What’s shoes got to do with it?

Shoes. Shoes are my passion. They have nothing to do with dating,,, directly. But indirectly, they do. Shoes can be your best friends. Shoes can be your boyfriend. They are very forgiving. You can gain ten pounds and while your jeans may become tight, your shoes will still fit feel like butter. They will still love you. They can make you feel pretty. They can get you through a break-up, a death, and stock market crash. They can make jeans and a t-shirt look like high fashion. They can smoothly transition you from the office to dinner, to the club.

Purchasing new shoes can compare to having a cigarette or a glass of wine after a difficult day. Shoe shopping can elicit an adrenaline rush, a high. My heart starts racing and I start to sweat on the way up the escalator or elevator at the Bergdorf’s shoe sale. All my favorite styles all in one place, all on sale!

I’ll never forget the first time I discovered the sale. It was a few days after Christmas and my sister was visiting from long island for a few days. We decided to go see the tree in Rockefeller Center. What a nightmare! Fifth Avenue was packed with tourists all doing the same thing, going to see the tree. On the way back from the tree we walked over the 57^th street to catch the M31 bus back to the Upper East Side. But then I saw Bergdorf’s on the corner. I’ve been many times since then, but at that time, I hadn’t been there yet. Also, at that time, I had (and still do have) an obsession with Christian Louboutins, but didn’t know where to purchase them. Well, Barney’s had them, but they had a small selection at the time, and they were very pricey.

Back to Bergdorf. We decided to run across the street to take a look, because I knew they had them. We took the elevator up to the 2^nd floor – the shoe department. When the elevator doors opened up, it was like Dorothy opening the door to Munchkin Land for the first time in the Wizard of Oz. You know, when the movie went from black-and-white to color. (In my opinion, that moment was always one of the most exciting scenes in American cinema.) There were racks and racks of designer shoes ON SALE! 40% -60% off! How could this be? Not only were they on sale, I saw all the designers I’d been reading about. There were my favorite Christian Louboutins, Gucci, Manolo, Versace, Prada to name only a few. They were beautiful! Lined up in size order. Some were just thrown on the floor and on surfaces near the racks, like we were at Kmart or something.

I was grabbing pairs like a kid in a candy store. I’d see one and hold it close to me as if someone was going to take it away from me. I would try one on, standing up with my coat on, then show my sister. “Do you like these?” Then I’d try another one on, “Do you like these?”. I must have had a crazy look in my eyes, because she was looking at me like I was possessed or something. Limping through the racks, one shoe off and one shoe on, trying on all I could. I wanted everything, and she knew it. She was just like, “Step away from shoes!” I mean they were 40 off, but they were still $600 or more, not including tax. She was no fun. What a buzz kill.

I left that day without any Louboutins, but I knew I’d be back.