LEANNE WAS ROBBED!!!!  Robbed, I tell’s ya!

How beautiful and classy and chic-with-a-(literal)-twist was this outfit?  It’s a blouse and skirt, and I would wear both of them, together, separately, any which way I could.  And she accessorized it perfectly with that gold necklace and the Gucci Eva wing-tip inspired platform pump.

On the other hand, the actual winning outfit (Kenley’s) did indeed look like it was made with… what did Joe call it?  Ft. Lauderdale pool furniture cushion fabric.  From the 80s.  Not in a good way.  I’ll give it that it was interesting and well-made and a good interpretation of the photograph on which it was based.  And it gave us our first double shoe usage (the emerald green Robert Cavalli sandal from episode 1).  But I can’t put this dress in the top 3 at all, let alone give it the win.

Who would I say was deserving of more love (and perhaps a spot in the top three instead of either Kenley’s or Terri’s (which was also interesting, but the dress over pants thing is old hat, and hers seemed to have a lot of extra messy fabric that made it look flouncy rather than streamlined sexy)?

Once again, Jerell.  He made a whole gown, for chrissake!  And it’s perhaps more limiting in what kind of “night on the town” you can wear it to (a black tie gala?  a flamenco performance?), it’s beautifully made and a gorgeous dress.  And worn with shoes that are not quite the Kenneth Cole Hit or Miss, but pretty close.

I’d also give a shout out to Kelli for this rocker Mad Max number, which went perfectly with the Gucci Ebony sandal, which isn’t available anymore, but I remember well from Chris March’s Hershey outfit last season.

I mean, I even didn’t hate Blayne-licious and his neon frills.  Though I didn’t much like the blah shoe choice (something along the lines of the Charles David Devin pump).

Emily’s losing “little black dress with a corsage” (Tim Gunn is always right, people.  Listen to him!) wasn’t great, and one could argue that the Gucci Eva maryjanes (guess it was the night for Gucci Eva shoes) were the most fabulous part of the outfit.

But in this, too, I think the judges went wrong.  Because I swear to you that I would much sooner be seen in public wearing that dress—which is at least kicky and has an energy to it—than Jennifer’s dowdy and depressing silk charmeuse number, which looks like maternity wear for a ladies club luncheon rather than a dress for a night on the town.

The shoes are VERY DEFINITIVELY the best part of this outfit.  They’re the secret love child of the Stuart Weitzman Vanity and the Christian Louboutin Caberet, and I love them.  Unlike the dress.

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For those of you not aware, Nordstrom is starting its Anniversary Sale - Both in stores and online. Begins today, July 18th.  Pre-fall sale prices will reset to full retail amounts on August 4th.

Just for fun, the pre-sales flyer is available here.

Footwear that catches my fancy?

Stuart Weitzman’s “Bouffant” ankle bootie in gray flannel or black patent, along with a poufy Christmas-like bow over the instep:

Sale price $199.90, down from Fall list price of $320.

I’m really loving the gray flannel. It’s 98 Degrees outside & I’m planning for winter already. Oh Dear!

Or, how about a spectator Maryjane with an animal impact?

Try this Kate Spade “Hana” pump in red patent and leopard-printed haircalf. Meow! :

Sale priced at $299.90 with a Fall list price of $478.00.

So, go ahead,  take a look online or after work; there are plenty of  other Fall styles on sale to fit a variety of tastes.

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Gotten at Bluefly on one of those super-sales, plus they had one of those 15% off deals on shoes, so they ended up being in the vicinity of $70+ (rather than $250, their original retail price). I’m in love with linen in the summer, and these wedges fit the bill from so many points of view for the season–nothing screams “summer” like the rope heel, plus there’s the elegant simplicity of the criss-cross peep-toe, and the loveliness of the print, and the padding… You may sense there’s one thing wrong with this picture, which is the height. I’ve been blogging incessantly for years now about shoes I can wear, i.e. under 2″ high, and these definitely don’t fall in that category–they’re just shy of 3-inches, but of course, they’re wedges, which somehow assuaged my fears. And you know what? They’re pretty darn comfortable, at least for the first hour or so. After approximately 3 hrs of shopping/walking leisurely downtown with my MIL, however, I was in quasi-agony and couldn’t WAIT to get them off: the balls of my feet, no longer accustomed to such heights and the ensuing pressure, were throbbing, and in fact, I developed a companion blister to the one caused by my Birkenstocks, right underneath the ball of my left foot. Ouch! I guess I learned my lesson: good for a quick stroll, definitely not for shopping marathons with your strangely energetic in-laws. I decided to “forgive” these shoes for the blister: they’re too pretty!

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Just a few months ago, we were talking about the $1 million dollar Stuart Weitzman Oscars shoe that didn’t quite materialize.

In case you are wondering what could top the $1 million Oscar shoe,  Stuart Weitzman already covered that for us.  Prior to the Oscars, Stuart Weitzman, working with jeweller Le Vian, had designed these beautiful $2 million dollar shoes .  These lovely soles consist of 185 carats of museum quality tanzanite and 28 carats of diamonds. That sparkler dangling at the front of the shoe is a whopping 16 carat tanzanite. Let’s hope nobody steps on these shoes.

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Prompted by a recent reader inquiry, I went over to Neiman Marcus’ Shoe Trend site, which I haven’t peeked at yet for this season. As per usual, I found plenty of tempting options. So, like any good blogger, I’m now here to spread the word.

Heel Detail

You may recognize a number of these from the runway shows, because they tend to go heavy on the dramatic flare. These Fendi cage heels walked the Great Wall of China and these Prada flowery sandals made an organic statement in Milan back in September. Now they can be yours for $690 and $790, respectively.

Metallics

Personally, I’m of the opinion that a metallic shoe is always a great way to spruce up an outfit. In any season. If you agree, you might want to snap up a pair right now, when there are so many options available. You can get your metallic fix in everything from a classic Kate Spade loafer to a pewter Donald J Pliner t-strap to a Valentino multi-tone platform.

Floral

What says spring more than floral-embellished shoes? Try a pair of cheerful Manolo Blahnik’s with the Marimekko patterns that we mentioned back here, or a pretty and understated Bettye Muller (whose designs we Shoebloggers always love), or–to be kinder on your tootsies–any color of these Costablanca suede thongs.

Woven

Here’s a trend we haven’t seen for a few years now, and I’m glad it’s back. Woven shoes have an earthy, organic sort of look that I always like for the warm weather months. What shoes are here to feel the natural inspiration? Well, there’s this Frye low wedge sandal (in a handful of pretty colors) and this Stella McCartney wedge (also note it covers you for the metallic and decorative heel trends, all in one fell swoop) and the Cole Haan Air Bria (in gold or silver and thereby also hitting the right metallic note), to name a few.

Gladiator Sandals

Nope, they’re not gone. They’ve been the ubiquitous trendy sandal for the past several years, but I’m not complaining. I always like a shoe that mixes elements. Refined and rough. Masculine and feminine. And the gladiator sandal does that, whether it’s a glamazon version by Stuart Weitzman, a buckled and studded strappy one by Claudia Ciuti, or a basic brown leather Dolce & Gabbana.

Safari

The final trend is the one you have to be most careful of. When you start getting anywhere near animal prints, you’ve got to be careful not too go too over the top. I’d recommend sticking with things that are a little more toned down like this Oscar de la Renta mini-wedge. Or get a safari-esque look by sidestepping animal prints in favor of wooden embellishments, like on this t-strap sandal by Shoesense’s guru, Robert Clergerie. Because, while I dearly love Taryn Rose shoes and all they stand for, their take on the safari style is WAY too much in my book.

So go, Shoeblog readers. Find your spring shoes armed with trend awareness. It’s a fine line between trendy for its own sake and trendy in a way that will last into future springs to come. But you can do it. You’re savvy people.

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