Here’s the thing -

I am really interested in adding a cute, criss-cross, strappy pump to my closet. There are dozens and dozens of shoes that fit this description, yet I keep coming back to these shoes:

Shoes for Lovely People Bombshell $90 $126 at Zappos.com

I have been grooving on these shoes since spring. And, while I really like the black pair, it is the somewhat impractical, metallic red,  faux-snakeskin pair that keeps drawing me back in to see if these have gone on sale yet anywhere online (wow, they are now on sale at Zappos)….the gold ones just give me flashbacks to 80’s Solid Gold episodes - high heels and spandex, *shudders*.

Also, for some reason when I look at these, the phrase “Surrender Dorothy” runs through my mind….but in a fun way. But there’s no way you’re gonna get me to wear a blue-gingham checked dress with these.  More like a black cocktail dress or dark wash denim paired with a tailored button-down blouse.

I was expecting the siren call of these to fade as the months passed, but something about them won’t let go of me.  Perhaps I am subconsciously seeking a pair of my own iconic ruby slippers with all of their magical and transformative powers?

Or, maybe it’s more simple and  I’m just doomed to remain hopelessly, happily shoe-obsessed.

I can handle that.

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I will continue to wax obsessive on all things boot-like when it comes to footwear.

And, unlike yesterday’s Gucci boots or Sunday’s oh-so-lustworthy Dsquared2 styles, these little booties from Sofft are even potentially budgetable - especially if I luck out and find them on sale sometime over the next several months.

Take a look:

Sofft ‘Orlena’ $154 at Zappos, $149.94 at The Walking Co.

These little pretties have been growing on me since I first glimpsed them about a month ago.

Seriously, how cute are those buttons and the slightly-oversized cuff? And look, they come in either black leather or grey suede; both are beautiful fall options.

Delicious….and falling nicely under the unfortunately-becoming-too-common $200-$700 price range.

Plus, these are made by Sofft - which has a well-known reputation for producing styles that are comfortable as well as fashionable.

These are definitely on my mental short list for ’shoes to keep an eye out for during sales season’.

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Okay, it’s official.

I am becoming more and more smitten by offerings coming out of Dsquared2.

My crush may even be deep enough that when Hubby & I finally reach debt-free status, (sometime toward next fall if things continue to proceed apace) I might even consider paying full retail once or twice a year for a lust-shoe or two from this design house.

Today’s example:

Dsquared2 Open Toe Pump Frou Frou Camoscio $911 at Zappos.com

Holy cow! And this is while staying with a monochromatic black color scheme - with the exception of the lining. These are anything but boring; filled with eye-catching textural details and contrasts from the ruffles to ribbon to croc-embossed heel…..

These shoe are both fierce and unapologetically feminine at the same time.

I am in deep smit, indeed.

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What can I say… These shoes are HOT!

Dsquared2 ‘Bloody Mary’ Vernice pump $1040 $751.50 at Zappos.com / $750.90 at Endless.com

(There’s also a knee-boot version and a sandal version of these - but they don’t make me swoon.)

I can’t even tell you just how much looking at these makes me forget to breathe a little bit - these are such insanely hard-core lust objects. (Even hubby thinks these are pretty fab, though he wouldn’t like the price.)

I have had mixed reactions to the great number of studded shoes that we have been seeing over the last 18 months or so. The Gucci Babouska’s had studs that were just too much, too over-sized, and too gold for my taste; the Rodarte’s - too pointy.

But these? I am surprised at just how much I love these. They are like that 3rd little bear with me as a darker-locked version of Goldilocks; these are just right.

Flattened silver-toned star-shaped studs.  Just a hint of Oxford appeal. Wrap-around double-buckle strap Maryjane reference. Mixed-leather textural contrast…..To steal a phrase “I die”.

I wonder if the “Bloody Mary” name is a tribute to the Louboutin ‘Mad Mary’ Studded pump sold a little while back?  I’ll probably never know the answer. Oh, well.

And, with Halloween just around the corner, I find these babies to be aptly named. Strap these onto your feet and even the terrifying Bloody Mary Worth of legend would think twice before leaving her mirror to come after you…unless it was in jealousy over being unable to own a pair of these amazing namesake shoes.

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Emilio Pucci is known for playing with vivid colors and vibrant, abstract prints on his footwear designs.

And while I admittedly love color in my footwear choices,  my preferences tend more toward bright, single-color styles, two-tone color-blocking, and feminine florals than the swirling, vibrant color abstracts that are typical of many Pucci’s offerings. These prints tend to remind me of Mondrian - which inevitably leads me to visualize to opening sequences to such shows as the Brady bunch and the Partridge Family; an unfortunate set of programmed associations which clearly identify me as a child of the 70’s.

I know.

*wince*

But, in spite of all of this, here two Pucci styles that make me exclaim, “how delicious are these?”

Emilio Pucci “79492″ leather and suede boot ($994):

And, Pucci “794943″ suede and patent peep-toe webbed-heel pump ($774) @ Zappos):

I’m definitely loving the colorful, acrylic?, webbed, insert on these lovelies.

Is there that expected Pucci hint of modern abstract patterning? Yes, but just a hint.

There’s just enough color here; it’s as if your shoes have a little secret that only flashes out when viewed at precisely the right angle.

This is the type of shoe that causes the wearer walk as though she has some dark and mysterious secret that you can’t quite put your finger on….

And, which one of us wouldn’t want to be that girl, from time to time?

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