The Want Monster Has Me By the Neck

Ow. The Want Monster is worrying me, chomping on my tender flesh and drawing a little blood.

I want this shoe:

(Prada. Also available at Neiman Marcus.)

I have been wanting this shoe for quite some time now -- since I saw it in the Prada F/W '07 runway show. It's an odd shoe, but I am deeply enamored of it. First of all, I've always loved an ombré effect. Secondly, not only is it ombré, it's ombré patent leather. (And we know how I feel about patent leather, non?) This shoe is elegantly simple -- two large bands across the foot (that are very comfortable, since they're nice & wide and won't cut into your dainty little feets) and a really beautiful slightly underslung heel. Check out this view from the runway:

(My sense of adventure, however, will not be extending to the half-foot tights. Unless I'm taking a modern dance class, of course.)

The heel seems to have been straightened out a little bit for production, which I think is a shame, but that isn't dampening the shoe-lust that is frothing in my soul one single bit.

When I first started talking about this shoe, a few of my friends raised their eyebrows, but I knew, with my unerring Style Spy-dey sense, that this was the shoe of the season; and since then it has shown up everywhere, including this gorgeous spread in Vogue featuring Natalia Vodianova in some pretty darned fabulous evening gowns.

(I just love her -- such a great model.)

What I really love about the styling of these photos is the contrast of the very solid, almost bulky shoe and the long sinuous lines of the gowns. It's a great proportion, and very happening right now. There are a lot of good anchor shoes out there this season -- look at all the ankle booties and high-heeled oxfords popping up with skirts and dresses.

The shoe is so very much the thing that Nine West has already ripped it off, to pretty good although not-quite-spectacular effect. Usually it takes them a season to get to something -- witness their version of the satin Miu Miu mary janes from spring.

So this is going to be my big shoe purchase this fall (in a size 39, in case anyone wants to send a belated birthday present). It's going to take a while to get to it, but I'm determined. With these and my as-yet-unearthed perfect pair of red ankle booties, I'll be set.

What are you looking at for the fall? Any must-haves?

Photos: Saks.com, style.com