Whenever Samantha had bed scenes, she always had to wear shoes. Every time.

-Patricia Field

It’s no use carrying an umbrella if your shoes are leaking.

-Irish Proverb

There are, of course, a million ways to experience the beautiful city of Paris: You can seek out amazing food and wine; take in the unsurpassed art and architecture; or just luxuriate in the cafe lifestylye. On my recent trip, I chose to see the city through the lens of a shoe lover who was unfortunately saddled with an underperforming currency. In other words, I window shopped. Herewith, using our new ShoeShopper feature, is a pictorial survey of the fantastic shoes I saw on my shoe lover’s tour of Paris.

I started in Le Marais, a charming district replete with one-of-a-kind boutiques showcasing lots of fun and funky footwear. From the newsprint ankle boots to the chunky snakeskin platforms (at left), the shoes here felt younger and more edgy, with a distinct “downtown” feel.

Next stop was Rue de Grenelle in Saint Germain des Pres, an area that one could credibly classify as ground-zero for couture shoes. From the Christian Louboutin store — a wonderful little confection of a place — to the Prada boutique with its amazing spider-encrusted boots (detail at right), shoe gawking along this street is a great way to spend a couple of hours.

My final stop was the famous shopping street, Avenue George V (near Avenue des Champs Elysees). Hermes was here — showcasing sky-high, jewel-toned platforms — as was Kenzo, which had gorgeous stripey slingbacks on display (at left).

So, without further ado, have a look at the whole series of pictures. It’s almost as fun as being there.

If the shoe fits, it is probably worn out.

-Craig Bruce

Views on Shoes

“After eight years of parochial school uniforms, I’ve had an aversion to plaid ever since, but I couldn’t resist these,” says ShoeJunkie of her fabulous Jimmy Choos.

“If Barbie raided my closet, she would definitely take these,” says HelloStiletto of her adorable pink-and-red bow-adorned sandals.

“I call these my I Dream Of Jeannie shoes. I love how the toe curls up in the front, really fun!” says ShoeGoddess of her exotic slides.

“There’s something about winning money in Vegas and then shoe shopping…!” says Damanda, a master of understatement.

“It’s not logical and I never get to wear these, but I love them.” says Hairpin.

I want customers to walk into Sergio Rossi and feel the same emotion I do when I walk into a sneaker store. It’s like I want to faint. I see sneakers and I worry, “Are they going to have my size in that? Or that?” I can’t even put my words together because I want that and that and that and that.

-Edmundo Castillo, Sergio Rossi Creative Director

Very particular grooms have the soles of their shoes blacked with “water-proof” shoe polish so that when they kneel, their shoes look dark and neat.

-Emily Post

Don’t throw away your old shoes until you have got new ones.

-Dutch Proverb

No man can be a genius in slapshoes and a flat hat.

-Buster Keaton

Here is some interesting info from me on my personal blog…