Even before Prada walked this wildly different shoe down the runway, things were changing in footwear. Designers were beginning to see shoes not just as complements to the wardrobe, but as focal points. In the last few seasons, shoes have morphed into works of art. Designers have finally, gloriously, turned their attention to the shoe. The last few seasons have shown just how creative shoes can be.

Mind you, not all art forms are for everyone. I’d be hard-pressed to wear the previous Prada shoe, but I’d have no qualms about strapping this gorgeous suede number on -

Oh, to have $800 or more to drop on one pair of shoes! Still, we can have style at any price point. A quick look at DSW’s website revealed some artistic styles at very affordable prices:

Chinese Laundry Tootsy

Cindy Jaime

Dollhouse Dega

Known for fantastic styles and affordable prices, Beston has come out with their Da Viccino (PU) line. Find your favorite – for me, it’s this one. An incredible $29.99!

Even their leather line is amazing. Here’s a personal favorite – Lavish.

I’ve been a Beston fan for a while now. I’m a huge fan of comfort, style, and great price. This one hits all three criteria.

Do you have any favorites?

I’m up to 32 pairs now. Seriously. It’s more than just a little fling – it’s a full-blown addiction. I’ve landed these from Naughty Monkey -

 and these from L.E.I.  –   

 and these from Tahari.  That’s just this week.

All of these are eBay finds, all of them under 30 bucks, and I’m bidding on this pair that, with luck, I’ll score in about 2 hours and 39 minutes.  

He looked over my shoulder as I was cruising the Nine West website. He said, “Those are nice. You should get them.” Don’t encourage me, I said. But it was too late. I bought the shoes anyway.

I call them the girlfriend shoes. You know, the ones you can wear only with a sympathetic girlfriend, for no man would wait for you to walk daintily in them. I scored this pair in blue at Macy’s, though I can assure you they’re long gone from the store now.

My God, they’re stunning on your foot. As for comfort, one complaint – there’s a seam on the inside right over my little toe, just on one shoe, that kills me. I wear bandages on my toes to make it even remotely possible to walk in them. If it weren’t for that badly-placed seam, we’d be good to go. They do have a 4-inch heel, but it’s quite possible if you’re not running marathons. I did wear them to the city once and I was fine until that seam started to cripple me. Why? Why can’t we have gorgeous shoes and the understanding of the manufacturers on where those seams are going?

Can one have an existential crisis in the middle of Neiman Marcus? The fact that I was actually in Neiman Marcus was crisis enough – beware the sale racks in that store, for they lull you into a false sense of “Hey, I could almost afford that!” However, there I was, in the shoe aisle, falling quickly out of love.

I came to see the Holy Grail of shoe-aholics – the Manolo Blahnik - and I was rewarded tenfold. There were Manolos of all styles and colors all around me. Giddy with delight, I slipped on the first pair.

Uh, wait. That hurts. Must be the wrong size. I went up half a size. Slipped it on. Huh? Is that supposed to fit that way? It was the right size, but somehow it just didn’t feel as good as I had fantasized. In fact, it was rather painful. Okay, try a different style. The peep-toe. There you go. Just slip your foot in and… oh. Wait. No, that fits everywhere else.

And so it went until I tried on nearly every pair in my size and one size above. My question – how does anyone walk in those absolutely-gorgeous-yet-completely-uncomfortable shoes? Am I too old for them? Are they too young for me? It’s the only time I’ve ever considered foot surgery, even though I was sure it wasn’t me. I have to believe that I was experiencing an abnormal reaction to an otherwise fantastic shoe brand. Still, the heartbreak I experienced was overwhelming. There they were – lined up and gorgeous, all in my size, all withing striking distance ($350 and up), but none of them wanted to be on my foot (and I’d had a pedicure, too).

I had to exorcise the feeling. I grabbed the closest thing – a gold bejeweled strappy thong heel by Emilio Pucci. I’d tried thong heels before and they never fit quite…. oh. Oh my. Oh wow. That’s luscious! And look at how it shines! Ladies, this shoe was so gorgeous a man sitting there waiting for his wife actually called her over and pointed to my foot. As they oo-ed and aahed at the shoe, I was giddy with delight. And damn, I wanted that shoe!

Alas, I’m against paying $362 for any shoe, so they stayed in the store. Besides, the chandelier decoration on the shoe, while stunning, just didn’t seem practical for the grocery store….