It is probably safe to say that I am not alone in my obsessive anticipation of tomorrow’s season premier for Project Runway Season 5.  I can hardly bear the wait.

As an enthusiastic (if occasional) seamstress, I am inspired by the design challenges as well as the fantastic footwear. And what footwear it was last season. My personal favorite, the “Marie Antoinette” by Christian Dior is still available at Bluefly; today only it is $440.99, an additional 10% off the normal $489.99.

And that they have it available in a 7.5 is tempting. But I have already purchased a lower-end beaded slide by Naughty Monkey while it was on clearance earlier this year:

And, while I have been unable to find anyone still selling the Naughty Monkey shoe, you can still grab the similar “Diana” by Beverly Feldman care of Zappos for $152.10 in Black Crepe (below) or  Python/Silver (not pictured):

As for me, It looks like I’m probably covered on swaggy beaded sandals for awhile.

So, the real Shoeblog question:  What new shoe will replace last season’s “Patron Shoe” of Project Runway?

And now, in anticipation of tomorrow’s season premier, I took a sneak peak at this season’s hopefuls.

I find myself particularly excited because 3 of these designers hail from towns that I have at various times called “Home”.

It could be interesting to see what these folks from agricultural towns and small-town Americal have to offer.

Hope it’s at least as fun as last season.

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Christian Lacroix knows how to do feminine footwear. Often the sparklier, the better.

But I am drawn to these natural woven leather heels, which for Lacroix, are downright conservative.

Zappos is down to it’s last size: 38.5 (US which certainly isn’t going to fit my foot. Perhaps a Lacroix fan could pick it up at the clearance price of 46% off its original price of $719.

Like the style but not the price tag? Oh Deer has their ‘PB&J’ which is a cork-styled shoe apparently inspired by the LaCroix original. At $120 it is a bit more appealing to the budget-conscious.

Available in most sizes from both Shoebuy.com and Shoes.com, among others. Don’t forget to check out our Deals and Steals area to see if there are any current coupon codes available.

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Waaay back in February, Rhianna, Camilla Belle, Ali Larter, and Debra Messing were all seen in Gucci’s Sevigny shoe (the shoe was named after the actress Chloe Sevigny).   For me, it’s hard to pick which actress wore the shoes best since I admire all four for being able to pull off the thick ankle strap which tends to shorten the legs.

The Gucci Sevigny is available at Neiman Marcus for $695.

Zappos carries a strikingly similar style by Nine West called the Olavera for $93.

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Remember these perfect Giuseppe Zanotti sandals (left) Shoesense blogged about?

Here is a case of designer shoe deja vu gone utterly and completely wrong. Structurally, the Giuseppe Zanotti and Steve Madden sandals are alike. That is where the similarities end. While the Zanotti sandals are in full bloom and a picture of grace and simplistic beauty, the Steve Madden sandals have dried out and wilted.

The king of copycat designer shoes does not stop there. He also has an inspired version of the famous Balenciaga lego shoes. Compared to the Steve Maddens, Balenciaga’s shoes are actually starting to look slightly normal.

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I’m not a big fan of Etienne Aigner for obvious reasons–derivative, poor quality, ubiquitous, unexciting. However, there was something about this Vicenza flat that made me stop and look:

They’re very fresh, very spring-ready, fun, and well…cheap ($69 at Piperlime).

And then I realized why I stopped to look in the first place–that’s because they’re (still) completely derivative:

….But since the Valentino ‘Wave’ ballerina flat is no longer available (and cost about $400 anyway), the EA Vicenza will have to do for now.

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