Comfortable low-wedge peep-toes in patents or metallic are so hotttt right now it makes me wanna throw my panties at them. You drive me wild with desire, low peep-toe wedges! Few things turn me on like well-designed, relatively well-priced, trendy, pretty shoes. Throw in some Nike Air technology and I’m hooked.

Ok, so this Cole Haan Air Elly OT ballet is not exactly the most original design, but OMG, it’s so practical and cute and comfy and coming in all sorts of fun colors, that–INSTANT LOVE! My favorite colors are the metallic pink and (are you surprised?) the yellow:

The can be found at Zappos for $189 (limited colors) or at ColeHaan.com for $185 (plus S+H). Oh, and while you’re there, check the matching patent wristlets–too cute!

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Susan’s recent comment put me in mind to search out some of the best options for comfortable and supportive shoes for spring that don’t compromise on style, specifically flats with a bit of a wedge. Well, she asked, and I’m answering. Comfort and style is what we’re all about here at Shoeblog, after all. Here are some adorable and foot-soothing choices.

Aquatalia by Marvin K makes plenty of fun and supporting shoes that are often weather-proof, too. Check out the Wizzy in this pretty multi-tonal gold color. Metallics are in this spring. Jump on that trend with these business casual loafers.

I’ve talked about the Bazaar wedge from Natural Comfort before, and I still maintain that it’s a stylish and sleek shoe that will make your feet happy even at the end of the day.

The black is on sale for only $65 at heels.com and the teal and raspberry are still at Zappos.

If you feel like shelling out for a pair that are bound to bring style and support, and you don’t mind lifting up a bit more (only to 2″), then go for the Anyi Lu Soleil with its cute quilted wedge and Poron insole.

Or the sleek Anne from Nota Bene that I can tell you from personal experience is incredibly comfortable even at the end of a day of walking.

Looking to get your stylish support with a little less pull on the wallet? Try Aerosoles’ Printz Charming, which comes in a bunch of colors, including this pretty red and brown combo.

Or go trendily metallic with their Clean Slate in silver or gold.

There’s always Cole Haan’s line with Nike Air technology, which, this season, is offering the sleek and classically stylish Air Genie in black and ivory patent (ivory shown here) and this pretty brown metallic, too.

There are some options to get you started. Of course, spring has barely begun (at least, in my neck of the woods), and there are several glorious months ahead to find that Holy Grail of Footwear: the stylish and supportive shoe. They do exist!

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Thank goodness for Givenchy, who rescues the wedge from the wave of oblivion it faced from most of the other designers this past week in Paris, and restores it to its shiny, implacable height. Patents, golds, straps, and an inward-turning angle is what makes the Givenchy footwear collection for Fall 2008, with mixed results, in my opinion (for example I believe that the first one shown here, a black patent ankle peep-toe bootie with  superfluous straps, is downright ugly, whereas the last gold strappy wedge is rather cool).

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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!

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In fact, I’m talking about one shoe–this:

Galliano used it over and over throughout his (what else?) extravagant and luxurious Spring 2008 Paris show. It comes in all the primary colors, glowing bright in yellow, crimson, purple, fuchsia, lime–but also in some “neutral” shades such as black, white, brown, dove gray, and beige:

Truth be told, only a shoe like this:

could match a dress like this:

Again, perfect showmanship! These wedges are bound to become THE hot item from the Dior house in all matters of footwear. They’re impossible, impractical, over-the-top–true. But they are also spectacular. And they will allow you to take tiny little dainty rocking steps and swing your hips all manners of sexy. (They might also cause the careless user to throw a hip, too, so use extreme caution!)

(Images courtesy of Style.com.)

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