Why Y-3? Shoes, that is!

The heart wants what the heart wants!






















Ever notice how those words tend to preceed really bad life choices? After highjinx and frivolity at Melissa shoes in Soho, detailed in last Sunday's posting, Jean dragged Valerie several doors down on Greene St to Y-3 to see the shoes that she REALLY WANTED! These fabulous high-heeled wonders of engineering! East meets west! Japanese high design meets all-American athleticism. How could one pair of shoes incorporate all of the components that push all her buttons?




















Skeletons and wet suits: The white dog bones really pop against the black neoprene zip-front bootie.

Cantilevered: The sexy angle of the sky-high heel combines with the marble-like engraved, curved sole that resembles a ski out of Dr. Seuss. The bright yellow cookie inserts add a touch of color. (Isn't yellow the international sign of caution?)






















Anticipation of the inevitable pain that comes from actually wearing the contraptions stopped her dead in her tracks. Truth be told, after seeing the price tag, she decided not to even try them on because if they did fit and she could somehow hobble around the store, she might actually be tempted to buy them.























Here is the Y-3 website description of the shoe - which retails for $690.00! "The wickedly chic Y-3 Oriah ankle boot features skeleton details on a stretchy black mesh sock. The sculptural, futuristic heel cushions impact and boosts energy return. Upper: knit mesh with cow nappa leather details. Lining: mesh and pig leather."



















To break the spell of the shoes, we checked out the wonderful men's and women's clothing -- and the staff. One of the sales personnel sported very interesting tattoos, including a chess board pattern on his right arm and a bull's eye on his wrist bone.























His left arm features a design from an obscure album cover, including this pair of scissors.
























How evocative are these tatts? Who could ever forget Robert Mitchum's turn as a serial killer/preacher with "l-o-v-e" and "h-a-t-e" knuckle tattoos in the 1955 thriller, The Night of the Hunter, directed by Charles Laughton and also starring Shelley Winters and Lillian Gish? Or the lines from The Clash's "Death and Glory" ("love'n'hate tattooed cross the knuckles of his hands") on its London Calling album which debuted in the U.S. in January 1980? (First Robert Mitchum photo from listos.20minutos.com and the second from greatspirits.com.)




























Ahhhh.

Oh, and not to be forgotten: The everlovin' Pogues.

















(Did Comptoir des Cotonniers have Mitchum in mind when they made these?)