Black Leather Boots by Marc by Marc Jacobs: 599 dollars

Vintage Black Leather Ankle Booties by Rave Review: 13 dollars

Winning one in the turf war with designer price inflation: Priceless

I fell in love with these Rave Review booties the minute I saw them. I have never heard of the brand Rave Review (and still can’t find them on the internet), but I could tell from the luster of the leather that we were going to be great friends. Sadly, this budding relationship was destined to end in near heartbreak. Being vintage, the shoes were available in only one size which was a full two sizes too small for me. Never one to be defeated by practicality, I grabbed the shoes off the shelf at Beacon’s Closet* and ran over to my shopping buddy, a girl of diminutive foot proportions. They fit her perfectly and with a little pushing, she was convinced to take them home with her. It was an act of selflessness of great proportion. But at least I know they have a good home and I got the opportunity to photograph at will.

Two weeks later, I was in the West Village and meandered into the Marc by Marc Jacobs store. What should I see as a focal point in the store but ankle boots nearly identical to those I had sent my friend home with before. Though the ones I saw in the store are not yet available online, the ones above are. These can be found at Zappos are are basically the boot version of the bootie to come.

Moral of the story: a stylish bargain shopper’s friends are oft rewarded.

*Beacon’s Closet {bē’kuhnz kloz-et} -noun: a Brooklyn thrift store/paradise of deals.
If you live in New York, you have probably heard of Beacon’s Closet, the quality establishment where my recent shoe adventure took place. If you are a Californian, think Crossroads Trading Company, but cheaper. If you are a Manhattanite who doesn’t go to Brooklyn, shame on you. If you are unacquainted or looking to visit the big apple, let me fill you in. Beacon’s Closet is a Brooklyn thrift store. It has two locations, one in Park Slope and one in Willamsburg. They are very particular about what they accept, so they tend to carry really cool stuff. Even more awesome: their prices range from about $5 - $50. Some of my past find at Beacon’s include an adorable pair of Marni heels ($50), a Catherine Malandrino sundress ($19.95), and a Dolce and Gabbana snakeskin belt ($25). These prices are actually a bit higher than the average (because I might be a tiny bit of a label whore). More common are the Abaete for Payless pumps I found for $9 and the vast array of Urban Outfitters wear available for around $13. I prefer the Park Slope location; it’s a bit smaller and more manageable.

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Just when I was feeling quite proud of myself for foregoing the plethora of sales over the past few weeks, including Nordie’s infamous anniversary sale which I passed by a number of times on my way to the chiropractor, I have to admit my resistance is withering. The causes of my weakness? Let me count them.

Within my top 3 list of shoe brands I’d like to own are shoes by Taryn Rose, who is Jitterbugbaby’s patron saint of lovely and comfortable shoes. And wouldn’t you know it, HauteLook is having a sale on Taryn Rose shoes. The sale ends 24 hour, which doesn’t seem like a lot of time, but it means 24 x 60 x 60 = 86,400 seconds for me to cave in and push the “add to bag” button on the Taryn Rose Daphne oil slick wedges, which now cost $175 instead of $450 (65% off!) and the Taryn Rose Bianca, now $150 instead of $425.

NineWest is sorely tempting with a 50% off sandals sale. I’d love to duel with Russell Crowe in these orange gladiators for $39.99.

Shopbop.com isn’t much better. They are offering an additional 20% off their sale merchandise using coupon code BONUS20, which as Galligator pointed out, expires on August 7th. Even though I wouldn’t know what to wear with these eye-popping green Marc by Marc Jacobs spectator pumps, I’m still quite partial to them, especially at the price of $112, down from the original price of $470, which is what Zappos still has them priced at.

On the high end, Neiman Marcus is having an end of season clearance sale for an additional 33% off making these Manolo’s cost $309.

See what I mean? Temptation lies around every corner (and website).

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I love wedges. They give you height without pain (or, at the very least, they minimize the pain), they provide comfort,  padding, and arch support, and they are often quirky, innovative, whimsical, and plain ol’ fun. I don’t want wedges to go away anytime soon, but unfortunately, if trend spies are to be believed, they are gently phased out of the fashion spotlight and replaced with vertiginous, slightly chunky and/or whimsical heels. The wedges you can still find for the new season are definitely more toned down, stripped of nearly all the bells and whistles that the designers played with a mere 1-2 seasons ago.

Just so you don’t forget the fun to be had with wedges, I’ve reached into the deep underbelly of Yoox sales and pulled out a few quirky models.  Links, in the order of appearance, are below.

Alexander McQueen wedge, $344.

Alaia industrial wedge, $304.

Marc Jacobs architectural wedge, $135.

D&G Art Deco red wedges, $240 at Yoox.

Le Silla wedge with diamante orchid brooch detailing INSIDE the wedge, $168.

Parisi spiderweb wedges, $148.

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Let’s talk about the “Mouse” shoe. The leather ‘whisker’ originating the ‘mouse’ designation:

Available in Brown or Blue stamped leather ($237) and Cracked metallic bronze (222.50) at Net-a-porter.

 Mark Jacobs updated it playfully last fall with full mousy features, including 3-dimensional ears.

Available in a basic flat style at Zappos ($243.46) or Shopbop ($325); or in a slingback style, at Net-a-porter ($227.50).

Now, Mr. Jacobs has taken the mouse & flattened it again; this time with the look of  ‘drawn on’ stitching which creates a cute illusion of 3-dimensional ears and tail:

Available for $250 at Shoes.com, Piperlime, and Shopbop, among others.

And, just when I thought that was enough variety for any shopper, along comes the Jelly Mouse:

My, Oh my! Almost speechless here. 

Available in Teal and Coral at Net-a-porter for $160.

Oh, and the vinyl and jewelled shoes from an earlier blog? On sale today at Saks for $165.90 for the D’orsay & $107.90 for the flat. Happy shopping Cinderella.

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Marc by Marc Jacobs has me rethinking the question of plastics.

If you glance through our forums, it doesn’t take long to find opinion threads that are violently anti’ both vinyl and plastics. (Vinyl no-no!)

More complimentary comments tend toward statements of ‘cute but cheap’ to the less complimentary ‘cheap and trashy’. Quite a range of reactions, actually. Especially when I am reminded that the original high-heeled dream shoe for most little girls is a version of Cinderella’s glass slipper. Glass being totally impractical and possibly dangerous, synthetics are the closest we are likely to get to this any time soon. Anyone else notice that the slipper that Giselle wears in Disney’s movie ‘Enchanted’ was a clear vinyl pump? (Similar to this shoe at Endless.com or this shoe at Zappos.com)

(Photos are a bit fuzzy since the only shot I could find of this was with my copy of the movie freeze-framed to get a close-up of Giselle removing her shoe before her character goes running off barefoot to save her true love.)

Visions of sparkly shoes and bouffant dresses stay with many of us even into adulthood. The wedding industry makes its money by fulfilling a wedding fantasy that most of us, consciously or not, have begun planning long before there was a Prince Charming in our lives. Most grooms I have known would describe their wedding shoe as ‘black’ - But, ask a woman about her wedding shoe and you run the very real risk of having her launch into a glorious soliloquy on her perfect shoe, how and where she found it, how it fit, and how it made her feel.

So, I’ve never owned any jelly shoes or been attracted to shoes with vinyl uppers or Lucite heels. Until now.

Look at this sparkly little-girl-all-grown-up fantasy of a shoe.

In Pink (above) or Smoke (Below)

Available at Saks.com and Shoes.com for $415, but currently discounted at Zappos.com for $310.06.

For ladies who prefer a lower heel, there is also a flat version that is easier on the pocketbook as well:

Available for $269 at Shoes.com, with some limited quantities available at the lower prices of $94.45 at Saks.com, $195.00 at eluxury.com, and $201 at Zappos.com.

OK, I’m still a little leery about the possibility of perspiring tootsies. In spite of that (maybe it’s that little girl in me), I like them the way I like ribbons on a pretty Christmas package.

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