Woman goes to extreme lengths in search of missing shoe

A woman who lost the left shoe of a prized pair of £400 Christian Louboutin heels has gone to extraordinary lengths to retrieve it. Louise Bawn, 37, was inconsolable after realising that the leopard-print shoe had fallen out of her handbag during a night out in Bristol. In a modern twist on the Cinderella fairytale, she has now resorted to retracing her footsteps around the city, stopping passers-by, handing out leaflets and even offering a reward for the shoe's safe return.

Mrs Bawn, from Bristol, said the high-heels hold special value to her because they were a Christmas gift from her husband Julian, 43. She said: "The shoe is worthless to anyone else because it's just one of a pair, but it means the world to me.

"When I saw them in the shop, I only dreamed of owning them, and I was over the moon when my husband got them for me as a present. I'm not going to give up without a fight, so I'm willing to do anything. It was only the second time I had worn them."



Mrs Bawn had been on a night out with her husband, a kitchen fitter, and his colleagues on Saturday evening when she lost the red-soled shoe. She had taken them off and put them in her handbag so she could switch to a pair of flat shoes when her feet became tired. However, she believes she dropped the size 5 shoe from her bag at a taxi rank on Baldwin Street or in the cab on the way home.

Since then, Mrs Bawn has spent every day sticking up "lost" posters, questioning taxi drivers, inquiring in shops, and offering a £50 reward for its return. She has also placed a notice on Gumtree, the classifieds website, with a photograph of the shoe's forlorn right counterpart.

Mrs Bawn added: "When I realised that I had lost my shoe I was devastated, totally inconsolable. I've called Louboutin and they don't make that fabric any more, so they're irreplaceable. I suppose it's rather like Cinderella, only I've already got my Prince Charming, it's just my shoe that I'm after."