Shoes... Glorious Shoes

Buying shoes has become somewhat of a nightmare. Don't get me wrong... I could shop for shoes all day, every day... but every time I am looking for something specific, I can NEVER find it!
Take last week, for instance, I went shopping (spur of the moment) and decided I just HAD to have a new pair... to add to my other 50 odd pairs. What I wanted was a simple little pair of flats, black, perhaps with a tiny bow - in Portugal they are called 'Sabrinas', in the UK I'm not so sure but they're a little like ballerina shoes. They've been all the rage for ages - especially with leggings. They are very cute.
Anyway... I looked high and low and could not find a single pair. I particularly would have liked leather, so they'd last longer. I tried a multitude of 'similar' styles but they all looked ridiculous on my size 6 feet.
Which brings me to my next issue... my size 6 feet seem to have grown! Size 6 is a 39 over here but most 39s I try on are too damn small. And to add insult to injury... 40s are too BIG! GRRRR
Half sizes are virtually non existent in this country. I know I know... I could buy online but what if they also look ridiculous?!
In the end I found a pair... I wasn't sure about them but I bought them all the same. They were a tad on the tight side but I put that down to my day of trawling round the shops, my feet were obviously 'swollen' a bit.
Anyway... that evening, I proudly paraded them in front of my husband. Expecting praise for my obvious good taste, all I got were raised eyebrows and a slight curl to the lip. He thought they were hideous.
Two days later and the two of us were traipsing around the shops, after returning the previous purchase to whence I had bought them.
Eager to find another pair in that same shop... I tried on everything... to which the curled lip and raised eyebrows appeared once again (over and over, I might add).
In the end, he picked up a rather odd looking shoe in red suede. I laughed at the oddity of them. For a joke, I tried them on...
OH WHAT COMFORT. They were almost as comfortable as my treasured Croc slippers. I just had to have them! And so... having paid a further 40 euros on top of the 25 I had spent two days previously, I am now the proud owner of a pair of red suede shoes that (surprisingly) look super with a pair of jeans!
However... they would look hideous with those damn leggings.... The hunt continues...