Everything Must Go

So Louise came to visit, and we spent some time hitting one of the malls here in Dallas. Knowing that the more upscale department stores are experiencing financial tension due to the down-spinning economy, we figured we’d cruise through Neiman Marcus and see what they had on sale.

Little did we know that meant over half the entire store.

Seriously, the aisles were crowded with long tables filled with handbags at 40% off, the shoe department was just one huge grab-bag of sale items, and we got separated more than a few times by acres of reduced price blazers amid a sea of half-off trousers. We even had to dust off our Marco Polo skills when she inadvertently got lost in a maze of discounted Burberry trenchcoats. I finally found her, dazed and weak, clutching for support at a rack of “take an additional 15% off the marked sale price!” Tod’s totes.

We barely made it out alive — though she did manage to score these awesome Marni platform pumps right before we fled:

I love the design of Marni shoes — much more so than their apparel or handbags, though that doesn’t mean the apparel and handbags are unworthy of consideration, they’re just less sleek and sexy than the towering platforms and MOMA-ready wedges.

Consuelo Castiglioni is one of the few fashion designers to which the word “visionary” could genuinely be applied, and Marni shoes are always cutting edge, more like pieces of modern architecture than mere footwear. The tweed, wood and leather combo on the pair above is a perfect example of the “so crazy it’s cool!” ethos that infuses the entire Marni line.

The shoes fit Louise like they were made for her, too. Honestly, a well-designed, well-crafted pair of shoes is a wonder to behold. I almost feel fortunate that we were able to rescue them from the ignominy of the sale rack (where they so did NOT belong).

But nobody’s buying anything that’s not on sale right now. The name brand boutiques we walked past on our way to Neiman Marcus were empty of customers — every single last one of them: Valentino, Burberry, Oscar de la Renta, Michael Kors, Salvatore Ferragamo, Bottega Veneta. Empty empty empty empty empty and empty. And it was a Friday night, when there should have been a lot of foot traffic, even if it was to just look around.

Louise mentioned several times that she thought the whole “Everything Must Go!” vibe was kind of scary.

ADDENDUM:

We also snagged these Henry Beguelin shoe boots:

*sigh*

I love Italian design.