The new metallics replacing golds and silvers are pewters and coppers. I simply adore this BCBG Max Azria Elicia metallic flat ($200 at Piperlime), with its imaginative shiny rosettes on the vamp. Now, that’s a delightful bunch! Great for office parties or just to spice up your day.

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I’ve noticed it enough times to call it almost a trend (see the post on Tod’s skimmers ): the mix of soft, luxurious suedes or velvets with glossy patents. Two sides of femininity in two materials: one for that warm, fuzzy, brownie-loving purring cat in you, the other for the ice-queen, perfectionist, smooth and perfect and polished fashion queen.

Luckily, this BCBG Max Azria ‘Cora’ flat, will satisfy both sides:

I love the domino effect created by the mix of black suede and ivory patent, with minimalist stitching and a coquettish bow. Tres chic, tres feminine, tres you: B(on) C(hic) B(on) G(enre), indeed!

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You know when a shoe rubs you the wrong way, don’t you? I don’t mean when you wear it, but when you see it:

That was the case for me with this BCBG Max Azria ‘Talina’ peep-toe low wedge in gold leather (currently on sale for $100, down from $210, at Plaza Too). I know it’s supposed to be oh-so-trendy, and I have nothing against the gold, the peep-toe, or the low wedge. However, all that combined with the excessive ruching makes this shoe bulky and grandmotherly (the black patent version doesn’t fare much better in my opinion). Something’s got to give here, and it should be those ruffles.

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Here’s a gold cage I wouldn’t mind being trapped in:

The gold! The studs! The peep-toe! The ingenious vamp strappiness! The peep-toe! The low wedge! The gold! Be still my beating heart. They’re $210 at Shoes.com. 

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Dear reader,

I have a confession to make. Although I am almost always in favor of comfortable, stylish shoes, I have a great weakness for beautiful shoes that are practically unwearable in their height or construction. Usually, I resist this weakness with ease, since I also firmly believe in taking good care of your feet with proper support, good construction, and reasonable height (which for me tops out at about 2.25/2.5 inches).

Last night, however, I gave in. Here’s what happened.

As some of you may have seen over on the forums, I’ve been searching for the perfect shoes to match a dress I just bought.

The dress is this one:

Last night, I bundled up and headed off, dress in hand, to my local DSW in the frigid weather. The goal: find a pair of gold sandals/shoes to wear with this puppy.

After trying on about half a dozen pairs, I narrowed it down to two. Both by BCBGMAXAZRIA (a brand that makes gorgeous shoes, but which often makes comfort concessions in the name of fashion that keep me from being able to wear them). It came down to a choice between a wedge and a stiletto, seen here:

and

As you can clearly see, neither of these is in the slightest a comfortable shoe. However, here are several factors now forcing me to make a hard decision between these two beauties.

1. The stilettos match the gold color of the dress better than the wedges.

2. The wedges (being wedges) are slightly more comfortable than the stilettos.

3. As far as style goes in a vacuum (not trying to match a dress), I like the wedges better.

4. Neither of these shoes are likely to be worn very often, except with this dress to parties where I can do a lot of sitting down.

5. The stilettos were a mere $30. The wedges were $60.

And with those factors to consider, dear reader, what might you suggest for my predicament? 

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