Beth Shak, US-based professional poker player and mother of three owns 1,200 pairs of designer shoes collection, she has developed a very particular pre-game ritual: ahead of almost every competition, she buys a new pair of designer shoes.Yes. 1,200 pairs. Of designer shoes. In her wardrobe. As in, she could wear a different pair of shoes every day for THREE YEARS AND FOUR MONTHS and never repeat a trick.
As anyone who has ever seen Rounders will know, rituals are important to serious poker players (oreos!). Shoes have become Shak’s signature on the tournament circuit.
‘I wore UGGs [once] and a man said, “Where are your heels?” [My name is ] synonymous with shoes,’ she told WWD.
Her favourite brand? Christian Louboutin. She’s got 700 pairs of shoes by the French designer.
A few more excerpts from the story:
* Lucky pair for a poker game: ‘The pair Walter Steiger made for me because they are the only pair in the world. They are pink pumps with a little spade on them. I wore them to the World Series last year.’
* Organizational strategy: ‘I made [my closet] look like a boutique. In the middle of my island, I bought this display case and I put red encrusted Alexander McQueen [shoes] in there. My shoes are the focal point.’
* Biggest footwear regret: ‘I bought a pair of Louboutin thigh-high boots in suede for $3,500. I wore them once and decided they are the most impractical things. I can never wear them again.’