Last night Soho designer-shoe boutique Te Casan held a cocktail party to celebrate the launch of the vegan (leather-free) footwear line designed by Natalie Portman. The party itself was veganed out, but it didn't feel preachy and was thus still fun, and we happily munched on little vegan-mushroom-cup hors d'oeuvre. Most of the PR team dutifully wore the black-patent mary janes from Portman's line, but Portman (who was in genuine sweetheart form) sported the red patent ones. We weren't loving Portman's red version, but at any rate, the shoes helped her stand out in the crowd of black-clad flacks who wouldn't let anyone near her.

But the shoes, how do we say, looked more … vegan than anything else. They were all rather low-heeled, which we appreciate, but they also looked a bit lackluster and dated. Though we fondled "suede" on a pair of flats that was soft and convincing, the plain silver dress sandals looked like they came straight from a public-access dance tournament. The number of partygoers who were more interested in the non-vegan shoe options at Te Casan than Portman's wares made us realize that we were not alone. If we're going to spend the $185 to $325 on shoes not made of leather, maybe we'd be better off sticking to Stella McCartney.