Consumer Shoe Index

I've always considered shoe catalogs to be a relatively safe pleasure, if only because a new pair of shoes — unlike new clothes — can be counted on to provide a jolt of fashion without leaving one breathless with anxiety. Or so it used to be until the appearance of Bergdorf Goodman's spring shoe catalog. From the first item on, which is a crazy quilt of a Dries van Noten sandal that rings in at $920, it is clear that one should beware all enterprises requiring new shoes. Which is not to say that there isn't the occasional bargain, such as a Manolo Blahnik ballet flat for $665 (!) But if you're looking for the kind of footwear that will knock somebody's socks off (e.g., Azzedine Alaïa's bootie, above), the new normal hovers around $2,000. And then there's Alexander McQueen's gold T-strap wedge, set on a heel that's five and a half inches, and calls for an outlay of $3,495. If you think too hard about any of this, it can make you weep.