Thakoon Printed Leather Ankle Booties, $1055 via Net-a-Porter

I’ve been wanting to write about the Thakoon Printed Leather Ankle Booties for a couple of days now, but I haven’t really been able to find an angle. Finally, it dawned on me that my problem stemmed from the fact that I don’t have any idea whether or not the average shoe customer is interested in something with such a bold print. I’d wear these shoes in a heartbeat, mostly because they’d look great with my very dark winter wardrobe, but I’m also 25 years old, deeply silly and employed full-time by the fashion industry. Do real people wear shoes like these? I want you to tell me.

With the prices of shoes these days, it takes an extraordinary budget to get beyond the basics when building a collection of pieces from very high end designers. But for those who have those means, is something like this Thakoon bootie on your radar? I’ve always wondered if shoes like these skew too young in style to find enough customers for their price levels, I just don’t have the capacity to collect that data in a meaningful way. Bolder looks from companies that aren’t known primarily for shoes do tend to end up on the sale racks, though, so I think there might be some validity to my concerns. Let me know your thoughts, or buy these booties through Net-a-Porter for $1055.