Pink suede Manolo Blahnik mary janes. Oh, the delicate heel and strap. The side cut-outs. I rue the day I discovered the high-end department store. I used to be perfectly happy with Mervyn's and Ross. Still am, in fact. One musn't underestimate the power of cheap sweatpants and cotton t-shirts. And yet. Expensive shoes draw me, even as I know that I could never justify $600 for a pair of shoes, even if I had it.


Even as I say that, the justification begins. What if they were shoes I wore for years? Wouldn't it be better to have one really fine pair of shoes than a parade of cheap ones? This justification is knocked on its ass by the fact that I would still buy the cheaper ones. Plus, I don't have that $600.