(Image found at reclusland)

Do you have one?

That shoe – the one that got away? That shoe that haunts you since you first saw it and then caused you to obsess over how to make it yours even after it was no longer widely available?

Yeah, I have one too.

Or should I say, had? Because one of my long-term, endlessly-stalked styles finally popped into availability not only while I had a reasonable cash flow for a mini-splurge, but also on final clearance prices.

This shoe has haunted me since I saw it on the runways about 3 1/2 years ago.

Viktor & Rolf Harlequin Deco-heel shoes:

(Photos from Style.com. Viktor & Rolf Spring 2008  RTW)

I never once encountered these in the real world or online during their  initial retail season.

The fact that I have continued to pine for these is an indicator that I have come to rely on over the years;  my non-buyer’s regret’, as it were.  Items that hit me that strongly in the gut are keepers.  They help me in my ongoing quest to reduce my wardrobe to a level that contains only items that I truly love, rather than a closet that is overflowing with styles I rarely wear or don’t love (special exemption exists for hardcore winter gear – simple warmth trumps fashion at times).

Many times, if an item becomes unavailable, I will forget about it or move on to find another style that I actually prefer more than the original one. So, if I am haunted overnight after I walk away from an item, or worse – after it goes out of stock, then I know I’m lost and will stalk retailers and aftermarkets until it is found, even if it takes years to occur (ask me about my sunglasses sometime).

I narrowly missed this pair when they dropped to $170 on YOOX a few weeks ago.  It was 3 days before payday and by the time funds were available, some other lucky, though likely less obsessed, individual scooped them up.

That’s okay though. Because, one payday, and one well-timed tax return, later -  this pair popped up overnight at $138.  Oh yeah, these were meant to be.

And now, these are mine, all mine (insert slightly maniacal laugh here).

They arrived last Thursday. Hubby asked, ‘How much?’. So, I told him, and he replied ‘Not bad.’ End of conversation. Although, it is understood by both of us that these, combined with the dremel tool I picked up this weekend, constitute my birthday gifts -  even though the actual birthday is still 2 months away.

The box was a little scuffed up, but the shoes are new, shiny & perfect (no wonky heel like the picture).

Drumroll…..

Ta Da!

So, do you have a Holy Grail shoe? What is it? Are you still searching, or have you succeeded in obtaining it? What was your hunt like?