i need new flats.

i have the best pair of flats in the world. they are the best flats in the world because they are black, they are leather, they fit perfectly, they don't give me blisters, they have a cute little bow, they are square toed and the inner sole has cheetah print.

i bought them at nordstrom. strike that, my mom bought them for me at nordstrom. i bought them for my homecoming dance senior year because at every other dance, i wore heels and took them off after 15 minutes, which seemed like a waste. plus my feet got dirty and disgusting. so i decided upon flats. i wanted quality flats though. so i went to nordstrom, instead of payless or some other discount store with shoes that hurt my delicate little feet. so after much cajoling and demonstrations of the cost per wear, i convinced my mother that $80 shoes were worth it. (think about it: if i wore these lovelies even only once a week for a year, equalling 52 wears ... why these babies would only be a little over $1.50 per wear!) and really, $80 isn't all that much for shoes when you consider that these black leather, square toe, bow tie christian louboutin chambre d'ami flats...

... are $595 on net-a-porter.
compared to those, $80 seems great. to sum up that unnecessarily long anecdote, i got the flats. i wore the flats. i loved the flats. (so did everyone else.)

that was in the beginning of october of 2006, so in october, my flats will be two years old. i still wear them and i still love them. but they are falling apart.

i have about 35 pairs of shoes at last count and brought about 20 with me to school. i put them all in the bottom drawer of the shitty little dresser provided for us in the dorm. somewhere, in between laying my flats gently in the drawer and moving home in may, my flats got a rip on the side. on the outside right shoe, right in the middle of the leather, is a big gash. it looks as though some evil high heel was jealous it wasn't getting as much wear and decided to take revenge upon my poor, well-loved flat. i despaired. i still do, every time i wear them. yes, i confess, i still wear my flats. i had my step-dad glue the flap back, and for a while, it looked perfect, while i was wearing them anyway. (never examine these flats closely, please.) but now, after many days of wear, the adhesive has come undone. still, you can't tell that they're slightly ruined unless you inspect closely. (if you ever see me wearing these lovely things, please don't do this now that i have pointed the flaw out to you.) but i can tell. i've seen the laceration, i've stared at it, i've forlornly ran my fingers across it in desperate hopes that i had somehow accrued a magical healing touch. i discovered, after many of these despondent sessions of mourning, that my tears did not have the healing powers of the phoenix and so i resolved to find another pair of wonderful flats.

it's not that i don't have other flats. i do. they're really cute flats too. some gold, some royal blue, some cream with gold trim, some black patent with jewels. some are comfortable, some dig into my heels and toes leaving me with epic blisters. i clearly have not found a suitable replacement. i need to find another pair of flats that are just like the perfect ones i have, but as they don't make them anymore, i don't know what i shall do.

if you have suggestions, by all means, leave them. words of solace and comfort are also appreciated. until then, i'll be wearing my torn flats. please don't look too closely.