Splurge. Steal. Covet.

There are somethings that every professional girl MUST have in her closet. As a result,I've decided to start a series called "Splurge. Steal. Covet." for professional wardrobe essentials. Splurge for the ladies who have an itch to drop the big bucks for a quality piece. Steal for budget-minded women or those just entering the workforce. The covet choice may not always be the most expensive but it would be a special piece that may not be as traditional as the others. Since the pointy black pump is such a staple, I figured it would be the perfect way to start of this series. The pointy black pump is like working gal's little black dress. Like the LBD it should have its own acronym, the "PBP". Now this isn't the black shoe that you wear out on the town for night with your girls. It should probably be the exact opposite. The perfect PBP should not show any toe cleavage, the heel should be 3 inches or shorter and wrapped in leather (ie. no stacked wooden heel), there should be no visible platform, and they should be extremely comfortable to walk in. If you're going to just have one, I highly suggest plain leather over patent leather. I cannot overemphasize how important getting the correct size is and using all the correct shoe shopping rules that you're suppose to follow. For example, make sure that if you plan on wearing the heel with hosiery that you try on the shoe with hosiery. I've made the mistake of not doing that before and ended up with a shoe that is WAY too lose when I wear tights with them. So without further ado, here is the Esquirette's "Splurge. Steal. Covet." choices for the PBP:

Splurge: Jimmy Choo Aza Pump $690 
Steal: Nine West Elise Pump $59.95 
Covet: Prada Tassel Pump $575 
Images via Nordstrom.com & DSW.com