clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

High-End High-Tops Walk Out Of Union Square DSW

Eve Batey covers real crime for SFist, and fictional crime for Previously.tv.

Example of stolen shoes from Giuseppe Zanotti via ABC7
Example of stolen shoes from Giuseppe Zanotti via ABC7

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Could San Francisco's notorious Rainbow Girls be at it again? According to ABC7, four women who may or may not be members of the infamous brightly-braided shoplifting gang that's been terrorizing Union Square for years swiped thousands of dollars worth of footwear in a brazen heist Tuesday.

Though the Rainbow Girls are typically known for pillaging places like Prada, Coach, Neiman Marcus, and Burberry, Tuesday's thieves instead targeted the Designer Show Warehouse at Post and Powell Streets. Their prey? Seven pair of Giuseppe Zanotti high-top sneaker-wedges, the likes of which were sold by Saks for between $895-$1275, but DSW lists on their site for between $599-$699.

According to a San Francisco Police Department spokesperson, the women walked in, grabbed the seven pair of shoes, and "ran out." In 2013, Joe Zee spoke with a reformed Rainbow Girl as part of his Sundance series Revealing:Extravagance, who confirmed that, as store employees are reluctant to confront a thief who might be armed, a "run in, grab, run out" strategy is a nearly foolproof way to abscond with Union Square goods.

But though we asked, police were loath to speculate to Racked SF on whether or not they believed that Tuesday's light-fingered ladies were of the Rainbow variety, citing an ongoing investigation. But if you get offered a pair of high-top Zanottis at an impossible-to-believe price? Be a good citizen, and give SFPD's anonymous tip line a call at (415) 575-4444.

· Are SF's High-End Robbers Taking Cues from Spring Breakers? [Racked SF]
· 'Rainbow Girls' Are No 'Bling Ring,' [SFist]
· Several $600 Sneakers Stolen From San Francisco DSW [ABC7]

DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse

400 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94102-2203 415 956 3453 Visit Website