First Post Here - Need a Pep Talk, Please...

prettycitygirl

prettycitygirl

Metro
O.G.
Jun 15, 2009
905
28
#1
So I've been a fan of CL for sometime. I often read over all your posts and drool over your pictures - thinking 'someday' I'll get a pair of my own...Maybe a deal through Bonanzle or ebay or something (can't imagine paying FP!) Only once have I ever spent over $300 on a pair of shoes (my most fav, Sergio Rossi heels!) Most of the shoes I own are btwn $100-$200 range (BCBG, Max Studio, Enzo, etc..)

I digress...

So Monday I was passing through Saks on my way to the Coach store when I stopped to look at the shoe sale rack - just to see if I could find 'the pump' for which I've been searching (for a year, been looking for that perfect 'nude' pump).

I found some a great little pair of blush colored slingback by Brian Atwood for $215! Hoping they were just what I have looking for, I immediately grabbed a SA and got the mate and put them on. The shoes were awesome - get fit and all, but something was off...the color. They were a little too pink/blush, not the perfect nude I've been looking for. SA tried to show me some CL but I said, No - outta my budget. So I went on about my business - well, I tried...

So these last 2-days I've been thinking about those Brian Atwood pumps, thinking maybe those where 'the ones' and decided to go back today to buy them! I went in and put them on and well....umm, still the same pink. Uh, no, not the right the right color. I don't know what I thought was going to change from the 1st time I tried them on. Umph. SA could see me going round and round about it all and brought me a pair of CL to try on to compare the color blush and nude.

OMG! The moment I put them on, I knew - these are the perfect color! SA said this was the only size left (35.5) and with that - I whipped out my credit card and bought them without a minute thought! Really, it was put them on and "I'LL TAKE THEM!" Just like that!

So now, here I am at the office feeling terribly guilty about my extravagant purchase. I know many of you have a collection of CL and paying $650 for a pair of shoes may not seem like a big deal, but for this single income working mom, I'm freaking out! I feel like I made a very spontaneous purchase and though I love them, well....

Need a pep talk here. Did any of you feel guilty about your first of CL?
 
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#2
I think most of us do, I still do whenever I buy them. It's expensive, but if it's what you LOVE then it's just the right thing to do lol. My bf spends a lot of money on his car, my MIL on her purses, my FIL on cars too... and me on shoes. Everyone has a thing with... well, KWIM?

Don't worry, just wear them in good health :flowers:
 
#3
Trust me, the guilt will pass. I just recently got my first pair of CL's and also paid full price for them ($595) and the second time I stood in front of the mirror with them on I knew I did the right thing by keeping them.

It's hard to think of now, but if they are "THE ONE" and you know you are going to wear them, the shoes will pay for themselves before you know it. From what I hear on the forum, it's tough for 35/35.5 girls to find CLs, so if you return them you might wind up feeling even worse years from now because you had THE ONE in your hand and you let it slip away.

Not to enable you, or anything... ;)
 
#4
i had severe buyer's guilt when i spent over $1000 on my purple lizard VPs.... i was nauseous and ill at the thought of it.... but when i put them on my feet, it was love at first sight like you wouldn't believe.

i do still get pangs of guilt from time to time, but either i get over it quickly cuz i love the shoe that much, or i hem and haw, and then i know it was a rash decision and i return the shoes
 
#5
Had exactly the same feeling with my first pair - Black Kid Simple 85s - but I justified them as an investment piece, the perfect classic black pump ;) And if I think about the amount I've worn them - on a cost per wear basis it actually turned out to be true LOL
 
#6
Everyone needs a little extravagance in their life for sure. Only you can decide how much you are able to put towards that extravagance. If you can afford it, don't feel guilty at all. Wear them and enjoy them to their fullest.

Sooo....what style are they!?:graucho:
 
#7
i personally don't think any material items are ever worth extreme guilt or the possibility of affecting finances! so if that is the case, i tend to think you should step away from the loubies...

but on the topic of getting past the sticker shock? yeah it's hard at first...but before you know it you will be breaking one price ceiling after another ;)
 
#8
They're a great color that you can wear with everything! $650 on a pair of shoes you love is a MUCH better investment than wasting $215 on a pair that's just okay. You obviously love the CL nude and if you didn't buy them, I'm sure you'd always try to fill the void with cheaper shoes that just aren't the same. I've been there before. I used to only buy shoes that were $70 or less, and when I first got obsessed w/ CL, I even tried a pair of (gasp) Oh Deer! shoes! They absolutely were not nearly the same and I promptly returned them. I knew I needed the real thing.
 
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#9
I think as long as you have paid all your bills and everybody has everything they need to survive, it's fine to splurge here and there. If you're spending money on shoes when you should be paying the light bill, that's something to feel guilty over. But, if you're a hardworking mom, and everybody is doing a-okay, then I think you DESERVE a splurge.
 
#10
i think i feel the most guilty when i buy shoes that i bought just for the sake of buying...more often than not, it's the shoes i get on sale. While these are prob in the 250-600 range, these are prob the ones that hardly get worn...
 
#11
Nieners - cute name, btw..Thanks for the pep-up! I'm glad to know that others have felt the same way too - In my eyes, it is a big deal to spend that much on a pair of shoes. As a matter of fact, it's the most expensive single piece of clothing item I've ever purchased! However, that being said, when I bought my first pair of Sergio Rossi's several years ago, I felt crazy sick about the $380.00 purchase (they were on clearance.) But I had a pic of them that I had cut out of a magazine cover (Alyssa Milano wearing them) in hopes of finding them one day - and there they were! BEST PURCHASE EVER! I've worn those shoes to death and love them! I'm actually about to get them resoled - they are too fab! SO..hopefully this will be one of those purchases - though 2x the cost, eekk! What does KWIM, mean?

Nico - Really? 35.5 are hard to find? Wow, I didn't know...good thing that I did buy them in person and not online though - I would have bought a 36! I think my feet have shrunk down a 1/2 size since I lost weight. As far as returning them, I don't think I can.

DOES SAKS OFFER REFUNDS ON RETURNS? For some reason, I didn't think so. So I think I'm stuck with them and I will just have to let the guilt pass....Not that that is a bag thing :smile:

Carlinha - HOLP CRAP - over $1k for a pair of shoes would make me vomit - no matter how much l loved them! Then again, I spent several thousands on a pair of diamond stud earrings and my husband almost fainted from that purchase...heehee...I guess it's just one of those threshold things...not what I'm use too but I'm sure I'll soon adapt. I can't wait to get home and model them with all my outfits. Sadly though, I don't have carpet. Maybe I should walk on a towel. Don't want to scruff them up. Didn't I see a post around here about a clear or red sole liner thing for the bottom of the CL? Thanks for your comments - you made me feel better!! :smile:

Chins4 - Same thinking I had with my Sergio Rossi's! We'll see how long it will actually take me to put the shoes on and go outside with them (gasp!). Gosh, now the fear of messing them up! I have a tendancy to rub my feet together when I walk - gonna have to stop that!!

((gonna respond to your other comments later - gotta get back to work!))

THANKS, LADIES!!!
 
#12
i think most of us feel some buyer's remorse at some point...i usually only feel it when i buy the trendier CLs because i know i will get my money's worth w/ the classic ones. i wear my black and camel decolletes ALL the time so if you divide the cost by the amount of wears, they cost basically nothing! :P Oh and KWIM means "know what i mean" and Saks has a great return policy...you can get a refund within 90 days
 
#13
Which nude did you get from the Galleria? Simple, new simple, or Yoyo 100?

I agree with Laureen, a pair of CL Louboutin is worth that much because they're really worth that much, and no others can come close to it. I would rather spend $500-$600 (somtimes more) on a pair of CLs that I know I'd love and wear than spend $100 or $200 on mediocre shoes that might or might not work for me.

If you can justify them without being in debt, keep them and wear them well.
 
#14
Ladies - thanks for all your comments!! I feel better and have to tell you, the guilt is subsiding :smile: I do love the shoes.

I bought the Decollete 868 100 Patent Chich Camel in 35.5. I think the price was $595. With tax, they were $645.

Here's my other issue - they feel really tight! I put them on this morning to take modeling pics and my toes were pretty uncomfortable. I tried a 36 in another style (too large) but maybe a 36 in this style would be better. Gotta wait until 10:00am when Saks open and call to see if they have them for me to try.

So what do you guys think - fit wise? The SA told me they should be a little tight and they will stretch out a little. If I get a 36, my heel may slip, especially in the cooler weather (over 100 degrees now!). But the toe box is tight. Should I get them stretched a little?

Thoughts?

Maybe I should ask in another post.....I would post pics but didn't get my little camera cord to download the pics on my computer :sad:
 
#15
congrats pretty city! my first pair was the patent camel decollete too! and yes i felt terribly guilty after buying them, they were my first full price pair but i was wearing them for my graduation.

i've found that they do stretch. in fact my saks even stretched them for me as my left foot is a little bigger than the right. if they can't do it in store i would check the reference library for a cobbler in your area or ask your saks who they take their shoes to.
 
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