Me & Manolo - a Shoe Love Story

I'm one of those people who never pays full price for anything if she can help it. I'm an avid sale shopper both online and in person. And I have the tastes of someone who makes a lot more money than I do - like loving Manolo Blahnik shoes.

Anyone who ever watched Sex and the City knows about Manolo Blahnik. His shoes were the focal point of several of the episodes and were constantly on the feet of the women in the show. The shoes are beautiful, fanciful and most have very, very high heels.

I never owned a pair of Manolo Blahniks until this year. I peruse several online Deals and Steals forums, looking for the hot sales and gift with purchase promotions. One Sunday afternoon, there was the post - Manolos for $201.

Manolo Blahnik shoes characteristically cost several hundred dollars. Yet here was the way I could own my Manolos at a reasonable price! I'd never seen these shoes on sale, and reading the post I found out why - many of the store search engines don't include the high end or "premier designer" sale items in the search. You have to have bookmarked your favorite shoe pages and keep checking back to see if they go on sale.

I bought a couple of pairs, thinking I could return them if they didn't live up to my expectations. I eagerly awaited the arrival of the FedEx truck, and a week later, my shoes arrived. It was then that I understood what the fuss was all about.

The leather was the softest I'd ever felt on a shoe. The stitching was perfect, and the fit - I was wearing four inch heels and they were actually comfortable! I could walk in these with ease (well, mostly with ease) and not kill my feet doing it!

My first Manolos were "Sizzle" a black leather sandal with criss-cross straps, and "Rip", a gold and Lucite number that shines brightly in the evening party light. As I click down the street, now five foot six instead of five foot two, my re-occurring slouching corrected by the need to stay upright to keep from falling over my shoes, I feel confident and fashionable - and smug. My shoes went on sale for even more a week after I bought them and I got the price reduced down to $160 a pair. Not bad for a couple of shoes that originally retailed for over $500 a pair!

I remember a scene in "Sex and the City" where Sarah Jessica Parker's character, Carrie Bradshaw, says to a date that she has a little substance abuse problem - expensive footwear. Now with several pairs of Manolos in my closet, I understand the allure of the expensive Italian shoes by Manolo Blahnik - they really ARE worth the extra money you pay. But finding them for a fabulous price really increases the joy of wearing and owning them!