyle. Maybe it would also works for bags? Because bags are emotional too? And they can be organized in the 2x2 casual/polished and slim/big.
You are a genius 😃
Yes yes yes exactly! I hope to tackle bags next. I reserve the rights to change my mind about this but as of now I’m thinking for bags it probably is casual polished and then slouchy vs structured. But need to test it for a couple of days to see if that’s real. Love the idea for outerwear! So smart.
Bags would be a great one!
Yay ok!
Also jewelry! I’m planning to do that soon, I need to make some sense out of my growing jewelry collection.
*stands up for a standing ovation*
Thank you so much, Anna!
Was about to leave my own comment, but this (^) says it all. Aastha, you've done it again!!!
Omg thank you so much 🥹
As someone who is a SHOES girl, this post is EVERYTHING!! I mean, the quadrant framework (how lucky are we that you even gave us the template?!) is amazing. I love the way your brain works and I cannot wait to read and reread this 12000 times.
Ahhh, coming from a fellow shoes girl, this means everything! I’m so glad the quadrant landed. it’s one of those things that’s been living in my head forever, so finally getting it out into a template felt so good. Thank you so much, Kelly.
This is exceptionally helpful. Finding a framework to analyse what really is one of the most personal elements of personal style is so clever. Likewise your use of tools to get there and provide opinions like if - not canva pro then Indyx or lay them on the floor etc is so accessible. It is fascinating to see the technical thinking that goes into your beautiful and unique style. I’m with Anna, this deserves a standing ovation.
This means so much, thank you. ❤️ I really do think shoes are one of the most personal (and most misunderstood) parts of style, so hearing that the framework and the tools felt accessible makes me so happy. Half the fun for me is taking the technical thinking in my head and translating it into something people can actually use. Thank you for your kind comment.
If this post were on paper it would already be dirty and coffee stained, that's how much I've pored over it this morning. (and the Kilchu rec! wow!) Anyway, THANK YOU. xx
This might be my favorite comment ever I’m so glad it resonated and now I’m picturing it with coffee rings and dog-eared pages, which feels like the highest compliment. And yesss to Kilchu. dangerous in the best way.
Asta, huge thanks for all the tools and frameworks you share with us. I’ve started to follow you because of your shoes choices and your approach is so amazingly inspiring. What can be better than make emotional buys based on strong analytics 👏👏👏.
Your Canva template is even more useful than I thought at first, for example if I have no any pair in some category I will definitely try some shoes from two adjacent categories to see which pair will work.
And also I predict Kilchu wearing selfie boom here on 3-4 weeks )
This made my day, thank you! I love that you’re mixing the emotional with the analytical (it’s basically my happy place too). And yes, the “adjacent category” experiment is such a good way to spot unexpected winners.
I’m so glad people are liking Kilchu
Woah Kilchu is a revelation! Any recs??
Isn’t it perfect? I have the grandma pair and the bauhaus pair and love them both.
Do they run TTS….i love them all!
Yes, I ordered using their sizing chart and it was perfect.
Ahh shoes. I have a love/hate relationship with them. I have such a hard time finding shoes that fit and look nice on my giant baby feet (chubby). So I seem to stick with basics. Sneakers, Birkenstock Arizonas, Doc martens 1461 that I’ve had for years (but in fabulous colors), chunky loafers and clogs. 99% of the time these all work perfectly fine for my life. But sometimes I just wish I could find an elegant shoe for wedding type events. 😩
I feel you so much on this coz shoes can be such a pain when it comes to fit, especially when you want them to be comfortable and good-looking. Honestly, your lineup already sounds like the dream for 99% of real life (and the fact that your Docs are in fabulous colors makes me love them even more).
The wedding/elegant shoe gap is so common. I think it’s the one category where comfort and style have the hardest time coexisting. I’ll keep my eyes out for options that have that elegance without feeling like foot torture. Because no one should suffer through a night in bad shoes just to look polished.
I LOVE this! I both need and absolutely DO NOT need more shoes. It's complicated. Either way, I'm in love with your polished slim (top, left) pointy toes black flats. Could you share the details on them. Thanks for a useful way to consider the shoes I own and my future shoe purchases.
I feel the same about shoes! The top left is actually pumps, not flats. It’s the Tibi Albert heel. Currently offline but will be on the site in a week or two I believe.
Love me a good closet matrix! Excited to do this exercise. My biggest hurdle with shoes is always step number 1. I'm currently obsessed with the idea of a slim, slingback heel. While in reality, I've been barefoot all day.
Haha yes that’s why I started there. That said, I fully acknowledge shoes are so emotional so I get you.
Thank you! I really like the idea to think about the weather. While we don't have snow in Melbourne, Aus, we do get seasons. I first did the matrix and had a pair of chelsea boots and some suede flats in the same spot on the matrix - made me realise that they really serve the same purpose, just at different times of the year.
Now, unfortunately for my heart, this exercise has also made see that the heaviness of slim and polished shoes in my closet means that I do not need some soft loafers that I've been eyeing.
The only thing that could convince me otherwise is that a high number of my polished flats are not all that COMFORTABLE.
Thanks again. Look forward to reading your part 2 now :-)
I love this reflection. Yes, the weather lens is such a good extra layer. And wow, great catch on the Chelsea boots vs suede flats overlap that’s exactly the kind of clarity the matrix is meant to surface.
And re: the soft loafers, comfort is definitely a valid differentiator. If a pair makes you actually reach for it instead of avoiding it, then it’s serving a different purpose than the polished-but-painful ones.
Can’t wait to hear what you think of Part 2!
A shoe post for analytically-minded shoe lovers! I was vibrating while reading this, going like "yes!" and "YES!" It felt like so many of my footwear musings of the past several years had been distilled into a package and wrapped up with a bow.
I have many footwear brands I follow, and also those I admire from afar but aren't aligned with my personal style. I. Love. Shoes. ❤️
One idea I'm preparing to act on is shoe customization: did you know that you can paint leather and finish it into any color or pattern you can execute on (within reason)? Custom sneakerheads have this done all the time. I want to try this on shoes where I love the shape but want to change up the color!
This comment gave me chills in the best way, shoe nerd solidarity I love that it resonated with all your musings, because that’s exactly how I feel when I finally get the framework out of my head and into words.
And YES to customization! I’ve seen it in the sneakerhead world, but I love the idea of taking it beyond that especially for pairs where the shape is perfect but the color isn’t quite right. Please keep me posted when you do it, because that sounds like the most fun kind of shoe experiment.
This is soooo good!! Step #2 is sooo on point. But also step 4 !!!! Loved this and can't wait to dive into part 2.
Thank you, Ofelia!
Oh my gosh I think this is my favorite shoe post of all time!! Combines so many concepts that have been on my mind and produces a beautiful (and adaptable for everyone) 2x2 framework that my former-consultant brain loves 🥰 I’m going to share this with everyone who has ever asked me whether they should buy a particular pair of shoes. Bravo!! 👏👏👏
This makes me so happy, thank you! The fact that it clicked with your former-consultant brain feels like the highest compliment (my grids feel seen). And yes, please share away. <3
Just done my shoe situation analysis. The conclusions are solid but what’s interesting is that my brain is adjusting to seeing the shoe as a tool and I like the shift in the way I think about it
Orit nailed it! It is not so much about the final grid as it is about the act of going through the activity with your own shoes. Definitely enables us to see them as tools, which makes the next part easy (coming tomorrow AM)