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Yves Saint Laurent shoes from Reciproque consignment store

Today’s a bank holiday in France.  I have a tough time keeping up with all the May holidays over here.  Besides, I’m a paid-by-the-hour, jack-of-all-trades kind of girl--everyday’s a holiday when you don’t have a french social security number.  (I will try to think of this, and not my college degree, the next time I'm being paid to pick up dog poop.)

I was supposed to have a left bank lunch with Petite today, but I had to cancel due to a freelance project that flew in from left field, along with a gnarly turn-around-time of “CAN YOU DO IT BY MONDAY?”  Factor in a Saturday spent in Hangover (there's a birthday soirée Friday), a cake to whip up, and, oh yeah, tutoring jobs, and well, I’m one Coquette sportif at the moment. 

And I only tell you this to teach you a lesson.  Because, just last night, I had A FIND OF EPIC IMPORTANCE at a dépôt-vente, a dépôt-vente that I visit every single time I’m in the neighborhood.  Come rain, shine, hurt feet, or scary-deadlines-that-mean-you-have-no- business-shopping.  Because IT'S ALL ABOUT THE FIVE MINUTE FLY-BY.  Putting in the face time.  Leaving empty handed, again and again, and going back for more.  Follow my gospel, and the rewards will be sweet.  Follow my gospel, and you, too, may someday walk out with a pair of indecently low-priced, just your size, mint condition YVES SAINT LAURENT, PATENT LEATHER, MARY JANE, SPECTATOR HEELS. 

I smacked down the plastic without thinking twice.  And it has nothing to do with my birthday.  And it has everything to do with a Chanel purse I found while thrift shopping in Palm Beach last winter for 150 dollars that I did not buy because I was having a fiscally responsible moment.  THE ONLY FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE THING TO DO IN THAT SITUATION WOULD HAVE BEEN TO FLICK MY FOREHEAD FOR BEING SUCH A DUMBASS. 

To this day, I walk down the street thinking, EBAY.  And then I shake my fist at the heavens.  It’s all about eBay, baby.  A Chanel purse is like beachfront property.  There’s only so much to go around, and you can always turn a profit on the resale.  Yes, obviously, obviously, I would never have been able to let it go.  But hey, I FOUND THE CHANEL PURSE AT GOODWILL--I WOULD HAVE BEEN GIVING TO CHARITY. 

Flicking. forehead. 

But these shoes.  I figure I’m leasing them.  I’ll wear 'em for a year and then, sell 'em.  If I lose twenty bucks or so on the eBay Frock Exchange, that’s fine with me.

Oh, who am I kidding?  Will you just look at them?  Mint condition. Mint.  Mary Janes.  Toe cleavage.  Just my size.  Please don’t hate me.  Because I come bearing good news: if ye put in the face time at the dépôt-ventes, YSL could be your reward.

Amen.

Reciproque
88-101, rue de la Pompe
75116 Paris
(métro Pompe)
01.47.04.30.28

Comments

[raging red]

I'm drooling. God, it's like an architect designed them just for your feet.

[SaraJane]

OMG! OMG! OMG!

What the?????!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

[lizardek]

Yow. Za.

[Kassi]

They ARE adorable. And I mean that in the most high fashioned sense of the word.

[Auntie M]

I pass that store about 8 times a day. Next time you're in the area, let me know and we can get a coffee. I've never actually walked into those stores (there are at least three near each other) but I like to window shop.

[lindajun]

they're beautiful. you have to keep them forever.

once in a similar "fiscally responsible momrent" i left behind a pair of costume nationale boots, marked down to $200. i'm going to remember them for the rest of my life.

[sushigirl55]

I opened up the page and saw the picture, front and center. First thought in my head was, "Whoa, nice shoes." After reading how they were acquired, it goes way beyond that.

[Clink]

Longtime reader who just had. to. comment. Those shoes? Are perfection. Just when I thought I loved all that there was to love about my life in New York...I saw the shoes. And now I want to move to Paris.

[Sonja]

I am so incredibly fucking jealous.

[sammy]

They're so POINTY without losing the Mary Jane-ness! I bet you feel about ten feet tall with those babies on!

[Coquette]

I just opened up my browser and realized that the shoes match my site color scheme. Weird.

Auntie M, we should absolutely go to Reciproque together. I will fire you an email next time.

Clink, I love New York, but the vintage shopping is too picked over. Sounds like a reason to move to Paris...

[Karen]

DEAR GOD. I WANT THOSE BADLY REALLY REALLY.

[meg]

Mama Mia!

Those are a pair of beauties.
Congrats on the spectacular find!

[Susan]

I'm assuming the photo is of your own puppies in those wonderful heels. I must say you've got beautiful feet and ankles! I'm jealous, because I'm a dancer and I feel even more inadequate now ... :)

[SM]

WOW WOW WOW< LOVE THEM!! He must had u in mind when he designed it.

[Gloria]

Merde. I hate you. I used to go to Reciproque all the freaking time.

Please send me shoes. Pretty shoes. Please? I am a size 38. Merci bien!

[DDJ]

Is it too late for me to pick up a foot fetish? I'm really close here...

[flare]

Nice find! Don't part with those babies... you'll regrest it. They do fit your foot like a glove. LIKE. A. GLOVE. Enjoy them!

[EasyJetsetter]

You should make your shoes your avatar. And your favicon. They teach the candles to burn bright.
I feel the same way about fiscal responsibility: think pink, soft leather, furla tote for 35 euros. At the time I was backpacking and the choice was 1) eat 2) have bag.

[Coquette]

EasyJetsetter, I'm tempted to say something Carrie Bradshaw-ish, like the bag would have nourished your soul, but that would just be cheesy. I'll just say, I hope you picked the bag over the baguettes.

UGHH!! The puns! Somebody make me stop!

[petite]

You may claim to have shopped in the EVENING and had an important deadline, but I KNOW when I've been blown out for a pair of shoes.

;-)

[Coquette]

Oh dear, does this mean I need to join Shopper's Anon? I swear the purchase only took 10 minutes. Tops.

[EasyJetsetter]

Nope. That 35 euros was the next seven days' food. I still dream about that bag.

[Stefanie]

Coquette-have you ever checked out www.yoox.com ? Not dépôt vente but seriously discounted designer clothes from previous seasons.

[Negrito]

I hope we ll have a chococake in a few weeks when weather is better , or a pique nique near the seine ?

[Chanelbaby]

I am going to fly to Paris and drug you and STEAL THOSE SHOES.

No wait I am just kidding.

Really, I am.

Uh huh.

[Jasmine]

Wow, they are things of beauty! I can't believe that I walk past that shop all the time, yet have never been inside! Am now converted....

[Dagny]

Of course you had to buy the shoes. That was the fiscally responsible thing to do after all. Then again I was raised by a woman I used to call Imelda -- as in Marcos. My mother thinks that it is perfectly normal for a woman to own 200-300 pairs of shoes. Oh, and if you are shopping at a department store and find the perfect pair, then you must have thme in all the colors.

[Marilyn]

My mother would be so proud that someone is blogging the words "patent leather Mary Jane spectator heels." Never thought I'd see those words together in print...at least not since I saw them printed on a white 3x5 index card taped to a shoebox in my mother's closet circa '66...

[Amy Alkon, eBay addict]

SPEC. TAC. ULAR. Indeed.

And in addition to Yoox.com, there's Bluefly.com.

[Nomadic Camel Breeder]

Coquette, I hate you. I hate you living in Paris, I hate the insanely gorgious shoes and I'm turnning to jelly at the moment. Sweet jaysus... whoever designed this shoe is a nercyless bast*rd with nothing on his mind except making slaves of us all males in the world, well only those who set their eyes on such a beauty... I am thinking of catching the first easyjet flight to Paris for a quick lick of your shoes... I hate you. Are you going to join the snobs now and walk with a poudle down the promonade??? Take care mate. Lovely shoes mmmm.

[Handbag]

FA-BU-LOUS!

[suzanna danna]

Envy... thy name is Susan. And those shoes are To. Die. For.

Color me green sugar.

[EasyJetsetter]

So, I was walking down rue de la Pompe yesterday and thought I'd duck into la reciproque. But I didn't make it BECAUSE YOU NEVER MENTIONED THERE WAS A PUPPY SHOP NEXT DOOR!!!! Love puppies.

[Coquette]

Dagny and Marilyn, I just have to say that your mothers sound like women I would like to party with.

Amy, Stefanie, yoox.com--YES!

[Barbes]

But they're too small! The little toe on your left foot is being squished! Who knows what's happening to your other toes! Are they worth the pain and future deformities?

[Coquette]

I assure you they're not too small, Barbes, even if there's a little foot-fat thing happening--they're exactely my size.

As for a future of deformities, please. It's not like I'm walking around in shoes like this on a daily basis.

I appreciate the concern. P.S. The answer to the last question is GOOD GOD, YES.

[Amy]

That's like a li'l piece of heaven.

You hit the shoe lottery girl.

Rock on.

[(vj) jl pooky aka Josephine Lipuma]

I love those shoes, I want them.
Josephine

[AnnaMaria]

i stumbled upon your site while googling vintage chanel. those ysl shoes are gorgeous. i was at the goodwill a few days ago and found, for FIVE BUCKS, a pair of beautiful, classic, never-before-worn black chanel double-strap mary janes. i couldn't believe it. this particular goodwill prices used payless shoes for more than they cost in the first place, and they sell mint chanel shoes for a few bucks. too bad they're two sizes too small. but i figure i can sell 'em and buy something else instead. (i also found ysl shoes that actually fit at another dumpy thrift store, but they're not even in the same league as yours.)

[Coquette]

I just found a Kenzo dress at a Depot Vente that I'm really, really coveting...

I love those stores that don't know the value of the clothes and sell Chanel for pennies! You should totally ebay them.