Oh, how long I’ve been waiting to run this headline! But you know, if the New York Times says it, it must be true! Bill Cunningham, the photographer who so aptly captures the spirit of the time in his “Style on the Street” series in the NYT put up a maahvelous slide show on shoes (photographed in Paris) which captured his imagination and made him pronounce that yes, the shoes have completely replaced the handbag as the “it” fashion item. It’s been tentatively said before–I think people started saying it just about the time the spring collections started coming in–but I guess it’s becoming more definitive now.

So, shoe-lovers, rejoice! One more reason you can go ahead and indulge your passion. It’s practically your solemn duty as fashionistas to add more gorgeous styles to your collection. And by all means, go find some inspiration in this beautiful slide show (leave the sound on; and try not to drool too much over the keyboard):