Fashion It's Not

My "commuter" shoes.

Anyone who has walked along a busy city street on a weekday knows about the tennis shoe fashion rule. This rule states that if you walk to work or walk from public transportation to your place of employment, you are allowed to wear comfortable walking shoes, even if it looks ridiculous. I'm not sure what fashion guru Tim Gunn has to say on the subject, but I, as a general follower of fashion trends, think it's a necessary fashion faux pas. That said, most people who ride the Coaster don't do this. Generally, I've noticed, they wear practical shoes to begin with—no stiletto heels for these casual So Cal office workers.

I, on the other hand, like to wear heels or otherwise not-so-comfortable-but-fashionable shoes to work. So, I am one of the few Coaster riders who wears "commuter shoes." I don't wear tennis shoes but unassuming black slip-ons in colder weather (see photo), and flip-flops when it's warm. I find it strange when I see women in heels on the train, and wonder how far they have to walk in those things to get to their office.

The best part about wearing commuter shoes is the end of the day when I can take off my office shoes and slip on flat, comfortable shoes to walk to the train. Ahhhh.

It's Not How You Feel...

My Coach bag.

When I worked at home, I wore fleece — every day. If it was a hot day, I would wear shorts and a T-shirt. I have a whole closet full of cotton T-shirts, fleece pants, and comfy pajama bottoms. I no longer wear any of these. After my first week of work in the "real world," I quickly realized that I would need an entire closet full of new clothes. The three pairs of nice pants and handful of corporate-type tops I had for the occasional work event that required "grown-up" clothes were not going to get me through even the first month of my new job. I needed to go shopping.

After spending more than a few hundred dollars on new work clothes, I felt I was good for a while. I supplemented these new items with two new nice coats (I only had sweatshirts and casual jackets) and a few pairs of shoes. I was set. During about my third week of commuting, a woman sat across from me on the train who was really put together. Her hair and clothes and shoes were all polished and flattering. I tried not to stare too much, but I wanted to take it all in to see if this was something that I could imitate. It was then that I noticed her bag. It was beautiful. Big, shiny, black, modern. The inside was this beautiful burgundy. I coveted her bag. Upon closer inspection, I realized why: It was Coach.

Great, I thought, no way I can afford that. I looked dismally at my functional canvas briefcase. Sigh... When I got home that night, I immediately went online to find out how much such a bag would put me out. For a large bag, the cost was around $400. Yikes. I put aside any hopes of being in the chic commuter crowd.

Months later, while shopping with my sister at an outlet mall, I noticed that there was a sale going on at the Coach outlet. When I walked in, I found out that they were handing out coupons for an additional 30 percent off. Wow, I thought, this could really be in my grasp. I walked to the back of the store where all good bargain shoppers know the real sales are. In the back corner was a shelf with bags that were 50 percent off, in addition to the coupon I had. After rummaging through tacky yellow bags or ones with too many logos, I found it — the large black leather bag of my dreams. There was only one left, and I grabbed it immediately. Even though the bag was on sale and I had a coupon, this still wouldn't be a $40 purchase. I had to be emotionally ready to put down a good chunk of change for what amounted to a glorified purse. I am not the type to do this sort of thing. I don't think I'd ever even spent more than $20 on a purse before. But, since I was now a commuter with a job downtown, I needed to look the part.

After years of wearing fleece all day and not even carrying a purse, I wanted to make the full transition into being a real "working woman." I wanted a Coach bag. So, I bought the bag and have not had one ounce of buyer's remorse. I carry it every day on the train and can feel good about how I look and the image I present. This may seem petty or vain, but it's part of what helps me get through the day. I am woman, see my bag.