A pair of Jimmy Choo heels on sale at Oxfam! Whatever would Carrie think?

Byline: Lydia Whitfield

NESTLED among the rows of secondhand shoes, it would be easy not to notice anything special about these two pairs of strappy sandals.

But look at the price tag, and it'll be immediately obvious that they're not standard charity shop fare.

Because these are Jimmy Choos - the world's most exclusive shoe brand - and they're for sale for pounds 150 in the branch of Oxfam in Albany Road, Cardiff.

Worn by celebrities like Victoria Beckham, Kate Moss and Cameron Diaz, Jimmy Choo heels have reached cult status since an entire episode of Sex And The City was devoted to the brand.

And despite the price tags, staff there are confident someone will snap them up. The cheapest shoes in the current collection retail from pounds 226 up to pounds 1,170 for a pair of suede, beaded boots.

The pair of stringy, black beaded sandals, which tie right the way up the calf, and the fuchsia pink suede studded mules, are on display in the popular Cardiff Oxfam store, in the heart of the city's student area.

They sit alongside gentlemen's cufflinks and a Beatrix Potter souvenir plate in a locked glass cabinet behind the counter.

Shop manageress Sue Courtney- Thomas said: "I was thrilled when a friend of my area manager donated these. I would love to display them better, but things always go walkabout from this store, so we've put a sign in the window advertising the shoes instead.

"Unfortunately, we've been suffering from the Cinderella syndrome - because they are in a size four and a half, shoppers have been coming in, trying to squeeze into them and we've only had one potential buyer they would actually fit.

She decided she couldn't afford them."

A coat in perfect condition and by an American designer, once sold for pounds 395 at the same Oxfam store.

Jimmy Choo shoes are currently only available in one store inWales - Swansea's Bossy Boutique.

The Jimmy Choo legend was born after Tamara Mellon, founder and president of the company - who is dating Hollywood heartthrob Johnny Depp - met Malaysian designer Jimmy Choo in 1996, while she was accessories editor at Vogue magazine. She persuaded him to expand into ready-to-wear designs.

Last year the company was acquired by TowerBrook Capital Partners, which valued it at pounds 185m.

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'PRICEY... BUT SO COMFY'

THEY might be the most exclusive brand of shoes on the planet, but Oxfam's Jimmy Choos are also pretty damn comfortable, discovered the Echo's shoe guru Lydia Whitfield It's not often you get to try on a pair of Jimmy Choos.

And even less often while you're stood in a charity shop.

But that's what I was faced with as I walked into Oxfam in Albany Road.

The black strappy sandals, which have a slightly worn but original Jimmy Choo sole, are a European size 37, or UK size 4, while the hot pink pair have been re-soled and re-heeled but felt a lot bigger than the black pair, leaving ample room for my size 5, sometimes size 6 feet.

It's every shoe-loving girl's dream to try on a pair of Jimmy Choos and, while the black pair were obviously uncomfortable to squeeze into, the pink mules, with the added comfort of a cushioned platform sole, were surprisingly easy to wear and walk in.

Guess I'll just have to start saving my pennies...

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WALKING TALL: The two pairs of Jimmy Choo shoes at Oxfam in Cardiff and, below, the girls from Sex and the City