I'm a crazy Mary Jane Shopalcoholic and I know I'm not the only one. Being an all time online shopping manic, mostly for shoes (Mary Janes, my favorite), I thought I'd help fellow shopalcoholics to choose a nice pair of Mary Janes with some tips to what to wear. While many online stores sell Mary Jane shoes, (and they clamor for our attention all the blogosphere) there are only a few sites that give us recommendations and suggestions for our likes. So I'd fill the gap here.



With more than enough posts out there on What are Mary Janes? Why are they popular?, let me keep myself away from that bla bla bla and start on how to choose one for your style. The main problem with selecting Mary Janes comes with the variety of styles that they come with. There are more than 10 varieties of Mary Janes and it's not just a matter of selecting one out of this ten. Hundreds of models for each variety and multiply that with the growing number of countless shoe manufacturers. I feel dizzy with numbers!

Mary Janes Selecting Tips

So the best way to select a pair (and not to feel dizzy) that matches your style is to narrow down your search. That is, first narrow down your look out for Mary Janes, say from 10 varieties to 2 or 3. Mary Janes have evolved a lot and now there are more styles and varities in it. Here is a list of them with a short (very short, indeed) 'when to wear' description.

Mary Jane Sneaker - dressy and cute enough for any informal occasion

Chunky High Heels - for girlish ambience and fun, flirty and funky look

Platform - funky sophistication suitable for any formal and informal occasions.

Wedge - show your skinny ankle even thinner and looks clunky

Open toe - modern look suitable for any formal occasions

Pumps - for a lady-like charm and home-like comfort

Sporty - to team with outdoor or sporty workout attires

Loafers- Style and comfort come together

T strap - trendy and adjustable fitness

Mules - for night outs and evening walks

Pointed Toe - for a sexy look (add this with red color)

With each of these styles serving a different purpose, choose any 2 or 3 styles based on your need. Say, you want a "fabulous and fantasy arousing look which will do well in night outs and also in evening walks", choose Mary Jane Mules. Or go for Wedges for a Cosmopolitan look.

I personally prefer Platform Mary Janes, as they go well with both informal and formal events. Also they give me an "extra" height, without costing much on my archs (as greedy as Stilettos). So when you bring your search to 2 or 3, look for sites that show filleted products for these varieties of Mary Janes. I call this vertical searching. Now you don't look for extensive catalog but look for intensive catalogs in your choice of Mary Janes.

In vertical search, look out for various traits like Top Mary Jane Mules, Economic Mary Jane Mules (assuming that you are looking for Mules variety). I do look for low cost Mary Janes, at time, but don't down too low making your purchase void. Here is what happened to me. Once I was searching for some cheap Mary Janes and got fancied by the term "Chinese Mary Jane" costing only some 10$. With no second thought I ordered it. The manufacturer claimed it as the "only one" that a women would like to wear. When I got my them delivered at home, I found it smelling too much of turbentine and too uneasy to wear. Though the product was just a throw away price of some 10$, I'd not ask my readers to test it. So do look for Janes for some considerable rate. Remember that Quality always comes with a price.