Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but shoes are this girl’s real love. And, while I love ribbons, lace, and flowers on my shoes, today I am crushing on a pair of tuxedo pumps from Harajuku lovers.

Harajuku Lovers ‘Dobson’ $94 at Zappos.com

Do these have spunk and attitude?

Yes.

Are they fun and flirty?

Again, yes.

Do these beg to be center stage of your outfit?

No question.

Do I know exactly which little black dress I would pair with these?

Of course.

Now, if only I had a convenient occasion to wear that little black dress…..

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I just ran into some of the newer styles of Harajuku Lovers shoes.  Up until recently, the Harajuku Lovers shoe line has been filled with casual sneakers and slip-on flats. Not so this season.

Harajuku Lovers has apparently taken a page from Betsey Johnson and Beverly Feldman and gone from cute and casual to feminine and fabulous.

Perhaps, with LAMB shoes following the trend of increased prices that we have seen in more established luxury brands (Last spring, LAMB shoes were around $400, this spring some styles were near the  $700 mark), Gwen’s Harajuku Lovers brand is expanding to include club-worthy shoe styles at college-friendly prices? After all, it makes sense to establish a recession-resistant middle ground when the pricing on your flagship brand starts outrunning the budgets of your primary customer base.

Here are several favorites from Harajuku Lover’s new look:

Harajuku Lovers ‘Laila’ $80 at Zappos

Too bad I can’t successfully wear yellow.

This is a wonderfully vibrant spring style. And those heart details at the vamp and buckle are all girl!

Harajuku Lovers ‘Liberty’ $90 $73 at Zappos.com

With top canvas and rope details, these just might have fellow blogger trainingheels cringing in horror.  But, I’m pretty sure these are perfect for gals that love a casual sandal that can successfully dress up a pair of jeans as wekk as a fun and flirty summer sun-dress.

Harajuku Lovers ‘Paley’ $100 at Zappos.com

These red-hot penny-loafers are my absolute favorite -  conservative, but not at all stodgy or demure. I love a classic style with a sexy twist.

And look at this, much like Betsey Johnson, the soles are also part of the whole playful package:

Super Cute! How’s that for ‘secret soles‘.

There are several more Harajuku Lovers styles available that I haven’t shown here.  And, while I might miss the cute canvas casuals that were available last year, I love that some of the LAMB attitude is now available at Harajuku prices.

Because, however much I love shoes, I love not going into debt for them even more.  With prices ranging from $70-$100, these fun heels are accessible on most shoe-maven’s budgets.  Plus, imagine the prices if you run across them on sale.  Now that’s something to get excited over.

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Lately, all over the internet, on sites that strive for a good, honest reputation (Luxist and ShoeBlog included) banner ads for shoe sites such as LouboutinMall, LouboutinBox, and other Louboutin url derivatives have been popping up advertising “genuine Christian Louboutin pumps for only $150″. There has been a fair amount of discussion about these sites, including why the advertisements are showing up (for ShoeBlog, we rely on an advertisement network to serve up ads to pay for our costs and have little control on that gets added. We try to take down spammy ads but sometimes, to our chagrin, they pop up faster than we can remove them). The main question all of us have wondered is, are these sites selling authentic Louboutins?

Christian Louboutin as a company is not a publicly traded. So, Mr. Louboutin has full control over the product, marketing, and quality.He graciously turns down investors on a regular basis instead, focusing on sustainable profit, design, craftsmanship and his customer of which he has many loyal. He does not want to answer to investors; he has the luxury of serving his loyal customers, employees and complete design control.

Now, if he has turned investors down regularly because he wants quality control, WHY in the world would he flood the market, charging wholesalers $75, or even $100 for handcrafted high quality shoes? (Remember, wholesalers typically double their cost). We all know these are fakes. Pure and simple. I am not going to go into the moral aspects of the conditions in which these fakes are manufactured.  My issue is quality of your purchase.

Twenty four years ago my husband purchased a Louis Vuitton handbag after the birth of one of my boys.

It cost about $600. It seemed like a fortune to a young mother.  I have used the hell out of that bag.  It was a diaper bag for 3 children, it was a weekender bag, it is now a carry-on bag when I travel.  It has aged reasonably well.  Why?  It was made with real leather and superior craftmanship and it still looks wonderful.    Ten years ago I bought a Louis Vuitton fake for $40.  It looked good for about 2 weeks.  My granddaughter now plays with it in her dress-up box. When I buy something I always figure, “It takes me X days to pay for this, is it worth it?” So, is it worth 3 or 4 days worth of work to pay for something that will last six months at best? Will you have this fake 20 years later?  You will have the real deal 40 years later

Do you want a platform pump for about $150?

Dolce Vida Madison Steve Madden Slique

A maryjane?

Carlos Infinity Harajuku Lovers Infinity

Triple platform?

Steve Madden Triplet Enzo Angiolini

Are these exactly like Louboutin shoes.  Of course not.  Are they quality shoes?  I think so.  Are they counterfeit?  No.  I think the most touching posts I have read is by Islingback in ShoeBlog’s forums.  After hard financial times, she was able to buy a pair of desinger shoes.  Would she be as thrilled with a fake?  I don’t think so.

We want Louboutins because he has spent time, energy and money to make a shoe and a reputation as the best.  With a fake you will get neither, except pictures which have clearly been stolen from Neiman Marcus, Saks, and Ebay of authentic Louboutins.  As consumers, let’s be responsible with whom and how our money is spent.  I learned my lesson ten years ago.  It cost me $40.

Update:  From NYMag, here’s more confirmation from a Louboutin spokeswoman that the shoes are fake and also responses from the counterfeit sites confirming as well.

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Here’s hoping that Christmas was wonderful for all of our readers. Did you get the shoe of your dreams? Or, maybe you just had some great time off with your family over the holiday.

As a grown-up who generally budgets & makes her own purchases, Christmas is definitely more about family togetherness & keeping up the Santa mystique for our kids.  Sure, I wouldn’t say ‘No’ if Santa put a pair of double-platform Louboutin’s under the tree, but I’m not disappointed when reality steps in.

So, what did I get for Christmas?

1. A very generous gift certificate to Amazon.com (Which my hubby is trying to convince me to use on actual books rather than shoes, Go Figure. I’ve gotten some of my best shoe deals at Amazon. Really.)

2. A box of Frahlinger & James salt water taffy from back East. Childhood memories in a box. Yum.

And

3. The Harajuku Lovers 5-scent gift-pack with a freebie promotional charm bracelet featuring each of the Harajuku girls (Love, Angel, Music, Baby, & G).

Yes, I am a shoe-obsessed gal who happens to be a HL fan-girl.  Sure, I loved No Doubt. Then I loved seeing Gwen using the Madonna handbook to pop-stardom. But, of her fashion lines, I seriously love those cute little Harajuku Girls & the HG branded perfumes, watches, handbags, and shoes.

Of course, I was going to get around to shoes.  Harajuku Lovers is the casual alternative to the Lux L.A.M.B. line. Given my on-going attraction to graphic-styled shoes, an interest in this brand shouldn’t really be too much of a surprise.

So, what styles are have drawn my attention? 

There’s always the Gwen-favored Rasta colors, but they really don’t match anything else I own. So, not these:

Harajuku Lovers ‘Dub’ Kogal Low-Tex $64.99

Well, this one has ‘my girls’ on it, but it’s just so …. PINK. Still not quite me.

Harajuku Lovers ‘Be Mine’ High Tex $75.00

Ok, subtle it ain’t, but I don’t own any Rainbow-colored shoes. These definitely shout out ‘Fun’.

Harajuku Lovers ‘Rainbow’ Kogal Low Tex $65.00

These little high-tops have the Varsity Juku girls and would match a snap-front sweatshirt hanging in my closet. Definitely tempting.

Harajuku ‘Harajuku High’ Kogal Hi Tex $75.00

But, I am also really liking the Harlequin diamond-patterned low-top with just ‘G’wen. A little throwback to Vans patterning from - well, let’s just say it’s been awhile.

Harajuku ‘Harlequin’ Kogal Low Tex $65.00

So tough deciding . . . I also really like the signature black and white stripes on this final pair. A common touch to the interior of L.A.M.B. shoes and handbags, it’s nice to see the stripes on the outside, for a change.

Harajuku ‘Train Stripe’ Low Tex $51.99 $64.99

I am most tempted by the final two pairs. Of course, the last one is also on sale … and that is almost like Christmas for a  bargain-lover like me.

So, how about you, was your Christmas shoe-filled and joyous? 

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