Allow me to introduce you

I have bad knees. I have size 11 feet, aka skiis. I like to wear my pants a little longer in the leg to allow more freedom in footwear choices (heels, flats, the like). Keeping these facts in mind, the footwear choices are a bit slim. At least if I'm looking for cute women's shoes, as opposed to the men's running shoes I have to buy on occassion.

That is, if your definition of "on occasion" is 90% of the time, since most shoemakers haven't caught up with the common era and have realized that not everyone is the perfect sample-size-7.


Anyways.


Allow me to introduce you to a modern-day miracle of footwear.


-sigh-

Isn't it beautiful!?

Yes, my fine feathered friends, this is the classic patent-leather peep-toe slingback heel, made by Mr. Cole Haan. A shoe designer who has gone where no other non-athletic shoe designer has gone before, and teamed up with Nike to pair his shoes with the Nike Air technology. Which means that with any other shoe, my entire body would be in agony after wearing these shoes for a day. BUT. with these beauties, I am literally walking on air all day. And you have to admit, the black patent-leather is such a classic, it will never go out of style. Which, in addition to the Nike comfort-factor, is probably a reason these puppies run about $300/pair.

But that's where my shoe fairy tale actually comes true. Not only did I find these 3 years ago at Nordstrom, only dreaming of the day when I could call a pair my own. Not only have I gone back time and time again to drool over them on display. Not only did I find them in a size 11 at the Rack (the shoe haven for all plus-sized shoe wearers.)

Oh no. What really puts the icing on the cake is that I paid $80. TOTAL. Location, size, price, and comfort? Now THAT is a modern-day fairy tale.



Mock me if you will, but after so many years of uncomfortable and ugly shoes on my feet, I've come to appreciate this amazingness for what it really is.