Whenever I’m having a tough day, I duck into a shoe store and spend the next hour trying on all the size 8 shoes on the clearance rack. I leave after finding the best deal, feeling like the weight of the world is off my shoulders.

So when I saw an article in a magazine about why it’s worth it to buy a pair of $595 basic black pumps, I was intrigued.

These $595 shoes are made by Manolo Blahnik, one of the most respected shoe makers in the world. The pump’s heel comes in a variety of heights and in different materials, including suede and snakeskin.

But $595?

That’s a La-Z-Boy recliner.

The writer called the shoe an investment. Stocks and bonds are investments. Diamonds and real estate are investments. Not shoes. But for the sake of argument, let’s go with their suggestion.

If you buy a $595 pair of shoes and wear them three days a week for one year, they claim, that’s only $4 per wearing. Wear those same shoes for five years, and that brings the price down to 76 cents per wear.

Obviously this writer has never actually talked to a woman who loves shoes.
Rabid shoe-a-holics would never wear the same pair of shoes three times a week for five years.

Women like to change their shoes to match the outfit they’re wearing.

That’s the reason we have 10 different pairs of black shoes. The flat and short-heeled pumps go with our slacks and the tall heels go with a dress. That’s also the reason why we have shoes in a variety of colors, including the same style shoe in ivory, tan and white.

If I bought Manolo Blahnik shoes using that same philosophy, I’m talking an entire living room of La-Z-Boy recliners.

That scenario also assumes I’d pay full price for shoes. Few shoe lovers pay full price because we love bragging about our shoe coups.

“See these sandals? Just $14.95 on the clearance rack,” we’ll whisper to friends.

Some shoppers love the prestige that comes along with paying a lot of money for a pair of shoes. Just like with $140 Jordan sneakers and $169.95 Coach purses, wearing a pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes is supposed to put you in that envious category of someone who can afford expensive shoes.

I’d rather have the La-Z-Boy.

Shoe Psychology

Later in the article, the author tried to sell readers on the shoe’s quality. The Manolo Blahnik BB pumps are made of reflective “speechio” leather, making the shoe scuff resistant.

First of all, what’s “speechio” leather? I think shoe snobs made up that description – a word I can’t find a definition for anywhere – to justify spending $595 on a pair of their shoes.

As I closed the magazine, I realized the writer of this article doesn’t quite understand the psychology behind how women shop for shoes.

They obviously never talked to a woman who stumbles onto a year-end shoe clearance sale. The thrill of finding that kind of sale releases the same feel-good endorphins as landing the biggest catfish of the day or realizing the tickets you won to the Texans game are on the 50-yard line.

Or finding a $100 pair of black pumps on the 75 percent off rack.

That’s worth more than a therapy session and you can walk away in those brand-new pumps with your head held high, knowing you only paid $25 for those babies.

Now that’s worth it.

This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.