Breaking Up With Steve Madden

Once upon a time there was a girl who was obsessed with shoes.  Like many other girls who thought they were hard-core in the mid-90s, this girls first love was Airwalks.  She paid $65 for her first pair and disgraced her family.  Even her fairy godmother was disappointed.  But you see, grunge was all the rage in the mid-90s.  After some time had passed, the girl was saddened to see that her beloved Airwalks graced the shelves of Payless.  “Shoe trends come and go,” her fairy godmother advised.  “But I promise, one day you will meet the shoe of your dreams.”  The girl took this advice to heart as she began the next chapter of her life — college.

College was a new and scary place, but the girl took solace in her love of shoes.  One fine day, while perusing the aisles of her local mall, she met a man.  This man was unlike any other she had ever encountered.  He was colorful yet classy.  He was smart and comfortable.  He smelled like Heaven.  His name was Steve Madden.  It was love at first sight.  Not only was he gorgeous, but he was affordable.  The poor college girl was smitten.  “Fairy godmother was right!” she cried, rushing to the cash register.

Image courtesy of stylehive.com

This is a recreation of what the girl encountered that fateful day.  Steve was worn to the girl’s internship – she looked very professional.  But then *POOF!* The girl was able to turn right around and head to the local college bar.  This is exactly what the girl was looking for – a cute, affordable, versatile shoe.  Steve was the shoe of her dreams and to this day she still has many examples of Steve in her overstuffed closet.

It is now almost 10 years since the girl’s first encounter with Steve.  Steve and the girl were very happy for quite some time.  The length of their love affair even negates common-law marriage.  BUT—-

Steve broke the girl’s heart.  Multiple times.

His prices increased.  Slowly at first, but then it became a pattern.  Worse yet, there was not an increase in quality. It was as though Steve decided to start designing shoes meant only for Playboy Playmates or members of Jersey Shore.  The girl would never be able to get away with wearing his shoes to work, and she couldn’t keep paying those high prices.  She was confused with a stripper many a time when visiting her favorite bar with Steve, as well.  The girl was devastated.  It had become apparent Steve was no longer the shoe of her dreams.  Her fairy godmother held her head as she wept.  “It will be okay child.  Your dream shoe is still out there….”

Ah, but there is a happy ending to this tale.  The girl brushed herself off and forged ahead, reinvigorated by her fairy godmother’s encouraging words.  It wasn’t long before the fairy godmother’s words came true.

Lo and behold….Seychelles.

Image courtesy of seychellesfootwear.com

The girl could not believe her eyes.  She felt as though Tim Gunn himself had walked into her life.  That’s what Seychelles is and they made her feel like a goddess.  While the prices weren’t the cheapest, they were much more comfortable than Steve, yet still bright and fun.  The sting left by Steve got duller and duller the more the girl tried on Seychelles.  The icing on the cake was that the girl received many more compliments on these shoes than she ever did when she was with Steve.

Her fairy godmother smiled.  The girl had finally found her dream shoe, and dared all other women to give them a whirl.  While breaking up with Steve was quite difficult, and the girl still feels the pains of a love lost every once in a while, Seychelles is doing a pretty good job of picking up the pieces and making it all okay again.

~Corie Scarpaci