Why are fashion designers making such ugly, expensive shoes? It's a burning question and we all want to know the answer. And even more confusing -- why are we all wearing them?!? Have we lost our collective mind or does the fashion industry have us brainwashed?

The "it" shoes trend of the past year or so, has gone towards more and more extreme heels that only people who wear fashion as art would consider putting on their tootsies. And what's more, the price of ugly footwear has gone up too. Women are spending upwards of $800 for heels that are so unique they can probably only be worn once.



Is fashion trying to get even more elite on us? Some people seem to think so. For one thing, designers just out price the regular folks. There's no way most people can afford to lay down that kind of cash on shoes. And second of all, if shoes are like pieces of art, most normal people wouldn't be able to wear them anywhere. Are you just going to show up at the office with a pair of high heeled booties on your feet one day? We don't think so, unless you're just desperately in the mood to be ridiculed.

We've all fallen into the trap. First you see a shoe that's so outrageously priced, yet so extremely tacky, that you don't know whether to laugh or cry. Then, the next day your issue of Vogue comes and that same pair of heels on a model in some abstract art spread makes you think they're not so bad. Pretty soon a celebrity has them on during a trip down the red carpet and the next thing you know, we're all lusting after ugly expensive shoes.

Via the New York Observer.