11.27.02
The resolution of the shoe debaucle is that the Assistant Shoe Manager from Valley West sent me a pair of shoes that she swore were as close to the shoes that I wanted as physically possible. In fact, they were also Nine West half-boots, just not the tasty Cloud Nine variety.
The shoes I wanted were chunky, a little clunky, a bit like a motorcycle boot, had a little bit of a heel, and were as comfortable as a shoe can possibly be without being illegal.
From a distance, both shoes bore a faint resemblance to each other-- black half-boots, side zippers, and square toes.
The shoes that arrived in the mail were sleek, sophisticated, had no heel, and a modicum of comfort.
These were the shoes of a soccer mom taking a walk on the mildly wild side.
To be honest, Younkers has an assload of shoes that look identical to the Cloud Nine shoes, they just don't feel the same. They don't offer the same amount of comfort required to stand around on them hours at a time, day after day.
If I wanted a pale imitation of the real thing, I wouldn't have had to wait six weeks, write a letter, play phone tag for another week, and get a package in the mail. I could have just picked up a pair of the LEI, Mudd, Esprit, Prima Royale, White Mountain, Steve Madden, or any of the other countless chunky, funky half-boots available down the escalator and a bit across the store from the salon.
What's in your head?