December. Christmas in 11 days. We have all heard this time of year referred to as the Season of Giving.  So, what to do if you have a shoe-lover on your gift list?

Rather than suggest taking her on a designer shoe-shopping spree (and isn’t that a holiday fantasy to make any shoe-obsessive individual smile?), you might want to look at a custom charm bracelet or necklace from Juicy Couture that lets her proclaim her shoe obsession in a cute and attractive way.

It works just like any classic charm bracelet.

Decide on a bracelet or necklace style:

Starter Charm Bracelet $42.00 at Saks & Nordstrom.

Starter Charm Necklace $58 at Saks.

Charm Catcher Pendant 28″ Necklace $68 at Saks & Nordstrom.

 

Next, choose from various shoe-shaped charms to match many personalities:

 

High Top Sneaker Charm $48 at Saks.

Sneak Attack Charm $48 at Saks.

 

 

 

Edith Heel Charm $48$36 at Bloomingdales.

 

Ballet Slippers Charm $50 at Nordstrom.

Melissa Loafer $52 at Bloomingdales.

High Heel Shoe Charm in silver or gold $48 at Nordstrom.

Flippers Charm $48 at Bloomingdales.

High Heel Charm $48 at Juicy Couture.

 

Add gift-wrap, and Voila! It’s couture bling that proclaims her love of footwear whether she is dressing up or down.

Oh, and just in case your particular shoe-lover is a full-on fashionista and SATC fan, the following charms make a bracelet that pays homage to Carrie Bradshaw and all of her NYC friends.

Bloomies Gift Bag Charm $58.00 exclusive to Bloomingdales.

 

High Heel Slipper $30 at Nordstrom.

Engagement Ring Charm $52 at Nordstrom and Saks.

Champagne Flute Charm $48 at Bloomingdales.

Perfume Atomizer Charm $48 at Nordstrom & Saks.

 

Eiffel Tower Charm $52 at Nordstrom.

The wonderful thing about this a la carte system is that you can decide to purchase as many or few charms as you like, depending on your budget.

Just be warned - especially if you are like me; if you decide to start collecting these charms for yourself, this has the potential to be nearly as dangerous an addiction as shoe shopping.

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I was browsing the shoe stores these days and was dazed with the possibilities and styles, and it got me thinking: what if I had to rebuild my shoe wardrobe from scratch? What if I had nothing, absolutely nothing to wear, and I would be forced to order shoes from one place and one place only to save me from this disgrace? (In this fantasy of mine, I don’t have shoes but I have plenty of money left to buy whatever I want. Ahem. Work with me here.). So I decided to create this little mind experiment and rebuild my wardrobe from scratch using one shoe store at a time. I need to cover my bases–I need dress shoes, warm-weather shoes, casual shoes, dog-walking shoes, career shoes, evening shoes, sensible shoes. Right? Right.

The first obvious place is, of course, Zappos. Here’s what I would pick up there, for starters, for the spring-summer season:

1. A. Testoni Giancarla red patent loafers, $376.

2. Michael Kors Palm Springs yellow patent flats, $400.  

3. Sigerson Morrison gold kitten-heeled sandals, $443.

4. Sergio Rossi Origami kitten heel pumps, $500.

5. Helle Comfort Ollie wedge, $160.

6. Ecco Performance Yarrah, $104.

7. Marc Jacobs color-block flat sandals, $353.

8. Delman Crest-V bejeweled velvet flat, $354.

9. Kate Spade Juliette open-toe slingbacks, $274.

10. Cole Haan Air Gabi boat shoe, $158.

11. Taryn Rose Daelyn gunmetal metallic wedges, $495.

 12. Christian Lacroix bejeweled kitten heels, $717.

13. Adidas by Stella McCartney sport flats, $100.

14. Tapeet by Vicini silver and gold flats, $400.

15. Dolce & Gabbana floral canvas flats, $330.

16. Juicy Coutoure Lillian espadrilles, $230.

17. Giuseppe Zanotti Mirror Lilia open-toe flats, $454.

18. Paul Green ‘Soul’ in leopard, $237 (although, shame on you, Zappos: the same shoe is half off at Piperlime! I guess it would be a good time to call them on it and get that 10% off the lowest price you can find on the Internet, right?)

19. Paul Smith Laney floral espadrille, $178.

Mmmmm….I’m drunk with shoes right now… I think I’m going to lie down, or I’ll buy all of them right now! Wait, I won’t: the grand total for this “starter” wardrobe is (drum roll): $6263. Over six thousand dollars. I probably went all crazy in the Couture section of Zappos, but I couldn’t help myself!

Later this week I’ll explore more eye-candy at other stores, and what it would take to get a “starter” spring-summer shoe wardrobe there. Stay tuned!

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There’s no doubt that this Juicy Couture ‘Pepper’ flat is adorable (not to mention, 33% on sale, now $157). Love the little blue bow and even the signature gold coin charm doesn’t bother me (yes, I normally shy away from anything logo-encrusted, it’s an idiosyncrasy that I have). But I don’t know–white cotton eyelet upper? White is a perilous business no matter where you wear it, and especially on your feet. Yes, it might be breezy and cool and comfy, but what are the chances it’s going to stay white and crisp and pristine like this? I give it a week at most. Cleaning fabric shoes is a delicate business and again, chances are you might end up with scruffy or frayed or off-white areas.

Otherwise–cute though!

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