The shoe bubble

Hasn't burst yet.

Ever wonder why Christian Louboutin's sequined ballet flats retail for $880? It's simple: because you keep buying them.

Shoes weren't always this pricey, though. Their tags quietly rose a few years ago around the time we were all reeling from sticker shock over the new high prices of designer denim. But now retailers from large department stores to tiny boutiques mark up kicks 2.4 to three times the wholesale price (clothes and bags are usually marked up only twice the wholesale price).