Monday, August 29, 2011

.. of Shopping

Getting my first pair of brogues in the mail today.

These ugly little shoes have been on trend for longer now then I originally would have thought. They first popped up this time last year and I figured they would disappear very quickly but they have yet to do so. Last year I became obsessed with a pair from J.Crew, the Elsbeth...


Which also came in a delicious taupe color


But they were just entirely too expensive at $298. It's not that $298 is a lot for a pair of shoes because I don't believe it is, especially shoes of the quality you find at J.Crew. It's that when spending that much money you have to think about the CPW Cost Per Wear. Now a black handbag for $298 is a steal. If you even wear it once a week for a year the CPW is $5 and I don't know anyone with a vag... who wouldn't spend $5 on a handbag.

But seeing as these are oxfords/brogues/technically ugly especially on a woman from a man's perspective I estimated my CPW to be around... $298. So my love affair had to end.

The problem is wearing oxfords/brogues makes me feel like a lesbian. So does wearing earrings by the way and I have no idea why. And I don't mean this kind of lesbian...


I mean this kind of lesbian...


Yikes.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they are actually men's shoes. For the record I have no problem with lesbians it's just that women approaching me in a bar saying "nice shoes" would take on a whole new meaning and women are difficult enough to decipher as it is.

So anyway I then started focusing my efforts on a less expensive pair from Steve Madden...


or Aldo...



But they just didn't stack up especially to the Alexander Wang oxford...


So I finally bit the bullet... pulled the trigger... swallowed the horse...?

and bought these...


Jil Sander Nylon Mesh Oxfords at the Shopbop Summer Sale. They are from the F/W 2010 line sooo I waited awhile for them to go to 70% off.

Not only are they my first oxfords but they are also my first 'designer' shoes. So we'll see how this goes.

If you don't believe me about their popularity I would like to present a little something I'm calling the "Brogue Brigade" as evidence.

1. on the streets





 2. on the bloggers



3. in the magazines and on the runway




For the record and since I didn't know myself...

brogueNoun/brōg/

1. A strong outdoor shoe with ornamental perforated patterns in the leather.

ox·fordNoun/ˈäksfərd/

1. A type of lace-up shoe with a low heel.
 
For the record I still don't know.

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