Although New Year’s has come and gone, we wanted to do a followup post to show you our friend Annie’s New Year’s Eve party shoes.  If you recall, Annie was searching for Luciano Padovan’s mirrored disco ball shoes.  We thought the shoes were sheer perfection too. Alas, perfection did not come in a size 8.

Short on time, Annie went to her local Nordstrom’s Rack and picked up the Martinez Valero Calle Peep Toe Pump (also available at Endless.com for $96.22).  Now on Endless, the shoe is certainly pretty.

But what really got me was seeing these shoes on Anne’s perfectly french pedicured feet. Against a backdrop of maroon carpeting,  Martinez Valero’s rhinestone shoes were absolutely stunning and certainly caught the attention of the spotlight - just look at the shoes sparkling and winking at us!  Well done, Annie!

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With New Year’s parties and celebrations right around the corner, our dear friend Annie wrote to us for help finding fun disco ball shoes:

Hi:

This shoe is the most beautiful and amazing shoe I’ve ever seen:

Luciano Padovan 490.  I can’t seem to find it in my size anywhere (8). There’s also a slingback version that I also couldn’t find it my size.  I would love to see a roundup of something similar or a style recomendation for New Years (or if you know somewhere that has my size, that would be great too).  I want disco balls on my feet!

I would say I’m not willing to pay more than $250, but only if the price is right.

I seem to stumble upon mostly sequin covered round toed pumps that look a little cheap.  What I’m really looking for is that mirrored disco look and hopefully a peep toe.  Tall order, it seems, but I will still be looking.  I might end up going for a glamorous red satin or suede platform peep toe for new years (I want something flamboyant to go with my LBD)?  So any roundup of festive shoes would very much interest me.

Thanks for your help and I really enjoy your blog!

Cheers and Happy Holidays!

-Annie

Dear Annie:

First, I must congratulate you on your good eye.  These shoes would truly be a great way to kick off the New Year.     I’m also fond of the fact that Luciano Padovani’s disco ball shoe balance the classic shape with the fun fun mirrored finished pattern.  The platforms should also help offset the high heel so you aren’t on your tippy toes for the entire night.

Given that I approved of your choice so much, my first instinct is to visit the Luciano Padovani website to see if there is a retailer nearby who carries the shoe.  That way, you’ll be able to try on the shoes and get instant gratification at the same time.

Since the retailers are limited, I tried to look for the exact shoe in your size first.  Like you, I struck out there.   I did find these Luciano Padovani styles from the same family and I’ll include the prices and sizes available.

Luciano Padovani Style 432 is on sale at FootCandyShoes for $247.  Sadly, it only comes in a 6.5, 7.5, and 9.5.  Now, since these are the perfect fit, I would encourage you to try calling FooCandyShoes at 877-517-4606.  Who knows?  Maybe they have a return in a size 8 or they can comment on how the shoe fits.  As shoes notoriously vary in sizes since each model’s foot is different, perhaps this one runs a bit small and you’ll be able to fit in a 7.5

Now, Luciano Padovani Style 2524 is available in your size (8) at FootCandyShoes for $247.  Now, just imagine, if you are open the wearing flats on New Year’s, you’ll be able to party WAAAY into the night with these puppies.

Over at Yoox, there were two styles from Padovan.   Luciano Padovan Buckle Pump comes in your size and a bunch of others too, including 36,37,38,39,40.  At $279, they are a tad over your budget though.

Luciano Padovan Gold Mirrored Slingbacks ($279 at Yoox) are also lustworthy, but only available in 36 and 39.5

Now as far as copy cats go, surprisingly, I could not find any that were remotely similar and lustworthy to me. Therefore, I’ve compiled my list of second tier fun party shoes that will add a little glimmer to your outfit without bankrupting you.

JLo Darcey at Heels.com for $119 (also available in black and gold). Use code HEELQ4AFF for $15 off a $125 purchase.  The code expires on 12/31/08.

The ever fun Betsey Johnson has the Florina for $115 at 6pm.com.  At first glance, I thought this was a snake print, but did you notice the heart shaped patterns.   You can also match some dance floors with the racing  striped heel and sole.    The shoe is in your size right now, but since 6pm stock is sometimes limited, you can always purchase it for $189 at Heels.

LAMB has the Georgina, or what I like to call the shoe with gills for $349.  It is pricey but definitely unique enough to justify the higher price tag.

BCBG Girls’ Constance is $112 at Heels.com.  Remember to use code HEELQ4AFF for $15 off a $125 purchase.  The code expires on 12/31/08.

I can’t believe I’m mentioning this, but Jessica Simpson actually has a decent lineup of shoes.  I can’t speak for the quality since I don’t own a pair, but the styles aren’t too bad.  This Simpson Delsi is $75 at Endless (with free overnight shipping and returns) and I do like the contrast striping along the vamp and ankle.

And this Jessica Simpson Pearla shoe ($49 at Endless with free overnight shipping and returns) is worth mentioning for its crackled metallic mirror texture and the sexy cutout.

Guiseppe Zanotti Patent Pumps is half off at Zappos or $249 at Zappos (they are still full price at Endless).

Good luck, Annie!   And if all else fail, red satin is certainly a great way to make that LBD pop so hopefully you’ll be ready to party until it’s 2-0-0-9 (somehow humming Prince’s “1999″ song doesn’t work here).

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They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but can you judge a man by his shoes?  Shoeologist Donna Sozio, author of the book Never Trust a Man in Alligator Loafers (and one of the items in our holiday giveaway that you can enter right here), says that you can.

Naturally, I thought it would be fun to put Donna up to a little shoe challenge.  It was a blind shoe test. I sent Donna a picture of a man’s shoes but neglected to tell her the shoes belonged to my hubby (henceforth called DH for darling husband).

Here was her reading and I’ll tell you how she did afterwards:

Interesting. These shoes are very functional. We have the obligatory black loafers for work and/or dress events. Running shoes for well, running and other athletics. The more hip, young and fun lace-up hybrid bowler-ish kicks satisfy just about all other moments in-between work and sport. With these three shoes, he’s covered just about everything. Except himself.

Each of his shoes seems to do something for someone else. They fit a role to play and a part to be. I feel like he would do best having in his repertoire a shoe that is uniquely him. A shoe that doesn’t necessarily serve a function. One that he owns because it he likes it… not because “It’ll work” or “It’ll do”.

Above all, he’s a casual guy. The black dress shoes are about as casual as you get away with in that department. And he’s probably not used to thinking that he can do something just to please himself. I mean, men aren’t prone to bubble baths or pedicures. He’s not even close to being a metrosexual. But that doesn’t mean he can’t break rank once in a while and go for style. In fact, it would be an interesting experiment for him to go for the unexpected and learn that nothing catastrophic will happen.

What does all this mean for his love potential?

Most likely he’s a good provider, even if adolescent at times. He’ll let himself get run down doing things for others. So don’t be surprised if he suddenly has to “go camping” or disappear into the garage for the weekend to regroup.

It’s best to remind him that he doesn’t always have to follow the rules other people put before him. He can make his own rules, do things his own way and be equally successful, if not more.

If you want flowers more often than just on your birthday, find unexpected off-beat reasons to celebrate. At first he might resist, but secretly he’ll appreciate you, once he realizes just how fun life is when you’re living for yourself rather than under other people’s expectations.

Verdict:  I’m impressed. Just by looking at the condition, shape, material, etc. of the shoes Donna gave a pretty accurate read.   My DH truly is the most manly, laid back guy that I know.  Who else would love me despite my OCD habits, picky food habits, strict household habits, corny humor, etc?   DH is also very loving, generous, helpful, and thoughtful when it comes to family and dear friends. Lucky me!’

I do disagree with Donna’s evaluation that the hubby gets worn down from helping people and doesn’t do something for himself though.  The numerous technie gadgets, video games, and motorized toys say otherwise.  However,  I have to be fair and mention that I only sent the top three shoes the hubby wears. So maybe I should have sent the entire shoe collection to Donna to give her a more complete picture.

This is a book which I think would be fun and hopefully helpful for my single friends and maybe even my married ones too.   I figure that, if you take the book with a grain of salt, it will at least be a good conversation piece, especially when you get to excerpts of the book like this one.   This is Donna’s list of “10 Reasons Why Shoes Are Better Than Men”:

1. They come in pairs
2. We pick their size
3. They prefer to be fixed
4. They always compliment us
5. They wait right where we left them
6. They’re returnable
7. They don’t mind being cleaned up
8. They like it when we “step on them”
9. They always know how to make us feel better
10. They don’t get jealous if we’ve had multiple shoe experiences

Still not convinced or need Donna’s help to weigh in?  You can submit your man’s shoe pictures on the forums here and Donna will do her best to give you her predictions.  Not all posts will be answered, but maybe the rest of us can chime in too.

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Hi!
I need help! Every year I see tons of awesome calf- and knee-high boots. It seems like each Fall and Winter they come out with new styles…and colors! BUT I have to admire them from afar. I was born a beautiful full-figured woman :)….unfortunately, with BIG calfs! I can’t fit ANY of the boots I find! And the ones I do find are that suede material.

Do you know where I can find some MODERATELY-priced  leather calf- and knee-length boots? HELP!!

Crystal

Apologies to Crystal if it seems like we took awhile to respond on this plea; this is a tough and ongoing challenge for many women and keeping this article informative without going off on tangents has proven to be trickier than expected.

The complaint that boots are not made for gals with sturdy calves is, unfortunately, not news to anyone who has ever been in that same (and very unenviable) shopping position. So, of course, I find Crystal’s frustration to be completely understandable. And, there are many ladies out there who adore taller boots, but have less-than-dainty calves. At 14 inches around, my calves ride the fashion tightrope on whether a given boot will fit and zip.  If you are ambitious, there are even many products for you to attempt to self-stretch your own shoes, should the urge strike you.

Of course, the first requirement for successful stretching is that the boot upper be made of leather.  This is doubly important; Leather is very durable making it easier to get good wear and your money’s worth from your purchase and,  real leather is stretchable when given to a competent cobbler/boot repair shop. When all else fails, purchase and all-leather boot & have your boots stretched. The process will only lighten your pocketbook by $20-$30 and the result is often a perfectly fitted boot.

Now, if you are new to our site, you may have missed an older shoeblog article that focused on  Duo Boots.  Duo boots come in a number of different calf sizes and can even accommodate ladies with the opposite problem of narrow calves since they are sold by calf-size. Of course, at prices starting at UK 120/US $250 depending on the exchange rate, they may not quite fit into the category of ‘Moderately-priced’ to the average consumer. Lately, with shoe prices on the rise, these are definitely nowhere near as spendy as many current mid-to-high end designers that are now charging upwards of $500-$2500 for current-season leather boots; it may be a worthwhile investment for those harder-to-fit folks to spend the $250+ for a long-lasting, well-fitted boot.

Next, as he is the master of most things shoe-related, it is no surprise that ‘The Manolo’ has also struggled with a solution to the wide-calf dilemma. Among his recommendations of boot brands with roomier calf-allowances are: J. Crew, Ralph Lauren, and Church’s boots. More useful, perhaps are actually the comments responding to his article which recommend both Eddie Bauer as well as the (new to me) website www.widewidths.com (self-proclaimed as ‘Your Site for Fashionable Wide-calf boots’).

Finally, no hunt would be complete without a quick search over at Zappos.com to see what options are available on ‘Wide-calf’ site search. OK, that’s 50+ pages of results in varying styles and prices; Among them, a large selection of RSVP boots priced under $200. Of course, many ‘wide-calf’ boots only fit up to about 15 inches around in calf circumference, so some of these results will only be helpful for borderline ladies like myself;  so it’s always good to check the individual shoe stats (Thank you Zappos for such great descriptions).

Well, when my eyes alight on the phrase ‘Extra Wide Calf’, that sounds pretty promising. Way to go, Type Z.

Type Z Catie Extra Wide Calf $190 at Zappos.com (17″ circumference)

Also promising, selections from Ros Hommerson, a brand known for offering a huge variety of widths from extra-narrow to wide on all of their shoe and boot styles.

Ros Hommerson Chanel Boot (Wide - 16.25″ circumference) or Inlet Boot (Extra Wide - 18″ circumference) $198.

A few other options include widening a boot search to include boot-cut Western Styles as well as Lace-up boots and adjustable Granny styles.

Some options in this category are:

Dan Post Snowflake Ostrich $309.

Frye Veronica Slouch Black Patent $332 (15″ circumference).

Frye Page Buckles $382 (15.5 circumference).

Mark Nason Iris $574.95 $310 (14″ circumference). My own experience with Mark Nason is that the lacing give more width allowance than the base measurement indicates).

Etienne Aigner Kraft $ 148.95 $97 (14″ circumference).

Shoes for Lovely People Anthia $216 (14.5″ circumference plus added stretch gore panels).

This information is merely a starting point for those on the hunt for a more accommodating boot shaft, and some styles will work for some ladies and not others (But I have found that to be true of all shoes). Like any shoe hunt, it takes time and patience to find the right item at the right value. Hopefully I have provided some tools to help you along the way.

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Boot hunter Jessa writes:

Hello,

I’m looking for a lookalike to the new Juicy Couture Locke Vintage Flat Boot and wondered if you had seen anything that resembles it for a bit less? The only thing with the Juicy boot is that the shaft is

16.5 inches tall (it says 14″ tall, but I tried them on and there is no way they are 14″. Zappos has them and labels the height as 16.5″).

I’d rather find a boot with a 14″ shaft. Any suggestions? Thanks so much for your help!

Jessa

Hi Jessa:

I wholeheartedly share your sentiment that shoe websites are quite unreliable with their measurements. As someone with petite, slightly tree truckish legs, a short shaft is quite important and I’ve gone through many boots to find a pair that works for me. I rely on customer feedback to give me some clues, but sometimes (like in this case) there are no reviews on Zappos. I’ve also tried getting a general concensus from all the stores which carry the shoe - Saks has the Juicy boot listed as a 13.5″ shaft but even this does not help. Frustrating indeed! I tend to purchase either in person or on sites that offer free returns.

Okay, now that I have vented, just in case you end up going with the Juicy Couture Locke boots, they are currently on sale for less than the retail price. Saks is having a Friends and Family sale from now until October 19th for 20% off most merchandise and 15% off cosmetics (yup, this is the time of the year that I stock up on makeup and skincare). Effectively, the Locke Vintage boots went from $498 to about $400. Just use code SAKSFF8 at checkout.

Other options which might be worth a try include Endless.com’s Frye Paige boot for $347. The shaft is listed at 15″, but maybe it is labeled incorrectly and with free returns, there isn’t much too lose except time spent hitting the post office. You’ll even get a free subscription to Vogue with the purchase.

The Geox Cruz is a two buckle detailed boot, but I’m throwing this on the list of possibilities because of the price ($270), free return, and that it is made by Geox, a company which is based on breathable shoes.

And finally, another two buckle option for a really great price is Aerosoles Ride Line boot, $89 at Piperlime.  I’ve found Aerosole to be a fairly comfortable brand even if their shoes don’t last very long.

 Happy boot hunting!

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