It may not happen often, but please tell me I am not the only one.

You linger perusing through the racks of a high street fashion store and there’s nothing in your mind that your closet needs or that you have seen in Vogue and want to ~~be able to~~ buy.

A pair of shoes left unpaired on the floor next to the giant mirror: somebody has tried them on and didn’t like them. That moment of glory when somebody’s trash is somebody else’s treasure. The thrill is even more rewarding when you realize that those non-animated heels look so much like those YSL lace up you saw on Outnet …

How to do it.

1. You have to be a runway addict. Practice will help you recognize if it is a Pilati YSL vs. a Hedi Saint Laurent. If you are not up for it, ask for help. Any stylist will be happy to do it. Some charge, some others, aka yours truly, love doing it for free.

2. Be patient and wait, sooner or later it will show up emulated in some website or one of those big cheap stores that we never pronounce, but we all now we visit religiously.

3. Snap them and show them off. Be aware they will be the most uncomfortable ones, but if you style them masterfully you will look like a ‘couture girl’. Don’t plan on standing on heels all day long, overall they are not Manolos or Ferragamo.

And now please share that fake deal steal you have found and rocked once, or twice or whenever. (Pics please!)