This is a true love affair that began around the age of 11. Shoes are one of the few things that can literally lift you up to new heights or allow you to feel the grass against your feet, they are wonderful. It rarely matters whether you wear Payless or Prada on your feet, not saying I would not die for Prada. Many people cannot distinguish the difference and most will still look great.
Courtesy of Neiman Marcus.com
There are, as some will point out, downsides to shoes ( I believe these "points" are actually nonsensical lies).
The other day while skimming HuffPost I stumbled upon an article on shoes. In this article these points were made painfully obvious. 'Snow Flower': Foot Binding, High Heels and the Cost of Beauty by Erin Clements delved into a side of the world of shoes which many of us fashion fiends do not want to think about and posed a question which has had a profound effect on me.
"When we see someone in a fabulous pair of shoes, we comment, 'Wow, those are spectacular,' but at the same time we’re completely blind to how radically impractical they are. We don’t ask ourselves, why do we actually wear them? And where do they come from?"
-Elizabeth Semmelhack, Senior Curator at Toronto' Bata Shoe Mueseum
I have never stopped to think about why I comment so highly on the shoes of other women or my own shoes at that. Often during the time it takes to break in a new pair of pumps, they will cut and blister your ankles and toes. While I pride myself on always being able to walk in heels, no matter what the height or width of the stiletto, many trip and twist their ankles and or worse.
While there is a terrible history behind the heel and their ever growing impracticality, their popularity continues to grow. Mostly gone are the days where it is widely accepted that the purpose of heels is simply to make women helpless and sex objects. Today many shoes are truly things of beauty and their stories are just as interesting as the shoes.
Carrie Bradshaw had more than just sex in the city. She also had a walk-in full of Manolos to make any woman be overcome with awe. While Manolo Blanik is still the cat's meow (and I dream of my wedding one day not for a dress, but his "Something Blue" shoes) my heart beats in unison with thousands of others when it comes to one man and his brilliance. Christian Louboutin and his red soled shoes, the golden standard of luxury shoes.
Courtesy of Neiman Marcus.com, Christian Louboutin
While Louboutin's will cost you more than a pretty penny to adorn your feet, that signature red bottom is a status symbol all on it's own making the wearer someone to be envied. It's also been the subject of gossip. Louboutin hired a private eye to look into Christian Dior using his signature red soles on shoes of their own. *Gasp* On top of that, Louboutin is already involved in a lawsuit against YSL for using red on some of their shoe bottoms.
Dior has denied these claims and the YSL legal battle is still up in the air with the judge refusing to rule on the matter as of 7-25-11. More on the drama can be read on The Cut.
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