I own a pretty disturbing amount of Marc Jacobs shoes, but not a single stitch of clothing. At least, not until a few weeks ago, when I found this adorable dress at eLuxury.com. Every Marc piece I tried on was ill-fitting. Too blousy or too snug, in all the wrong places. This plaid dress is far more tailored than most of the other Marc Jacobs pieces from the last couple of seasons.

The dress is an interesting blend of elements. The body is long, and tailored, yet the waist is somewhat dropped. When I think of dropped waist dresses, it usually is something more billowy. But this one maintains a sleek, slender shape, thanks to the careful construction of the bias-cut fabric. The skirt is cut so that with each step, there is a light, feminine flounce – without the use of crinolines or lace. The bodice is gently gathered and tucked, hugging the bust. The styling is vintage, but the plunge is very modern.

Tartan was big last season. My high school mascot was the Highlander, so plaid was everywhere – I still have nightmares. I avoided the tartan fad because of this. The soft grey plaid of this dress, shot through with black and cerulean blue give the plaid a little punch, while still remaining understated. The one “downside” to this dress is that it is a wool blend. In Los Angeles, there is usually only about 6 weeks a year that wool is actually necessary. This photo was taken at a wedding reception in July. Even though we were right off the beach, the dress was plenty warm – no wrap required. It pains me that this won’t get much wear until November.

I bought these on a whim. I really should not have bought shoes, but I couldn’t help it – the deal was almost mind-numbing.

Why should I not have bought these shoes? Well, for one thing, I had been unemployed for several months, and the unemployment checks had just run dry. I was also leaving for Vegas and I wanted to have some gambling money. Also, that very day, I was buying a brand new MacBook Pro, and those don’t come cheap! And yet, I still walked out of the mall carrying that Medium Brown Bag proudly.

My husband and I went to the mall with the intentions of getting my old MacBook fixed (it had crashed that morning and had 7 days left on the warranty). The computer was 6 years old already, and I had a feeling I was going to buy a new one anyway. Which I did. But while the old one was under warranty, we decided to fix whatever we could get fixed. The Apple Care guys are very good, and very thorough. So while my husband was dealing with the computer, he sent me off to Bloomies to entertain myself.

Big mistake.

Bloomingdale’s was having their huge end-of-season clearance sale. Most of it had been picked over, but these Marc Jacobs shoes caught my eye. I had seen them before, but at over $300 retail, I didn’t find them to be spectacular enough to buy. I am not crazy about round-toe shoes (pointy is sexier) and I am not a fan of black shoes (they are so… ordinary). But I was a fan of the 4″ heel (the highest heel I own), and they reminded me of the Miu Miu shoes Madonna was wearing on her “Confessions on a Dance Floor” album – and we all know how much I adore Madonna.

The shoes were heavily discounted – twice. On top of the discounts, I had a gift certificate to Bloomies from a returned wedding gift (seriously, who needs a $100 crystal cake platter? I certainly don’t bake). Out the door, those shoes cost me just under $40. And these are DEFINITELY worth $40.

I have been lusting after these since the beginning of the season. But at $350, it was too rich for my unemployed blood. I was determined to wait until the went on sale.

I saw them, for a blip of a moment, at DSW for around $260. I decided it was still too much (at the time I was in a pretty hardcore “I must save my money” mode). A few months later, I started to regret it.

eLuxury sold out of them before they could make it to the sales rack. Saks put them on sale for $270, but sold out before I could get to them. Neiman Marcus had them for $260, but a size and a half too small. That left only Nordstrom and Zappos.com.

I watched these sites religiously, checking them at least twice a day for a sale. And then, finally, one morning I woke up, and Nordstroms had them, at the lowest price ever – $249. I was ecstatic – but they were SOLD OUT. Completely and utterly. I was devastated. I spent the rest of the day checking obsessively, in the hope that someone would return a pair in my size. I was so upset that I was very close to buying a full-priced pair from Zappos.com

My husband taught me something – it never hurts to ask. Every time we go shopping he always urges me to ask if I can’t find something. That is how I lucked out and got my Marc Jacobs Mouse Shoes – I asked. Anyway, I took a chance and logged on to Nordstrom.com’s live chat help. The lovely woman looked up the info for me.. and told me my size WAS available, at the sale price, it was just backordered – that is why it wasn’t available on the website. All I had to do was call their catalogue department and they put the order through – just have to wait until August 15th!

At some point these were dubbed “Cinderella shoes” by someone I work with. I have no idea why – except that they are DREAMY. These are from the Spring or Summer collection 2004.

A producer I was working with was wearing these in fuchsia, and I fell in love. This was before I had my serious addiction to designer shoes. I tried to get them from Nordstrom.com (they were on sale) but never could bring myself to spend the money, and then they ran out of my size. I tried tracking a pair on Ebay but couldn’t find my size. Then one day they popped up on the Nordstrom website again. One pair, size 8, sage green. They must have been returned well after the shoes were sold out, because they were like 60% off or something. I didn’t waste a second ordering them. They have been one of my favorite pair since. Very comfortable and totally styling.

Interesting note: in the new “Superman Returns” movie, Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane takes off her shoes to step on Superman’s feet, so they can fly above the city. Those shoes she takes off are these very Marc Jacobs shoes, in black. I noticed that immediately – and so did my husband! I have him well trained.

A friend of mine saw these and said “You can’t wear those, those are a work of art!” With their berry-colored quilted velvet, contrasting mustard-colored ribbon, and red lacquered heel, they damn near are.

I have seen these in a wide variety of colors on various sites and on ebay. I almost bought a pair in lavender with light green ribbon, but lost out on them at sale price. Zappos had ONE pair of these left, in a 39 (how convenient – in Marc Jacobs shoes, I can wear between 38 and 39). I thought about it for a few hours, but gave in, and these babies are mine.

I’m still considering buying the lavender/green pair… possibly even the silver leather pair with black ribbon…

Another Marc Jacobs shoe that I had lusted over at the beginning of the season, but managed to get on sale. I had seen it on the sale rack at Bloomies, but managed to keep walking. When I returned a week later, it was still there. That was a sign – I snapped them up without delay. They look a million times cuter on (not sure how that is possible, but it is). The heel is chunkier than I normally wear, but it is very stable and easy to walk on. I love these so much that I am toying with the idea of getting them in army green, or in teal as flats.

I thought I would start off this blog with my newest acquisition: My Marc by Marc Jacobs Mouse shoes.

I saw these at the beginning of the season and thought they were kind of silly. I mean, they were really expensive kids shoes. But every time I walked by them at Macy’s or Bloomies or Nordstroms, they seemed to be smiling at me. They grew on me, until finally I was obsessed (as an obsessive-compulsive, this is especially dangerous). I was hoping they would go on sale. No matter how obsessed I am with shoes, I still have a hard time paying nearly $300 for a pair.

But my obsession grew, and soon I was checking online regularly to find them. But lo and behold, they were sold out. Everywhere. And of course by this time, I was consumed by my desire for these shoes. Just imagine how adorable it would be to have little innocent mouse faces peeking out from beneath my jeans! How sweet they would look with a little garden dress. i was still troubled by the $300 price tag, but I wanted them so badly I decided it would be ok to splurge.

I made up my mind – I marched down to Macy’s with a friend of mine while my husband and her boyfriend were doing some work. We were “just going to look”, but I was quite decisive when I asked the woman for a pair in a size 8. After an interminable length of time, she returned – with a size 9, the closest size left. I slipped my foot into them, but it was a boat.

We browsed throughout the rest of the mall, me surprisingly disappointed. It was my last chance for these shoes. I was mildly placated when I discovered that they would be released in the Fall collection in suede. A few days later, in an attempt to move on, I became mildly obsessed with another pair of Marc Jacobs shoes. They were 50% off, but alas I missed the boat on those as well, as the price jumped up to a mere 28% discount (I am keeping an eye on them, though).

Today we went to the mall so hubby could look at the new Apple laptops. After a browse through Bloomies, we headed towards Macy’s. Those size 9 mouse shoes sat on the rack, mocking me. Hubby convinced me to inquire about a size 8. Somehow, they had them! Size 8, white patent leather. They looked adorable on, and before I knew it, hubby was pulling out his credit card and they were mine. All mine.

He still expects that I will be lusting after the suede shoes as well. I probably will be, but I think one pair of mouse shoes is enough.