Betsey Johnson: 30th Anniversary Layla Sandal

I just ran into these shoes a few minutes ago and decided they were worth sharing.

Betsey Johnson ‘Layla’ $179.99 at Heels.com

Just look at the detail on these: the metallic heel, the little heart-shaped buckle.  These could be yet another contender for the coveted attention of the ’09 spring bride looking for her perfect pair of wedding shoes. These are a bit unusual since they are a silver satin upper with an overlay of gold-specked black mesh lace and Swarovski sparkle.  If you are looking for an unconventional sandal that can be worn again with a LBD on your anniversary, these may be the style for you.  Another added plus is that at just under $200, (and one last pair in size 10 on sale for $145 at Zappos) these shoes are friendly to a much wider range of budgets than some of our previous wedding-worthy mentions.

Oh, one last detail, these are “30′th Anniversary” Betsey Johnson sandals and have the additional unusual detail of shoe designer Betsey Johnson’s portrait on the sole.

Definitely a shoe for the more quirky brides among us.

Shoes on TV: Dollhouse

If any of you are watching Joss Whedon’s new show, Dollhouse, you may (like me) be watching the shoes kind of obsessively.

This past week, Echo wore a pair of heels that I couldn’t look away from.  Here’s a screenshot.

In this case, it was actually because I thought they looked clunky and distracting, so… not a thumbs up.

But the last episode sent Sierra out in a pair of gorgeous criss-cross strappy pumps with what just might be my favorite of this season’s trends: heel zippers (which of course you can’t see in this shot).

What are these pretty puppies?  Thankfully something you can get your hands on if you’re feeling so inclined.

They’re the Tammy by L.A.M.B. (not to be confused with yesterday’s featured Flavia), and you can snag them for $349 at Heels.com.

I can’t say as I’d recommend trying to run away from government operatives in them the way Sierra did in the episode.  But they’re surely pretty shoes.

Sunday Shoe Pick: L.A.M.B Flavia Sandal

As always, I hope our readers are having a wonderful weekend.  Here’s to time to unwind, relax, and spend time with those we love.

I am currently decompressing from my last, crazy, soccer-family weekend … that is, until it all starts back up again in the fall.  So, what did I run across today that made me smile? These gorgeous and airy cage sandals:

LAMB ‘Flavia’ woven peep-toe sandals in ivory, brown, or black $424.99 Heels.com, ($429 Zappos).

This is the kind of sandal a soccer-mom may dream of …. but can only get around to wearing after the spring soccer season is past. It must wait until she is no longer likely to find herself trudging across the kind of damp fields whose devious nature is to trap the unwary (OK, foolish) heel-wearer.  Don’t get me wrong; my brocade Skechers excel in that particular role.  But these basket-woven Maryjane beauties by LAMB?  They are a light, refreshing, and welcome, breath of spring.

Sis’s Spring Sandal Pick Is Pikolinos

I recently found out that one of my sisters is reading our blog when she recently asked me via e-mail  “How are those fuzzy boots working out?“.  Now that she is following our site, she has also started campaigning to convert me over to Clarks, which is her absolute favorite shoe brand.  Apparently, it took me moving to a different state to find out that she loves looking at and trying on cute, sexy, or funky shoes almost as much as I do.

In this recent message, subject line: ‘My New Shoes’, she shares with me her brief summer sandal search. The siren-call that she was hoping to answer was for one of these two pairs of Frye sandals.

Frye ‘Dara’ T-strap $192 at Zappos

Frye ‘Grace’ Sandal $227.95 at Nordstrom

Unfortunately, she laments that “she couldn’t walk in them”.  And, since the primary purpose of shoes is to protect our feet in the everyday action of walking, this was an obvious deal-breaker.

So, where did she turn instead? Surprisingly, not to her fave brand Clarks, but to this shoe by Pikolinos:

Pikolinos ‘Romana’ mule $144.95 at Nordstrom

This is a unique little slip-on shoe that manages to be comfy and funky while still retaining a solid feminine flare. I love the attention to detail on these; they are also a wonderful way to get a boho-styled shoe that won’t be on the feet of everybody else around.

Now, the ‘Romana’ is definitely more Sis’s style than mine. But, it is refreshingly different and eclectic. So, after receiving her e-mail, I just had to go peeking around online to see what other styles Pikolinos might offer.

Here are a few that caught my eye:

This one is a wonderfully quirky interpretation of the still-dominant gladiator sandal style.

Pikolinos ‘Formentera gladiator sandal’ $174.95 at Nordstrom

And, if gladiators are not your thing, the Formentera is available in a simple slide variation as well:

Pikolinos ‘Formentera’ sandal $149.95 at Nordstrom

Another  Pikolinos shoe that I love is this charming Maryjane.

Pikolinos ‘Genebra’ Maryjane pump $81.90 $164.95 at Nordstrom

Now, I am undeniably a fan of Maryjane styles, so I was somewhat biased at the outset. But the leather on this is so yummy and I love the overall quilted effect of the stitching as well. This is one fantastic shoe with wonderfully whimsical artistic appeal.

On an unrelated note, I challenge you to say the title of this article three times fast.

Walk in Their Shoes

Inside a tall rectangular box are hundreds of pairs of children’s shoes. Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that each pair has a small card attached to it. A pair of tiny pink flowered sandals bears the card, “Nada, daughter of Leila Zechi, age 6, Gunfire, Latefiya, 7/22/04″

This small, free-standing installation was created by Code Pink: Women for Peace, an anti-war group founded in 2002 during the time leading up to the war in Iraq. They describe themselves as a “grassroots peace and social justice movement” whose mission is “to end the war in Iraq, stop new wars, and redirect our resources into healthcare, education and other life-affirming activities.” Since their inception, they have staged several large-scale peace marches, protests, and demonstrations and have even sent delegations to Iraq.

The Walk in Their Shoes memorial is meant to be a visual representation of the human losses during this war. Each pair of shoes represents a child who has died in the war. More than 20 of these installations have been erected around the country. I took photos of this one on a visit to Washington D.C. a few weeks ago. Here are a few more photos, click on them to make them larger.

In the bottom two photos, you can see the sheer number of shoes inside the memorial. In the right photo, the names of the children are visible, printed on the glass. Regardless of your feelings about the war, this is a striking sight, particularly when you remember that there are 20 more of these. I think that a lot of the information that we hear about US operations abroad are discussed in terms of financial cost rather than human cost. This memorial certainly drives the facts about the sheer number of human losses home and it does so through a medium that is familiar to everyone: that of shoes. It is a reminder of the horrors of war.

A sign posted near the memorial gave statistics on the losses:

“According to a 2006 mortality survey conducted by Johns Hopkins University, an estimated 600,000 Iraqi civilians died from violence since the U.S. invasion in March of 2003. Most recent estimates have put the Iraqi death toll due to violence at between 734,000 to 1.4 million.

Shoes, like this pair representing the 3-year-old daughter of Hussein al Tarish, help people visualize the unspeakable pain and suffering this war has inflicted on the Iraqi people. Every pair of shoes contained in this memorial was labeled and donated by peace activists from all over the U.S. The labels document the age, name, and cause of death of innocent Iraqi civilians who have lost their lives since the tragic U.S. military invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq.

The war has internally displaced two million people and forced over two million to flee Iraq. Most refugees are in Syria and Jordan – which host the largest number of refugees per capita of any country. The vast majority are surviving with little or no assistance from the international community. Few, if any, enjoy their rights as refugees.”

The memorial also makes reference to the now infamous shoe-throwing incident at former President Bush’s farewell meeting in Iraq. As is well known, Muntadar al-Zaidi threw a shoe at President Bush as Bush described American achievements in Iraq. Zaidi is said to have shouted “This is for the widows and orphans and all those killed in Iraq.” On one side, a small sign reads “Thank you Muntadar al-Zaidi.” A letter signed by several peace-keeping organizations is posted next to it. It declares Zaidi a hero for his actions and describes outrage over his being held and beaten in an Iraqi prison. The letter is dated December 18th, 2008. Since then, al-Zaidi has been sentenced to one year in prision, a significantly shorter term than was originally expected.