Remember my good Louboutin sale karma at the Barney’s Warehouse sale?

The short of it is that I was able to snag a pair of Loubous for $180, as opposed to their $700+ original price.

Well, a friend of mine has done better.  A few weeks ago, indulging in some lunch break retail therapy, she headed to 10022-SHOE, the shoe floor at Saks in New York.  Unsurprisingly, she fell in love with the Louboutin Mody Blues.  And why wouldn’t you?  It’s a 2 3/4″ black pump that’s just about as classic as classic can be.

She had a discount coupon that she was trying to wrangle with, so she asked the sales rep to double check the price of these puppies as she stood at the counter ready to pay.  “Huh, that’s funny,” he said.  “They’re coming up as $129.”

No fool, my friend laid down her plastic ASAP, well aware that there must be a mistake and ready to take advantage of it.  It’s part of the corporate policy of Louboutin that shoes don’t get marked down this way.  And so out she walked with this lovely pump, retail value: $565, value paid: $129.

And sure enough, when she got home, she glanced at the receipt and the shoes must have been entered incorrectly into the system, because the receipt showed her she’d bought a pair of BCBG shoes, when really she’d scored a pair of Louboutins.

If you’d like to buy the Mody Blues yourself (sadly, for full retail value, since I can’t guarantee any such fabulous mistake to happen twice), you can get them at Barneys.com.

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And the answer is: yes, there is! Have you all met Dr. Shoesense? Of course you have. It’s none other than the blogger formerly known simply as Shoesense, currently enriched with the suffix “PhD.”

It’s true! When she wasn’t working on bringing you news and tidbits about shoes, yours truly developed headaches over the merits of content analysis over semiotics. For every beautiful shoe spotted, there was a unit analysis to be written up. For every pair tried on, a bagful of revisions. And so on and so forth.

But! No matter. After seven long, painful years, Shoesense finally graduated to Dr. Shoesense as she defended her dissertation a week or so ago.

Of course, this post would not be complete without a few musings over appropriate dissertation footwear. Of course, the shoes had to be coordinated with the outfit–a navy ensemble, with straight-leg trousers and a somewhat billowy (and hence, a bit less academic than usual) Max Studio silk top, in black with tiny white abstract print. And since I am a lover of comfort, but also becauseI didn’t want to be encumbered with unholy thoughts toward uncharitable footwear during my defense inquisition*, I chose black, low-heeled, unassuming shoes, with just a hint of an edge (see: brogue styling and faux zipper vamp). These Sonia Rykiel low heels were supremely comfy and soft, just what I needed for spending a few hours on my feet running to and fro on campus:

I’m thinking they will also make good interview shoes. And what d’ya know–I have an interview tomorrow. I guess I’ll wear something tried and true!

Yours truly,

Dr. Shoesense.

*Um… it wasn’t half as bad, actually. Not that I recommend it or anything–just….more pleasant than I expected, despite my chronic lack of sleep.

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Chanel Cruise 2009 ‘Miami Vice’ shoe; Photo via Fashionologie.com

-According to FashionWeekDaily,

Lagerfeld had been inspired by an image of a gun he saw somewhere, and he gave the tear to shoe designer Laurence Dacade, who employed plexi to make them functional. Voila! The “Miami Vice” shoe, as it’s called in Chanel’s ranks, is born. And yes, you’ll see them in stores.

-How to buy ballroom dancing shoes;Via About.com

-Cute dog! But even that couldn’t redeem it from being Shoewawa’s ugly shoe of the week.

-We’ve had many inquiries on Giambattista Valli’s Victoria shoe. TheShoeDish has found the knock off version from Baker.

-It’s a battle of the shoe store titans.  DSW sues Zappos for brand misuse.  Via FootwearNews

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Waaay back in February, Rhianna, Camilla Belle, Ali Larter, and Debra Messing were all seen in Gucci’s Sevigny shoe (the shoe was named after the actress Chloe Sevigny). For me, it’s hard to pick which actress wore the shoes best since I admire all four for being able to pull off the thick ankle strap which tends to shorten the legs.

The Gucci Sevigny is available at Neiman Marcus for $695.

Zappos carries a strikingly similar style by Nine West called the Olavera for $93.

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Here’s another entry in the “Fashion Trends Come and Go Forever” category.

Because you’d think that with the trends for oxford shoes and cut-out architectural heels that are everywhere these days, this shoe would be a modern creation, wouldn’t you?

But you’d be wrong.  It’s from the 1940s.  I have to say that, while the heel’s a bit high for me, I’m totally gaga for the clever cut-out that shows part of the insole.  Sexy peek-a-boo shoes.  And vintage, too.  Mwah!

(image courtesy of Vintage Fashion Guild)

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