when is a shoe not quite the shoe you thought it was?

My boss is a singular personality. Brilliant at big picture thinking, sometimes the minor details escape her attention. Often this results in an amusing story.
We are in the process of having a renovation done on our double storey office space. The ultimate aim of the process is to move our workspace upstairs so that the ground floor can be let out to any renter prepared to pay out the big bucks.
Smith Street in Collingwood (where we work) is becoming a very hip shopping zone. We often receive offers to rent out our ground floor. A current offer has been made for a shoe shop to move in downstairs. While having her hair cut at a local hairdressers my boss somehow managed to convey the idea that a ‘Manolo Blahnik’ shoe shop was moving in. Manolo Blahnik? The fabulous (not to mention extremely expensive) shoes featured on ‘Sex in the City’? The shoes as art people? Yep, absolutely.
Much excitement ensued in the hair cutting shop. And much speculation.
Another staff member ventured down to the same hairdressers for an appointment later in the week (yes – we have a workplace hairdresser of choice!) She was greeted with a barrage of questions about the possibility of the beautiful shoes. “Yes,” she agreed, “a shoe shop downstairs would be kind of nice”.
“What about all the extra security you’d need for the very expensive shoes?” continue the girls at the hairdressers.
“I’m sure there wouldn’t be a problem with the security.” (Curious?!)
“But it’s Smith Street! These shoes are art!”
“Which shoes?”
“Manolo Blahnik!”
“Ummmmmmm….”

Sure, a shoe shop might move in. But it’s not Manolo Blahnik. It does start with a ‘B’ but it’s a long way removed from Manolo Blahnik.
A long way.
These shoes are more ‘functional’ than ‘art’. Smith Street is going to be very disappointed.