Yes, You Can Actually Walk in Christian Siriano's Talon Heels

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From the moment that we saw the talon-heeled Christian Siriano for Payless spring collection shoes magically appear on their website yesterday, we were wondering exactly how many Payless stores would get the clawed clodhoppers, and would people be buying? But more importantly, are they comfortable and can you walk in them?

So, partly to test our own abilities at high-heel strutting and to check the babies out in person, we headed over to the Payless at 40 West 14th Street near 6th Avenue, where all three styles were in stock in all sizes.

Gingerly stepping into each $79.99 pair without falling over and without embarrassing ourselves amongst the other customers looking for simple $24.99 shoes, we explored the unique designs and judged them thus:

· The Blue "To The Point" Printed Pump: This is the most desired, least crazy one of the three pairs, and yet we also found it the most uncomfortable and least sturdy. Truth be told, the talon heels are more solid than you'd believe from just looking at them, but this pump lacked the ankle straps of the other two pairs and therefore makes you feel as though you have only a tentative grip on the shoes, that you might step or wiggle out of them at any moment. That said, the darker color of these causes them to be most attention-getting, as the exaggerated curve of the heel and the platform height is accentuated. Final decision: very sexy, very aesthetically pleasing, but the hardest to actually wear.

· Lizard-print "Cut It Out" Ankle Cuff Bootie: This pair has the most deceiving appearance. Walking up to it, you think "oh hell no. I could so not wear that." And then you put it on and realize that the sequins are not so flashy, the heel not so bad with the ankle bootie stabilizing your foot, and the color and pattern not so crazy. Like wearing dramatic shoulderpads, the extreme design of this pair make you feel very confident in your daring to wear it. Final decision: The most fashion-forward of the three pairs, it is the most comfortable but also the hardest sell.

· Blush "All Done Up" Mary Jane Pumps: You know how women buy nude leather Christian Louboutins with 7-inch heels? It's to make their legs look longer, because that's what nude shoes do. These have almost the same effect, except that the color skews a little too blush to make them disappear into your leg. That said, it's not a difficult shade to digest and we found ourselves liking them once our feet. Like with the blue pumps, there will be toe cleavage and squishage, but the fit is improved and the possibility of wobbling decreased by the four sequined straps. The straps themselves are particularly well done, going from the outside to the inside of the shoe and securing like exchangeable bra straps, with that slide buckle thing. Final decision: We predict these to be most popular, since they rank in the middle of the three pairs in terms of fashion forwardness and wearability. You also won't be able to stop looking at yourself in the mirror.

Like we told you yesterday, you can buy the heels online at Payless.com, or find them at these Manhattan locations: Broadway and Houston, Sixth Avenue and 23rd Street, and 14th Street between Fifth and Sixth. On Twitter, we also learned from @stylemecheaply that she found them uptown at the Payless on Lexington between 57th and 58th Streets.

We did buy one pair. Wanna guess which ones?

· Rejoice! Christian Siriano's Claw Heels Hit Payless [Racked NY]
· Just Arrived: Christian Siriano's Talon-Heeled Shoes at Payless [Racked National]
· Liveblogging the Shows: Christian Siriano Spring/Summer 2010 [Racked NY]