A Great Online Shoe Store: Habitat

Habitat is my new favorite online shoe store! I have spent many a night putting off sleep so I can lust after Habitat’s well-edited selection of shoes. And if you live near Leawood, Kansas, you can frequent Habitat’s brick and mortar store (4569 West 119th Street, Leawood, KS 66209, Phone: 913-451-6360). I have purchased shoes from the website, and I was impressed with the service, especially as I needed to exchange a pair for a different size. Habitat’s current selection of shoes features so many great pairs that it’s hard to choose a favorite – so I’ve picked five!

I love the details on Chie Mihara’s Ajo t-strap! The shoes are so wearable yet fun! $420 at Habitat.

The buckle is so cute and functional on Coclico Odalisk’s heels! I am also loving the leather and color. $320 at Habitat.

Rachel Comey’s Margot flat is such a versatile shoe! I’m always looking for flats in neutral colors that have unexpected details to keep things from getting too boring. $275 at Habitat.

For a slightly lower price-point, Seychelles Gypsy heels in orange (also available in black) make a great summer shoe. I could totally see myself wearing these heels with cute summer dresses. $95 at Habitat.

I’ll spend much of the summer outside being “active,” so I need a comfortable shoe. Bensimon’s canvas tennis shoes are a bit more fashionable than most – and I love red (also available in brown). $55 at Habitat.

Chie Mihara’s Latest Delectables

Whatever you might say about Chie Mihara, her shoes are interesting, influenced by the colors and shapes of flora and fauna. I’ve seen her shoes get more sophisticated and less Little Dutch Boy over the years, producing some lovely and some strange things.

The Dylan is $403.

The Burna is $352.

The Encuentro is $387.

The Sorbito is $310.

The Olimpiada is $341.

The Picota is $302.

Piperlime Secret Sale

Piperlime is having a 1-day ‘Secret Sale’ that gives an extra 20% off select sale items.

Among the eligible styles are:

Moschino Cheap and Chic ‘Basket’ $500 $269.99

Chie Mihara ‘Jean’ $375 $219.99

Biviel “BV1606″ bootie $180 $89.99

Belle by Sigerson Morrison fringed ’5823′ thong sandal $225 $109.99

Giuseppi Zanotti color-blocked, snake-embossed “E90027″  D’orsay sandal $650 $319.99

Giuseppi Zanotti “E96194″ tribal-woven raffia platform pump $750 $519.99

(Boy, does this one make me regret …just a twinge… living within my budget.)

And finally, a shoe that I loved enough that it got it’s own blog entry:

Pour La Victoire ‘Eden’ $280 $159.99

…..gasp, it’s even in the electric blue…..must log off computer and lock up all credit cards immediately!

Oh, and lest I forget the most important detail: How to get the extra 20% discount?  Use code “Just4U” at checkout.

Fine print: Offer valid online on Piperlime sale merchandise only, now through 11:59pm PT July 23, 2009 in the US only. Online code limited to one-time use. Offer not valid on final sale or the following select brands: designer brands, apparel brands, Frye, Brooks and Patagonia. Discount applies to merchandise only, not to Giftcard, packaging, applicable taxes, or shipping and handling charges. Not valid for cash or cash equivalent. No adjustments on previous purchases. Cannot be combined with other offers or discounts including employee discount.

Love or Hate? Chie Mihara Open-Toe Platform Boots

Okay, I’m tired of being sick, exhausted, or just too busy to write this month. Between mothering various ill children, dealing with a plugged water/sewage line for 4 days, surviving the onset of soccer season, and – of course – fighting not one but 2 rounds of the flu myself, I am longing to simply feel healthy and rested. Oh, and find some time and energy to write about shoes.

At least Jitterbugbaby & Twinkletoes have kept me from feeling too guilty about my absence with their enthusiastic coverage of fashion week(s) around the globe.

But, I’m currently conscious, relatively rested and miss chatting to our readers.

So, here’s a quick question for you folks: What do you think of these ‘Boots’? Because, honestly, I’m not feeling them…at all. Really, really, not feeling any love for these. 

Chie Mihare Platform Boots $435 @ Saks.com

Aside from my previously noted (but not uncontested) opinion on the basic impracticality of boot-sandal hybrids – This particular pair is, to my eye, simply unattractive.  I’m getting a confused 1970′s meets Japanese ‘Geta‘ meets dominatrix-in-comfortable shoes vibe.  It also seems kind of pricey for a super-trendy limited-occasion shoe. While I don’t mind the idea of a platform with a gentle and walkable slope for comfort reasons, I find this pair to be unbalanced and visually jarring; they just don’t quite ‘work’.

Feel free to disagree. For, if there’s one thing I’ve learned here at Shoeblog it’s this:

For every shoe that I either love or loathe, there is someone out there who will hold a view completely at odds with my own.  And wouldn’t it be boring if we all had the same taste & personal style?

So, I just want to know: Do you love these and find yourself jumping at the opportunity to rock these as an eclectic wardrobe statement? Or do you instead find yourself wondering if these somehow ‘looked better on paper’?

Something Old, Something New…

I have two obsessions I have to tell you about. One is old, namely the sleek, elegant beauty of Arturo Chiang’s shoes. Check out these stunners for sale at Lavande in Russian Hill!

I also have a fantastic pair of red patent wedge sandals from Gabay’s in New York. In case you didn’t know, Gabay’s doesn’t look like much, but it can be the holy grail of discount shoes on certain days!

You can find more of Arturo’s shoes here.

The other obsession is new, and I’ve been seeing her work pop up in magazines. Her name is Francesca Giobbi, and her quirky yet sexy Brazilian (what is it with the Brazilian shoe designers?) exotics are just what the shoe doctor ordered for spring. Below are some screenshots from this YouTube video that takes you inside Giobbi’s store.

The problem is, barring a trip to Brazil, which I’ve been seriously contemplating, I haven’t been able to get my hands on these babies. If anyone sees her shoes on sale online or in an American store, do let a girl know! I remember the days when her fellow Brazilian Chie Mihara was hard to get ahold of, and now Chie is everywhere. Let’s hope for the same from Francesca Giobbi!