Splurge: A Modern Disco Shoe

I blame the influence of my father's eclectic musical taste for a host of strange and deeply rooted childhood obsessions, but perhaps no genre was as sartorially influential as French disco. At age 6, I remember sitting on the floor in the narrow space between my parents' bed and the record player, poring over his extensive vinyl collection while he was at work, pulling albums out, one at a time, taking care not to mess up the system of order. At that point, my interest in musical groups depended solely on whether or not their I liked their album covers.

One day, I arrived at the disco portion and discovered some greatest hits compilations. Acquired sometime in the 70's while my parents were newlyweds living in Paris, each of the three or four records featured a different scantily clad woman on its cover, striking an enthusiastic disco pose in towering heels, and little else. One was ready to party in an afro and white bikini, another in a tight fuchsia dress with strategically placed cutouts -- hardly the role models a parent would want for their young daughter, but it was love at first listen. Looking at those women surrounded by bold neon track titles and listening to grooves that sounded like a party in each song (albeit in a foreign language), I got my first inkling of what female sexuality meant in the adult world, and that the way grown-ups got down had something to do with nakedness. Granted, it wasn't the healthiest impression, but it was certainly powerful. I wanted to grow up to be a half-dressed dancing queen. And I wanted to do it in sky high heels.

When I saw these Alexander McQueen pumps, a deep desire to disco it up stirred within me, so despite their absurd price point ($879 @ Zappos), I will post them in memory of those hours spent prancing around my room in my mother's heels. Only my mama didn't have shoes quite like these.
Alexander McQueen - 195094 WA016 (1088-Noir/Meteorite) - Footwear


Photo credit: www.couture.zappos.com