If The Shoe Fits

I love shoes, but I'm not one of those Imelda Marcos types who has to build a separate wing just to store an immense collection of footwear. Nor am I a Carrie Bradshaw wannabe who looks at a pair of heels and delivers the emasculating line, "Hello, lover."

But a great pair of stilettos does make me walk taller both literally and figuratively.

I am particularly fond of inexpensive shoes... not cheap shoes, mind you, but good shoes at an incredibly discounted price. I purchased my last two pair of dressy shoes for a total of $16.00. The Italian leather black and white heels were found at a Goodwill on one of my many road trips and the Anne Klein wedges with the ankle strap were on the Marshall's Clearance rack.

Both pairs garner high praise from both men and other women.

So, when I found myself drooling over the shoes in the above photo while reading a magazine at a local Hair Cuttery, I was quite surprised. Shoes usually don't speak to me unless they are doing a duet with a 75% off sticker.

Immediately after returning home, I hopped on to the White House/Black Market website to see how much they cost. My heart sank when I saw the $100 price tag. When I noticed the 25% off cyber coupon I felt a little better. But 75 bucks is still more than I've ever spent for a shoe not made from Gortex. To another woman it might seem like a bargain. To me, it was a gut-wrenching decision.

My husband said, "Don't sweat it, kid." I'm not sure if he was trying to sound like Carrie Bradshaw's Mr. Big, but he convinced me to pull out my credit card and make the commitment.

They arrived today. They're beautiful... and they're too big.

This afternoon we drove to the nearest WH/BM store to see if I could exchange them in person. They only had the size I had already ordered plus ones which were even bigger.

So, it was off to the post office to return the merchandise. On the form, I requested a 7.5 instead of my usual 8.

I felt good, until I went back on to their site and discovered the item is now being listed as unavailable. Apparently, I'm not the only chick with good taste in shoes.

I know it sounds silly, but I'm devastated. Not only because I probably won't get the shoes I want but mostly because it took so much out of me to order them in the first place. Spending that much money was a big deal for me. Having it all go wrong will probably prevent me from ever doing it again.

I suppose there is still some hope that I will get what I ordered. But now I'm afraid that my current teary state will prevent me from loving them the way they should be loved, even if they do arrive in the mail.

We'll see what happens. But I do know, if they offer me credit or a refund, I'm taking the refund. With my old shopping methods, $75 will buy me a whole closet full of shoes... and a new winter wardrobe.