I saw these shoes in a shop window a month or so ago, and they looked so cute. Then I saw them on the street, on a real person, and they were even cuter. So I went into the shop (Prada, a place where I don't remember ever going into before — what would be the point?), took this surreptitious picture, and am now posting it. I would link to them but I can't find an online seller.
They caught my eye, of course, because they are RICK-RACK SANDALS, and as such, absolutely gorgeous. They're also $495, which puts them WAY out of my budget (that is, if my budget were at the Equator, this pair of shoes would be at Alpha Centauri) which is sad.
My hope is that I can outlast everyone else — in six months, these shoes will be "so last-season," whereas my love for rick-rack knows no season. There will be pairs going begging, and I will snap them up, preferably on eBay. At least, that's my fantasy.
There's also a high-heel version, but I didn't bother taking a picture of those. (I was terrified of the salesladies, frankly.)
(If you look at the reflection in the chrome edging of the table, you can see my stripey seersucker dress. I'll try and post about that dress towards the end of the week.)
A Dress A Day 
I don’t know if I learned about it from Erin (goddess of all knowledge quirky and not saving you on an island) but there’s a website where you can rent high end stuff. Never used it myself but it’s there.http://www.bagborroworsteal.com
LikeLike
As to rented High End Stuff: If you’re in L.A. and get invited to the Oscars or some such nightmare, you can rent some of Bob Mackie’s stuff (like his beaded dresses that Sharon Stone wore in Casino) from his commercial costume house. I don’t have a link, but you could search for his business on the web.
LikeLike
In the spirit of opening closet doors -you know what stops martini glasses form clinking faster than being an atheist? Tell them are a witch. (Wiccan) Oh, and live in the deep south. I can’t tell you how many people have tried to save my soul or damn me to hell!
LikeLike
Wow….Wiccan Intolerance! As I get older, I sort of appreciate the old policy of Not Discussing Religion or Politics. I guess it was just put in place as a major time saver! Because hardly anyone agrees on ANYTHING! I do think that’s gradually changing, though. We’re lucky to live when we do, when anyone who doesn’t agree with the majority rule isn’t just automatically tossed on the fire 🙂
LikeLike
I’d pay $500 for a pair of shoes if they were custom made just for my odd shaped duck feet, if they were a really timeless style, and if I were sure I’d wear them for years. It would probably save me money in the long run, as I tend to buy shoes that seem to fit okay in the store, only to get a major blister or a lot of toe pinching. How many shoes have I given away over the years after wearing them only two or three times? More than $500 dollars worth, I’m sure.
LikeLike
i usually keep being a Wiccan to myself but here in the good ole, still have the confederate flag on the state house grounds, SC, people just keep pushing the issue. They are always wanting you to to their church and finally I just have to say I don’t and subscribe to their brand of religon. they’ll keep pushing and I say, “please, drop it. i’m wiccan.” they totally freak out. A lot say they are “going to pray for me.” they don’t like it when I tell them I’ll pray for them too. Others can’t understand why my catholic husband married me and are sure he is going to hell as well. Ridiculous!
LikeLike
About shoemaking:belphebe I totally agree! It took me HOURS to get one pair of cheapo Payless plastic shoes apart to make my lasts. I also spent at least 48 hours (not contiguously) looking for shoe findings both on the Internet and asking in local shoe repair places. Rumor has it Saderma Leather Shoe in Los Angeles is the place to try but I have not yet; my pennies and shoe making inspiration havent aligned just yet.fabricgirl, I remember the 60s/70s shoes books were almost always, exclusively some fugly excuse for a moccasin. No arch support, etc, some reenactment looking things. Nothing you would wear to work for sure.Oh yeah while were outing ourselves: yes a Pagan here too. I never tell anyone that anymore. It tends to make life worse, not better. But you lot, I trust.Cookie I so love Hollywood golden era, glamor days stuff! Thanks for sharing all that. Sigh, another book on my Amazon wish list…
LikeLike
Cookie,Oh, yes, that last one of Crawford you posted — I have that in one of my books — SO GORGEOUS! She looks amazing in it. A lot of people, especially the young’uns who only know her from camp classics, don’t realize what a stunning woman she was. And of course she had one of the greatest lines in film history in her turn as Crystal Allen in THE WOMEN:”Thanks for the tip. But when anything I wear doesn’t please Stephen, I take it off.”
LikeLike
Speaking of rick rack, I have some black rick that I just don’t know what to do with. I was wondering if anyone had any rick rack inspiration for me, perhaps dresses you’ve sewn. I know you love rick rack, and unfortunately my mind’s too wrapped around ruffles at the moment to comprehend the wonders of rick rack.Thanks!Ivy Frozen
LikeLike
Count another atheist here. And I totally support the idea of a meeting! I live in Vegas; everyone should come here!-Sandra
LikeLike
Pagans and atheist who love dresses? Back when I was young these types stuck to strictly polyester pantsuits. (With pull-on pants, natch.) How times have changed.Cookie, I just read your bio. Girl, are you auditioning for any game shows? I’d love to see you on Deal or No Deal. Also, are you a muse to David E. Kelley? ‘Cause The Practice has been running a story line that seems to mimic your life. Can you tell us what you wear to your day job? The character on The Practice switches it out (suit or dress) depending on his mood. His co-workers seem to take it all in stride.I’d like to point out that nobody seems to have a problem with calling these shoes “ridiculously expensive” or “obscenely priced.” Yet they too are 3 or 4 times over the cost of regular/normal retail shoes. Same as the lovely pattern on the post below.Nobody is chastising anybody about the effort that goes into these shoes. Could it be that people are comfortable bitching about something that’s sold by “a company” rather than a “little independent pattern seller”? There certainly seems to be a double standard. I mean, I’m sure Miuccia has to get up very early in the morning too.
LikeLike
Anonymous: my life isn’t terribly dressy or glamorous very often. And it’s hot under all that makeup and a wig and nylons, tight clothing and about 50 pounds of jewelry, etc. I dress in boy clothes most times (cutoffs and polo shirts at home, khakis and oxfords at work) but then dress up for auditions or jobs, or some fun social events. I also dress in very conservative drag for local political rallies and events, sort of a Jackie O/Camelot look, protesting the demolition of our local historic architecture in Hollywood. That’s good for getting press and crowd participation. I just did a job last week where I was a 1940’s Big Band singer, and I rewatched New York, New York to see how Liza Minelli stood behind a vintage microphone, etc. (I’m not a celebrity impersonator, I just knew there’s a lot of bandstand songs in that movie, performed live. PS: She’s great at it! And the 1940’s clothes are great.)
LikeLike
The shoes simply don’t seem to have a price-correlating amount of effort put into them. I would imagine that they also are far less of a rare find.And $500 is much more than $75!
LikeLike
Polyester pull on pants?! Goddess forbid!I’ll stick to dresses. Cotton, wool, jersey knit or silk please.
LikeLike
Yeah, no comparison between $500 Prada shoes and $75 vintage pattern. And let’s be honest about this — the Prada shoes were most likely made in a sweatshop in China or southeast Asia. Yes, I know that most of everything we buy now, clothing included, is made in sweatshops, and I understand the history of sweatshops in general — my immigrant grandmother worked in one — so I’m not trying to get into a discussion of that. I’m just pointing out that the reason many of us are objecting to the price is, I believe, because we recognize that we’re not talking about quality here, we’re talking about brand. And the cachet that supposedly goes along with that brand. I’m all for spending whatever you can afford to spend — that’s people’s own personal business — just opining that these shoes are made no better than a lot of the stuff you can pick up at Target and Payless, though I realize that notion doesn’t sit well with the wealthy fashionista crowd (heck, my in-laws go nuts over Louis Vuitton bags, which I think is hilarious, not only because to my eye they’re ugly, but because they’re not even leather — they’re mostly canvas. $495 for a cotton canvas bag?? That’s not about the quality; it’s about the name.)
LikeLike
As a person with very wide feet. (6-1/2 extra wide) I have to say you do in some cases “get what you pay for” I can buy $10 shoes at Payless that say they are wide. And have my feet hurt. Or I can pay $65 and up for Naturalizer, or someother well-made brand name and have my fett not hurt. But $500 shoes? IF they fit like a glove and feel like I’m walking on baby ducks – you betcha!
LikeLike
Theresa, I have permanent foot injuries, so I can wear only orthopedic shoes, and then only ones that have been specially fitted for me by a pedorthist. It sure makes buying shoes easier! I can look and drool over “normal” shoes but can’t wear them. Luckily, there are a few companies that make decent, not-hideous orthopedic shoes. So I understand all about quality and expense. I can’t buy anything under $150, and that’s the low end of the scale.
LikeLike
Frozen Ivy-I picture black rickrack peaking out of a seam on a grey wool or wool jersey serious dress, giving it life humour.Blessed be.
LikeLike
Frozen Ivy – what if if you edges the ruffles in the ric rac?
LikeLike
I scored a pair of once-worn (to a wedding) Prada pumps off e-bay for a mere $100. They were perfect and new and beautiful and amazingly comfy and soooo pretty! They belonged to the first wave of the Prada color-fade trend (it started about three years ago?) and they were bronze at the toe and purple at the heel, surprisingly subtle, wearable, unusual, and fun. I loved them and wore them until they fell apart, then repaired them and wore them until they fell apart again. Don’t give up the dream! You CAN score last-season Prada shoes for a bargain, and you will. -Negative Nancy
LikeLike
Ah the justification! You can still buy a beautiful well made leather shoe for $150, a third of this Prada shoe. The infamous $75 pattern is a third of a the cost of a vogue designer pattern. Yet it’s okay to complain about the price of the shoe and not the pattern. I’d say the shoe is a better value and less likely to be a rip-off. For starters, you can wear the shoe several times a week.
LikeLike
Also, better proof of which one is “overpriced” is how quickly they sell.
LikeLike
I thought that there might have been some other rick-rack shoes on Zappos. Good luck hunting for them.Welcome, cookie! I can’t imagine anyone not wanting you here – your love of clothes, shoes, and fabrics are a welcome addition to the comments here 🙂 I would love love love love love a DAD get-together. I’m up in Waterloo, Ontario but would be willing to travel.
LikeLike
Think I would love the high heeled version! p.s. love your blog!
LikeLike
I love to alter shoes but would not touch those! I always wanted to be a fashion designer and now I am altering vintage high heels..love your blog wish I was that organized!Denise Nantasket Beach, Mass.
LikeLike
Ms. Couture de papier, I just checked out your stuff on Etsy. Wow. Really beautiful and creative.
LikeLike
Wow, Cookie, that was a real surprise! But you’re a fully paid-up member of the International Sewing Conspiracy now, whatever your gender (virtual or otherwise), so there’s no possibility of you wriggling out of DaD now. But seriously, lovely to have you here – you’re like a sister.Think I’m suffering slightly from closet-emerging envy. My confession is probably going to be the straw that breaks the DaD back. OK, here goes. I attempt to practise religion, but am still not very good. For the average media-savvy, aspirational Brit this is a bit like saying you still believe in the tooth fairy and have blancmange where your pre-frontal cortex should be. I come from a long line of non-conformists (English Quakers and German Lutherans) who fled to PA several hundred years ago to get away from intolerance and the nastiness of bigger, established religions. So I really do have a bit of a problem with religious orthodoxy. But… for reasons that are too protracted to go into here, I figured I’d give it a try, and have been a regular Anglican congregant for about 5 years. I even sing in the choir! – and not very well, so that’s twice as bad. OK, that’s enough of the revelations from me. Who wants to chase me outta town in my choir robes? Love those shoes, Erin, but wouldn’t be able to afford them either. You’d better get that eBay search set up pronto!PS Cookie, there’s a shop near me specializing in women’s shoes size 8 and up (too big for me) – new ones, that is. Will now keep an eye open for any sales – you never know. What’s your size?PPS Have you seen ‘Kinky Boots’? 2005 film (by the makers of ‘Calendar Girls’) based on a true story about a Northamptonshire men’s footwear factory (my husband’s grandmother worked in just such a one) which turned around its losses by producing transvestite boots. Thus were the family business and local jobs saved. Clip here:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0434124/trailers-screenplay-vi1318125849(the old lady at the end sums up our views on the spectacular Cookie, huh folks?) And here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_shp6h0gmRw
LikeLike
I’ll be in NY late October. If someone can organise a DAD convention to coincide, that would be great!
LikeLike
We really need to have a ADAD convention
LikeLike
The latest issue of CRAFT magazine is all about shoes! Making them, modifying, etc. There’s also an article about the person that started Mohop.http://craftzine.com/magazine/
LikeLike
love your blog
LikeLike
“Kinky Boots” is a great movie! Love it! I think it’s great you go to church…some of them are really about community connection, which is something we ALL need! Plus, you get to put on your Sunday Best, even an Easter Bonnet if you’re so inclined. As long as they stick with basic golden rules, I like churches/temples/etc.
LikeLike
Your blog is such a fun read. ^_^ And I love the name.
LikeLike
Thanks for bringing this to my attention – Ive reviewed it myself now. A very enjoyable read.
LikeLike