Now that the Video Music Awards are over, let’s look at some shoe highlights.

First up, Britney Spears was the apparent darling of the evening; winning 3 awards as well as the approval of fashion critics with this sensational Versace gown and perfectly matching strappy heels. If anyone knows who made these lovely shoes, please let us know.

Jordan Sparks accessorized her flirty Betsey Johnson dress with black Sergio Rossi sandals. ($695 Net-a-porter.com)

I love Miley Cyrus’ whole look. This cute cocktail dress is perfectly matched by what appears to be the Michael Kors ‘Berkley’ gladiator sandal ($128.95 Nordstrom.com).

And what Red Carpet would be complete without a classic pair of Christian Louboutin Stilettos, worn here by Ciara? At a guess, these look to be at least a 120mm heel height. You can come very close to this look with the 110mm Decollette ($575 Net-a-porter.com).

These Yves Saint Laurent Tribute Platforms ($995 Saks.com) worn by Lindsay Lohan are fantastic. Unfortunately they may not be enough to save her in this strangely puckered dress.

I’m not really a fan of Heidi Montag’s off-the-shoulder shift-dress. However, these ankle boots look suspiciously like the Gucci Fall-Winter 2008 Babouska Studded Ankle Boots. A woven version is available online ($1195 Saks.com in black; $1295 pre-order in gold leather at Neimanmarcus.com)

Finally, I don’t hate Tara Conner’s black and white outfit, but it seems almost too conservative for the VMA. However, these Chloe Peep-toe Leather Shoe Boots ($387 Clearance at Net-a-Porter) are one fantastic and trendy set of kicks.

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This is what I’m talking about: you see a cute-as-a-button shoe, just adorable, and then you check the brand, and it’s some cheapo, Chinese-made, all man-made materials low-end shoe and you wrinkle your nose and say, I’ll pass, thank you, so what if it’s only $19.99, it’s not worth it to me.

And then you go into a Fendi or Louis Vuitton or Bottega Venetta boutique and you see a blah or fuglirific product that is, granted, well made (although that doesn’t mean it can’t be made out of plastic entirely) and you fawn over the craftsmanship and say, well, I know it’s $790, which is my rent for the month, but it must be really worth it if they charge so much money for it.

There are high end shoes out there I wouldn’t look at twice unless their exorbitant sticker price didn’t compel me. Just to be clear, they’re not all horrendous or anything, just something I wouldn’t be caught dead in–an example in which the otherwise world-renown taste of the designer is a little…off.

Let’s start with the “blah” range:

I know, it’s a “basic nude” or something, but honestly, $690 for this? Ok, it’s a Bottega Veneta, but that doesn’t make it more palatable.

And these boots–I find them swerving from blah to ugly:

But they’re Chloe and $775, so I’m guessing they’ll have a lot of takers among the snobbish crowd.

And the king of stilettos himself is asking for $1,575 of your hard-earned money for this fringed monstrosity:

But it’s a Louboutin, and I bet that come fall I’m going to see these fringes swaying vigorously around the ankles of many a Hollywould starlet.

Speaking of fringes (I had posted about this trend a while back, and to my horror, I notice more and more of it lately)–I find these distasteful:

And yet, they’re $1,075 because they’re Alexander McQueen. I bet you feel differently about them now, don’t you? There’s so much magic in the name of the designer! A shoe you would have only deemed fit for the 4 a.m. shift in Place Pigalle  or to go in circles around a shiny pole is suddenly a work of art worthy of an entire paycheck.

And Zanotti, you king of zany, what the heck are these?

While I appreciate their fashion-forwardness, their aesthetic is a bit…off. The balance is no good. The harmony is missing.  Plus, they’re $750.

I guess in the world of fashion, the old Shakespearean rhyme wouldn’t apply: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/By any other name would smell as sweet.”

Sometimes, in this world, name is everything.

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Last night was MoMA’s annual benefit, Party in the Garden, which was less star-studded than it usually is (perhaps because the wealthy glitterati are feeling the pinch of the purse what with the volatile economy), but not lacking in noteworthy shoes.

A friend of mine works at MoMA, so I headed on over to the party with her last night and brought my camera along for to snap away at the most outlandish, beautiful, or hideous shoes. So here are the fruits of my photographic labor.

First up: these gold snakeskin slingback peep-toes. Pretty. Not terribly outrageous, but pretty.

Next: some beautiful satin platforms. They look a tad big on her feet, and I bet they hurt like hell, but they were gorgeous with the pinkish-creamy satin contrasted with the purple cap toe.

Next is a pair that’s hard to see from this angle (blame my surreptitious photo-snapping), but were probably my favorite shoes of the night. They were gorgeous and silver and shiny and had the wide ankle-strap thing going on that we’re seeing all over the place this season.

Here’s a photo I took for the shoes on the right (the metallic heels). But upon closer inspection, they’re actually the least interesting of the three.

The next two photos are shoes as worn by my friends (and therefore falling into the actually affordable category). First off, we have shoes by Bandolino via DSW:

And next (from left to right) shoes by Payless, Seychelles, and Aerosoles:

But in the end, what fun would a swank party be without a few high-profile (and high-pricetag) numbers, like these pink-and-cork numbers from M. Louboutin.

Or these clunky platform wedges that look like they’ve come from the Chloe runways.  [ETA: Attentive reader Yowza has identified most of these, and twigged my memory of this shoe on the runway last year.  From Marni, of course.  Not Chloe.]

So there you have it, dear readers. Eyewitness report on the shoes of the New York modern art set.

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We wrote this fall about the Chloe collection, and now, lo and behold, it is hitting the stores. Some of you were asking where you could buy it, so now here’s your answer! Saks (who else?) has a few of the slightly odd, modernist patent demi-wedges, such as this hot pink one:

The Chloe Patent Crisscross sandal is $595.

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The folks over at Style.com have rounded up their favorite accessories for the holiday season, and of course, some divine shoes are on the list.  Some of them, like this Alessandro dell’Acqua platform and this Chloe “ski boot”, you may remember from the recent catwalks.

Some just scream hobnobbing at a party with the fashion elite, like this playful Bruno Frisoni slingback.

 Some are begging you to dance the night away in a club with a light up dance floor.  See this retro Chanel number.

 Some, like this gorgeous Christian Dior spectator and spat-inspired Ralph Lauren, are begging for a Great Gatsby themed holiday party.

Some scream down-to-earth funky chic, like this flat from Proenza Schouler.

Some are clearly designed to match your champagne, like this Givenchy ankle-wrap sandal and this Marc Jacobs bootie.

And some (like this spangled Sergio Rossi) simply SCREAM at you to party away your New Year’s Eve in the height of sparkly, festive style.

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