shoe lust. a rather... schizophrenic post about shoes, Sex and the City, and a fashion-related person.

JCrew.com

Shoes have been on my mind today. I read this post over at NZRN, a magnificent remembrance of the shoes Naz has worn and loved in his life, about which he's been having "shoe flashbacks." Also, the shoe thing is on the mind because of Sex and the City (which I'm planning to see Saturday morning, because of scheduling problems with my girlfriends Friday night and because it is cheap - $5! - to see it then). Speaking of which, there's a fantastic little interactive graphic on nytimes.com that is basically an audio slide show with a brief audio file of each actress (of the four SATC girls) talking about her character and the changes that took place between the series and the movie, featuring four stills of each actress from the movie.


digression:

This evening, I've been reading The New York Times Magazine's cover story for next week,¹ a profile of Tyra Banks by Lynn Hirschberg.² It is, of course, wonderful - all ten pages of it. Banks is incredibly candid in the article and the accompanying video. As someone who doesn't really watch television (only occasionally, at my parents' house), I've never seen either of her shows. I've heard some things about them, and I've known of her ever since she started modeling for Victoria's Secret, but that's it.

What I like most about this story is the slant toward the business end of things: her mother's excellent planning, the way she manages her finances, and her branding strategy in general. I love that she says openly, "I want power." And the way she admires Martha Stewart is indicative of her desires for her own future. "I look up to her so much," Banks asserts in the video. "I think she has such an attention to detail. When you hear the two words, 'Martha Stewart,' you understand what that brand is, all the way down to colors." So true.


I've gotten off topic, though. This post was supposed to be about shoes. And actually, the shoes above.³ These shoes were the object of my lust for about a year. I craved them, worshipped them, wanted them SO bad. They were Lucie High Heels, and they were champagne and stunning. Finally, they went on sale - they had been about $200. The sale price was $129.99. It got to a point where there were only a few sizes left. I found a coupon online for free shipping, and another for $20 off. And I freaking bought them - I put them on a credit card because I wanted them so bad. And I waited, and I waited. And then they arrived.

They were too small. But let me elaborate: they weren't actually too short. They were too narrow (I have wide feet - large, wide feet). I kind of guessed from the photo that they would be too narrow but I wanted them so bad I bought them anyway. In the end, I morosely sent them back, and have somehow managed to live without them.

But to back to the SATC thing: there's a hysterical post over at the New York Magazine fashion blog The Cut called "The Sad, Bizarre World of 'Sex and the City' Promotions" which you must check out if the subject interests you.

Also, today on Talk of the Nation some guys bitched about being forced to see SATC with their girlfriends and wives. John Kass, the featured guest, is a Chicago Tribune columnist who said his paper wanted to send him to opening night to interview men (on camera) who'd been forced to attend with their girlfriends/wives. He said no, he didn't want to embarrass them like that. Anyway, he handily created a "Get Out of 'Sex and the City'" card for men at home to fill in, print out and present to their significant others.

For the record, I would never force a man to see SATC if he didn't want to.

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1. Do I seem to be employed by The New York Times Company sometimes? Sorry.
2. Lynn Hirshberg's link goes to her "Times Topics" page, which lists her articles starting with the most recent. My last favorite article of hers is here, about the actor Max von Sydow, who played the father of Jean-Dominique Bauby in “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.”
3. The thing with these shoes is basically that they reminded me of the shoes Julie Delpy wore in "Before Sunset." As soon as I watched that movie - back in 2004! - I had to have those shoes, but I could never find a pair like them that were available in my size in a color I wanted. The shoes in the movie were actually kitten heels, and I believe they were slightly different in style, but the similarity was close enough.