MANILA, Philippines—While most art lovers collect paintings, sketches or sculptures, April Pascual—who also loves beautiful things—prefers shoes and to a lesser extent, bags.

“Shoes are like artworks. Every designer has his own personality,” said the woman with a shoe size of 6 ½.

“If people are passionate about cars or other things, then I’m the same way about shoes. It makes me forget the problems I have,” she added.

Her shoe collection, which she started as a freshman in high school (Pascual is now 29 years old), consists of 352 pairs, nearly enough to ensure that she won’t have to wear the same pair twice in a year.

All are designer labels—Manolo Blahnik, Prada, Gucci, Ferragamo, Givenchy, Cole Haan, Valentino, Chanel, Nine West, to name a few.

“I’m a woman who lives in her shoes,” Pascual quipped.

And to make sure that she’ll always have something to match her shoes, she has collected 272 bags of all shapes, colors, materials and sizes.

Because of her collection, her friends have taken to calling her “Imelda Jr.” in reference to former First Lady Imelda Marcos who left behind more than 3,000 pairs in Malacañang after she and her family fled the country in 1986.

“I don’t mind being called or referred to as a younger Imelda—for me, she is a classic example of a strong woman. She has class, she has an eye for beauty, she is an icon,” Pascual told the Inquirer in a recent interview.

Coincidentally, Marcos’ son, Ferdinand Jr., is her godfather. She has yet to rub elbows, however, with the former first lady.

The first pair in her collection, Pascual recalled, was a Prada, a gift from her mom, Milette.

At the time she decided to start amassing shoes, imitating Marcos was very far from her mind, she said.

“When I began collecting, I had no conscious effort to be like her. I just wanted to enjoy the beauty of shoes, their architecture, from the heels to the tips,” Pascual added.

The young woman, a fashion design graduate, keeps her shoe collection in an air-conditioned walk-in closet—formerly her brother’s room—in her house in Parañaque City.

On the other hand, her bags—mostly Kenneth Coles, Paul Smiths, Guccis, Dolce and Gabbanas, Guccis and Chanels, are stashed in a much smaller room nearby.

The priciest item is a D & G bag made of crocodile skin which Pascual bought for around $12,000.

She does have a locally made bag, an Aranaz beach bag woven out of abaca, which Pascual said she uses whenever she goes swimming.

Most of her shoes are kept in individual plastic boxes. Some look as if they have yet to be worn with the price tags still attached. About 25 pairs, however, which she refers to as her favorites, sit on a shelf.

Pascual said she did not buy all the items in her collection. Some were gifts from her brother or her mother, who share the same passion for footwear.

“Sometimes, if I really like a certain pair, I would buy it even if it was a size smaller or bigger [than my size],” she added.

Her collection ranges from the casual—sneakers, school girl loafers and flats—to the gravity-defying: four to five-inch stilettos.

Pascual said she favors high heels because they make her, a petite mother of a 10-year-old girl, look taller and more confident.

At times, she goes for bright colors like yellow; sometimes, she favors neutral colors such as brown or black. Her six pairs of boots are mostly in black leather.

The cheapest pair in her collection costs around $100 while the most expensive set her back by more than a thousand dollars.

“I don’t have a limit as to what is cheap or expensive. If it wears out easily, then it’s probably cheap. But if you can wear it for a long time, then the money is worth it,” Pascual said.

But at the moment, she has stopped adding to her collection as she is very much aware of the economic slump the country is going through.

“I know how hard the times are. Even if I have this collection, I know how to control my finances. Business is hard right now,” she explained.

Her family runs a forwarding company, a brokerage firm in the Port Area and other businesses which are managed by her mother.

Should the occasion arise, is she willing to sell and part with some of the items in her collection?

“No,” she said with a laugh. “Each bag or shoe has its own story. I can’t give them up.”