Glam Slam: Recession Depression

THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR A PAIR OF SHOES!!!! Am I the only one totally outraged and even offended by this?

Indulge me a minute. I need to vent.

I keep hearing that we are pulling out of the recession, but with prices continuing to spiral out of control, it sure doesn’t feel that way to me. Prices keep going up… and up… and up. Is there no end to how high they will go?

This is a tricky conversation to have when there are many people, who don’t have jobs at all or a roof over their heads. Who am I to sit here and complain that shoes have tripled in price over the last couple of years, you might wonder? I am not a politician and this is a fashion blog after all, so I ask you to bear with me!

Some of my friends have commiserated over how expensive things have gotten. True, there are ways to be frugal, whether it be vintage clothing, clothing swap parties or cheap chic places like H&M, Target and Forever 21. I am all about a thrifty find just as much as the next person, but unless you’re a teen or tween, you probably can’t get your entire wardrobe at Forever 21. Everyone needs some high quality, classic pieces that will last longer than a couple of washings.

While some things like a Birkin bag or Chanel jacket have always been expensive, the term “investment piece” is taking on a whole new meaning these days, particular when it comes to shoes.

As I looked through the April issue of Marie Claire, which I expect to be a fairly accessible magazine, I was simply stunned by how many of the shoes featured are inaccessible to most people. $1,045 Blumarine shoes. $1,395 Christian Louboutin booties. $1,490 Gucci heels. Yohji Yamamoto oxfords $1,520. $1,985 for a pair of Alexander McQueen heels. Yes, nearly two THOUSAND dollars… for shoes. Page after page of super expensive shoes. I just wanna scream “What the…?”

The rising cost of production eventually effects all fashion companies, whether you’re Prada or Payless. When materials cost more and the cost to produce things costs more, prices go up. Nature of the beast. But there is a huge, huge difference in shoes at, say, Nine West creeping up 20 bucks every few months to keep up with rising costs and designer shoes like Christian Louboutin or Jimmy Choo or Balenciaga going up several hundred dollars. My friends and I couldn’t believe it when shoes started to hit the five hundred, six hundred dollar mark. Surely, it wouldn’t go higher than that. How wrong we were! One pair of Christian Louboutin pumps Sarah Jessica Parker wears in the “Sex and the City” sequel cost more than $3,000! (Granted they are embellished with Swarovski crystals, so they will cost more than the average shoe, but still!)

Who wouldn’t want to be that Cinderella! And many a designer will argue that high fashion and its high price tag is all about – pure fantasy. Fashion is inspirational. Fashion is aspirational.

But what happens when it becomes unobtainable? That is the real question.

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