OK, so my Shoes of Project Runway isn’t nearly as exciting as Twinkletoes’ up-close-and-personal tale.

But nevertheless, there was PR this week, and I aim to find those Bluefly shoes, just like every other week.

So, first up, let’s look at Jerell’s winning outfit.  A) Deserved to win.  B) Totally perfect for the girl.  C) I WANT THAT CARDIGAN!!!  And shoe-wise, those feminine patent peep-toes are what would happen if the Stuart Weitzman Expump and the Kate Spade Lara had a secret love-child.

Ironically, the best shoes of the show last night were the ones worn with Joe’s Auf’d outfit (which was really atrocious).  Don’t know if the client girls brought their own shoes from home (which I suspect they did, actually… since none of the shoes from last night seem to have shown up on PR before), but that red patent pair of booties (although not on Bluefly that I can tell) is sharp!

My girl Leanne made an outfit that was, yes, perhaps too matronly for her client’s job as an elementary school teacher, but it really did respond to the request that she make something that’ll bestow an appropriate teacher-as-authority-figure aura.  The grey shoes are super cute and an excellent professional wardrobe option.  They don’t seem to be on Bluefly, but either the Christian Dior CD pumps (if you want to splurge) or the Stuart Weitzman Portal (if you want a more affordable option) would be fairly close.

If you’re after the pointy-toe ankle-strap look that Suede chose for his outfit (and frankly, the shoes are just about the only nice looking thing in that picture… except, of course, for the girl herself, who’s a total charmer), you could… well… Bluefly doesn’t really have anything super close to this to offer.  But they have tons of other black pumps to peruse.

If you want a fun pair of maryjanes like Korto’s model (whose jacket I totally covet), the Brighton by Dolce Vita or the  are nice-looking options.  And for only about $65-70, too!

And last, but not least, is Kenley.  *sigh*  Kenley, it is time for you to put up or shut up.  Actually, how bout putting up (as in, making something that DOESN’T come straight out of a 1950s pattern book) AND shutting up, because I can’t even begin to tell you how ridiculous you sound talking about how you’ve experienced hardships in your life by coming to New York with no money.  Honey, that’s not hardship.  It’s just poor planning.

The dress was cute.  I’ll give her that.  And the shoes, likewise.  Kudos if you can find em, because Bluefly doesn’t really offer up anything in the ballpark.  But the low heel and the little bow on the toes are both adorable touches.

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I have a sinking feeling about the shoes of this season, at least as far as posting about them goes.  Because here’s the second week running where a number of the interesting shoes don’t seem to be available on Bluefly anymore.

Take Suede’s fantabulous dress, which rocked the runway and deserved its win (well… wait till I get to the Jerell dress).  Its shoes were similar, but not identical to, these Dolce & Gabbana red satin numbers.

The idea of buying that dress from Bluefly is seriously tempting me.  I love it.

Apparently using the same shoe in black was Korto, whose dress wasn’t as terrible as all that, in my mind.  Not great, but at least tailored and structured and classy looking (unlike Wesley’s mangled mini and Leanne’s overly elaborate number that looked like the secret love child outfit of Peter Pan and a flight attendant).

And, oh look!  Terri used the same ones, too, but in what looks like a navy patent leather.  But the closest that seems to be available is this Modern Vintage Karina sandal.

Here’s another triple play shoe of this episode, used by Daniel, Joe, and Wesley respectively.

But does it appear on Bluefly?  Doesn’t look that way, because the closest comparable I can offer you is the Kenneth Cole Paper Back, which ain’t too close at all.

There were a couple pairs of shiny silver shoes, too.  This closed-toe maryjane from Stella, and this (cuter) sandal with the (cuter) outfit last week’s winner, Kelli, designed.

But, again, the closest Bluefly has to offer is this Dolce & Gabbana strappy sandal.

So, with a final note of trepidation and a hope that this “mystery shoe” situation will soon remedy itself, I will leave you with the outfit that I was the most head over heels in love with.  Jerell’s.

Oh, how this outfit deserved more love from the judges.  Peacock feathers for earrings and trim.  Perfectly matching bracelets.  Look at that collar!  This is young and sophisticated and fresh, and I love love love it.  Sure Suede’s deserved the win (look at how much work he put into that thing, and how beautifully it turned out), but this was the dress I wanted to walk off that runway with.

Of course, shoe-wise, even these seemingly basic black patent mj’s don’t seem to be on Bluefly, because the closest I could find was this pair of Dolce Vita suede and patent Brighton heels.

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Every once in a while, it’s fun to be a little less serious.  This is why I adore the Dolce Vita Dijion Owl sandals.  At a quick glance, these might look like solemn, classy summer sandals with just the right amount of stacked wedge.  On further inspection, I found the owl vamp decoration to be a real hoot fit for the playful summer months.

For those lucky women we leave a large impression,  Barefoot Tess carries the  Dolce Vita Dijion in sizes 11, 12, and 13 for $52.  Just use  coupon code SHO30 to save an additional 30% off the list price of $74.    And if your shoe size happens to run in the single digits, the coupon code is also good on the  Dolce Vita Dahlia and Daisy styles (valid 6/19/08 - 07/03/08).

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Unlike Moschino’s famous Cheap’n'Chic footwear, where most items start in the $300 and $400-area, these sweet wedges are truly cheap (just over $100) and über-chic to boot:

You’ve got the height, you’ve got the platform for comfort, you’ve got the chunky buckled straps, you’ve got the jungle motif, you’ve got the tan-natural color to elongate–I’d say, hit, hit, and hit, spot-on for the summer’s hottest trends. The Dolce Vita Tahiti-58 wedge in natural snake is $107 at Zappos (also available in other colors).

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Some 2000 and odd years ago, an otherwise civilized Roman Empire would get the same kick out of gladiator fights that we now get, say, from watching professional football:

As you can see from this ancient mosaic, gladiator footwear was serious business, complete with over-the-knee plates to protect the precious shins. Those shin-plates have been underrepresented in the long and glorious tradition of classical paintings, which more often than not depict sturdy, beefed-up warriors wearing the most ridiculously fragile footwear contraptions, made of delicate strings woven and attached in fanciful ways. They’re also underrepresented in the current resurgence of the so-called gladiator-trend sandals, because, let’s be honest, if anything, we want to showcase our shins, not protect them from the world (although in certain crowded subways that wouldn’t be such a bad idea–but I digress).

And so! I’ve finally accepted the fact that gladiator sandals are EVERYWHERE, I mean, just pick your shoe store of choice, online or not, and voila! There they are, and they have been there for a few seasons now, so I can’t willfully ignore them any longer. For here’s the thing: I stayed away from gladiators because they tend to “cut” the foot from your leg, often with bulky plates and multiple ankle straps, and disrupt the natural lines and the illusion of “elongated” that I so direly need to create. Which is to say, I’ve often thought that unless you’ve got wispy legs like a runway model, why, those gladiators are likely to turn you into the spitting image of those two beefcakes duking it out in my introductory mosaic. And that’s not a good look for me, is all I’m saying.

But! I think I’ve reached the critical point in time when I’ve got to get into a pair of gladiator sandals, or my summer wardrobe my life won’t be complete. A cursory perusal of my favorite shoe haunts on the internet has presented me with approximately 322,485 handy choices, give or take two. Ayyyyy! to quote the Manolo. What to do? After a rigorous selection process consisting mainly of “let’s just stick to one website, or I’m going to shoot myself,” I’ve narrowed down my choices to two:

The curiously-named Dolce Vita “Daisy-11″ sandal, in gold or pewter (probably gold, since gold and gladiator go together like that), $60 at Piperlime:

Or, the more high-end Cynthia Vincent “Dinah,” $200 at Piperlime (hey, Zappos has it listed for $214–what’s up, Zappos? Piperlime’s delivery is also free, you know!):

They both have that classic woven look on the vamp, and multiple ankle straps (which are pretty cool, if you ask me). I’m not completely sure I should spend so much money for a shoe that might as well go out of style next year (what? it’s been known to happen!), but the Cynthia Vincent sandals do have a quite excellent design. On the other hand, the Dolce Vitas are cheap and attractive and definitely satisfy the gladiator tooth. What say you, Internet? Which should I choose?

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