Bling Ambition

My adorable niece Lauren is part of my muse for Shar in the Sirenz series. She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology, works for a major department store in buying, and lives in NYC. When we get together, the conversation is usually about fashion, trends, and living in the city. One particular conversation centered around a pair of Christian Louboutin heels covered in Swarovski crystals.

Stunning.

Glittering.

She wants these shoes (sorry, I can't get a picture of them even from the official Christian Louboutin website because they're from several seasons ago and have been eclipsed by glitzier versions).  But here's what they look like; take a gold lame high heel, of course add the signature red lacquer bottoms, and cover entirely with sparkling Swarovski crystals.

Unbelievable. She wants them for her eventual wedding. Being the magnanimous aunt, I offered to buy them for her.

$3,395 was the price.

I choked and almost swallowed my tongue.

"You want these shoes, which you'll wear only TWICE (once for the wedding and once maybe for a fancy New Year's party and that's it because if you ever have a baby, your feet will get fatter and you'll never fit into them again)."

I rescinded my offer.

Sorry, but I can't see spending that much money on a pair of shoes. (I've seen lots of videos on youtube about enterprising women making their own versions; they painstakingly glue THOUSANDS of crystals onto a pair of regular shoes.) I'd offer to do that (I could watch Vampire Diaries while doing it), but I know it wouldn't fly with her.

While I wouldn't spend that much on any shoe, I do understand (in part) her desire to have them (going past the obvious materialistic sense that today's generation is obsessed with. Sorry, Sweetie but your group is all about the name.). Everyone needs a goal to strive for that doesn't have to do with getting a promotion, or acing a test, or losing ten pounds; it's about a goal for personal, FUN, outrageous reasons. Something just for yourself. My goal is to make a bestseller list--not for the money or prestige, but because it's always been a dream. (Those other things can follow, thank you.) Just to say I'm a best selling author is my Christian Louboutin dream. Lauren will have to work very hard to save the money for those shoes, just as I'll have to work very hard on my writing. Will our goals change the world, make it a better place, do something for someone else?

No.

But we all need something just for "ME;" whether it's an outrageous pair of shoes, a listing in the Top Ten, a climb to Mt. Everest, or a tattoo on the tush.

So work and save Sweetie. When I make the Top Ten, you can wear your pretty shoes to my party.

  Auntie Char