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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Purple is such an autumnal color for me. Not literally, of course–maroons and oranges and browns would probably more appropriate for the color palette of the season. Metaphorically though, it’s evocative of twilights, it’s melancholy, it’s spiritual–just like fall can be. Which is why I stubbornly look for purple shoes every time fall comes, just to get me in the mood.

Ok, it’s also a fun, fun, FUN color to wear, I admit. Happy now?

Here are seven of my favorite purple picks for this fall:

1) Sigerson Morrison violet suede pointy-toe skimmer, with a demure Mary Jane buckle and bold silver lining, $379 at Zappos:

2) Tory Burch ‘Quinn’ quilted patent ballet flat, lined in deep purple and featuring the signature ornament on the vamp, $225 at Plaza Too:

3) Dolce & Gabbana assymetrical high-throat, peep-toe pump, with cutout detail at the heel, $454 at Zappos (very appropriate come witch season, may I add):

4) Taryn Rose ‘Desi’ ankle boot, with black patent rosette detail, $645 at Nordstrom–absolutely stunning:

5) L’Autre Chose distressed leather oxfords (very in this fall), $174 at Yoox:

6) Vince Camuto ‘Heaven’ cutout patent pumps, $128 at Zappos:

7) Marc Jacobs violet slingback with frayed grosgrain trim, $355 at Shoes.com:

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I simply adore these Belle by Sigerson Morrison 4718 silver pumps :

The pleated vamp with the stickpin, the elegant lines, the promise of comfort coming from the chunky heel–absolutely dreamy. They would also make a great wedding pump, in my opinion–but they could also dress up a casual outfit quite nicely. They’re $290 at Nrodstrom.

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We all know just about all the measurements we need to know to select our shoes: size (length), width, heel height–that sort of thing. But apparently, we’ve been missing one on a rather important one. The other day, while browsing Zappos, I came upon this description:

Yep! We never even considered the weight of the shoe! How crazy is that? So, perhaps we should be aware that these Etro riding boots would add 19 oz each to our frame–that’s almost 2 1/2 lbs more than we weigh (gasp!). But don’t worry: you’ll compensate as your wallet will become proportionately lighter, as you’ve just got rid of about $1000:

By contrast, these Belle by Sigerson Morrison skimmers are light as a feather, at about 4 oz each–adding just 1/2 lb to your frame:

As far as I can see, this feature has been added only for the newest styles. So what do you think–will it in any way influence the way you select shoes? Just about now I’m thinking that my Timberland boots must weigh about 15 lbs each, which is probably the reason I haven’t worn them in 3 years….Hmmm…I sense a shoe-closet purge in the near future….

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It’s as hot and humid as Hell’s Kitchen outside, so what’s a girl to do to satisfy her shoe obsession? Shop online, of course! Here are a few deals, no, make them steals, on the net for you today–last chance to snatch last season’s styles at bargain prices.

If you’re a size 5 or 6, these Jeffrey Campbell ‘Viper’ low pumps are stylish and cute, with a hint of Western flair and golden accents–AND they’re only $22 at Barefoot Tess:

If you’re a size 6, you can’t beat the $45 tag on these chic and comfy Kate Spade ‘Libby’ moccasins, in snakeskin-embossed leather with luggage trim:

If you’re a 6.5, 7, or 8.5, you may want to snatch these beautiful Sigerson Morrison ‘Leann’ low peep-toe wedges, in a beautiful, rich caramel color; they are reduced from $295 to $139:

If you’re an 8, 9, or really, just about any size, may I recommend a contemporary classic: Charles by Charles David ‘Bloom’ flat with flower detail on the vamp, available in numerous color combos (though not all available in all sizes), and reduced from $105 to $46:

If you’re a 9 (10, 11, and even 12), dip your toes in these simple yet fab ankle-strap John Fluevog ‘Labretta’ flats, now $53 down from about $175:

For the size 10: These Lambertson Truex ‘Goldie’ sandals are reduced from $375 to $160–a fabulous deal, but hurry: there’s only a month or so left to enjoy them this season!

Finally, if you’re a size 10 or 11, these very attractive Matt Bernson ‘Samantha’ flats will carry you gracefully into the fall (only $39, down from $153):

Happy bargain shopping, shoe-lovers!

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