Chloe, Grammy and I went shopping for back-to-school clothes today. All in all, a very successful outing. Except for the shoes. Chloe’s sneakers, pictured, are going to be her sole (excuse the pun) closed-toe pair of footwear for a while longer.

Chloe tried on at least 30 pairs of shoes in five different stores today. I felt as if I were reliving the crazy dress episode from last year (Part I here and Part II here), but there was no happy ending this time around. She tried on Vans, Nine West, Kenneth Cole and who knows how many other brands – to no avail.

Too tight, too loose, too much arch – you name it, Chloe found something wrong with every pair she put on her feet. She’s like freakin’ Goldilocks, except miss third-time’s-the-charm Goldilocks is easy compared to our dear Chloe.

The only pair she didn’t try on was the $209.95(!!!!!) pair of Prada shoes at Nordstrom. I was desperate, but I have my scruples. I suppose Manolo Blahniks for the tweener set will be next. Obscene.

For what it’s worth, I am happy to say that when as far as shoes are concerned, Chloe does not take after me. I have no patience for clothes shopping of any kind, so I tend to buy things quickly or not at all. However, her Papa is a pain in the ass when it comes to his precious feet. Too tight, too loose, too much arch – you name it, my husband takes forever to find a pair he likes. Which is perfect, because guess what? He’s on vacation next week and he’ll have ample opportunity to schlep his daughter around to every kids’ shoe store within a 15-mile radius. Because I’m done. Done, done, done.