Why are shoes so expensive?

THIS spring, nearly every top designer has a  "Cinderella" slipper, a shoe priced so high that it should come with a handsome prince -- or an hour with a male escort, at least. Christian Louboutin's webbed suede and button sandals sell for $1,345, while Versace offers a $1,450 satin pump festooned with nothing more than a few tassels. Dior's platform slingback with beaded heel runs $1,030, while Balenciaga's pink and brown braided gladiator sandal goes for $1,375.

Then, there's the $1,045 Lanvin flat (pictured left) that should land at Barneys in Beverly Hills any day now. Already, women are salivating for this sandal adorned with a couple dozen leather-covered studs. Run, don't walk. There's a waiting list.

"Footwear is having its runway moment," says Marshal Cohen, chief analyst for New York market research firm NPD Group. Designers are "raising the cachet of the brand by having one extravagant style, and that one makes the other pairs seem more reasonable."

In other words, the glass slipper has shattered and consumers have resigned themselves to splurging. Case in point: You pick up a sandal and sigh with relief when it costs less than your monthly car payment. And those sale endorphins surge when you see $1,000 platforms marked down to $675.

WHO'S READY TO BURN THEIR LOUBOUTINS AND GO BAREFOOT?

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Photos: Kirk McCoy , LA Times. 

Heath Ledger's love child: When family attacks

Over the weekend, two cheetahs attacked a women at an animal sanctuary in Florida. That's nothing compared to the mauling by Heath Ledger's uncle Down Under. The late actor's uncle--estranged from the actor's father, who is executor of his estate--has told an Australian newspaper that Heath may have fathered a love child when he was 17 years old. This is probably just the first joust from the embittered family. It's sad to think that Ledger's uncles, who are angry because the actor's father once bungled another inheritance, will besmirch his name just to get back at his dad. The Rage only wonders if someone at Star or Us magazine lost his job for not landing the story first.

Interestingly, a study in 2005 that was reported in The Christian Science Monitor revealed that "nearly 40 percent of those in the older generation say it is very important to pass financial assets or real estate to their children. Only 10 percent of baby boomers feel that way about passing assets to their kids. And only 4 percent of boomers are counting on an inheritance." The Rage ain't no economist or family planner but must say that a will is a terrible thing to waste. (Ledger's will dates back to 2003 and makes no provisions for his daughter.) Also, over the next 50 years, $41 trillion dollars will be bequeathed, according to the Boston College Center on Wealth and Philanthropy. Now, that could amount to a whole lot of family feuds.

photo: Gary Friedman for LA Times.

Men: Sleep or obesity?

The concept of beauty sleep sounds like a silly myth perpetuated by night cream ads. But according to a recent study at Nihon University in Tokyo, men who sleep less than five hours per night run a higher risk of obesity and diabetes. Apparently, lack of sleep spurs a certain hormone that triggers the appetite and men who don't put in serious pillow time awake with lower blood sugar levels. Dudes who eat chicken legs by the light of the fridge at 3:00 a.m. know this well. The seven-year study found that men were 1.36 times more likely to become obese if they didn't get their five hours of rest.

No doubt, Jared Leto (left) slept poorly when he gained 62 pounds to play John Lennon-assassin Mark David Chapman in the new movie, "Chapter 27." He told Sirius radio: "I would eat a large Dominoes pizza, every night for dinner. And then, it actually wasn’t any fun. Some people think ‘oh it was enjoyable’, but I was force feeding myself to such an extent that I would throw up in the back of my throat every day." Pizza backwash? Thanks, Jared. The Rage suddenly prefers Subway.

Photo: Peace Arch Productions; WireImage

Frank Sinatra & Mia Farrow try to escape Truman Capote's ball

The Rage hit the Harry Benson exhibit opening the other night at the Pacific Design Center and watched Sharon Stone accost the 78-year-old photog for a private tour. The pictures are sensational--details of show at bottom. Here's the interview with Benson--a Scotsman as smooth as  Bowmore Dusk whiskey--from this week's paper:

HARRY BENSON never befriends his subjects. The legendary Scottish photojournalist -- who has shot everyone from Alfred Hitchcock to Halle Berry -- knows better than to name-drop too. "I never say, 'I know so-and-so' because it's likely that the person you're shooting will hate so-and-so," he says, with a chortle.

Social snubs and prickly rivalries, no doubt, swirled through the ballroom at New York's Plaza Hotel in 1966 on the night Benson photographed Truman Capote's notorious Black & White Ball. Tallulah Bankhead insulted Norman Mailer, Lauren Bacall spurned eager dance partners, and the host himself tried to physically block the exit when Frank Sinatra and then-wife Mia Farrow departed at midnight.

Hours earlier, Benson, who was 36 at the time, caught the grand retinue of 500 masked guests, as they arrived, including, most memorably, Sinatra and Farrow. That image is now part of an exhibition of Benson's photography at the Pacific Design Center.

"To this day, that was the biggest party I ever shot," Benson recalls. "Capote's ball was unique. Everyone wanted to be there. People who weren't invited went out of town.

"I was at the top of the stairs at 9 o'clock and caught Sinatra as he was walking in. He couldn't get past me. He felt really stupid in that mask. Someone had just yelled to him, 'Hey, there's Frankie Batman.' You can see the anger in his eyes behind the mask. He was this tough guy, thinking, 'What the hell am I doing here?' Mia Farrow had that precious, elfin look, but she was as tough as nails too.

"You had to wear a mask, but they all came off in the first hour. Everyone was afraid of Capote -- even Norman Mailer. Capote had a name for everyone. He called Jackie Kennedy and Lee Radziwill 'the geishas.' I wore a tuxedo because I've always found that it's better to be overdressed than underdressed. I always wear a suit and tie when I am working -- even when I have covered wars. It's a matter of showing respect. I got into the second floor of the White House because I never looked like a maintenance man."

'Through His Lens: Harry Benson's Portraits of Our World'
Where: At Pacific Design Center, First floor, Blue lobby, 8687 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, (310) 360-6426.
When: Through May 31.
9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
How much: Admission is free.

photo: Harry Benson.

Redheads have more fun and sex

While a recent University of Paris study revealed that blondes make men act dumber, it's the redheads who get them hot and bothered. A survey by Hamburg professor Werner Habermehl--reported by LBNelert.com--found that German women's sex lives could be categorized by their hair color. The researcher said that German redheads not only had more tussles in the bedroom, but they also had more sex partners.

Fun fiery facts: Only four percent of people have natural red hair; 2% of the US populationa re natural redheads. Redheads require more anesthesia than blondes and brunettes. They also don't go grey--rather their hair turns sandy and then white. The sales of red hair color and dyes has increased 17% since 2000.

photo: The Everett Collection.

Get the look: Jean Seberg in "Breathless"

The Rage has forever coveted Jean Seberg's jaunty look in "Breathless"--not to mention her very own Jean-Paul Belmondo. This morn, she found a website that will replicate the iconic "New York Herald Tribune" shirt from the 1959 film directed by Jean-Luc Godard in your choice of color or style for $19.99. Go to Neighborhoodies to pick out your own version. She recommends the "Gun show" style for a muscle tee, which would be super cute with capris and ballet slippers. Or the traditional tee with a higher collar. Go with white, of course. Could there be a better gift for a girlfriend than a DVD of "Breathless" and a Seberg-inspired tee? Non, non, et non. When the Rage gets her shirt, she might just shoplift a pack of gum to get in the spirit of the film.

Get the DVD here, from The Criterion Collection.

photos: Jean-Luc Godard, Criterion.com; Neighborhoodies.com.

Paris Hilton wants to be your daughter's role model

The Rage has written about her fear of having a daughter who capers about the kitchen, singing "My Lady Lumps" and pouts like Paris Hilton when I ask her to do her homework. Shudder. Just yesterday, Paris Hilton announced in Turkey that she sees herself as a role model for young girls. She went on to note to Reuters: "I work very hard and I've built this empire on my own. I think this is an inspiration for a lot of girls out there." Maybe for girls who strive to star in their own sex videos and don't want to wear underwear. It's interesting to note that in 1998, the British government tried to designate sanctioned role models  through a "new initiative for  women." The Spice Girls topped the list until Victoria Beckham (then Adams)  and Mel Brown got pregnant and officials worried that teen girls would follow suit.

How do you encourage your daughter to pick the right role models? What would you do if your daughter announced that she wanted to be "Paris Hilton" when she grew up?

photo: Wally Skalij for LA Times. 

Harvard lampoon? Ivy league grads want their own Hollywood mafia

An article in Variety, craftily penned by sly Andrew Barker, has Harvard alums whining about how they need better resources to break into Hollywood. Actress and Harv grad Mia Riverton says: "People talk about a 'Harvard mafia,' but it was never anything that was connected before. It had no infrastructure or focus beyond the schmoozy, old-boy networking stuff." (Just hearing that reminds me of this outtake from Animal House, which turns 30 this year.)

Um, Mia -- ever heard of the gazillion TV comedy writers who pen for Conan, SNL, and The Simpsons? They live off Hot Pockets and Skittles and snort at any variation on a scatalogical joke? Oh and has anyone else noticed that Harvard grads always manage to mention their alma mater in the first seven minutes of any meeting? It goes like this:

Harvard grad: "I love your sweater. Great color."
The Rage: "Thanks. I rarely wear red."
Harvard grad: "It's actually crimson. Reminds me of my Harvard days."

photo: Universal Studios, animalhouse.com.

Bankruptcy or new breasts? The 36DD deficit

The economy may be collapsing like an undercooked souffle, but Americans aren't about to take it on the double chin. Rather, people keep spending money on plastic surgery -- the amount of cosmetic procedures performed in 2007 jumped 7% from 2006. That means that while 405,000 households foreclosed on their mortgages last year according to Money magazine, 12 million people had thier tummies tucked or their breasts done, per the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. (Breast augmentation was up 6% for 2007, while nose jobs dropped 7%.)  Even more telling: facelifts increased 16% for men, while the amount for women jumped 14%. Pectoral implants for guys are up by 8 percent too.

So what have we learned? Our collective bosom is growing alongside our national debt. Call it a 36DD deficit. And men are just as vain as women.

Illustration: Anthony Russo for Los Angeles Times.

Tyra might bail: Who will be America's Next Top Model host?

Word on the skinny street has it that Tyra Banks may be jumping ship from the S.S. ANTM. Ok! magazine reports that tension between the talk show host-model and photo shoot creative director Jay Manuel have reached vertigo proportions: THEY ARE NOT SPEAKING! OMG! Ok! also reports that Tyra snubs the contestants--when the cameras aren't rolling--and has directed her intense focus on her talk show. The Rage wouldn't miss Tyra and her preposterous expressions all that much? Would you? And did anyone else find it grossly distasteful that models recently swapped places with homeless people for a gritty, on the street photo shoot? Why didn't they ask Miss J. Alexander to teach them how to walk a runway strewn with dead rats and empty bottles of Thunderbird?

photo: The CW.