Why Is The Government Holding 300 Pairs Of Manolos?

Is the government full of fashionistas or is it just the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service? Courthouse News reports that the federal government filed a suit on Wednesday to keep its hold on nearly 300 pairs of Manolo Blahnik shoes, worth a jaw-dropping total of $43,000.

Before you get the image of a bunch of federal agents finishing off their standard suit with a pair of stillettos engraved in your brain, there is actually a legitimate reason. The shoes were seized in 2013 by the ever-stylish Fish and Wildlife Service, because the shoes were likely made from the skin of an endangered animal.

The pairs of shoes were being imported via Italy, but customs documents intended to report where the shoes were made and with what materials weren’t properly filled out. The government believes that the shoes are made from the skin of Cerberus rynchops, or the dog-faced water snake, which has been on the endangered species list since 1973.

In the U.S., it’s illegal to import any product made from an endangered species. It’s likely that the government is suing not because the shoes will make the perfect addition to their favorite Saturday night going-out outfit, but simply to prevent their sale on the market. Likely. Because seriously, if you have an Instagram as pretty as this, we have to be at least a little suspicious.


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