Last night, while I was drooling over shoes at Iron Man, the fashionistas and celebs were gathering for that hallowed night in the fashion calendar: The Met’s Costume Institute Gala.

This year’s theme (corresponding with the Costume Institute’s major show of the year) is Superheroes, and I couldn’t wait to check out how the attendees decked themselves out for this fun fun theme. And after perusing the pictures, I have to say that while there were some great outfits, it was really and truly the shoes that were the most interesting.

The dresses were nice and all, but lots of people tended to interpret Superheroes as being synonymous with Grecian Goddesses, which made for some pretty but uninspired sartorial choices.

The shoes, though? People went wild with their shoes, and I love it.

There was your typical crop of Louboutins, the best of which were the Spiderman-webbing-style blue pair on Diane von Furstenberg and the Rodita zip sandal on Dr. Lisa Airan.

Jimmy Choo was also well represented, particularly by Eva Amurri and Jessica Stam (though Eva’s got some seriously tight hair and some seriously squished boobs going on, and Jessica’s makeup job makes her look like she could use a few more hours sleep at night).

There were some old favorites that we’ve seen on past runways, like Anna Sui in boots from her Fall 08 collection and Vogue’s Valerie Boster in Spring 08 Balenciaga. While I’m not nuts about those shoes or that dress, I must say Valerie is working the shoes in a suitably superhero-ish way without losing the fashion.

You have your goddess sandal look, as exemplified prettily by Thandie Newton (though please try not to look too long at the frighteningly thin legs of the woman in the ugly bright pink tube going up the stairs behind her) and particularly by Barney’s Julie Gilhart, who has my favorite shoe of the night, as well as my favorite outfit, and the one I deem the best combo of superhero and chic.

There were some unexpected bursts of footwear color thanks to Katie Holmes and Tilda Swinton (who wore matching shoes with transgender performer Justin Bond, though hers are a much better color, I’d say).

Some people went for the unexpected like Kathryn Neale Shaffer in leather thigh-high boots with red flames at the tips (very cool, very superhero). And Monsieur Louboutin himself in black and white striped shoes, accessorized by a superheroic BANG on his lapel and a bizarrely Beauty and the Beast pair of Olsen twins who look like an elegant young woman and her frizzy-haired crone of a great-grandmother.

And last, but most certainly not least, there were patchwork shoes all over. The best were worn by Chiara Clemente and Kate Bosworth, and brought some pizazz to their feet, even though neither dress is anything to write home about.

Wait. No. On second look, I’m more than a little in love with Kate Bosworth’s dress. And her shoes. And her eye makeup. OK, well done, Kate.

And well done on the shoes, fashion fans. While I’m not overall that impressed by your superhero choices clothing-wise, your footwear can save the day any day.

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Being a cinephile as well as a shoe lover, I often find myself in a position to be checking out the footwear in movies.

This goes for pretty much any kind of film. Historical drama? Yep. Comic book adaptation? Hell yes.

I’m speaking, of course, of Iron Man, which I saw last night. Even if you don’t like comic books, this one’s a good time in the movie theater. It’s action-adventure and funny and well-directed and -acted, too.

And Gwyneth Paltrow (she of the Givenchy gladiator heels and the Zanotti gladiator sandals) rocks several beautiful pairs of Louboutins. Looks like her recent determination to wear only the highest of heels to her public appearances is leftover from filming.

The first noteworthy pair of Pepper Potts’s pumps (try saying that five times fast) is your basic round-toe black version.

This one can be yours for a mere $550, though I can’t guarantee it’ll give you Pepper’s managerial mastery over the complicated life of your boss/love interest/engineering genius/friendly neighborhood superhero.

But it’s the second pair (worn through the final sequence) that I couldn’t take my eyes off of.

Need to see those close up? I thought so.

A still photo doesn’t convey just exactly how much these shoes look like fetish footwear. The woman not only wears them over metal grates (though, of course, her stiletto heel doesn’t sink into the holes like a mere mortal’s would), but actually running. For her life. It’s unreal. And while my feminist side is up in anger over the fact that Pepper has to trust her life to running in these shoes that must be nearly 6″ high while Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) gets to fly supersonically around the world in a high-tech full-body-armor suit of near invincibility, I also sort of wanted to lick these, they were so beautiful and elegant.

Ah well, we all get to hold conflicting ideologies in our minds when we want them, no? Well, this will just have to be one of mine.

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If you ever lusted after a pair of Louboutins (and you know you have), you MUST immediately go read this article in the Style section of NYT: “Open-Toed Fetishes (and More)” by Cintra Wilson. Heee-larious. Here’s the reaction of one couple looking for the perfect nude pumps at the Louboutin boutique in New York, upon not finding them in the right size: A middle-aged Teutonic couple dressed like the millionaire and his wife from “Gilligan’s Island” were seething with palpable fury amid eviscerated cardboard boxes on a battlefield of mangled tissue. “We want since two days!” the man bellowed, the brass buttons on his nautical blazer melting in fright. His wife let out a visceral moan and gnashed her perfect teeth; her eyes rolled upward in despair as she clutched in rueful hands the wrong size. For a moment she resembled the anguished Mary of Michelangelo’s Pietà — only evil. I think the piece captures perfectly the hype around Louboutin shoes, as objects of desire in all its anguished forms, ranging from lust to fetish. I think I’ll abide by the author’s advice regarding the Louboutin boutique: Unless you’re Irma La Douce, don’t go looking for daywear, although there are various perversions of the espadrille in wood and leather in which it might be possible to teeter around the park. Word!

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The taxman cometh this unholy day, and you’re standing in line at the post office, between the sweaty, overweight and anxious-looking middle-aged man and the sweet old lady with the walker.

We feel for you. Your tax return will determine whether or not you’re going to live in modestly priced though chic canvas shoes all year:

However, we here at Shoeblog wish you a healthy, sizable return, which will allow you to add something fabulous and pretty to your summer wardrobe:

Here’s to your catching a hefty tax break!

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What’s its name? It was just on the tip of my tongue. I guest the gods of onomastics must not be with me today.

You know what I’m talking about:

They’re these new hybrids that fuse approximately 51 trends into one, which could be practical, you know: in one shoe, you hit all the new spring trends! Clockwise from the top:

- Christian Louboutin “Sometimes Lace-up Sandals”–4 1/2 inch heel, platform, and tassels, $860 at Saks;

- Jimmy Choo “Evita” sandal, $1000+ (see their website for more details);

- Manolo Blahnik heels-$900+–call their NY Store for availability;

- Nine West “Heathers”–which I’ve already blogged about–for a fraction of the price of any of the above (about $90).

I have the suspicion that none of these styles would look that good in a low/flat heel, and since wearing the 4″+ heels is out of the question for me, I’m afraid I’ll have to pass on this trend. Not without a pang of jealousy, though, for those of you who can trot merrily in these styles.

(Via NYT T-Magazine.)

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