Pigalle 85mm Reveal/Review

 Last month I did the unthinkable. I purchased my very first pair of stilettos.

For those who know me, I've always HATED heels. I'm the running shoe type of girl, and if I have to dress up and go somewhere, most likely I'll be wearing a pair of flats or MAYBE one with a mini heel. When I mean mini, I mean 1cm heel. I've always had this fear that I will trip and fall in stilettos, and worst case scenario, it gets caught on the railroad tracks and I get run over by a train. At least I can say I died with style.

Jokes aside, I was pestered by my mom to have a set of nice heels for special occasions. Nothing too crazy tall, but something nice. She has no idea what Christian Louboutin is, but if she saw the heels, she would definitely say no, you're crazy, look how tall it is. You're going to break a heel. I swear, you can never make an Asian mom happy. *NOTE TO ALL THE MEN OUT THERE*

The only pair of shoes I own from Louboutin is a pair of flats, and even those are uncomfortable. When they say Louboutin makes uncomfortable heels, they forgot to add flats too. Probably the most uncomfortable flats I own. In the end, you are just paying for the brand, nothing more. What I've learned too is that every pair of styled heels will vary with your size. So say you are normally a size 38. With Louboutin, depending on the depth of the heel and style, you could vary between a 37 to 39. If you buy one pair of this particular style in 38.5, your next style may be a 37.5. It's stupid. I've never dealt with a company that is very confusing with sizing. I don't understand why they can't just stick with "ok this is your size in every style, here you go, problem solved" but nope. Instead, you have to go in each time to try on the heels.

Let me tell you about my experience. My first recommendation is, if you are a woman, make sure you get a woman sales associate. I'm not trying to be sexist but every male sales associate I have gotten, whether they are for handbags or clothes or shoes, they have ALL messed up with my packaging or the product itself. They seem so clueless. So save your time and find a lady who knows what she's doing.

I found a pair of heels that I wanted online from the main website. I tried to order it off the website but it kept bouncing back that it was not available. It didn't make sense because the shoe came in various sizes and it said it was still available. A very popular style shoe too - the Pigalles in 85mm. Louboutin's classic heels.

As much as I didn't want to, I ended up calling Yorkdale to see if they had any left. They did. I spoke with a male SA, and he was kind enough to reserve a pair for me until I can come in to purchase. At that time, there was no in person shopping. You could only pick up and drop off. But can't physically go into the store.

The day comes and I come to pay for it. They allowed me to park in the valet area without paying as I was there to just pick up the item. I paid for it, picked up the box and headed to my car. Something in me just wanted to open the box right there and then to make sure it was all good, yet part of me said it's ok, it's a high brand company, they do a good job. It will be fine. Plus it was wrapped up nicely. So I drove home. Took a few pictures. Then opened the box. Tried it on, and something felt weird.

I had trouble inserting my left foot into the left heel. The right heel was no problem. I mean I know all of us don't have equal sized feet but this was a huge difference, when your foot can't even fit in the shoe. Stupid me. I should've looked underneath for the size. And guess what. The SA gave me 2 different sized shoes. How in the hell do you do that?? 

This was frustrating as it's a bit of a drive to Yorkdale. So I texted the SA right away, and he kept apologizing. Asked me if I could come back now. I looked at the time. It was 10 minutes to closing, and it takes me way more than 10 minutes to head back. So I said no. I will come by another time. I jokingly told him now he owes me another free pair. He sort of laughed it off.

The next time I went back, I wasn't sure if I could park in valet anymore as this time around, the malls had opened up for indoor shopping, so I parked far out back and walked over. I was able to meet him in person and again, he told me he had no idea how the mix up happened. The only thing he offered me was if I parked in valet, he could reimburse me. TOO LATE.

This time around, I made sure to check BOTH heels before he stored it back in my box and gave me back my shoes. This time, I could finally fit both feet in. Yet when I came home to try it on, I still felt maybe it was too small. But maybe this was because it's heels.

The third time I went back, the SA was off, so I got a female SA and she knew what she was saying. She knew the styles in and out, and she took her time to help me with various styles. She allowed me to try another half size up in the Pigalles but noticed it was too big. So what I had was actually right. Another pair that is a much comfortable fit is the Corneille's. Unfortunately for me, the heel is a bit too thin, so I felt wobbly when I walked. I guess next time once I ace the Pigalle.

Overall, it was a bit of a nightmare experience. I'm not sure if I really want to go back to the store to shop. I would say if you really have to try the heels in person, then you have to try it in stores. Otherwise if you already know your size, then buy it online from the main website. It will save you the time and headache.

Before wearing these out, I made sure to paint protect the red bottoms (I have done that with the flats too). I took it to All In Detailings located in Mississauga. Mike is terrific at PPF-ing not just cars, but also handbags and shoes. He used xpel to wrap the underside so I never have to worry about the red bottoms peeling. Very happy with the final product and I encourage all the ladies reading to PPF your heels. I work hard for my items, and I want to protect them as best as I could.

I have only worn these at home (there really isn't any reason to be wearing it out right now) just to practice and all I can say is....IT IS PAINFUL. I don't know if it's because of my wide feet, and the shoes are very narrow (very narrow toe box), or if it's just all Loub heels. I stand in them for 5 minutes and I can already see the pressure points all over my feet. When I walk, I can feel the pressure point at the bottom. It's quite painful. There is not much cushion support so I will probably have to add something in. It's not too difficult walking in these, I guess because of the thickness of the heel. But there is absolutely no comfort in these heels. I tried using thin stockings to see if I could reduce the pain. It worked, but the problem is the stockings make it somewhat slippery so my feet ended up slipping out from the back area. So either you want a good fit without stockings but deal with potential blisters later, or you wear stockings to protect yourself from blisters, but risk breaking your ankle when your feet slip out.

This shoe, as classic as it is, is really meant to be stationary. It's definitely not meant for work, unless you know you're sitting your ass down for the next 8-10 hours. But running to a code blue situation, yeah not wise. Going to weddings is possible, as long as you're either sitting down for a long period of time, or standing for some time. As soon as you walk, good luck.

It's difficult being a woman. The decisions we have to make in order to look pretty for all you assholes out there. Kidding (maybe not). 

Here are some pictures! Enjoy!