Shoe Hot or Not: Leopard-print edition
January 15th, 2008, 8:38 am · 11 Comments · posted by Sam Mittelsteadt
I found this week’s contender under the “Exotic Shoes and Bags” section at Saks Fifth Avenue, where it holds court alongside crocodile, snakeskin and pony hair offerings by everyone from Miu Miu to Giuseppe Zanotti. So when I saw that it was described as a Gagosian leopard slide, I thought: “Surely it’s not made of leopard skin. Aren’t leopards endangered?” But all the other ones were real ….
Relax — it’s printed cotton canvas (there’s a little leather on the footbed, and the wood on the heel is painted, too). Which brings me to: Even if it’s Yves St. Laurent, is this cotton canvas shoe so hot that it earns the warning on the Web site: “Due to popular demand, a customer may order no more than three units of these items every thirty days.”
Are they talking about YSL shoes in general, or three pairs of THIS shoe? Has the market gone so wild that women are hoarding pairs of $450 shoes to use as tender in case we go to a barter system?
I really don’t see this as the shoe I would save in case that happens. (I would go for the true exotic skins, figuring the raw material alone would be worth more. And, also, sneakers, for comfort’s sake. And maybe a pair of hiking boots. Even when the Apocalypse comes, I will have trouble deciding which shoes to have on.) I could be wrong.
But it’s not up to me — what do you think? Is this shoe hot, or not? Cast your vote and leave your opinion in a comment below. This week’s prize is a boffo-gigantic pack of M·A·C makeup — specifically, every Lipstick (10), Lipglass (5), Glitter (4) and Pigment (5) in the Originals collection, which salutes “popular product shades both discontinued and existing that consumers covet and can’t live without.” (The collection is being promoted in stores only through January.) I’m also throwing in three of the eye shadows (Alum, Charred and Parrot), two eye pencils (Ebony and Indigo) and Mascara X. That’s more than $450 worth of M·A·C, dammit!
I’ll draw one winner from the commenters who post before noon Friday, Jan. 24. (But feel to free to leave your comment after that as well, if you wish.) Updated: Congratulations to Jenifer, who won the M·A·C megaprize!
Remember to come back for a new contender every week — and a new post every weekday.
sammit
| WHAT SAM WORE: 1/15/08 | |||
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| The shirt: Long-sleeved button-down by Burberry (Burberry outlet store, Palm Springs, CA) |
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| The pants: “Hipster” boot-cut khakis (Gap, Scottsdale Fashion Square) (almost velvety — one of my favorite pairs of pants) |
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| The shoes: Suede pointed-toe loafers by Gordon Rush (Last Chance, 2007) | |||
| The scent: Aveda Men Pure-Fume Tonic (I’m not sure why they categorize it under “skin care” instead of “body”) |
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sammit
January 15th, 2008 at 10:07 am
They look like something an aging Texas oil tycoon’s wife would wear. Which, depending on your tastes, that’s not bad. For me personally, these shoes leave me cold.
January 15th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Finally a HOT SHOE. I recommend getting online and ordering the shoe today. Saks is not kidding when they limit supplies. I still mourn the gucci slides of 2004 that I did not order quick enough. Learn from my error order now.
January 15th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Total fug. They look like they came out of Cruella de Ville’s closet.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:13 am
Meh…they’re cute but not ‘hot’ and definitely NOT worth $450! And when I read that “You can’t buy more than 3 of these at a time, sucka!!” disclaimer, it made me like them even less. It could be the fabric used for the shoe; it’s 26 degrees outside my window, so maybe I’m not quite ready to embrace the canvas. Or maybe I know I can buy a pair of Keds (*ahem*) if I really want canvas in my life THAT badly… ;o)
January 16th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
They had me up until the weird, two-toned heel. I’m saying “not hot” … but not terrible, either.
January 16th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
I feel kind of lame saying this after the above comments, but I like it! I usually go with my first instinct about these things, and my first thought was “Cute!” Is it hot? Maybe not. Would I pay $450? No. If I had $450 I would buy myself a flat screen tv. A small one, sure. But something I’d use a lot more often. That said, I do like them and I think I would actually wear them if I owned ANYthing that went with them, and they were on sale at Target.
January 17th, 2008 at 7:48 am
I am not an animal print girl for sure, but with a pair of jeans and nicely polished toes I think these are pretty cute. I like the painted heel more than anything. Canvas is nice and summery (appealing when it’s below zero up here in Vail).
The price tag though, no - not for $450. Maybe for $70.
There must be a hoard of Stepford wives in Texas vying for these to cause Saks to run low. Can you see it? Blonde bouffant, leopard shirt with gold buttons, white jeans……
January 17th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
This is not real leopard skin because leopards are not black and white-they are golden with brownish spots. I don’t think the heels of the shoes go with the rest of the shoe. I personally don’t like these at any price. And where is it written that because it is expensive, it must be good design?
January 17th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
I think this shoe is hot. In fact, my heart is racing with the idea of purchasing these shoes and then spending many, many happy hours shopping for the perfect outfit for them to compliment. I’ve already picked the event to showcase these beauties - May 30th, dinner downtown al fresco and then a lovely night at the ballet, with drinks after. Now let’s just hope I can snag a pair for myself. Wish me luck!
January 17th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
Leopard? Looks more like a cow. Does it come with a burger? If not, I say no. Thanks. Second thought, just no thanks. I’m not into two-toned heels.
January 21st, 2008 at 10:35 pm
I think with the right outfit and on the right person these shoes would look cute but I do not care for the two-tone heel.