Adora shoes it off

Some women go to salons. Some go to bookstores, others to dessert places. I go to a shoe store to relax. Fitting on a fabulous pair of sandals or stilettos pacifies me in a way that a slice of deep, dark chocolate can’t but at the same time it excites me more than any caffeine agent. It’s my prescription-free Prozac and my sartorial Red Bull kick. Whether I buy or not, I still get the same result: Somewhere between a first-love high and post-yoga serenity.

Adora is one of the shoe meccas I frequent. Their second floor has a mini-pavilion of shoes offering brands from all over the world. This is a temple where I can worship every shoe style — from trendy, studded platforms to thigh-high boots to cushy, closed-toe flats.

My personal favorite is Schutz. I have a few pairs from the Brazilian brand: all stilettos. My first one — a pair of black satin-wrapped platform pumps — was test-driven on Paris’ cobblestone streets, half-tipsy on too many cocktail mixes, an hour before sunrise and trying to do the sign language routine with taxi drivers who refused to drive me back to my rented apartment less than a kilometer away.

“Marchez,” they’d say. I wanted to explain the hazards of wobbling, not quite clear-headed, on nail-thin, four and a half inch stilettos in a foreign city. But my French vocabulary was extremely limited. So I walked. About eight blocks — losing both the buzz and the calories I gained from one too many bellinis. I expected blistered feet the next day, dead toenails, soles with calluses as tough as week-old baguette. But except for the minimal ache and bunion chafing, my feet were damage-free.

Finally, I had both killer and comfy in one pair. And so came succeeding pairs of Schutz, a couple bought, some coveted. I’m partial to their skyscraper heels and cantilevered platforms, although they also have a few embellished sandals also worth a look, and a fitting.

Although if I buy flats this time around, I’m hoping to — finally — get myself a pair of ballerina flats. Adora has a couple of brands that offer ultra-soft, extremely comfy pairs. I am having a Jo Stockton moment, wanting to wear my flat-front trousers, leggings or skinnies with a pair of bow-embellished ballet flats just like Audrey Hepburn did in Funny Face, preferably the quilted kind.

Adora has UK brand French Sole that has the classic bow-topped kind, either in trimmed quilted leather, velvet or suede. Pretty Ballerinas, handcrafted in the quaint Spanish village of Minorca, has toe-capped styles as well as trendier animal-print styles in luxurious pony hair.

What For also has closed-toe styles and animal prints but either with a slight height or with stacked heels, as well as boots that go from ankle to calf-length. Stella Luna, however, has got it covered when it comes to boots. The first Adora brand to excite local heel connoisseurs has lace-up peeptoe boots that placate both utilitarian and rock and roll hankerings — or for those who want to try the new grunge look but can’t quite come to terms with thick-soled military-style laceups.

Stella Luna also has those amazing sky-highs: disco platforms and boho stilettos that encourage animated Friday nights and Jagerbomb dancing.

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Schutz, Pretty Ballerina, French Sole, What For and Stella Luna are all available at Adora in Greenbelt 5.