I’m trying to figure out the new Giuseppe Zanotti Nappa Bianco shoes. High heels, golden swag border, enwrapped with a seemingly tattered American flag.

Are they a symbol of protest, their wearers making a statement about their national despair? If so, these stilettos would be the perfect shoes for the teabaggers – if they weren’t always marching.

Or, is the flag not tattered, but meant to look like it’s blowing in the wind, similar to those giant flags you see at car dealerships? They express fervent patriotism – ideal for the well-shod “real” American, all gussied up for a Sarah Palin fund-raiser.

Of course, they might just be in good fun, maybe even a little ironic, and hence are the perfect accessory for a tony July 4th party, or a Halloween costume.

Whatever that sexy shoemaker had in mind, his flag shoes are definitely provocative. Which, I suppose, makes up for the fact that they’re really kinda ugly.

In other shoe news:

Same old, same old: A Jungian-inspired clairvoyant with the diction and timing of a stand-up comedian crafts fantastical shoes from fig bark and rooster feathers…One editor likes the simple, recession-era feel of Bensimon sneakers…Shoeblog.com points out a  shoe video worth watching…Shoe designer Rachel Comey leans toward androgyny for her fall/winter 2010 shoes…OK, I’m pretty sure I have a problem with this: There’s a space print trend going on, and it’s made it to shoes…Acne wedges with a shiny border make one editor’s must-have list…Are kitten heels making a comeback?…Fabu…Prada has mysteriously allotted only 3 pairs of their amazing chandelier shoes to the whole country…In the corny-but-fun category, The Shoe Stylist puts together a wish list of Heart Shoes for Valentine’s Day.