Baby's First Pair of Choos

My mother tells me that, as a baby and small child, I loathed shoes.  She said it was a huge fight to get me to wear them and/or tights, even in the winter.  Hard to believe considering how I LOVE shoes now. 

In last Sunday's New York Times Style Magazine there was an article about Bergdorf Goodman's new shoe salon and they mentioned Manolos (a personal favorite) a lot.  That got me thinking about my first pair of Manolos and my first pair of Jimmy Choos, the two brands that are synonymous in pop culture with luxury shoes, thanks in large part to Carrie Bradshaw on Sex in the City. 

My first Manolos were purchased at their fabulous annual sale over a decade ago.  I got there a few days into the sale.  I didn't want to brave the line that forms the first day in the bitter cold so decided to wait and take my chances.  There wasn't a huge selection left in my size and when the saleswoman suggested these I didn't really love them.  I was hoping for something more basic, but once I put them on I was hooked!  They look smashing with a gray pencil skirt and jazz up an otherwise sedate outfit.  For half price shoes I almost passed over they are still going strong in my wardrobe over a decade later.

Gray, green and pink Manolo Blahnik slingback stilettos.

 

Close up of the front of the shoes

 

 

 

From the moment I put these shoes on I became a Manolo girl.  If you wear Manolos you know what I'm talking about.  Sex in the City sparked a "are you a Manolo or a Choo girl?" debate.  I think they both make beautiful shoes, and I do have some Choos, but overall I find the Manolos fit me better.  I try to get to their sales when I can, because they have some great deals.

 

 

As for the Choos....my first pair was also about a decade ago.  They were a gift from an ass of a boss who was trying to keep me from quitting on him.  Trust me nothing gave me greater pleasure than going over to the Jimmy Choo store and buying a pair full price (which he bitched about to the saleswoman on the phone when she called him for his cc#).   He was so obnoxious to the sales woman on the phone that she didn't charge him tax because she was afraid to call him back and tell him there was tax on the price she had quoted him.  She certainly empathized with me and realized exactly why I deserved the shoes!  He is now long gone as my boss, but the shoes are still part of my collection.  No point in throwing the baby out with the bathwater!

 

 



Plaid with leather flower Mary Jane Jimmy Choos.

 

 

So, I want to know, are you Manolo girls or Choo girls?  Feel free to send photos of your favs!