Phew! Just when I thought oxfords were going out of fashion, Dolce & Gabbana comes to reassure me that no, they’re very much in, and not only that, but they’re now permitted to be chunky and flashy at the same time! There is something reassuringly autumnal about the collection (tweeds, ribbed tights, knits, and brogues), and the masculine flair of the shoes is tempered by the exuberant mix of textures, colors, and materials. All the trends of this past season are mixed and mashed (metallics, animal-textures–croc-embossing and pony hair–, razzle-dazzle rhinestones, toe-caps, colorblock) into a delightfully eclectic and likeable collection.

By now you’ve probably noticed that wedges (almost entirely) and platforms (only to a certain extent) are being fazed out of the fall trends. Hm… I wonder what’s next!

1 Comment »

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!

6 Comments »

…are now available for pre-order at Saks. Remember those, right?

They were the talk of last fall’s fashion week. Try not to get confused on how to wear these–though, admittedly, it’s not easy:

You’ve got the height (4″), you’ve got the heel (somewhere, exact location is not important), you’ve got your trendy patent and peep-toe, you’re good to go. Or not–I cannot vouch for your balance in these, and come to think of it, I am really not sure of the occasion where these shoes would fit. Any suggestions?

In case you can’t live without them, pre-order them at Saks for $545.

5 Comments »

I’ve had a girl crush on Rachel Weisz since…oh, maybe The Mummy movies, but she’s been nothing but lovely in everything else I’ve seen her. I don’t know how this new romantic comedy that she stars in is–Definitely Maybe–but I think she looked just lovely at the premiere in NY:

I love the pewter-red combination, and I particularly love her inspired choice of shoes:

I’m fairly certain (though not 100% sure) that these are Brian Atwood red patent platform pumps, available at Saks for $525:

If not, that’s pretty close–and would make a lovely choice for a Valentine Day’s dinner date.

No Comments Yet »

Happy Valentine’s Day, everybody! And how do we express our love for you? By sending some shoe-love your way, that’s how!

Bluefly is having a President’s Day Sale starting today until Monday, 20% off mostly everything, and you have got, got, got to check their shoe selections. The choices are pretty fabulous and the prices quite nice, but wait, there’s more! I had to rub my eyes and double-check this, because OMG, these prices are not to be believed. Their Lucky Shop for the Ultimate Closet exclusive features deals you have to grab–or you’ll never forgive yourself.

First up, they have a variety of the rejuvenated  famous Kork-Ease platforms. Retailing for $165 and up, you can now get them in a variety of colors and sizes for $25 (that’s twenty-five, yup).

But the real savings come when you look at the Pedro Garcia fabulous collection of evening shoes. I don’t wear heels but when they only cost $50 as opposed to their regular price of $300, $425, and $425–I’m inclined to buy them just because they’re so pretty to look at:

Happy Valentine Day’s Shopping, shoe lovers!

No Comments Yet »