Ripped Off...and loving it.

There are lots of perks to working for the government.



The feeling you get knowing that someone twice your age has to suck up to you to gain access to your boss.



Savant-like knowledge of regulatory provisions and congressional districts by zip code.



Finding out confidential and sometimes even classified information, which no one else actually wants to know.



Hot ass ID badges.



However, earning the big bucks is not a perk I enjoy.



Don't believe me? Are you sitting there thinking, CapHillBarbie, you are so full of crap! No one would do your job and not get paid like a banshee! Oh yeah? Check out the salary of everyone on the Hill. Send money and care packages.



So, when I lust after certain high priced fashion items, I have two choices: (A) forgo rent and eat Top Ramen every day for lunch, or, (B) find a knock-off and work it like there is no tomorrow.



Thus was the case of The Chloe Flats:



On a trip around Bergdorf Goodman with my mom earlier this year, I spied a hot pair of Chloe flats for spring. They looked perfect for bumming around on the weekend, casual days at work in the summer, and would even work through fall! But when I took a gander at the price tag, my dreams of swanning around Dirksen in my cute shoes came to a screeching halt.

I still love you dearly, even though you are out of my price range.

So, I put them down (my birthday isn't until fall, so begging for an early present from my mother would have been fruitless) and tried my best to forget.

Until this weekend when I stopped into Steve Madden on Saturday (yup, that's right, I'm a masochist.) and found pair of flats almost exactly like the Chloes! The best part? About $400 less than the real deal. I snatched them up on the spot.

Let the swanning begin!



Another perk? Being able to provide a little technical assistance for this legislation.