Well, it’s official, Michelle Obama is going to be the next First Lady of the United States of America.  And, regardless of what you may think about her husband’s politics, you’ve got to admit the lady’s got style.  Just look at the Spring 09 Narciso Rodriguez dress she wore on the night of the election.  Sure, it’s gotten mixed reviews from the fashion critics (I come down firmly on the side of “She’s Working It!”), but it’s not a boring choice, that’s for sure.

Me, I’m over the moon that the soon-to-be First Lady of the USA has an interesting fashion sense, as you can see from a few examples here.

Boogying with Ellen DeGeneres.

In a dress from Thakoon’s Resort ‘09 line.

In J. Crew separates and a Moschino shirt dress… both with super cute shoes.

And that brings me to what we love most over here, of course… shoes.

Because, yes folks, you’re eyes do not deceive you.  That is Michelle Obama wearing flats.  She’s a flats kinda woman.  She’s more often shoes under 3″ than in anything higher.  And I couldn’t be happier about it!

A curious reader wrote us asking about Ms. Obama’s footwear choices, and… well… to be honest, I have yet to figure out what those black flats she wore on election night were.  But the woman has some seriously cute pairs of low-heels and flats.

Might I suggest she stick with this plan of comfy and attractive shoes.  Much like Carla Bruni-Sarkozy has done (with great elegance and panache).  We need more high-profile women who know they can be confident and stylish without the super-high heels.

So, instead of going for the 8″ Louboutins that are on their way, how about sticking with something equally chic, but easier on the body, like these tortoise-shell ballerinas.

Since those look like they’re only at the UK version of Netaporter, here’s a Taryn Rose alternative: the Bion.

Or maybe these Chloe purple pointy-toe numbers that are cool and classy, but with a nice hit of style at the same time.

There’s a classic Tod’s skimmer (the Biscuit, in this case) … can’t go wrong there.

Or, for something a wee bit more daring (and yet, totally still something I could see her wearing), there’s this totally adorable Joey McMakin pump.

Tahari’s got these Tessa flats.

I could go on and on and on.  But instead, I will leave with one more suggestion.  Because, for something sporty and supportive, she could go for these Keds skimmers, just one of many Obama shoe designs available here, for those so inclined.

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One of the must-have items of the season is, apparently, the good ol’ penny loafer. I’m all for that: school season is knocking on your neighborhood’s door, and even if you’re not in or around a school at the moment, you must feel the buzz of books and the studious energy in the air. No? It must be me, ahem; still, you are probably seeing a preview of collegiate fashions by now. And if you indulge one of my pet peeves for just a second: I for one would LOVE to see young women sporting an elegant, well-made penny loafer rather than a flip-flop way into November, as I often see, and which is just….wrong.

Penny loafers were named as such because they could be decorated with a penny (or often, a dime). I didn’t realize there was actually an urban legend behind this:

In 1934 John R. Bass (a bootmaker in Wilton, Maine) started making loafers and called them Weejuns (meant to sound like Norwegian). These had a strap across the upper part of the vamp that was shaped like a pair of lips (said to be John’s wife, Alice Bass, kissing each shoe on its way out the door). The mouth opening soon was used to hold an ornament (such as a penny), and thus penny loafers became a style. Penny loafers often held a dime instead of a penny. (From Wikipedia).

Edited: Correction: Allison in comments points out that it was actually George Henry Bass (and not John R.). Thanks, Allison, for pointing out again why Wikipedia can’t be entirely trusted!

In the days of yore, the penny loafer was a low-heeled shoe through and through, with a strong masculine vibe (it makes sense, since it started off as a men’s shoe). These days the penny loafer, just like the oxford, has gone through a high-fashion transformation, and the New York Times’ T Magazine is eager to present these options to us:

Clockwise from top: Christian Louboutin shoe, $1,050 a pair. Go to christianlouboutin.com. Yves Saint Laurent shoe, $770. Go to ysl.com. Tod’s shoe, $545. Go to tods.com. Nine West shoe, $99. Go to ninewest.com. Cole Haan shoe, $275, and Anna Sheffield for Cole Haan coin, $45. Go to colehaan.com.

This style is a classic that’s been around for decades and is bound to stay in style for a long time; in theory at least, you can’t go wrong wearing a pair of well-made penny loafers. I do admit to having misgivings about the 3+ inch height of the models shown in T Magazine; but again, I also have misgivings about models that look so masculine I have no desire to wear them. Therefore, I have also scoured teh interwebs for more pleasant AND easier on the feet loafer-options and found a few. Behold:

From top to bottom:

Marc by Marc Jacobs patent loafers (available in other colors, too), $264 at Zappos.

Marc by Marc Jacobs high-heeled loafers (2 & 3/4″, also available in other colors), $354 at Zappos.

Kate Spade Lindsay loafer (also available in other colors), $199 at Zappos.

Givenchy gold calf loafer, on sale for $204 at Zappos.

Tory Burch Clayton Loafer (also in red), $275 at Nordstrom.

Celine tasseled low-heeled brogue, $460 at Yoox.

MariaCristina low-heeled loafers, $178 at Yoox.

L’Autre Chose tasseled loafer, $68 at Yoox (only one size left!)

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Self-explanatory and pretty obvious, right?

The problem (well, some might say it’s not really a PROBLEM per se) is that yesterday, while trolling through Bluefly to look up the Project Runway 5.1 shoes, I stumbled across two pairs that I’m seriously lusting over.

One is this gold and black Prada ankle cuff sandal.

 Oh, how I love that shoe!  Really, that whole line, because I covet the hybrid sandal/boots from a few months back just as much.

And the other Bluefly baby I’m all a-lust after is the (notably more practical) Tod’s Holliday Zip flat in pewter.

 See… I told you I’m a sucker for those “athleisure” shoes that have a dressed up and a casual side all in one.

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Shipping is also free with code–so what I’m saying is, that’s a good opportunity to save on gorgeous Manolos, cheeky Pradas, sassy Guccis, and other similar fashion weaknesses you might have. Here’s a selection of my favorites:

Manolo Blahnik Leopard Sting Ray sandals, now $308 (down from $685):

Manolo Blahnik Scalloped Patent sandals, now $308 (down from $685):

Prada Wavy T-Strap sandals, now $257 (down from $570):

Tod’s Malibu sandals, now $164 (down from $365):

Giorgio Armani ankle-strap flats, now $191 (down from $425):

Christian Louboutin stretch metallic ballerina, now $234 (down from $520):

Oscar de la Renta ballerina mini wedge, now $233 (down from $555):

Sizes are, of course, limited, so you’d better hurry. Happy bargain hunting, shoe lovers!

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…or so the NYT Style section would have us think, in writing about one of those blink-and-you’ll-miss-it instances of fashion-trenditis:

Laurence Dacade and Manolo Blahnick mile-high denim boots, oh my, plus the sensible denim ballerina from Tod’s complete a world of denim accessories that would completely eclipse those skinny jeans and denim jacket you were planning to wear for a concert in the park tonight. Anyway! Has denim EVER been not in style? Methinks not, but I will admit to the sudden overabundance of denim accessories that make their way into high-end collections these days. Are you in or out?

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