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ON A SHOE STRING
NEWS COPY
Women will spend more than #16,000 on shoes over the course of their lifetime, it was revealed yesterday (Sun).
Girls purchase their first pair of shoes at the age of 14 then go on to buy seven pairs a year for the rest of their lives.
That's an incredible 469 pairs of flip flops, heels, boots, pumps, sandals, wellies and wedges.
Spending #34.99 on average on each pair of shoes, means women will eventually fork out #244.93 annually and #16,410.31 over a period of 67 years.
The poll of 3,000 women, conducted by Gocompare.com, shows the average lady has approximately 19 pairs of shoes in their wardrobe at any one time.
Hayley Parsons, from Gocompare.com said: ''Women love shoes, this is a fact, so it comes as no surprise to learn that we spend a large part of our disposable income on shoes.
''And while #34.99 isn't actually that much for one pair of shoes, the average female is actually housing 19 pairs of shoes worth #664.81 at any one time.
''This shows that once we have a pair of shoes we love, it's hard to let go - and we keep different shoes for different occasions.''
The study also found the majority of shoes are bought to serve a purpose - with the average female owning three pairs of heels for formal functions and special occasions.
Usually women have six pairs of flip flops, sandals, ballet pumps and wedges for the summer months, and three pairs of warm boots for the colder winter months.
In addition, women have four pairs of foxy footwear for nights out - such as stilettos, kitten heels and knee highs.
Finally girls have two pair of sensible work shoes and another two 'random' purchases.
The study also revealed one in four women own at least one pair of designer shoes - while 53 per cent wish they did.
The most desirable designer labels to leave women drooling are Jimmy Choos (61 per cent), Christian Louboutin (42 per cent) and Manolo Blahnik (29 per cent).
Over a third of ladies claim that shoes are the most important part of their outfits - and more than half always take note of other female's footwear.
Four in 10 women even say that they would judge another woman by the shoes that she is wearing.
A third of ladies say shoes are the one thing all women have in common, and more than half would think nothing of asking a stranger where they got their shoes from if they liked them.
And predictably, 29 per cent of ladies say shoes are the one thing they cannot resist buying, regardless of whether they can afford them.
More than half of women find it really easy to justify buying shoes to themselves, but a quarter rarely divulge their latest spends to their partner, as he doesn't understand their obsession.
Hayley Parsons added: ''Women might have a relatively tight grip on their finances in most areas, but shoes are their one major weakness.
''The very fact women are prepared to lie about their shoe buying habits to their partners clearly illustrates how guilty they are feeling.
''But funnily enough, 64 per cent of our respondents were quick to point out that if their feet were happy, they were happy.''
ENDS
