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 [分享]What Forbes has to say about women's shoes |
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Xiaomaomao
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头衔: 海归中校
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加入时间: 2005/11/21
文章: 161
来自: New York, U.S.A.
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作者：Xiaomaomao 在 海归茶馆 发贴, 来自【海归网】 http://www.haiguinet.com
Without those glass slippers, Cinderella would still be sweeping the fireplace, and Prince Charming would be in the middle of a nasty divorce from one of her step-sisters. Deprived of her bejeweled pumps, Dorothy would be stranded in Oz. And the old lady who lived in her shoe? Well, she probably would have been better off investing in real estate than in a broken-down old boot.
The female shoe has always been an ob<x>ject of fascination, endowed with mythical power. And, as women from former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos (who possessed 1,200 pairs of shoes) to Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw (who one episode realized she'd spent $40,000 on footwear, yet couldn't afford an apartment) have shown, some women are willing to spend fortunes to be properly shod.
American women spent nearly $17 billion on fashion footwear between October 2004 and October 2005, according to The NPD Group, a retail and consumer information company ba<x>sed in Port Washington, N.Y. If that sounds like a lot, it should--it's a nearly 10% increase over 2003 spending.
Slide Show: Most Expensive Shoes
"Shoes make women feel so beautiful that they're willing to pay anything," says Jessie Randall, the Brooklyn, N.Y.-ba<x>sed designer and founder of Loeffler Randall, a shoe and handbag line she founded with her husband. "You can't put a price on something that makes you feel that special."
Market analysts are keenly aware of the trend toward extravagant shoe-spending. "Footwear has become a fanatical purchase for even those women who never had a footwear fetish before," says Marshal Cohen, chief analyst at The NPD Group. "Apparel is no longer the highest priority in women's wardrobes: handbags and footwear have become the signature items used to project personal taste, wealth and st<x>yle."
Cohen estimates that shoes costing $1,000 and up account for less than 1% of total women's fashion footwear sales (fashion footwear is defined as anything other than athletic), but he acknowledges a growing group of women willing to pay more for their shoes now than they ever have been before. "It changed as early as a year-and-a-half ago but picked up steam in the past six months. Women consider footwear their signature item now."
Besides theoretically helping to lure a royal mate, there are real benefits to investing in an expensive shoe. For the most part, if a shoe costs a lot, it's made of better materials and will last longer. In some cases, however, they are not sturdier--simply rarer.
"When we're talking about shoes at $14,000, it's the materials," says Michael Fink, senior fashion director at Saks Fifth Avenue (nyse: SFA - news - people ) in New York City. "Leather and the pattern and type of wood they're using, the jewels, are the beads hand done, how rare are the feathers--because a lot of shoes with feathers are using feathers that can't be gathered anymore, from the archives of the couture feather houses. " Roger Vivier shoes have a specific curved heel, and the way it is attached to the footbed is very mechanical and difficult, so you're paying for engineering, too," Fink says.
Randall has seen firsthand how using the priciest materials can drive up the cost of a shoe. "Most beautifully made shoes are from Italy. The master craftspeople are there, and Italian leather is the best leather in the world."
Loeffler Randall's most expensive pair of shoes this season, flat boots made of embossed anaconda leather, were hand cut scale by scale (embossed anaconda is actually cow hide made to look like anaconda). But even at nearly $800, these boots didn't manage to make our list of the most expensive women's shoes.
So what did? Not surprisingly, there are a lot of exotic leathers--alligator, snake and ostrich, to name a few. The more leather, the higher the price, so there were a lot of boots, too, including the pair of $14,000 Manolo Blahnik alligator boots that topped our list. And from Manolo to Gucci to Ferragamo, the list is a roster of designer names that command premiums.
Fink sees two kinds of real-life buyers. "We see a fashion customer who's in the know, wants a limited-edition shoe, and money is no ob<x>ject to her. She is, hopefully, appreciating the beauty of what she's buying and treating it as an art ob<x>ject." Fink hypothesizes that many shoes purchased at stratospheric prices are bought by collectors. The shoes go directly into a display case and never see a foot. "But for another kind of woman, paying $1,000 for a pair of shoes makes sense if she's paying $7,000 or $8,000 for a Chanel suit," he continues. "In that case, she wants shoes that match in look and quality, and the shoes don't bring up the total expense of the outfit by that much."
Click the li<x>nk below for pictures of the Most Expensive Women's Shoes
https://www.forbes.com/lifest<x>yle/2005/12/16/expensive-womens-shoes-cx_sb_1219feat_ls.html
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Manolo Blahnik
$14,000
Famous for excruciatingly high heels and similarly painful price points, Manolo Blahnik nevertheless inspires cult-like dedication among his customers. He even does bridal shoes, though we don't recommend the alligator boots for anything matrimonial--unless it's a bachelorette party. The $14,000 pair is available at Manolo Blahnik's West 54th Street boutique in New York.
For more information, call (212) 582-3007.
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Most Expensive Women's Shoes
Louis Vuitton
$4,500
In 1854, Louis Vuitton opened his first store in Paris. A century and a half later, the luxurious French luggage maker is known for far more than his signature monogrammed trunks and purses, and these Vienna Minimalisa High Boots in ostrich leather prove it. The boots are part of Louis Vuitton's Fall/Winter 2005/06 collection.
For more information, call 866 VUITTON or visit www.louisvuitton.com.
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Most Expensive Women's Shoes
Chanel
$2,875
Chanel's timeless shoe collection includes everything from outrageously red strappy sandals with the double C logo emblazoned on the front, to demure quilted ballet flats. These alligator and lambskin pumps, from Chanel's Cruise 2006 collection, walk the middle ground. While appropriate for the office, they could easily take you from lunch to the shops to dinner on a Saturday.
For more information, call (800) 550-0005 or visit www.chanel.com.
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Most Expensive Women's Shoes
Ferragamo
$2,390
Salvatore Ferragamo believed that the arch of the foot was one of the most important parts of the body, as it supported the entire body's weight. The Italian designer brought this philosophy to bear on every pair of shoes he created, and the company, still family-owned, carries on today in the same tradition. The crocodile Avila shoes pictured above are from the Ferragamo Spring/Summer 2006 collection. Hoping to save a few bucks? The same pair is available in ostrich for $865.
For more information, call (800) 628-8916 or visit www.ferragamo.com.
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Most Expensive Women's Shoes
Roger Vivier
$2,195
Roger Vivier, the brand that now shares an owner with Hogan and Tod's, made the shoes the Catherine Deneuve wore in Belle du Jour in 1967. Today, the designs remain as classy and restrained as ever, with a giant satin rose as close to ostentatious as this shoe gets. The prices, however, are a bit bolder.
For more information, call 011 331 5343 0000 or visit www.rogervivier.com.
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Most Expensive Women's Shoes
Jimmy Choo
$1,750
ba<x>sed on the philosophy that the right shoes and handbag matter more than clothing and jewelry in crafting an image, Jimmy Choo has catered to celebrities, socialites and the merely rich since its founding in 1996. These red crocodile pumps are a great example of the brand's sexy, modern approach to footwear. They magically transform an everyday pump into a luxurious must-have.
For more information, call 866 JCHOO USA or visit www.jimmychoo.com.
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Most Expensive Women's Shoes
Louis Vuitton
$1,380
Featured twice on our list of the top ten most expensive, it's obvious that Louis Vuitton does something right when it comes to women's footwear--boots, especially. These are too pretty to tramp through the snow in. We vote you save this pair, the Vienna Flower High Boots, for dinner and drinks. But by all means, wear them out on the town, whatever the weather, if you're traveling via town car.
For more information, call 866 VUITTON or visit www.louisvuitton.com.
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Most Expensive Women's Shoes
Gucci
$1,250
Gucci is one of Italy's best-loved brands, and sunglasses, bags, shoes and watches with the famous G logo are staples of the wardrobes of models, rappers and fashionistas everywhere. The boots pictured above are violet leather high-heel boots, with a side zip on the inner leg and light gold hardware. The heels may be prohibitively high, but a sensible rounded toe makes this boot more domestic than dominatrix.
For more information, call (212) 826-2600 or visit www.gucci.com.
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Most Expensive Women's Shoes
Bottega Veneta
$1,140
The snakeskin on this shoe transforms it from an everyday staple to the prima donna of your shoe rack. It comes from Bottega Veneta's Fall/Winter 2005/06 collection, and the roomy toe, ankle strap and graceful heel make this one star worth the investment.
For more information, call (212) 371-5511 or visit www.bottegaveneta.com.
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Most Expensive Women's Shoes
Escada
$995
At just under $1,000, this Escada evening sandal is a relative bargain--and one of the most interesting shoes on our list. It's part of Escada's Spring/Summer 2006 collection. You can also have a matching clutch for another $995.
For more information, call (800) 869-8424 or visit www.escada.com.
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Most Expensive Women's Shoes
Givenchy
$995
This shoe was christened Black Box, after the stark, dark container in which it is sold to customers. The look is definitely more WASP funeral than young and trendy, but that's part of Givenchy's charm: unflagging attention to detail and quality make it a timeless choice for a gift.
For more information, call (212) 688-4338 or visit www.givenchy.com.
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作者：Xiaomaomao 在 海归茶馆 发贴, 来自【海归网】 http://www.haiguinet.com
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 [分享]What Forbes has to say about women's shoes -- Xiaomaomao - (11487 Byte) 2007-3-12 周一, 11:50 (4191 reads)
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