Christian Siriano runway shoes

Christian Siriano for Payless

How do you go from fabulous (left) to flat (right)? Apparently let Payless reinterpret your shoe collection

Christian Siriano debuted his spring 2010 collection for Payless at his runway show in September and the shoes were off the charts. The talon heeled footwear had models struggling to walk on the runway, but the design of the shoes was beyond fierce. I assumed Payless would tone down the collection before launching in the spring and perhaps lower the heel and make a few minor tweaks. But Payless didn’t just tone down the claw shoes for the masses, they completely massacred them leaving behind little of the original concept that made them so fabulous.

According to a photo obtained by The Cut of the spring samples, Payless reinterpreted Siriano’s designs by simply plastering a knockoff of the blue-and-orange ocean-inspired fabric from the designer’s collection onto plain, boring pumps making them look like drapes as opposed to sexy stilettos. The buckles, cutouts, platforms, peep-toe booties and sequined Mary-Janes are all gone.

The vampy shoes shown on the runway were simply fabulous, incorporating dramatic colors and textures as well as high-end details. I was prepared to line up for days to snag a pair of those runway shoes, but now I’ll be skipping it all together. Payless need to do it right or not bother at all. So depressing…