The Art of Hunting for Exotic Shoes

Shopping is like hunting, sometimes you return with significant bounty, and sometimes you starve.  The most fertile of hunting grounds is Downtown L.A.’s garment district.  In a random store off Santee Alley I spotted a five dollar bin of sparkling shoes.  It was so unreal that I thought I had been entranced by some sort of shopping mirage.  Could it be that these exotic creatures were really only five dollars?  It couldn’t be—they were hand beaded and genuine leather.  These are the type of shoes that retail for at least $45 at Anthropologie.  I was completely in disbelief.  I crept up slowly to the vessel containing the shoes as though rushing toward them would alert other size six shoppers of my magnificent find. 

Once I was face to face with the bin, it was like I was staring at a gaggle of gazelles, cocked gun in hand, patiently waiting, eying them to choose which one I wanted to take under my submission.  I was searching for the right fit, and suddenly it hit me.  I knew exactly why these exotic slippers had been relegated to the five dollar bin.  Each shoe was truly unique.  There was no standard size or even a left or right foot.  This was the type of shopping akin to hunting rare birds while sitting in a camouflaged tree house for days on end.  My challenge was to find two shoes that fit me, and that happened to be a true pair.  In a bin filled with shoes of all sizes and varying shades, this was exactly the type of shopping challenge that would scare the average buyer away, but not me. 

Rising to the occasion, I developed a methodical plan to hunt down my perfect pair.  I tried on each shoe that looked like it fit until I found one that did.  I discarded all oversized shoes in another bin to avoid trying the same ones on over and over.  It was so easy finding one shoe that fit, which left finding its complementary shoe completely agonizing.  After trying on virtually every shoe marked size six in a fifty gallon barrel filled with imported, sparkly flats, I managed to emerge victorious with one silver and one peach pair.  When I came home with my bounty, my adrenaline was still pumping after the thrill of the chase.

The next day I sported my silver beaded slippers with a pair of jean shorts and a breezy, white button down shirt.  I accessorized with a beaded teal statement necklace to add color, but to keep that safari look.  I also love the shoes with my silk, floral flouncy skirt and just about everything else feminine in my closet.  They are beautiful, delicate, and elegant, so naturally I adore them.  My mom took one look at them and said, “Ooh, can you get me a pair so I can wear them around the house?” “Around the house?!” I exclaimed.  Clearly she did not recognize the painstaking effort that went into finding these shoes.  Perhaps one day I will be that woman who only wears designer shoes and sends her daughter articles entitled, “Spending more for good shoes saves in long run.”  Until that day, I will continue to wear my five dollar shoes everywhere like a proud hunter displays her conquered game.