Moving to Hillside Cottage has been a delight — so much more than I ever could have imagined when pulled kicking and screaming from Manhattan where I had ensconced myself for 30 years. I love being able to hear the birds sing and spend time outdoors – I laugh when I think how I used to sleep through screaming firetruck sirens!
The one thing though, that this house is short on is closets. Twice as much floor space, yet 1/2 as much closet space –not the best recipe for someone with a passion for collecting. When Hillside Cottage was built in 1907, consumerism wasn’t what it is today nor was it foreseen that a former fashion designer with a panache for shoes would move in!! I remember telling my mom, “In the midwest, you buy gas for your car, in Manhattan, I buy shoes for transportation.”
There just isn’t enough space — and so the editing has begun, and not without a small dose of nostalgia.
The Old Guard.
While others in NYC wore tennis shoes to work, I preferred a black flat. Not only did “Alisa”, “Jane”, “Carla”, and “Marie” (along with countless others before them) carry me to work and back, they also transported me over the cobblestones in Paris and the sidewalks of London.
“Regina”……These boots were made for walking…..
“Camille” ….These tweed pumps for a meeting on Avenue Montaigne.
“Priscilla” .…These lace evening pumps for dancing on the tables of a nightclub in Paris.
“”Sophie: and “Tara” could shop all day…..
And “Francoise” loved going out to dinner…..
All of these old friends will be heading to a new home, chez ebay, in the near future. I toast them and wish them well!!
enlightenedcollector ™ 