Spring Shoe Steal: Past Season Fluevog

With recent days bringing warmer-than-usual weather to my neck of the woods, I have started looking forward to spring. In deference to the local erratic weather patterns, I am still getting daily use of my fall and winter knee boots. But, recent crisp but sunny days have me anticipating the warm spring weather that is just around the corner.

And, bargain-lover that I am, these bright yellow Fluevog sandals are a great way to feed the spring sandal craving while still keeping on budget.

John Fluevog ‘Laurelei’ $45.75 $183 on clearance in yellow/sizes 7 & 8 at 6pm.com

John Fluevog shoes are an acquired taste. They are feminine yet maintain a funky edge that really appeals to me.

Plus, each shoe fits within a shoe-line ‘family’ which can generally be determined by examining the sole of the shoe. It’s just one of those thoughtful little details that make a Fluevog shoe feel that teeny bit more special.

The sole of this Laurelei identifies it as part of the ‘Fellowships’ family, complete with the inscription “Old friends are good Friends”.

“Fellowships” via the Fleuvog website:

Please, these shoes are on an insane discount. If you are a size 7 or 8, snap them up ASAP. These are a true bargain and solid value.

Shoe Deja-Vu: Jeffrey Campbell’s Unicorn Heels

Last year, visions of Jeffrey Campbell’s ‘Michelle’ shoe sent shoe-loving bloggers into a  veritable swoon. Something about the frilly ruffles and that twisted unicorn heel effortlessly recalls fairy-tale dreams of girlhood; a time where you could be a tomboy one moment and an all-powerful queen the next.

Jeffrey Campbell’s ‘Michelle’ is $109-135 in various colors at Nordstrom, Solestruck, LuLu’s, Bianca Rose & Whatapair.

So, who has copied this design?

First,  Jeffrey Campbell has lifted his own unicorn-heel design and added a solid punk vibe:

Jeffrey Campbell ‘Inches’ ankle bootie $129.95 at Solestruck.com & $119 at LuLus.com

Then, for the buyer on a budget, Wild Rose is offering the inevitable low-priced knockoff – in both a pastel inspired version as well as more literal JC copies.

Wild Rose Lucy 02 $22.99 & Wild Rose Lucy 04 $21.99 at Cutesyshoes.com

(Also available at GoJane.com)

Wild Rose Lucy 01 $21.20 at GoJane.com & UrbanOriginal.com

At this under $30 price-point, don’t expect longevity; these are for those people who only wear unusual shoe styles for a season or two.

If you, however, know that you will love these for years instead of a single season, I recommend that you find a way to budget yourself into a pair of the Jeffrey Campbell originals.

A Big Thank You for the Faryl Robin ‘Elina’ shoes

Okay, I admit that one of the things I occasionally miss since switching from being a reader to a writer here at Shoeblog is that I can only ‘look but not touch’ when we put on one of our self-funded (or the occasional brand-sponsored) giveaways.

All in all, it’s so much fun finding and writing new articles, that I don’t really feel the loss at the opportunity to win free stuff.

But, I am, after all,  a shoe-lover at heart – and the chance to win shoes is always exciting. Who doesn’t love free shoes?

So, imagine my pleasure when, admitted shoe-obsessive that I am, I was contacted with the information that I had won the Faryl Robin giveaway at the Sweet Life in the Valley blog (Insert enthusiastic shoutout to Sweetlife here….also, the microwave fudge and beignet’s recipes on the site looks too tasty to miss.)

I got to choose a pair from among any of the styles available at the Faryl Robin site as of about 2 weeks ago. Speaking of fudge, that’s the shoe-lover’s equivalent of a being a kid in the candy store.

Hubby liked these:

(Faryl Robin ‘Ulysses’ $175.78 at endless.com, $179 at bluefly.com, & $293-$298.95 at couturecandy.com & shoebuy.com)

Of course, Hubby rides in the summertime, so his zeroing-in on the motorcycle boot is not a huge surprise.

And, I was tempted, particularly since this boot comes in a burgundy-brown color which is simply gorgeous.

But, I instead decided on these pretties; they arrived on my doorstep yesterday evening after I had left for my metalworking class:

It’s always exciting right before you open the box, right?

Then, there’s the first teasing glimpse, nestled among all that pretty tissue wrapping.

Then, you get to see that they look even better in person than they did online.

Really, I think it was the wrap-around-the-heel strap that clinched it for me. These have a retro-vintage appeal mixed with a modern sensibility. I was officially helpless to make any other style choice.

Oh, and of course, you have to try them on to see how they look on the foot. It’s a major deal-maker or breaker in a new pair of shoes.

So adorable. Cute and sexy at the same time; these hit exactly the right note to be an everyday, wearable shoe in my closet and my lifestyle. Plus, these will work great with both jeans and skirts, yay!

Thank you again Sweetlife & Faryl Robin!

Oh, wait, I almost forgot. These are the Faryl Robin ‘Elina’ platform pumps available @ Shoemall.com ($99), Endless.com $187.46, & Shoebuy.com ($249.95),

FTC Disclosure/Noticee: This article was not solicited or directly sponsored by any of the companies or parties it may have mentioned. Shoeblog is a fashion site run by shoe-lovers and is partially funded by banner and click-through advertising. Keeping our blog profitable is one thing that allows us to bring you periodic non-sponsored giveaways and reader contests.  I choose my topics based on personal interest and am not paid by advertisers for my opinions. Some of the shopping links on items shown in posted articles may be ‘affiliate linked’. However, often links do not generate any revenue to Shoeblog. I check for appropriate links after I write each article and try to find the best prices available at that time among familiar retailers; those links may or may not exist that bring us revenue.

6pm.com Sale: Up to 80% off LAMB, Zanotti, & more

I don’t usually like the phrase “Go, Shop, Save” since it normally involves a lot more spending to ‘get’ the supposed ‘saving’ of money. But, at 80% off of some items this is a great time to look and see if any of the items that were unreachable at $100, $300, $400 are now within reasonable prices for those of us on serious budgets.

My recurring crush, the Harajuku Lovers ‘Paley’ is 20 bucks – yes, $20. Can we say, ‘Insane and tempting clearance prices!’ Holy cow, Christmas may be affordable after all.

This LAMB ‘Hip’ oxford also caught my eye at $120 down from $400. I love sexy oxfords for fall and winter outfits. There are also about 2 dozen other LAMB styles (Primarily hot, strappy sandals) on clearance as well.

And, let’s not forget Giuseppi Zanotti. This Giuseppi Zanotti E90172 is a great strappy platform that needs an appreciative home. This baby is $175 – down from $875 original retail. Check out the 6pm.com sale for even more styles.

So, what are you waiting for? These 6pm clearance specials tend to sell out quickly!

Passementerie Shoes

I first saw passementerie-embellished footwear on a pair of boots several years ago while browsing through one of those old paper Spiegel catalogs that used to arrive in my mailbox on a near-daily basis.  Back when finding a catalog item on back-order was a normal course of events with mail-order houses and not an internet emergency requiring the thwarted buyer to immediately write a scathing site review; my, how expectations have changed. This was also before I knew how much other women were willing to spend on things like shoes and fashion and the then-$60 price-tag on the boots in question still fell firmly into my personal idea of ‘too-spendy’ to consider actually purchasing. Since then, I have seen passementerie-bedecked shoes arrive in stores at rare, irregular, and unpredictable intervals that easily defy my own, limited, ability to predict.

Anyway, on to the now – and Christian Louboutin’s recent forays into passementerie…which, since they have been out for more than five seconds, are pretty much sold out everywhere.

Oh well. If you, unlike me, are unable to resist the appeal of these sumptuously-styled pumps, now’s the time to grab the style….because Louboutin’s popularity makes anything he touches golden and therefore likely to be copied by other, less creative (or expensive) footwear brands.

Case in point:

Martinez Valero ‘Olivia’ passementerie pump. $107.19 – 160.00 at Nordstrom, Heels.com, Endless.com, Amazon.com and Myglassslipper.com – just for starters.

The ivory or white pairs are simply ideal for matching to a bridal gown.  I am surprised that this isn’t more of a bridal-shoe staple.

So, if you like the passementerie style, you may not have another chance at purchasing anything like this for some time…the braided ribbon detail really doesn’t come along and visit all that often here in shoe-land.