6pm.com is having one of their brand-clearance specials today. This time it’s on the Gabriella Rocha brand.

Prices on some shoe are as low as $4.95 - you can’t even beat those prices at Payless!

Many styles are on sale:

Juliette $7.95 $43

Glori $7.95 $65

Chill $4.95 $81

Mindola $7.95 $61

So, frugalistas: Go forth and shop

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Lots of people were watching and waiting to see what the Emmanuel Ungaro label was going to do.  They changed designers just a few weeks before the show, hiring Estrella Archs and Lindsey Lohan as an artistic advisor.  Ungaro may be in trouble if all they could find was Lindsey Lohan as their artistic advisor. There were lots of cameras to see what would happen (sort of like watching a train wreck), and the reviews were not good. 

The shoes looked like they were trying hard to be unusual, but it just didn’t make it. 

Another “trying hard to be funky” heel. 

They nearly had me on this last gladiator style….

until I saw it from the front.  All I see is a yellow stripe. 

Apparently there was a lot of behind the scene politics that got pretty ugly.  No wonder Estrella looks like she would rather be in a dentist’s chair getting a root canal.

It will be interesting to see what Estrella does next year.

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I was over at Amazon the other day and encountered the phrase “Museum Shoes” in one of their new fashion forums:

Definition:

Museum Shoes: Too beautiful to wear, but perfect to look at!

- Many thanks to princess-of-shoes for this very appropriate definition.

While I doubt that all women have a pair of  Museum Shoes in their closet, I must admit that I own my own fair share of these. They are a particular failing of mine.  These are shoes that are fabulous to look at but are impractical for regular wear. Some of them are simple fun while others literally take my breath away with their beauty. They all have a place in my closet because even though it is a challenge to find occasions and outfits to wear them, they are too precious for me to give up.

Here are my Museum Shoes…in a wide range of prices from bargain-bin up to Ouch!

The wedges and embroidered pumps find more actual wear-time than the enamel-heeled Maryjane or crystal pumps - although I only occasionally wear wedges since they can look clunky (all the more potential canvas!).  There are just not that many occasions for a soccer-mom living in a small town to get all dressed up - more’s the pity.

So, is it any surprise that part of the wall-to-wall bookcase plans that we are drafting for our home also tentatively include a corner curio for displaying some of my favorite Museum Shoes?

It’s certainly better than leaving them to gather dust.

Well, do you have your own Museum Shoe…or two?

I showed you mine. Show me your Museum Shoes here.

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I have been wear-testing the following ‘Very Volatile’ wedges for roughly the last month.

Volatile USA’s ‘Nobu’ ($74.99 @ volatileusa.com; the Nobu is also available at shoes.com, Zappos & Endless)

They are a great spring-summer sandal in one of this season’s more popular colors - turquoise. These also have an appealing organic design that really works with a spring wardrobe; particularly if you are like me and have a lot of cooler tones in your wardrobe.

These sandals are available in whole sizes 6-10 B US sizing (37-41 EU). Sizing was my first challenge. As a size 7.5 medium who prefers a lot of toe room, the choice on whether to try a 7 or 8 is the first challenge I encountered.   So, I actually tried a size 7 in the turquoise, and a size 8 in black suede.

The good news is that both sizes adjust fairly well in that the buckled slingback and suede material allow for a lot of fine-tuning and comfort on the initial fit. However, the size 7 had more than enough space to accommodate my anything-but narrow size 7.5 feet.  And, while sometimes slingbacks feel like the strap is about to slip off your ankle, these stayed secure through multiple wearings.

How comfortable are they? Well, they did have a brief breaking-in period of about 2-3 wearings of 2-5 hours each.  Each wearing was successively more comfortable than the last; there were no blisters thanks to the soft suede and roomy shape, but I did get a bit of a workout re-learning how to walk on a platform wedge; these have an almost 1″ lift under the toe and about a 4″ overall lift at the heel.  The footbed it lightly cushioned, and after several wearings, this padding started to form to the shape of my arch - an absolute necessity if you have a higher arch like I do.  If you are not ‘blessed’ with high arches, you may have little or no break-in period with these.

Here are some pictures of how these bamboo-wrapped wedges actually look on the foot:

(Yes, I need a pedicure - fast!)

The turquoise color really is fabulous!

You can see here that the size 7 in turquoise is definitely roomy enough for those of us who normally wear a 7.5. And, while it looks like my pinky toe is trying to escape, it never has. The straps and cutouts are placed perfectly to avoid that happening on my feet.

You can see in this next picture that the size 8 is super roomy. I would definitely think someone who is an 8-8.5 would have no problem with this size working for them.

(If you feel the need to put on your sunglasses to view these, I understand - I really am quite naturally pale.  My hubby has joked that since I don’t tan, I actually bleach in the sunlight. But, I digress).

If I have piqued your interest at all, you can find many other styles of  ‘Very Volatile’ shoes at volatileusa, zappos, endless, and shoes.com.

I have to admit, that although Volatile shoes are a well-known regional brand in the areas such as the Southeastern United States (A ‘go-to’ for wedges, flip-flops, and animal prints), I was unfamiliar with them before I stumbled across them several months ago.

As a brand, Volatile has competitive pricing, current styling, and reasonable comfort.  This is particularly remarkable in the current climate of ridiculously rising shoe prices. This makes Volatile shoes a nice value, particularly for ladies on a budget.

And, if you can get both comfort and style on a reasonable budget, I’m all for that.

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Candies has just released photos from their  fall campaign featuring Britney Spears.  A video with Britney singing for Kohls will be released later.    These photos are just wierd looking.

I can’t even focus on the boots because of all that pink straw.

This looks like a high school photoshop project.  Step 1: Insert tent.  Step 2: Insert fence.  Step 3: Insert horse. Then color leg wraps pink.  Step 4: Insert Britney Spears.   Odd.  Just odd.

Anyways, Kohls is offering a half off sale on their Candies shoes.  Here is what is offered.  Phyliss for $30.00 in black, pink and white.

Gabriella for $28

Drue Dress Pump $25

and finally, because we all know just how much trainingheels loves cork:

Flora for $25

The Pamela Wedge for $24

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