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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Yes, we’ve been posting about boots for months already, but hey.  When you live in the Northeast, boots are the go-to footwear for a good chunk of the year, and today is no exception.  I decided to forego my ubiquitous Uggs this morning (I forewent them?) in favor of actual structured leather boots by Camper, which are comfy but not nearly as warm, and now my feet are hating me for it.So what am I doing, as I gaze outside at the mixture of hail, sleet, freezing rain, and snow that’s coming down out of the sky?  I’m looking up furry cozy warm-looking boots that retain enough femininity to put me in mind of Julie Christie’s Lara in the sleigh in Dr. Zhivago.I’m talking about luxurious things like this Giuseppe Zanotti buckled boot ($1,400)

and the Taryn Rose Douce rabbit fur boot ($842 on sale from $1,300)

and especially this gorgeous goat fur Sergio Rossi Chasa boot ($1,294).

These take the cake for me (although they’re also probably the least warm).  But look at the toggles.

LOVE!

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The folks over at Style.com have rounded up their favorite accessories for the holiday season, and of course, some divine shoes are on the list.  Some of them, like this Alessandro dell’Acqua platform and this Chloe “ski boot”, you may remember from the recent catwalks.

Some just scream hobnobbing at a party with the fashion elite, like this playful Bruno Frisoni slingback.

 Some are begging you to dance the night away in a club with a light up dance floor.  See this retro Chanel number.

 Some, like this gorgeous Christian Dior spectator and spat-inspired Ralph Lauren, are begging for a Great Gatsby themed holiday party.

Some scream down-to-earth funky chic, like this flat from Proenza Schouler.

Some are clearly designed to match your champagne, like this Givenchy ankle-wrap sandal and this Marc Jacobs bootie.

And some (like this spangled Sergio Rossi) simply SCREAM at you to party away your New Year’s Eve in the height of sparkly, festive style.

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Mothers of the Earth, I salute you! May you be shod in the most beautiful, elegant, comfortable shoes all your life for your service to humanity.

And for all you stylish daughters of stylish moms out there, I’ve compiled a mini-guide for taking your mom shoe-shopping for this Mother’s Day (you do want to take her shoe-shopping, don’t you? She deserves at least that much!) The thing is, there are all sorts of stylish moms out there. A few examples:

For the mom young at heart, who can still rock a Bee Gees tune on the dance floor, these Kork-Ease bordeaux velvet platforms will keep her elevated, stylish, and steady on those disco moves. (’Whether you’re a brother or whether you’re a mother, you’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive’)

For the younger mom who is stylish but run ragged with chores and PTA meetings and grocery shopping and job and whatnot, I recommend you keep her comfortable but elegant and fresh with a pair of Taryn Rose shoes, like these low wedges, available in red or brown:

For the elegant mom who lunches with the ladies and attends gallery openings in her spare time, which is pretty much anytime, may I recommend a low, stylish slingback, like these Stuart Weitzman kitten heels, in a sophisticated beige with the added sexy bonus of the animal print linen:

For the foxy momma who rivaled you in hotness when you were a teenager, show her you hold no bitter feelings and take her shopping for these Sergio Rossi sexxxy metallic heels. You may want to make her pay for them, though:

For the no-nonsense mom who keeps her hair short and stylish and rocks a pair of jeans with a little black T-shirt, give her some simple yet sophisticated espadrilles, like these Testoni wedges:

And for the hippie mom, who will not leave the house without a handful (and earful, wrist-ful, neck-ful) of ethnic jewelry, here’s the pretty and ornate thong sandal from Donald Pliner:

Finally for the mom who is perhaps the school teacher and has to keep herself nimble on her feet to manage those little urchins, may I recommend a comfortable natural shoe like these Samara flats from Arche in a neutral, non-distracting shade:

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If you live on the East Coast like me, you’re probably wondering right now whether you’ll be able or willing to get out of the house later, with all this wintry mix shoved into our faces today. But! Never despair–put on a pair of steaming hot red shoes, and you’ll melt the most glacial of landscapes for this Lovers’ Day. And in that vein, may I suggest?

Sigerson Morrison metallic red pumps, fiery and delicate at the same time, $175 on Zappos.

These red suede pumps from Kate Spade are also luscious ($220 on Zappos):

I also like the sexy sillhouette and curvy details on this Sergio Rossi pump ($366 on Zappos):

…as well as these Moschino ladybug pumps, which practically do all the flirting for you ($399 on Zappos):

And of course, this would feel a little incomplete without mentioning a pair of scorching hot Louboutins, such as these satin platform stilettos ($680 on NeimanMarcus.com):

What are YOU wearing for Valentine’s Day today? Or alternatively, what would you DREAM of wearing? Do share in the forum!

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