December 2007 Archives
The end of the year is upon us, and it is time to look back and remember those who are no longer with us. I have few regrets in life, but these three will alway occupy a special place in my heart.
Pair #21- Black Gucci Loafers (2000-2003)
I bought you in the summer of 2000 at the outlets in Woodbury Commons. You were the second pair of truly designer shoes I had ever had, and the fact that you were Gucci made you even more special.Tom Ford was at the height of his powers, yet you bore no relation to his sexy, sharp-toed designs. You were heavy, shiny, black and all business. Penny loafers for grown ups. But I was no grown up. In retaliation for my immaturity -I think I tried to wear you with capris!- you gave me some of the worst blisters I have ever had. I tried very hard to fill your indomitable needs, pairing you with jeans, and even pencil skirts, but it was not to be. You sat angrily in my closet for another three years, until I finally worked up the courage to rid myself of your tyranny.
Pair #22- Red Bettye Muller Wedgies (2001-2002)
Oh how chic you were, narrow little red wedgies with sexy little straps. You criss-crossed my feet, and wrapped yourselves around my ankles. I still think so fondly of you-occasionally I even miss you. Yet you managed something I have never experienced in any other shoe- you were at once too big and too small. Is it possible? Yes, it is. I have very narrow feet, but the sides of my soles rubbed against your sides, as you dug into the bottom of my feet. You were too thin even for me. And those sexy straps bit into my toes with teeth like a piranha's. Yet I could never get the ankle strap to stay put! It rubbed and rubbed, and fell down, and fell off. I would put you on, and stand in front of the mirror, admiring how good we looked together. I would tell myself that I had finally broken you in; I was delusional, let's face it. The second we stepped onto the street, you would be back to your old tricks, trying your best to get the fuck off my foot.
Pair #23- Black Miu Miu Wedges (1998-2005?)
Ok, you are truly one of my great regrets. Even though you were never really wearable, I hope still that I may find you hidden deep in storage. I bought you during my semester abroad, in Florence. You were inexpensive (Italy was still on the marvelous Lira then, and being American meant having some spending power.) You were also on sale. You were a deal, but that does not mean you were practical. You had thick, utilitarian, black, physically heavy rubber wedges, probably six inches high. Perversely, you had playful, girlishly thin straps, which could never truly hold the heavy soles to my feet. My favorite bit? The off-white insoles, with the red Miu-Miu stamp, that could be glimpsed as I stepped down the street, leaving my shoes behind, despite the straps.
I tramped through Rome in you, and London, and then back to Madison, (whose weather never really understood you.) I moved to New York with you. You were not in the style of the time, but I stuck with you- I loved you. But eventually, you were on the opposite side of the style pendulum; you were not a pointy stiletto, or a sweet flat. You were still your own thing, but I was not smart enough to recognize that anymore. I betrayed you by not realizing you could only be what you were. I finally, heartlessly, got rid of you. To my every lasting regret- because you would be perfect for right now. But I'd still leave you behind.
(Ed. Note- We originally shot Mademoiselle in her native France. She later asked us not to publish those pictures as she was too vulnerable at the time. We have agreed to her wishes. It was the only way she would grant us an interview.)"You think that because I am beautiful, life is simple for me? You are mistaken. No great beauty is pure. We are sullied by the very dirt we tread upon. For beauty to be truly magnificent it must cause pain. Do you dare to disagree with me? Madame Bovary. Anna Karenina. Gia. They are the fallen idols of my world. I am as one of them. My rich suede darkens with mud. My scalloped edges collapse in the rain. I am a thing of perfect and transient splendor."
