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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on May 12, 2011 11:16:03 GMT -5
I have no clue, but have ALWAYS wanted to be able to understand the willingness of someone to have spent a week of their labor and their life for anything that they wear.
When I bought those shoes, I needed a pair of good, professional looking, dress shoes that I could wear all day. I could be on my feet 16 hours in those shoes - they felt like I was wearing a pair of sneakers and I've never had another pair of dress shoes that were that comfortable since then.
When I gave them to my niece, the uppers and inside looked brand new, despite the amount of wear that they got. And that includes them getting drenched in beer and stepped all over on a dance floor!
There would be no way I'd pay that price for a pair of Leboutins today.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2011 11:17:59 GMT -5
Actually, I am a shoe lover. I did go into Barney's and look at all the grand-plus shoes, and dream. I even told my husband that one day I was going to buy a pair. (He said okay - he is a bigger shoe whore than me.) So, I'm kinda bummed out. But, when push comes to shove, even if we have the money, I know there is far more $1000 could do for me/us than one fabulous pair of shoes. I mean - $1000 could be 8 or 9 pairs of fabulous shoes! ![](http://media.funsmileys.com/smileys/tongue002.gif) ![](http://us.social.s-msn.com/s/images/emoticons/thumbs_up.gif)
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midjd
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Post by midjd on May 12, 2011 11:22:57 GMT -5
I can't lie, if I could afford to drop $1K on a pair of shoes without jeopardizing my savings goals, I would. But I can't, so I buy the $40 knockoffs at Charlotte Russe instead. As someone who is, er, vertically challenged, gotta have my tall shoes! ;D midwestern: I respectfully ask, "Why"? I am not being flippant at all. Would you mind explaining to me why you would be willing to spend $1K on a pair of shoes? I just can't wrap my brain around it and would REALLY like to understand why people are willing to do this. If push came to shove, I'm more like Wasting... I'd probably get 10 $100 pair of shoes rather than 1 $1K pair. But still, the expensive shoes are, in general, much more sturdily-constructed than cheapies - one of my mother's co-workers has been wearing the same pair of shoes (Fendi, I think) for almost 10 years. She takes them to the repair shop and gets them re-heeled/re-soled once a year or so. You can tell they're not brand-new, but they are still very nice shoes. So if you take good care of them, they can last as long as you want them to. Of course, you also have to trust that you'll still like the style in 10 years and hope that your feet don't change in size/shape ;D If you're buying the flavor-of-the-month and then trying to offload it a year later when you decide you don't like it anymore, probably not a great investment. I like analyzing the cost-per-use of things. Say my mom's friend has worn her shoes 2x a week for the last 10 years. That's about $1 per wearing. A $25 pair of shoes that lasts a couple of months before one of the heels falls off is no cheaper in the long run.
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ruger2506
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Post by ruger2506 on May 12, 2011 11:28:39 GMT -5
I can tell you I wouldn't pay $0.11 for those shoes. These however, are worth the $1600. ![](http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l97/ruger8mm/Internet%20pics/VG_Mountain_Stalker_boots.jpg)
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on May 12, 2011 11:30:24 GMT -5
And then there is the maintenance cost. I have this problem with furniture. Everyone tells me to spend a gagillion dollars to get a quality sofa, but I know that my mother's qualtiy sofa lastest 40 years, and she had it recovered 5 or 6 times. Every time she does it, she spends thousands of dollars.
So, you say that your mom's friends wore the shoes 2x / week for 10 years, but how much does the re-soling cost? The math really should be:
$1000 + ($35 x 10) = $1,350 / 1000 wears = $1.35 per wear.
If she had bought 10 pairs of $80 shoes and each of them lasts a year (which $80 shoes will definately give you 100 wears) your cost per wear is only 80 cents per wear. Plus, the time value of money which says $1000 10 years ago was more money than $1000 today - fixed, sunk, upfront costs are harder than low-entry costs.
I'm not seeing the math. Maybe my cobbler charges too much.
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kimber45
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Post by kimber45 on May 12, 2011 11:30:25 GMT -5
Ruger, I can't see the pic you posted ![:(](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/sad.png)
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ruger2506
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Post by ruger2506 on May 12, 2011 11:39:20 GMT -5
Ruger, I can't see the pic you posted ![:(](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/sad.png) www.hikingbootshandcrafted.com/services.htmlMountain Stalker, approx. 10.5 inches high, (27 cm) orthotic footbed, same construction as Mountain Trekker, same weight, same leather, same price. They have moderate ankle support, good protection, and you can tuck your pants into them if you need to. Here is the link to the site.
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ruger2506
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Post by ruger2506 on May 12, 2011 11:42:04 GMT -5
And then there is the maintenance cost. I have this problem with furniture. Everyone tells me to spend a gagillion dollars to get a quality sofa, but I know that my mother's qualtiy sofa lastest 40 years, and she had it recovered 5 or 6 times. Every time she does it, she spends thousands of dollars. I'll have to agree with furniture. "Quality" stuff isn't "quality" anymore. It's all junk. So I don't buy junk at "quality" prices anymore. I now buy junk at junk prices.
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pepper112765
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Post by pepper112765 on May 12, 2011 11:45:44 GMT -5
midwestern: I respectfully ask, "Why"? I am not being flippant at all. Would you mind explaining to me why you would be willing to spend $1K on a pair of shoes? I just can't wrap my brain around it and would REALLY like to understand why people are willing to do this. It's probably the same reason why someone would pay $1000 extra to fly first class, or pay $100K for a wedding. Back when I first started working, I bought a pair of Ferragamo's. At the time, they were about 1 week's salary for me at the time. But I wore those shoes for nearly 20 years and they were resoled 3x. I'd still be wearing them, if my feet hadn't grown. A pair of those shoes now would be less proportionally than what I paid for my Ferragamo's back in the mid 1980s. Ferragmo and, Bruno Magli, make great comfortable shoes and they do last years. Shoes that are made now, don't last ... cheaply made, which translates to being bad for your feet in some type of way, or the shoe comes apart, a heel breaks, etc. I also like Via Spiga, they make nice shoes also. I pay more for my shoes than I do clothes, nothing worse than having your feet hurt from a cheap shoe.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on May 12, 2011 11:46:21 GMT -5
midwestern: I respectfully ask, "Why"? I am not being flippant at all. Would you mind explaining to me why you would be willing to spend $1K on a pair of shoes? I just can't wrap my brain around it and would REALLY like to understand why people are willing to do this. If push came to shove, I'm more like Wasting... I'd probably get 10 $100 pair of shoes rather than 1 $1K pair. ![](http://us.social.s-msn.com/s/images/emoticons/thumbs_up.gif) But still, the expensive shoes are, in general, much more sturdily-constructed than cheapies - one of my mother's co-workers has been wearing the same pair of shoes (Fendi, I think) for almost 10 years. She takes them to the repair shop and gets them re-heeled/re-soled once a year or so. You can tell they're not brand-new, but they are still very nice shoes. Trust me, I am all about quality. DH had a pair of dress shoes that we had resoled several times. They were not designer, but they were quality leather shoes. I can't remember what we paid, but we bought them on sale and at an outlet store years ago. Anyone that gets their hands on a pair of shoes like that is lucky because overall you end up saving a bundle. Just an added comment and meaning absolutely no offense to anyone: I doubt that would be the case with the shoes pictured in the OP's link. They don't LOOK very comfortable (although they might very well be) and they ARE trendy (i.e. the platform). I think the last time those were in style were in the 70s. Any that I MIGHT HAVE kept (which I didn't) would absolutely not fit me now. Besides I'm getting to the age where preventing the risk of falling is more important than wearing good looking shoes. ![](http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff155/JiminiChristmas/smileys/1-1.gif) and ![:'(](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/cry.png) But back in the day, I enjoyed a great looking pair of shoes as much as the next gal; I just never remember parting with that much money for them.
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dividend
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Post by dividend on May 12, 2011 11:46:44 GMT -5
I'm wearing a pair of Christian Louboutin heels today. They're seriously gorgeous shoes. And not the least bit practical. I feel like a million bucks every time I put them on, though. And the telltale red backing is not only sexy, but it ensure that people know what you have on.
Why would someone spend ~$700 on a pair of shoes, you ask? Well, in my case, it was because my grandmother took me aside before a weekend trip to NYC and gave me $1k "to buy myself something nice on my trip." So when I saw these in the window at Barney's, I could not resist. CL's for me, and a crystal statue of liberty for her collection of lovelies. The envy of the more fashionable women in the office? Priceless.
Basically, I'm glad I was able to indulge myself this once on something completely frivolous.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on May 12, 2011 11:54:19 GMT -5
I just googled it - resoling can cost between $45 and $75. So, the cost of a $1000 pair of shoes, plus 10 resolings of those shoes could be as much as $1750. I'm not seeing how the quality can really be that much better.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on May 12, 2011 11:56:26 GMT -5
And then there is the maintenance cost. I have this problem with furniture. Everyone tells me to spend a gagillion dollars to get a quality sofa, but I know that my mother's qualtiy sofa lastest 40 years, and she had it recovered 5 or 6 times. Every time she does it, she spends thousands of dollars. I'll have to agree with furniture. "Quality" stuff isn't "quality" anymore. It's all junk. So I don't buy junk at "quality" prices anymore. I now buy junk at junk prices. We haven't gone furniture shopping in a long time so I didn't realize that you couldn't get quality any more. Our sofa is almost (10) years old and still looks new because we bought quality. We special ordered it and it took several months to get, but it has definitely been worth the wait and the price (I think $2500 at the time). We have never had it recovered. I'll cry if we ever have to do that because I love the fabric and the rich plum color. We were thinking of buying some maple dining room and bedroom furniture in coming years. Nothing is wrong with what we have, but we've had it for over 25 years (solid oak) and would like to replace with maple. I guess if we find good quality at a price we're willing to pay - great; if not, we'll keep what we have. Although it doesn't look new (got a bit banged up by the moving company) it's still in really great shape for its age.
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ruger2506
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Post by ruger2506 on May 12, 2011 12:12:35 GMT -5
I'll have to agree with furniture. "Quality" stuff isn't "quality" anymore. It's all junk. So I don't buy junk at "quality" prices anymore. I now buy junk at junk prices. We haven't gone furniture shopping in a long time so I didn't realize that you couldn't get quality any more. Our sofa is almost (10) years old and still looks new because we bought quality. We special ordered it and it took several months to get, but it has definitely been worth the wait and the price (I think $2500 at the time). We have never had it recovered. I'll cry if we ever have to do that because I love the fabric and the rich plum color. We were thinking of buying some maple dining room and bedroom furniture in coming years. Nothing is wrong with what we have, but we've had it for over 25 years (solid oak) and would like to replace with maple. I guess if we find good quality at a price we're willing to pay - great; if not, we'll keep what we have. Although it doesn't look new (got a bit banged up by the moving company) it's still in really great shape for its age. Wood furniture is really where I've noticed the "quality" stuff being junk. I've come to the conclusion that unless you go to an Amish Furniture store where you know they are using real wood or building it yourself. Chance are it's garbage wood that's been surfaced.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on May 12, 2011 12:17:20 GMT -5
I'm wearing a pair of Christian Louboutin heels today. They're seriously gorgeous shoes. And not the least bit practical. I feel like a million bucks every time I put them on, though. And the telltale red backing is not only sexy, but it ensure that people know what you have on. Why would someone spend ~$700 on a pair of shoes, you ask? Well, in my case, it was because my grandmother took me aside before a weekend trip to NYC and gave me $1k "to buy myself something nice on my trip." So when I saw these in the window at Barney's, I could not resist. CL's for me, and a crystal statue of liberty for her collection of lovelies. The envy of the more fashionable women in the office? Priceless. Basically, I'm glad I was able to indulge myself this once on something completely frivolous. That's an awesome way to get something frivolous. You have a very nice grandma and I love the fact that you used some of the money to buy something for her to show your appreciation. ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png) I suspect that a lot of gals that buy these shoes do so for the exact reasons that you mention: 1) It makes them feel like a million bucks or maybe more like they have a million bucks when they really don't and 2) The envy of their co-workers Both are keep up with the Joneses mentalities which are the worst reasons to buy anything that you can't really afford. In your case they were a gift, so you had the luxury of getting the item without paying the price.
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azphx1972
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Post by azphx1972 on May 12, 2011 12:26:22 GMT -5
I think in general the market for these types of high end luxury goods are:
1. The truly wealthy for whom $1k on a pair of shoes is like blowing $50 on a pair of shoes for the rest of us.
2. Those that want to emulate the wealthy, and either finance or spend a disproportionately large amount of their income to buy these items. They aren't likely to be on this board.
Occasionally you'll get people (like the ones on this board) who will save up and buy one luxury splurge item to enjoy, but they aren't the typical market for these things.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2011 12:35:53 GMT -5
DH saw this sexy pair of heels on a woman on TV recently. Apparently he liked them so much, he scoured the interwebs to find them so that he could buy them for me. He kept saying they were "red bottom" black heels. Turns out they were Louboutins. Then he saw the price tag. Needless to say, I don't have them. ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2011 13:06:10 GMT -5
LOL - maybe she wanted you to see the website? Since she knows that you think that she over-spends, maybe she wants you to know that the situation could be a WHOLE lot worse ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png) That wouldn't surprise me... since she does that to me all the time. She keeps on telling me how if I were married to her cousin or best friend she would be spending $$$ on designer clothes/shoes and hairstylist. And I always respond that it would not happen since I would never marry that type of woman, because my wife which is somewhat in the low end of high maintenance is too much for me.
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april47
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Post by april47 on May 12, 2011 13:22:12 GMT -5
I buy shoes based on comfort and price. Those shoes fail on both counts. I would break my neck on them. ![](http://media.funsmileys.com/smileys/surprised008.gif)
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hurley1980
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Post by hurley1980 on May 12, 2011 14:08:55 GMT -5
This is why I will never understand my own gender. Seriously?!?! $1k for a SINGLE pair of shoes??? If I was dropping that kind of hot cash on shoes, they better be the last pair I ever have to buy, and feel like I'm walking on clouds of puppy fur while I'm wearing them! I have never paid more than $50 for a pair of shoes, including boots. It's called clearance ladies! ![](http://boards.msn.com/Themes/default/emoticons/tongue_smile.gif) I own a ton of shoes that I rotate wearing, so even cheap pairs last me a couple of years, and by then my style has changed so I don't care that they need to be tossed or given to goodwill. I don't understand what the obsession is...they are typical looking heels. You can find similar styles at Ross/TJ Maxx, and unless you take your shoes off and show the label to people frequently (which is gross!!!)...they will never know the difference. JMHO ![:P](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/tongue.png)
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resolution
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Post by resolution on May 12, 2011 14:13:12 GMT -5
And the telltale red backing is not only sexy, but it ensure that people know what you have on. I know that I am culturally illiterate, but I have never heard of a red backing and wouldn't know one from anything else. Then again I hadn't heard of Movado watches until the other thread. I keep trying to tease DH that I am going to go on a spending spree when we go to the fashion district of Rome, but he won't believe me because I can't identify any of the products I am threatening to buy. By any chance are these shoes Italian?
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Post by illinicheme on May 12, 2011 15:42:42 GMT -5
I don't understand shoe obsessions, particularly heels. I care about what my shoes look like, but my tastes are pretty simple. I refuse to wear heels except on rare dress-up occasions. I mostly live in tennis shoes, Dansko-type clogs, or various Clarks-type slip-ons.
Price in shoes certainly matters up to a certain point (~$50-200 shoes are generally much better quality than <$50 shoes), but $1k for one pair is beyond insane.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on May 12, 2011 15:46:18 GMT -5
If I was dropping that kind of hot cash on shoes, they better be the last pair I ever have to buy, and feel like I'm walking on clouds of puppy fur while I'm wearing them! ![](http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff155/JiminiChristmas/smileys/1-1.gif) I've never been into designer shoes either. I get that you can get what you pay for but honestly I agree with rutgers that most stuff is crap nowadays and I am paying for a NAME, not quality workmanship.
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april47
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Post by april47 on May 12, 2011 15:48:50 GMT -5
I just read that Lady Gaga had to change her s spikey heels when she showed up for American Idol. Evedently those spikey heels were clear plastic shaped like a p***s. They also came from an exclusive shop in London and cost a bundle. gross ![](http://media.funsmileys.com/smileys/surprised008.gif)
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on May 12, 2011 15:50:25 GMT -5
Evedently those spikey heels were clear plastic shaped like a p***s. They also came from an exclusive shop in London and cost a bundle. ![](http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff155/JiminiChristmas/smileys/1-1.gif) Is it bad that I am now dying to see said shoes based on your description? ![](http://boards.msn.com/Themes/default/emoticons/red_smile.gif)
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on May 12, 2011 15:54:04 GMT -5
I don't understand shoe obsessions, particularly heels. I care about what my shoes look like, but my tastes are pretty simple. I refuse to wear heels except on rare dress-up occasions. I mostly live in tennis shoes, Dansko-type clogs, or various Clarks-type slip-ons. Price in shoes certainly matters up to a certain point (~$50-200 shoes are generally much better quality than <$50 shoes), but $1k for one pair is beyond insane. I mostly wear Clarks in the winter. They are reasonably priced, well made, and comfortable. HOWEVER, I don't think they'd do too well with a mini skirt dancing at a hot club. ![](http://boards.msn.com/Themes/default/emoticons/tongue_smile.gif)
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on May 12, 2011 16:43:11 GMT -5
Clearly, since the only person who defended the purchase was someone who said that she liked wearing them because everyone knew they were expensive.
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Post by illinicheme on May 12, 2011 16:56:55 GMT -5
I don't understand shoe obsessions, particularly heels. I care about what my shoes look like, but my tastes are pretty simple. I refuse to wear heels except on rare dress-up occasions. I mostly live in tennis shoes, Dansko-type clogs, or various Clarks-type slip-ons. Price in shoes certainly matters up to a certain point (~$50-200 shoes are generally much better quality than <$50 shoes), but $1k for one pair is beyond insane. I mostly wear Clarks in the winter. They are reasonably priced, well made, and comfortable. HOWEVER, I don't think they'd do too well with a mini skirt dancing at a hot club. ![](http://boards.msn.com/Themes/default/emoticons/tongue_smile.gif) True enough. I'm beyond the age of wearing a miniskirt and dancing in a club though! ;D (I had some heels when I was the age wear I occasionally danced in clubs, but I've never worn spike heels. I wouldn't be able to walk - much less dance!)
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Firebird
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Post by Firebird on May 12, 2011 17:44:33 GMT -5
Jesus Christ. I don't even have the energy to read through this thread. I don't get shoes. Never have. In fact, my clothes in general are pretty ugly...
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Mad Dawg Wiccan
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Post by Mad Dawg Wiccan on May 12, 2011 18:05:38 GMT -5
The most expensive footwear I have ever bought was $250.00 for a pair of top-of-the line Redwing steel toed work boots. They were worth every penny.
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