ShoeBlog Interviews Christian Siriano!

A few weeks ago, Payless Shoes held a preview of their fall 2009 collection.  At the showroom, one of our very own shoebloggers, TwinkleToes, had a chance to interview Project Runway 4 winner Christian Siriano (swoon) about his Payless shoe collection.  We’re super excited to share the interview.  Stay tuned…

Christian Siriano for Payless: Blue Bootie from upcoming Fall 2009 collection

Discount Design Thursday: What to Buy for the Price of a Few Lattes

So, everyone knows about Simply Vera by Vera Wang at Kohl’s. I’m not a huge fan of the clothes, as I don’t know if the goth meets boho meets Transylvanian count thing really works for me, and I don’t think much of the shoes either.

But recently, on a somewhat scary outlet-plagued suburban family trip to pick up household goods, we stopped at a Kohl’s near my parents’ house in Southern California. It was the first time I’d been inside a Kohl’s since I was 12 and living in suburban Illinois.

That’s where I came across the ELLE line. I was tickled to see that some of the design was quite good, and would expect no less from a line that the magazine stamps its label on. I got a cute little purple cropped sweater with rolled sleeves that doesn’t seem to be on the website, this demure little cropped white jacket and this adorable pintucked faux silk shirt and got loads of compliments on them and looks of disbelief when I revealed their store of origin.

But I didn’t notice the shoes because we didn’t go to the shoe section. Then I looked online on a whim after a cross-continental fashion phone conference with one of my dearest friends today about how we were trying to incorporate looks we weren’t used to, that were edgy and smart and urban, but still thriftily stretched our dollar.

So I was pleased as punch to make the acquaintance of these Ultra Dress Heels, on sale for the price of a pair of Payless heels at $24!!!:

These stylish Vivas look pretty much exactly like a bunch of other current shoes that cost a lot more from other retailers. They are on sale for $39!

And cute! These royal purple Necole flats will have people thinking you paid much more than $19.99 until you tell them how you got a total steal (or don’t):

Bet you ShoeBlog readers can’t wait till Christian Siriano’s line comes out for Payless! What does the man-child adored by Victoria Beckham and well known for accusing people of venturing into Hot Tranny Messdom know about designing shoes? Who knows! But we will all cross our fingers and hope for edgy, fun shoes priced between $25 and $45 from the man best known for being fierce! We’ll preview them next month, but I just wish we didn’t have to wait until this fall to buy them!

Winter BOGO at Payless

Payless Shoesource is one of those guilty pleasures I occasionally just must indulge. Today I popped in to see what had trickled down into the land of affordable winter fashion and was pleasantly surprised at the number of lined winter boots options that are available. An in-store Buy One Get One 1/2 off is just a nice bonus. While the BOGO is not currently showing online, there are also several styles that are still on sale at the Payless website.

There were also a few styles that I saw in-store that would definitely be appropriate for the bargain shopper looking for cozy winter footwear:

First, the cute and casual Airwalk Tabitha Flat Sweater Boot $39.99. It’s just plush enough inside to make that cold winter wind seem less intimidating.

Next, the Funky bejewelled American Eagle Beaded Wedge Boot $49.99. Definitely a boot for when you want to feel both cozy and still dressed-up.

For those of you who are already into toe-freezing weather and snowy days, a more serious cold-temperature snow boot is the Nora Weather Boot $34.99. Good to -20 Farenheit, it’s also got a nice practical sole meant to provide traction in slippery areas.

Finally, we come to my favorite, a quick side zip pull-on ankle boot with a cozy lined interior, the Marcia Fur Boot $34.99 is a perfect choice for the cold and rainy season when your unlined fall boots are just not up to the job of keeping your toes warm but you do not really need a full snow-boot.

I do find it refreshing when a boot is not automatically $150 and above – yet can still get the job done; Payless has stepped in with some reasonable winter values.

Happy Labor Day.

For those of you in the United States, Labor day is one of those three-day weekends that is synonymous with shopping (although for plenty of men it is synonymous with grilling). For many of the younger set, it is the last big holiday weekend before school resumes. What is interesting to me is that a holiday that originated with the intent to give a day of rest and appreciation to the working citizens has morphed into a day where those folks working in service industries (particularly retail and food service) continue to work during the holiday to serve the rest of us who are lucky enough to have 9-5 employment.

If you happen to work in a government or white collar job, enjoy your day off.  For those of you in the service industry, been there, done that; I do hope you’re eligible for overtime. 

To all of those working through the holiday, THANK YOU for your commitment and work ethic.   This is my cheerleader moment: Our people are what keep our nation strong.

And, to those in a shopping frame of mind, there are a few sales. Unfortunately, there are not as many as I might have hoped:

1.) Asos has a shopping discount code good until Sunday, Sept 7th; Enter “ASOSGLAMOUR” at checkout for 20% off (I do not know if there is a price floor on this discount):

(Lotus Long Vintage Panelled Boots £190.00 before ASOS discount)

2. Bloomingdales is having a “Big Brown Bag Sale” through today [Extra 30-50% off Select Sale Items valid thru September 1st, 2008 on Bloomingdales.com only. Sale Items as marked. Discount Automatically Taken at Checkout. Offer is not valid in conjunction with any other offer. Delivery charges and applicable sales taxes are additional. No adjustments to prior purchases. Offer excludes Electronic Gift Cards Beauty, Gifts, and Home (Including Furniture & Mattresses). Online Offer differs in Bloomingdale's store locations and is not valid on bloomingdales.weddingchannel.com]:

3. Bluefly has select shoes at and additional 25% off through today. I don’t know about you, but in my book extra discounts at Bluefly are always a good idea:

4. Eluxury is giving an additional 30% off sale items:

How about these D&G patchwork sandals for an additional discount off the $539 sale price (Originally $895). That puts these under $400:

5. Nieman Marcus has free shipping for orders over $200 and for any shoe or handbag purchase over $350, a gift set of 12 designer notecards will be sent as a gift with purchase. 

I don’t happen to have any $350 shoes that I can’t live without. However, the notecards are darned cute.

6. Payless Shoe Source is having an online and in-store BOGO: Buy one; Get one for 1/2 Price. Always a crowd pleaser:

7. Shoebuy has a 20% off discount code; Enter “LD2008″ during checkout.  This is a great time to purchase a last-season clearance boot for fall.  With few exceptions, boots are a classic, trend-proof fall staple.  Don’t forget that if you are registered with Shoebuy, you normally receive an additional 10% discount above any current sales promotions.

Bronx ‘Zari’ on sale for $194 -20% -additional 10% = $139.68; 35% off the original $215.  Gotta love them stacked discounts.  I know I already said it, but the extra discounts make this a great time to browse; great time to buy.

As always, happy browsing!

Fall Trends for the Budget Conscious: Payless Shoesource

I love online-surfing at shoe sites to see what gorgeous shoes are being offered out there in world-wide-web-land.

This is evidenced by the favorites folder on my computer (which has at least 50 different online retailers and shoe manufacturers bookmarked for easy perusal). However, in doing so much online window shopping, I sometimes forget about retailers that have a local retail presence in my community.

So, here’s a little peek at some trendy styles that are accessible to tighter budgets. Today’s focus is Payless. In this price range, there may be certain materials substitutions to maintain a lower price-point; things such as glue and synthetics versus stitching and natural leathers which may be found on higher-end shoes. Over the years,  I have purchased and worn many so-called ‘low quality’ shoes; shoes that, incidentally, lasted through years of hard use. Although I love several brands that hover in the $90-200 range, I’m definitely willing to take a chance on an attractive shoe at a great price.

So, here’s some of what Payless Shoesource has to offer us this fall:

“Tate Oxford Bootine” $29.99 (on sale for $24.99); Trend: Booties, Oxford detail, Menswear styling.

“Jana Peep-toe Maryjane” in brown Herringbone or black/white Plaid $24.99; Trend: Maryjanes, Menswear styling.

“Flare Button Flat” $22.99; Trend: Fall Plaids, Oxford details, Faux Maryjane straps.

“Harley Oxford Pump” $24.99; Trend: Oxford detailing, Spectator, Peep-toe, Bootie, Menswear styling.

“Madison Button Ankle Boot” in Grey or Black $34.99 (On sale for $27.99); Trend: Ankle boots, Romantic/retro styling, Hidden Platform.

“Koko Gilley Pump” $24.99; Trend: Peep-toe, Platform, Oxford, Color-trend Purple.

“American Eagle Tattoo Splash Rain Boot” $37.99; Trend: Colorful Graphics, Tattoo Art detailing.

For those of you on budgets: Yes, you can look trendy without having to switch over to a diet of Macaroni and Cheese.