In Your Shoe Closet.

This week, inspired by Trainingheel’s new series on ‘Other People’s Closets’, I asked our twitter followers if any of them were willing to share their shoe-collections with us.

Luckily, several readers responded with candid photos of their very individual shoe-closets.

I know very little about each of these readers, other than that they share a common love of shoes…but that is what brings us all together here at Shoeblog.

So, in no particular order:

Brenda’s Closet:

PursuitofShoes‘ Closet:

Givemeplatforms‘ Closet:

Hope you enjoyed today’s peek into your fellow shoe-lovers closets, I know I did.

If any other readers are interested in letting us peek into their shoe closets, please email your G-rated closet pictures to galligator@shoeblog.com. If I receive enough periodic contributions, maybe we can add ‘In Your Shoe Closet’ as a semi-regular blog entry.

Shoe Pajamas

Who says you can’t wear shoes to bed?  Munki Munki’s shoe themed pajamas and robe are a perfect and cute way to show off your shoe obsession, even if you can’t be well shod in bed.   Available at Amazon from $29 – $100.

Vans: Off the Wall

Ask many fashionable women these days to name an iconic shoe or shoe designer, and you will likely receive an answer of ‘Christian Louboutin’, ‘Manolo Blahnik’, ‘Miu Miu’ or other high-end designer likely to be featured on red carpets and Fashion Week.

But, how’s this for an Icon:

Detail from Fast times at Ridgemont High Album Art

This image: Simple. Bold. Instantly recognizable.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

Vans became part of the national consciousness and roared into pop-culture in one fell swoop more than 20 years ago.

A generation of kids spent math class inking checks onto their own white vans or local drugstore look-a-likes.

Vans – a brand that has stood the test of time and can honestly be called a classic.

Think Vans are just about shoes? Think again.

We’ve given a brief overview of Vans History before now.

But, if you drop by their website, you will notice something. The Vans brand is not just about selling shoes. You could spend hours just cruising through their website. The Vans brand appears as almost its own stand-alone, surf/skate sub-culture (of which I am no expert, child of Northern California that I am) – encompassing an identity as more than a simple product but also as a vibrant lifestyle and community. From community forums, to art, to events, to shopping, you can find it at the Vans website.

This is such a great example of how a brand’s online presence can be about so much more than a web-based extension of their retail interests.

Oh, and for those of you who are intrigued by the custom-produced, small-business history of the Vans brand?

You might enjoy in this retrospective coffee-table book, ‘Vans, Off the Wall’ ($24.95@ Vans.com).

Vans: Off the Wall by Doug Palladini tells the story of the community of action sports legends, musicians, artists and trendsetters that helped to define laid back California style as we know it. This personal, insider account features oral histories from Vans originals including Tony Alva, Steve Caballero, John Cardiel, Shaun Palmer and Joel Tudor and stunning images from CR Stecyk, R. Grant Brittain, Art Brewer, Trevor Graves and many more renowned photographers. This first run, 2009 edition 9″ by 9 3/4″ hardcover bound book is 208 pages and includes 365 full color illustrations.

Oh, and as for how it all started – that whole customized shoes thing?  Yeah, Vans still has you covered there, too.

$3K Shoe Calendar

Well, it certainly appears that last year’s price escalation on prior-year shoe calendars was not a fluke.

Originally priced at $13.99, just one year later, copies of Michel Tcherevkoff’s Shoe Fleur calendar are now showing asking prices at $2700-$3230…And two of those are ‘Used’ copies.

(Screen shots from Amazon.com/Amazon marketplace)

$3K ??!!?!

Dollar sign. Three. Zero. Zero. Zero.

Pardon me while I put my rapidly beating heart back into my chest.

I think this may have caused me to have an itty-bitty, teensy-weensy, little, apoplectic fit.

Apparently, due to their limited print period and tendency to, ahem, get used (ie. writting is *shocker* encouraged within their pages), some calendars are now (due to some form of retail optimism/insanity?) becoming commodified as rare books.

It must be that whole wacky Econ 101 supply-and-demand thing rearing it’s head again:

The power of supply and demand was understood to some extent by several early Muslim economists, such as Ibn Taymiyyah who illustrates “If desire for goods increases while its availability decreases, its price rises. On the other hand, if availability of the good increases and the desire for it decreases, the price comes down. ” (quote & graph via Wikipedia)

Go figure.

Now, am I about to start speculating on calendars to fund my kid’s college years?  Not likely; speculation on collectibles is terribly risky and the buying public is very fickle and unpredictable in their habits. You really have to know the market & sell before the value drops; something that sells for $3000 from an independent bookseller may be available simultaneously on a site such as ebay for a significantly lower price.  But, this situation might make me think twice and check the prices at the end of the year on my ‘art only’/decor calendars before I pass them onto my kids for scrapbooking purposes.  Just saying…

But really, calendars as rare books? When did this become common?

And who, if any, is buying an out-of-date calendar at this incredibly inflated price point?

Personally, at that price, I’d rather have the actual Bally’s or D&G’s I just wrote about.

Hell, at this price, I could get a pair from both of them.

Mr. Galligator is a Good Man

Mr. Galligator insisted on sending me a gift this season.  What a sweet, sweet man.  Here is what he sent.

Here is the funny part.  Mr. R5 has sort of turned me into a Martha Stewart type.  So when I went to my local TJMaxx, I saw this heel shoe server, put it in my cart then removed it.  Three times.  I have been trying to be disciplined about my discresionary spending so I eventually left it on the shelf.  Mr. Galligator knew.

He must be Santa Claus.