Monday, April 07, 2008

Dear Daddy Likey: Cheap Prom Shoes, Stat!

Winona,
I need some help. I need some prom shoes, stat. They need to be tall and semi-cheap. I have a little black dress (boring, I know). I also need to get them in the next two weeks. So, if you have any suggestions or good online shoe stores, tell me. Thank you!
Signed,

Shoeless Joe Jackson


Dear Shoeless Joe,

My mom somehow convinced me to walk another half-marathon yesterday, so just looking at high heels right now is enough to send shooting pains through my aching feet and cause me to screech at my boyfriend yet again to pretty please give me a foot massage it's all I desire in life and I've never asked for anything PLEASE...but that's OK, because you need shoes for your prom and I love you and therefore I will persevere!


Unfortunately, I have to start with a dire warning: cheap shoes=pain.

This is, of course, not an absolute--I'm sure many readers could regale me with stories of super comfy $15 heels from Payless, but when it comes to dancing the night away on the alleged Best Night of Your Life (I was shocked to discover, in the years following prom, that I would have better experiences than swaying awkwardly to R. Kelly's Ignition Remix), I can't, in good conscience, recommend a genuinely cheap shoe. I can, however, make up a quote and attribute it to Sun Tzu:


"Expensive heels are often better quality. Expensive heels go on sale. Find them."
~Sun Tzu

And find them we will. Thanks for the advice, Sunny!


So, I'm assuming that you want to spice up your little black dress with some show-stopping shoes--am I right? (If you watched too much
Blue's Clues as a kid, this is where you would say "Yes, you are right!" out loud to the computer screen.)

I happen to think the classic prom pairing of black dress and metallic heels is quite striking and would be a fabulous option for you. I found a good selection of affordable metallic heels at Overstock.com, all formerly expensive. Here's once each of many silver and bronze options:

Unlisted by Kenneth Cole Peep Toe Slingbacks, $34.99, overstock.com

Liliana by Adi Jaime, $29.99, overstock.com

Another Overstock find, I posted about these shoes awhile back and a few commenters described feeling such a passionate and guttural love for them that they had to take a minute to calm down, breathe into a paper bag and remind themselves that they are only shoes. And guess what? They used to be expensive, and they are now on sale:

MIA "Venice," $44, overstock.com

Speaking of passionate, guttural reactions, these would be so amazingly gorgeous with a little black dress that I need to go find a paper bag for myself:

Nine West "Luxious" (So what the name sounds like Fergie forgot to use spellcheck during one of her songs--they're ADORABLE and on sale!), $69

These ones aren't on sale, but they're the same price and would be so striking with your dress:

Chinese Laundry Alfina Sandal, $69, macys.com

Also try:
Endless.com--free overnight shipping!
Zappos--free shipping!
Payless.com--Don't say I didn't warn you!


And check out the sale sections of:

Aldo.com

Ninewest.com

Nordstrom.com
Macys.com

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wiser words were never spoken. One of the earliest shopping epiphanies I had was that money spent on cheap shoes might as well be money thrown in a fire. I never wore my bargain shoes and when I did, I'd be crying in pain midway thru the day.

melissa said...

ambika u are so right. i no longer buy shoes that are cheaply made but i do find those cheap shoes that are comfortable. thank god for sales and coupans. i just bought guess by marciano pink shoes for only 50 orginal 110 at macys. also g by guess is another good store which i got some high black shoes for $22

Alice's Blog said...

this really depends i have had some luck with target shoes...particularly the isaac mizrahi line. They are a bargain regular price and a steal when on sale. I got a pair of black strappy wedges
furthermore, endless.com is owned by amazon.com. As a result, you can find any sale shoe on endless on amazon but for much cheaper. why? you don't get the overnight shipping.
guess.com is also having a noteworthy sale on shoes. (40-50% off)
plus, if you want to try shoes on...which i think most ppl do you can use www.brandhabit.com to find which stores stock your designer of interest. A lot of the time local shoe boutiques have great sales.

Sister Libby said...

Dear Winona,
Thanks muchly for the post. It was quite helpful. I liked the silver shoes best. And trust me, if in the fututre, I find prom to be the best night of my life, I vow to end my life then and there.
Sincerely,
Shoeless Joe Jackson (or Libby, whichever you prefer)

Anonymous said...

While I completely concur with the cheap shoes = pain comment, I just have to say I found the most adorable shoes in the world at Target for my prom.

Deep red. Patent leather. Peep-toe. Darling heel.

Yes.
But thank god they let us dance barefoot.
And, strangely enough, my prom was amazing. Low expectations do wonders.

Anonymous said...

Piperlime has free shipping, too, I do believe

Jennifer said...

I've ordered some shoes from www.cutesyshoes.com and really liked them. They were cheap (the ones I got were all $10 or under) and they were all fairly comfortable, except for the pair with 4 inch heels...are any 4 inch heels comfortable?

Anonymous said...

I've danced in heels from Payless and $150 Latin ballroom heels especially made for dancing. Usually after about 3-5 hours straight on my feet they start to hurt regardless of how much my shoes cost. I think that for me it's more a matter of heel height rather than how much they cost.

Maddy said...

Yeah, so those bronze slingbacks with the black on 'em? They are the loves of my life and they need to be on my feet RIGHT NOW.

Anonymous said...

blue ones = love

Converse UK said...

For low cost and less price shoe you can visit the t-red website where you can purchase online better quality shoe in very less time + you can enjoy differ offer that the company is offering.
For more information visit the link below.
http://www.treds.co.uk/manufacturer/converse/21/1

Unknown said...

You can also find cheap shoes at shoecartel

Converse UK said...

In this website i have got information related to the different media through which one can promote their product. I also want to share some information on e-media through which company can promote their product effectively and quickly. T-red online shoe company is also doing this activities to promote as well as sell their product.
for more information you can visit the site.

Converse UK

Blog Widget by LinkWithin