Going to Saks’ Shoe Heaven is an experience, especially when they’re having a sale. The shoe floor is so big, it has its own zip code: 10022-SHOE! We’ve written about it before, but with this sale, it deserves a fresh look.

You take an express elevator (here’s a photo of Kellie Pickler in front of said elevator) to the eighth floor and start getting excited while you’re in the elevator, which says 10022-SHOE.

The shoe mecca has its own repair service, Charbonnel chocolate cafe and private room for VIP shopping. There is also a large selection of Roger Vivier bags and shoes against the wall adjacent to the VIP room. I don’t love the Vivier Pilgrim Pumps, but some of the bags are great.

The first thing that hits you when you come in is a tough, black, motorcycle-styled display by some of the most prominent shoe designers today, including McQueen, Choo and Louboutin. Yup, that trend is still rockin strong.

The above shoes are not on sale, unfortunately, but may be by this fall if there are any left.

I will post more photos later, but for now, I’d like for you all to know that it’s going on so you can check it out during your strolling midtown business lunch! Plenty of iconic Marni, Louboutin and Giuseppe Zanotti shoes were on sale. That means that shoes that range from a bottom of around $500 to a top of around $1500 were on sale for around $200 to $500. Not bad.

Don’t get me wrong, there weren’t only 7 to 7.5 shoes on sale, but like many women, that has always been my dream size (I’m an 8.5 to 9), so I snapped a photo of those in wishful thinking.

If you’re buying online, there’s free shipping on all orders with the code SFASUM9, only through today.

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I have a pair of fall boots that I love.

All right, so I’ve had a few of those so far (Viktor & Rolf, I am still dreaming dizzily of your boot creations).

But now, Alexander McQueen has added another to the Fall 2009 repertoire with his high-drama, fashion-pastiche spiked numbers.

At the risk of sounding like a “You all know I like _____________, right?” broken record, you all know I like shoes that blend high fashion with fetish styling, right?

And boy howdy, don’t these deliver.  The McQueen models looked like something out of the Cremaster Cycle in a very McQueenian art-meets-fashion-meets-anarchy sort of way.

 =  + 

But no matter what your reaction to the melodramatic makeup job, these are the boots of a woman who will kick ass and take no prisoners and look amazing while she does it.

At the other end of the spectrum, there’s this shoe from the Chanel show that I totally love, not only for being quirky and fun and eccentric, but for taking Chanel outside the interlocking-C-logo, tweed-suit, bland-shoe box that even Karl Lagerfeld hasn’t really succeeded in escaping.  Until now.

Dare I say that something on the Chanel runway felt… young and quirky?  Why yes.  Indeed I do dare.  Bravo.

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We all know that animal prints come and go, right?  Right?  It’s not every season that you see stores full of cheetah spots and zebra stripes.

Same’s true for shoes, of course.  But if you’re dying to work an animal motif into your footwear without looking like a tiger impersonator, then you might try one of these.

If you’re feeling the wacked-out wedge like my fellow bloggers Shoesense and Galligator, then check out these gorgeous snakeskin patterned Terry de Havilland stunners.

They’re 380 GBP at Asos.com (yeah, that’s about $760), but they’ll put a sssssizzle in your ssssstep.  (Sorry… couldn’t help myself.)

Don’t want to pony up or hobble down with these 5.5 inch wedges?  Then snag your python print in the much more comfy Katella Tex slip-on sneaks from L.A.M.B.

Snake not your thing?  Then how about going for the understated animal print look with these tortoiseshell Alexander McQueen stilettos.

They won’t be any friendlier on your wallet (they’re 340 GBP/$680), and at 5.5 inches high, they won’t do your bone structure any favors, either.  But they sure are pretty, ain’t they?

Or skip the reptile thing altogether and go right to full-on amphibian with some fun and fishy footwear, which can be just as glam and glittery as anything snakeskin.

Take, for example, these $850 Zanotti’s.

Bet you never thought a fish skeleton could look so good.

And since fish gotta swim, what more perfect way to wear the scaly beasts than on a pair of rain boots like these fun koi-patterned ones from Chooka ($60 at Endless).

But if fish aren’t enough to make you strut your stuff, then you can razzle-dazzle ‘em in the rain with the peacock version of those Chooka boots (only $51).

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I love wedges. They give you height without pain (or, at the very least, they minimize the pain), they provide comfort,  padding, and arch support, and they are often quirky, innovative, whimsical, and plain ol’ fun. I don’t want wedges to go away anytime soon, but unfortunately, if trend spies are to be believed, they are gently phased out of the fashion spotlight and replaced with vertiginous, slightly chunky and/or whimsical heels. The wedges you can still find for the new season are definitely more toned down, stripped of nearly all the bells and whistles that the designers played with a mere 1-2 seasons ago.

Just so you don’t forget the fun to be had with wedges, I’ve reached into the deep underbelly of Yoox sales and pulled out a few quirky models.  Links, in the order of appearance, are below.

Alexander McQueen wedge, $344.

Alaia industrial wedge, $304.

Marc Jacobs architectural wedge, $135.

D&G Art Deco red wedges, $240 at Yoox.

Le Silla wedge with diamante orchid brooch detailing INSIDE the wedge, $168.

Parisi spiderweb wedges, $148.

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For those of us living in the US, where the value of the greenback has sunk in value relative to other currencies, there is a silver lining. For US customers only, Alexander McQueen as added an online shopping boutique.

You can purchase these autumn/winter 2008 Alexander McQueen lace heel pumps, which Charlize Theron wore to a Moscow Hancock press conference, at the online store. Sadly, while location will give you the opportunity to purchase the shoes, the skimpy dollar doesn’t necessarily mean you will be able to afford it. The shoes cost $850. For New Yorkers who desire instant gratification, same day delivery will only cost you $50 extra.

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