when i heard that ivanka trump had started designing shoes, i was so curious to try them that…brace yourselves, now…i actually went out and bought a pair.  at full price.  i know.  while i tend to think of ivanka trump’s dad as more cartoon than reality, i have to admit i’ve always had a bit of a style crush on his little girl.  she seems to have risen above the family circus with all her poise and grace, but has that killer, badass business side i so love in strong women (see eg, martha stewart, hillary clinton).

but then, her dad sells suits at mens’ wearhouse.  so this really could have gone either way.

it also helped that, just as her new shoe collection launched, i realized i had a major gap in my shoe collection:  no classic black heels.  can you believe it?  i mean, yes, i have a few pairs of heels that are black, but nothing that’s the classic, go-to pair you absolutely have to have.

so, when i walked into nordstrom recently and saw a display holding pair after pair of exactly what i wanted, in all sorts of classic colors, and then they turned out to be from ivanka’s line, i had to try them on.

turns out, it’s exactly the shoe i’d expect her to design:  a no-nonsense, high-functioning classic.  the heel is a perfect 2.5″, so you can actually walk comfortably, but still get all the aesthetic advantages of a higher heel.  the footbed is really well padded, especially in the ball of the foot – almost as if a girl who wears heels every day designed them (imagine!).  the sides of the shoe come up high enough to give your foot a very slender look, the leather is soft, but i can tell it will be durable, and the heel is leather-covered as well (a must if you want your shoes to look high-end).  plus, it comes in black and a great classic nude, in both matte and patent leathers (there’s also a coral shade that feels a little ’80s to me, but you can’t win them all).

the rest of the collection…well, mixed reviews.  i don’t love any of the casual styles – this girl spends a lot of time in heels, and it shows.  and several of her styles are, shall we say, strikingly similar to some by certain other designers.  hopefully they don’t mind one of their best customers taking some liberties…

{left, ivanka trump ‘dimund’; right, manolo blahnik ‘sedaraby’}

{left, ivanka trump ‘asteria’; right, manolo blahnik ‘suw’}

in fact, now that i think about it, even the heel i bought looks a little familiar, which i’m starting to feel badly about.  but then really, how different can you make a black pump?

all that said, if you have a formal event to attend, this little bejeweled, strappy number would be absolutely flawless.  and you’d definitely net a second date if you wore these sky-high red peeptoes on the first.

otherwise, if you happen to be in my boat, and are missing a classic pump, this is one of the best i’ve seen, particularly in the $100 range.  snap them up now…i have a hunch they’ll jump to $150 next season.

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