Hello Shoe Lovers –

Let me introduce the new kid on the block: Me. You can call me twinkletoes. I am a California transplant to the great shoe-tropolis: Manhattan. My new life has required that I make the transition from my all-stilettos-all-the-time, car-happy past to the these-boots-are-made-for-walking, train-based system of my new home. The mental switch from form over function to a melding of the two has been a tough one for me. My hankering for high heels and my predilection for platforms is not going away easily. However, I’ve come a long way, and my podiatrist thanks me for it. Who knew New York could actually be beneficial to health?

In light of this, I am going to share with you my ideal New York walking shoes. They have all three C’s: cute, classy, and comfortable. They are even completely affordable! If you will direct your peepers below:

Just kidding. I mean I LOVE these, but comfortable they are not. Try walking 20 blocks in these babies. And at $490, these Miu Miu Open-Back Suede Sandals, available on Net-a-Porter will make a pretty big hole in your wallet.

Here are my real New York trekkers:

Et voila! the Matisse Sable. These kitten-heeled honeys have been my tried and true companions for the last two years. Here’s the odd thing: they are almost always available. I have purchased three pairs at different points in time and have never had trouble finding them. Not only that, they come in several different colors (shown here in Ivory). At Zappos.com, they are an affordable $100, with four color options. I’ll tell you a secret though: these puppies are all over the internet and the price varies considerably. I paid $100 for the first pair and about $75 for the last two. The price depends on where you get them and the timeliness of your search. Incredibly comfortable and versatile, they have taken me up and down Broadway time and time again. If the Miu Miu sandals are the alluring bad boy, these are the guy you take home to meet Mom and Dad.

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LEANNE WAS ROBBED!!!!  Robbed, I tell’s ya!

How beautiful and classy and chic-with-a-(literal)-twist was this outfit?  It’s a blouse and skirt, and I would wear both of them, together, separately, any which way I could.  And she accessorized it perfectly with that gold necklace and the Gucci Eva wing-tip inspired platform pump.

On the other hand, the actual winning outfit (Kenley’s) did indeed look like it was made with… what did Joe call it?  Ft. Lauderdale pool furniture cushion fabric.  From the 80s.  Not in a good way.  I’ll give it that it was interesting and well-made and a good interpretation of the photograph on which it was based.  And it gave us our first double shoe usage (the emerald green Robert Cavalli sandal from episode 1).  But I can’t put this dress in the top 3 at all, let alone give it the win.

Who would I say was deserving of more love (and perhaps a spot in the top three instead of either Kenley’s or Terri’s (which was also interesting, but the dress over pants thing is old hat, and hers seemed to have a lot of extra messy fabric that made it look flouncy rather than streamlined sexy)?

Once again, Jerell.  He made a whole gown, for chrissake!  And it’s perhaps more limiting in what kind of “night on the town” you can wear it to (a black tie gala?  a flamenco performance?), it’s beautifully made and a gorgeous dress.  And worn with shoes that are not quite the Kenneth Cole Hit or Miss, but pretty close.

I’d also give a shout out to Kelli for this rocker Mad Max number, which went perfectly with the Gucci Ebony sandal, which isn’t available anymore, but I remember well from Chris March’s Hershey outfit last season.

I mean, I even didn’t hate Blayne-licious and his neon frills.  Though I didn’t much like the blah shoe choice (something along the lines of the Charles David Devin pump).

Emily’s losing “little black dress with a corsage” (Tim Gunn is always right, people.  Listen to him!) wasn’t great, and one could argue that the Gucci Eva maryjanes (guess it was the night for Gucci Eva shoes) were the most fabulous part of the outfit.

But in this, too, I think the judges went wrong.  Because I swear to you that I would much sooner be seen in public wearing that dress—which is at least kicky and has an energy to it—than Jennifer’s dowdy and depressing silk charmeuse number, which looks like maternity wear for a ladies club luncheon rather than a dress for a night on the town.

The shoes are VERY DEFINITIVELY the best part of this outfit.  They’re the secret love child of the Stuart Weitzman Vanity and the Christian Louboutin Caberet, and I love them.  Unlike the dress.

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 Rihanna’s August photoshoot for In Style features some awesomely fierce shoe choices. Behold:

First up, some uber-tall Louboutins, the epitome of sexy in deep, sinful red suede and towering stiletto heels (the Declic pump, if I’m not mistaken, $685 at Saks):

Next up, some generously-studded open-heel booties from Gucci’s “Babouska” fall line:

And finally, the tallest and fiercest of them all, these eelskin heels from the Emanuel Ungaro fall collection:

…and here’s a close-up:

I’m pretty much convinced that the only thing  you can really do in those heels is lean against a chair, look sexxxy, and hope you won’t tip over. But hey, that’s the whole point, right?

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At least once a month, and sometimes more frequently than that, I find a shoe that makes me feel like an infatuated teenager with a secret crush.

So, please meet my current crush, one that made my heart beat just a little faster when I stumbled upon it:

Jean Paul Gaultier’s houndstooth T-strap pump.

Can you tell that I’m an absolute sucker for menswear inspired styles?

What do I love?

• The Houndstooth print.
• The Wingtip/spectator styling
• The Retro T-strap.
• The Goth/punk/industrial feel of the over-sized buckle strap.
• The Zig-zag topstitching contrast.

What’s not to love?

Okay, perhaps the price-tag: $665 at Shopbop; this is not particularly expensive for a high-end designer shoe. It is, however far beyond the normal budgetary allowances of this Shoeblogger. 

Even so, I’m really feeling the love for this baby. How about you?

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Here at Shoeblog, we’re pretty much all advocates of spending a little more in order to get a pair of shoes that’ll last longer.  It does indeed work out to be smarter for the wallet in the long run.

But I’m also well aware that that means fewer opportunities for the excitement of a new pair of shoes.

What can you do to alleviate this?

We’ve talked about shoe accessories before: try Muleos, or Shoesmitten’s clips.

Well, here’s another entry on that scene.

Erica Weiner, who makes jewelry for the neck, ears, wrists, and fingers, also makes it for the feet.  Or, specifically, the shoes.  Her line of shoe clips are classy and flirty and fun, by turns.

She’s got a whole range of additions to make to your shoes, including red crinkle patent leather bows, tortoiseshell ovals,

white Art Deco style layered rectangles, and blue grosgrain rosettes.

That’s not all.  There are more.  And at $25 a pop, they’ll give your shoes a new lease on life and give you that flare of satisfaction in a new pair of shoes without the actual expense of… well… a new pair of shoes.

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