End of the season shoe sales?

I am more of a find-a-sweet-pair-of-Ferragamo's-at-the-flea-market sort of girl... But have you tried the online sales at places like Urban Outfitters? I was just looking at the sale items at Topshop.com and I do not recommend the shoe selection - very tacky, apparently they only put things no one could possibly want up at discount rates.

I do sometimes pick through Urban's website, but honestly I find a lot of the shoes - the affordable ones, at least - that they sell there to be really low quality, as in not going to last longer than a few months.

@BroadwayBK wonder have you ever visited the Century 21 shoe department ,its quite huge picked up a pair of Fit Flops for my mum there last week for $30. I still swear by DSW .. I need comfortable shoes and they seem to work for me.I suggest you at least check it out on your next trip to Union Square. Last year I scored a pair of Etienne Aigner Mary Janes there for $40 and they are so comfortable that they didnt even need any breaking in.

@BroadwayBK: I'm not into shoes, but if I hear of any places, I'll post them here for you and everyone to see.

@uptowngirl I have been newly inducted into the DSW club, I've been meaning to tell you. I was in the Atlantic shopping center in Brooklyn right before all those blizzards happened, trying desperately to find a pair of rubber boots that didn't have some kind of horribly tacky print all over them. And the only place I could find such a thing turned out to be DSW. I'm currently in the market for a new pair of Keds leather classics, and I think I am going to have to order them online from DSW... And I am pretty sure I have perused Century 21 for shoes - I'll have to make it a point to go back and spend a little more time there.

Bloomies has incredible sales for private shoppers twice a year. I got three pairs of shoes (Betsey Johnson and Fornarina) for 120 bucks! Urban does have a lot of craptastic stuff, but I do agree that about once a quarter, you'll come up with an amazing find in their shoe sales.

DSW is fantastic; I love it! @JenMac, that sounds like a great sale. What's a private shopper?

@BroadwayBK good for you!!!

@BroadwayBK: My girlfriend loves DSW. When we go to Long Island, that place is one stop we go to before heading to the mall.

@BroadwayBK have created a DSW online account as yet? They special discounts today which can be as high as 50% off your entire purchase if you are especially lucky. I got a 30% off but I have already finished buying my stock for the rest of the year (8 pairs of sandals and peep toes for the tropics).

@uptowngirl I will happily take that coupon.... And I when I bought those shoes they signed me up for the online account, but I haven't gone into it yet. Obviously I need to do so.

@everyone Has anyone been to a Century 21 store outside of the city? I hear that they are not as picked-over, and I'm toying with the idea of a day trip to Jersey or wherever the closest one is.

@BroadwayBk Did you know there was once a shoe district along West 8th Street between 6th and 7th avenues in Manhattan? Just read this interesting article about its demise..as a shoe lover I thought you might appreciate it -http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20100317/SMALLBIZ/100319909

@BroadwayBK we took my mum in law shopping to the Paramus Century 21 last year. I did buy some shirts for my dad there and checked out the shoe department which was huge and even had Jimmy Choos for sale at around $150-$200 a pair.

@BroadwayBK - 35 pairs of Lanvin Shoes are currently on sale at the Loehman's on 7th avenue in Chelsea for $249 each according to Racked NY website
.http://ny.racked.com/archives/2010/03/19/loads_of_lanvin_at_loehmanns.php

@uptowngirl That's an awesome find! I wonder if they have my size....

@uptowngirl That's a great article, btw, it makes me want to head to the former shoe district that was W 8th St and search for sales.

@BroadwayBK I'm considering checking out The Shoe Box. Which location is better?

@Everybody For the record, I scored some great sandals for the summer at Macy's (to my surprise) though I had been hoping to catch that "end of the season sale" vibe and find a good deal on a pair of boots. There was not a boot in sight. Sigh. Maybe I missed it.

Macy's has a lot of great sales! It's a surprisingly good store sometimes.

@Uraniumfish I've only ever been to the one in Gramercy... on 3rd Ave between 35th and 36th Streets - I'll take any excuse to visit that neighborhood. If you live closer to another locale you'll have to tell me how it is.

The other night I went out looking for an outfit to wear out that night, but it seems that spring fashion has completely taken over the stores, leaving us to wear what we already have in our closets on cold nights like last night. Sigh....

@hhusted That's like asking why would you pay so much money for an original Picasso... you're paying for the name and its reputation. And I seriously doubt that I would wear out a pair of Lanvins in a few years - a pair of shoes like that is worth any repairs they may need, and I would take care to hang on to them until they became vintage. It's not like I would slip on my Lanvins and coast around NYC all day/every day - I would wear them occasionally. You obviously think of shoes as nothing more than a practical affair, whilst people who think about fashion in an arty sort of way are thinking of shoes as giving a certain aesthetic.

Sleeveless cashmere/wool is one option - I've seen it in plenty of stores!

@ajadedidealist thanks for the suggestion.

No problem, @uptowngirl. Sleeveless turtlenecks are also a great options - wool, cashmere, etc.

@BroadwayBK: You are right. I look at shoes as something to throw on my feet. I don't go for ugly shoes, as I don't like plain looking ones, But at the same time, I will not spend no more than $40 on pair of shoes.

Thanks for your candid response.

There really is a difference with the expensive shoes. They are so beautiful and they just feel different. Maybe it was all a mental thing, but I wore a pair of YSL's to a party and I got a million compliments and I really felt like a hot piece that night with those puppies on.

@JenMac I have feet which are hard to fit! they are extremely sensitive and even if the shoes are expensive and well made I often have a problem. That's why more than the brand I tend to pay attention how the shoes suit my feet as they tend to blister at a drop of a hat! But like most women I love shoes and can't stop buying them especially wedges and peep toes.

NIce, @Jenmac! I used to never wear nice shoes. But then I got this amazing batch of as-new shoes for $5 a pair at a flea market - brands like Fratelli Rossetti, Ragoni, Anne Klein, etc., and I finally UNDERSTOOD the allure of the Nice Shoe. Now I'm hooked - and dreading the day these lovely pairs wear down. I have terrible posture, so they tend to do so quite quickly, alas

I know. My posture isn't so great either and I walk painfully slow in those beauties. But, I'm sort of hooked now, so I'll keep fighting the good fight!

@ajadedidealist Where is all the sleeveless cashmere? I recently gave mine to the Goodwill and need to update my supply.

I'm not sure if my feet don't fit every shoe or not. Probably. But if a shoe looks really good, I will wear it in spite of the pain.

@uptowngirl Interesting! Do you think olive oil pure would work, or would it need to be refined some into the gel form? I need to break in a pair of leather sandals now that good weather's coming.

@Uraniumfish Olive Oil should do the trick, but you would have to apply it for a few days before the sandals can be worn. A shoemaker in India taught me this. I dont know if you know but in certain parts of India they make beautiful handmade shoes called 'mojris' which are bejeweled and embroidered. They are very pretty to look at but before you wear them you need to soften them or they bite like crazy. I used to use the Olive oil trick back home and now have resorted to using it here as well as I don't wear synthetic leather and always tend to go for leather shoes which more often than not wreck havoc on my feet.

@uptowngirl Probably the best thing I've learned on this forum! My feet are so incredibly thankful to you...

@uptowngirl Do you put that gel on the leather inside the shoe? Can you tell that it's been applied - does it make the shoe darker or temporarily discolored?

@Uraniumfish youre most welcome


@Neversleeps I put the oil on the interior of the shoe, the shoe gets temporarily discolored but as the oil dries it gains back its original color. Our NYC apartments tend to be quite dry thanks to all the heating that blasts through the radiators.