May Shopping Ban: Day 1 and The Red Flats Story

It's Day 1 of my shopping ban and while I feel a little shaky, I am going strong.  This whole Not Buying Anything Thing is rough, given that Kate Spade's new summer pieces are out, Anthro keeps running huge sales, and Piperlime continues upping the ante with summer dresses under $75.

But lo!  There is an out!  A cheat item is permitted.  Phew.

My cheat item will likely be a pair of red flats.  My specifications for these flats are: bright lipstick red (nothing orange, dull, or pinkish), patent leather, pointy toed, and completely flat (no sliver wedge, no kitten heel).  They are going to replace the pair I currently have, which have been much loved (read: worn out and starting to stink).  I have an emotional commitment to these shoes like no other pair of shoes (except maybe the boots I bought in Amsterdam with S, but that's another story for another day).

My Red Patent Leather Pointy Toed Flat love story begins innocently enough with a pair of such red flats at a Macy's sale.  I don't remember the brand (Calvin Klein? Micheal Kors?), but I distinctly remember trying them on in front of those awful shoe sale racks set up all over the massive shoe department.  They were comfortable, delightfully pointy, and the perfect shade of red.  They were attractive and even a little sexy, which is hard to accomplish without a heel.  They were also out of my price range, even on sale.  I was between law school and my first full time real job and while these were perfect, they couldn't be mine.

I knew leaving them was a mistake, but I couldn't do anything about it.  And I regretted choosing rent and food over those shoes for years.  YEARS, PEOPLE.  For years, I kicked myself for letting them go.  For years, I searched for them or their equal. 

Zilch.

Until!  I spotted them.  Unassuming, they sat upon a shelf at Bandolino.  I tried them on immediately, and purchased them on the spot.  They were exactly what I wanted: bright tomato red, shiny patent, razor-sharp pointed toe that wasn't too long, a low vamp that showed just a little toe cleavage, and perfectly flat.  They were also a d'Orsay flat, so they had just a little more sex appeal than your average flat shoe.  Not only could I afford them, they were on sale and less expensive than the ones at Macy's.

The Bandolino flats (once I broke them in- ouch!), were my favorite flats for at least 3 years.  I received compliments on them almost any time I wore them, and I wore them often.  They were great for work, parties, casual weekends.  Loved, loved, LOVED them. 

They had to be sent to shoe heaven when they were scuffed beyond repair and holes were worn into the toes.  No amount of attention from the cobbler could save them.

About 2 years into my relationship with the Bandolino flats, I foresaw my future without them and I panicked.  What if it took me years (YEARS, PEOPLE) to find a replacement pair? 

A Nordstrom sale and yearing to stall the inevitable led me to the BCBG MAXAZRIA (I'm not yelling, that's how they write it) red flats I have now.  I didn't touch them until the Bandolino flats bit the dust.  Only then did I start wearing them. 

The BCBGs felt different, of course.  Like any new lover, their touch was foreign and appearance novel.  Instead of a d'Orsay cut out, they had a buckle with gold details.  Rather than a flat, shiny patent, they had a bit more sparkle and sheen.  They were a slightly deeper hue. 

So as I mourned my beloved Bandolinos, I adjusted to the BCBGs.  And slowly, little by little, I grew to love and appreciate them.  They could also be worn to work and parties and on casual weekends.  They too garnered compliments, though not nearly as many as their predecessors. 

Now my BCBG flats are starting to scuff, and wear down, and smell.  And so I must commence the search, once more, for a pair of Red Patent Leather Pointy Toed Flats before the end of the BCBG flats' life. 

This leads me to my current quest: The Hunt for Red Patent Leather Pointy Toed Flats.  My mission is clear.  I must locate and secure my next pair of Red Patent Leather Pointy Toed Flats. And maybe this time, I will buy multiples.