From the LA Times:

I’ve already posted this over on Facebook. But, I wanted a reminder here to all of our readers on the main blog pages.

This is particularly aimed a those of you ladies lucky enough to live in the greater Los Angeles area. You have a chance to get designer shoes for a mere $75 today, Nov 11, through Friday Nov 13.

Per the Times article (Note the bolded items if you are looking to take advantage of this event):

The makers of Baileys Original Irish Cream are partnering with five shoe designers, Alejandro Ingelmo, Farylrobin, Rafe, Shree Moni and Vanessa Noel, to create a pair of one-of-a-kind shoes inspired by the beverage. The shoes will be auctioned on the website of the charity Clothes Off Our Back, with 100% of the proceeds going to the charity.

To get prospective buyers excited for the event, Baileys is hosting a pop-up shoe shop in Los Angeles, selling shoes from designers such as Casadei, Sergio Rossi and L.A.M.B. for $75 a pair. Who are we kidding? It’s a steal. Once again, all proceeds will go to Clothes Off Our Back.

The event will be held Nov. 11-13, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 156 S. Robertson Blvd. Make sure not to bring the young ones. You must be 21 to enter the store.

Who me…Jealous much?

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By now, many of you will have seen the new Skechers “Shape Ups” walking shoes:

Skechers Shape-ups ‘Motivation’ $110

These look very similar to the MBT (Masai Barefoot Technology) ‘anti-shoe’ - complete with rocker bottom and enthusiastic claims to health benefits:

MBT ‘Sport 2′ $245

From all I have read, people who buy MBT’s love them. Similarly, people who are trying Shape-ups are also loving their new Skechers.

So, MBT or Skechers?  MBT definitely has had time to work on their technology.  But, at $150-$350 per pair, many people are unable to justify even trying the MBT’s without some guarantee that the footwear will work out for them.

At an average retail of $110 for the Skechers (I saw them at an outlet mall for about $60 right after they were released) they are considerably more affordable to the average consumer; Skechers has a good chance of gaining solid market saturation to a degree that we never saw with the higher-priced, niche-marketed MBT’s.

Of course, the obvious questions to now ask are how the two brands actually compare in quality, fit, function, and technology. So far, in actual comparisons of the two brands, Skechers fair very well as the low-priced, effective alternative to MBT’s.

You can also read more reviews of the Skechers Shape Ups here, here and here. While MBT’s website as well as Zappos are both filled with positive reviews of the MBT brand.

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Okay, so this one is from several weeks back:

- Hundreds of shoes from Imelda Marco’s infamous collection were rescued from rising floodwaters by dedicated museum workers at the Marikina Shoe Museum.

- In shoe-throwing news, a shoe is thrown at the former Australian Prime minister John Howard, while Sikh shoe-throwing journalist Jarnail Singh is honored in Canada.

- Jimmy Choo is interviewed by Roya Nikkhah - c/o NY Times

- Shoes continue to sell well despite recession. Apparently shoes are a luxury many of us refuse to do without c/o NY Times.

- A touching and Stars and Stripes article about two shoe bins marked ‘Left’ and ‘Right’. A story that brings home a sense of immediacy that although we are able to medically save many more military lives than we were able to in years past, the price is often a missing limb.

- Also touching, a Saks Fifth Avenue shoebox ‘full of New York’ care-package arrives in Afghanistan:

Lastly, and on a much lighter note:

-Cracked.com has the best version of the “women’s shoe-shopping dilemma” flowchart that I have yet seen. The after-commentary is also wickedly funny. Especially note the differences in the flow charts for men vs. women (as caught by Shoes N Booze)

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For those of you who love Louboutin’s Eugenie pumps, but either cannot or will not pay big $$$ for a pair of shoes - no matter how fabulous - Pella Moda has yet another entry in the category of designer-inspired near-knockoff’s with their “Vinessa” bootie.

Pella Moda ‘Vinessa’ open-toed, rhinestone-embellished, suede booties $214.95;

available at endless.com in black, brown, purple, or red suede.

While these haven’t quite managed the same ‘Wow’ factor as the uber-high and glamourous Louboutin’s that are their obvious inspiration, these Pella Moda’s are definitely more friendly to your bank account. Particularly if the current recession has you singing the budgetista blues. Plus, if you are like me, you will actually wear them more if you aren’t afraid of them getting scuffed the first time you wear them.

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So, I was down at the feed store this afternoon (and how often do you see shoe-lovers starting a conversation with a phrase like that?!) and encountered these cute little baby slippers. They immediately made me think of fellow shoe-blogger Shomore who is at that stage of pregnancy where I suspect she is just ready for it to be over and meet her baby already.

So, can we get an “Awww”?

Cowbabies pink Hi-top Critters $25.99 at Boot Barn and $26.99 at Sheplers.

Cowbabies tan Hi-top Critters $25.99 at Boot Barn.

Cowbabies pink Cowboy Boot $26.99 at Drysdales.

These are Roper brand “Cowbabies”; retail on these ranges from $19.99 to about $30.00, depending on the retailer. Available in 15 designs and made with soft leather uppers and non-skid bottoms, these are designed for little feet that are not yet ready for stiffer, hard-soled shoes.

And, unlike the perhaps-too-girly and grown-up heelarious slippers, I don’t see these being quite so controversial for potential baby gift-giving.

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