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“She has more shoes than Imelda Marcos,” my late husband used to tell people, just to tease me. You do remember Imelda in international news with closets full of shoes?

I do love shoes. If I find a pair I really like, they are on sale and they fit, I’m likely to buy them even if I don’t need for another pair.

I was looking in the closet for a different pair of black dress shoes to wear and there in the shoe rack was some I didn’t remember. It was obvious they had not been worn since the soles weren’t scratched.

Trying on a pair of shoes in the store and feeling that they fit well at the moment is quite different than getting a pair that will feel good on your feet all day. Unfortunately, the only way you can tell is to wear them all day. Sometimes, you may be very sorry you wore them all day and vow never to do that again.

Some shoes are good only to wear for a couple of hours, such as to church on Sunday morning. Reaching home, you quickly pull them off. They are definitely not for shopping. They are only good for special occasions lasting no more than a couple of hours or when you will be sitting most of the time.

High heels have become a no-no for me, as at a certain age we all become a little too unsteady to balance ourselves on anything higher than two inches. As a short person, two-inch heels don’t elevate me very much.

While I have a hard time resisting shoes on sale, at regular price they don’t tempt me a bit, especially the more expensive ones. It is the sale tag that gets to me.

I’m also not so gung-ho about purses. I usually carry one until it literally falls apart, then find another one to replace it. My only criteria for a purse is that it be good looking, small and — you guessed it — on sale!

Big purses overwhelm me and when filled can cause intense pain since I always carry them slung over a shoulder. I learned that lesson many years ago after several trips to the doctor. It is too tempting to keep adding items to a big purse until they weigh almost as much as I do. A small purse will only hold so much.

Tall women can carry big purses really well, but we short gals look like we are carrying a suitcase if purses are too big.

I have always disliked changing purses, because you always seen to leave something in the one you aren’t using that you need later on. So using the same purse with everything and not having to change is a real asset.

On the television fashion shows where they dictate what to wear and what not to wear, they can put together the most awful combinations. While I might try pairing red shoes with a bright green purse at home, I would likely never actually walk out of the house with it.

It is a given as we age, we can dress as we please because nobody pays us too much attention anymore and apparently we are not expected to be fashion plates.

I’ll bet if I actually appeared in public wearing red shoes and carrying a bright green purse, somebody would think I was in style for Christmas, color-blind or in my dotage!

Seniors may get off with a few fashion boo-boos and that can be such a good thing! It’s sort of like the poem that says, “When I am old I shall wear purple.”

Keeping in style can be pretty hard to do when each female seems to come up with their own. Who knows what will be popular?

Jeans or pants with holes ripped in the legs is one popular example. Where did that come from and where is it going? Just about anything may seem okay, but watch out! Fashion “dos and don’ts” still come and go!

Retired as Associate News Editor, Bob Ann Breland writes a weekly column for The Daily News. You can email her at bobann70@att.net.