Maybe it’s the influence of Cinderella, her back-story and the ultimate fairy tale ending that spurred my fascination with deserted shoes. What happened? How did these shoes come to be homeless? Surely the wearer had shoes on and then at some point took them off and then left them behind?
This happens a lot to women, early in the evening you see the big fancy shoes and then later in the night girls dangling their heels in their fingertips. It is also a popular phenomenon at weddings, when the serious get down to boogie. The shoes get knocked off. The shoes are off, but still in possession.
When I see a shoe or a pair of shoes completely discarded I wonder, surely the wearer started with a pair of shoes on. How/when did then become unneeded? 
One lowly shoe on the side of the highway; I figure the owner was demonstrating some sort of road rage. Or the passenger (hopefully not the driver) had their feet out the window and one flew off?
Recently on a night out, sitting in a swanky restaurant lounge I came across a pair of deserted Louboutin’s. Yes, red soles and all. No one, I mean no one was monitoring the whereabouts of these shoes. This is a pair of shoes even used could pull in $200+ on EBay, I suspect. I inquired with the manager about the shoeless patron. My friend and I laughed about what women came to this establishment sporting expensive shoes and then left, leaving her Louboutin’s. Maybe she was literally swept off her feet. She is now on a private jet to Paris, off to purchase a new pair. I can only hope my modern day Cinderella this is your story.
Safe Travels!
Laura
I imagine the woman had a knock down-drag out with her Louboutins. They insisted she bring them to the dance floor, and she resisted. They threatened to break her ankle. She knew they could. So, she abandoned them for the ballet slippers she kept in a pouch in her purse (I know, because I carry a gold pouch with a pair myself). But now she longs for her lost Louboutins. Perhaps Laura, you just did one of those amazing re-united-by-photo-on-the-Internet things. And the story is discovered by Jimmy Fallon’s producer, so you guest on his show to tell your stories and knock his socks off (men’s shoes not all that interesting). We all live happily ever after!
I love the way you think Nance!