THE WEIRDER, THE BETTER!
YOU South Africa|11 November 2021
Her 500 pairs of shoes take up a whole room in her house – and she’s adding more quirky footwear all the time
CARLA COETZEE
THE WEIRDER, THE BETTER!
DECISIONS, decisions. Will today be Cinderella or Snow White? Buzz Lightyear or Star Wars? Or perhaps Beauty and the Beast? These are the daily dilemmas that keep Kari Walbert on her toes.

Because when it comes to shoes, this special-needs teacher is in a heel lot of trouble – there are just so many beauties she could choose to wear.

Kari owns about 500 pairs of footwear, each one lovingly catalogued on her Pinterest page according to colour combinations.

“Otherwise I forget which shoes I own,” she tells us from her home in Eaton, Penn sylvania in the US.

YOU tracked the 44-year-old down after pictures of her quirky footwear collection started popping up on the internet – and here she is, chatting to us from the other side of the world, showing us around her collection of feathers and flowers, teacups and toecaps.

Shoes are her sole passion, the thing that gets her heart flip-flopping with joy and her toes tapping with delight – a veritable feat for the feet.

Think Alice in Wonderland and Hello Kitty, unicorn heels and wedges decorated with hot-rod racing car flames.

And when she feels in the mood for an island holiday, she slips into a pair that look like Hawaiian dancers.

“I love collecting shoes. But it’s not just about how many I own or the brands – it’s a case of the weirder, the better,” she says.

So much fancy footwear takes proper organising so Kari keeps all the shoes in their original boxes to save space.

“I take a picture of the pair and paste it on the outside of the box so I can easily find it,” she explains.

Bu hikaye YOU South Africa dergisinin 11 November 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye YOU South Africa dergisinin 11 November 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

YOU SOUTH AFRICA DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
BALLON IN THE BAG
YOU South Africa

BALLON IN THE BAG

Manchester City midfielder Rodrigo Hernandez Cascante says his Ballon d'Or win is a victory for Spanish football

time-read
4 dak  |
14 November 2024
IT WAS ALL A LIE
YOU South Africa

IT WAS ALL A LIE

A new doccie exposes the Grey's Anatomy writer who fabricated her life story

time-read
5 dak  |
14 November 2024
'I WILL NEVER GIVE UP'
YOU South Africa

'I WILL NEVER GIVE UP'

After her husband, anticorruption activist Alexei Navalny, was poisoned and murdered by the Kremlin, she became the public face of Russia's opposition. In this candid interview Yulia Navalnaya opens up about life on the run, her perilous family life and why she's continuing her husband's fight to save their country

time-read
10+ dak  |
14 November 2024
AGREE TO DISAGREE
YOU South Africa

AGREE TO DISAGREE

Trevor Noah on how his childhood squabbles with his mother inspired his delightful new book

time-read
4 dak  |
14 November 2024
PAUSE THE CLOCK
YOU South Africa

PAUSE THE CLOCK

Researchers have discovered that the ageing process spikes at 44 and 60. Here's what you can do to slow it down

time-read
5 dak  |
14 November 2024
MPOOMY ON TOP
YOU South Africa

MPOOMY ON TOP

We chat to SA's most popular female podcaster about love, loss and her booming success

time-read
4 dak  |
14 November 2024
MY BROTHER IS NOT TO BLAME
YOU South Africa

MY BROTHER IS NOT TO BLAME

Tinus Drotské says his sibling, ex Bok Nǎka, is the victim in the brawl with a neighbour that landed up in court

time-read
4 dak  |
14 November 2024
MATT THE RECLUSE
YOU South Africa

MATT THE RECLUSE

A year after his friend's tragic death, the actor continues to shun the spotlight

time-read
4 dak  |
14 November 2024
A LEAP OF FAITH
YOU South Africa

A LEAP OF FAITH

After her husband tried to kill her by tampering with her parachute she thought she'd never trust a man again-but now she's found love

time-read
5 dak  |
14 November 2024
THEY'RE MY KIDS!
YOU South Africa

THEY'RE MY KIDS!

This West Coast woman treats her monkeys as iftheyre humans and animal activists are not happy about it

time-read
4 dak  |
14 November 2024