Oxford (lace-up) booties and pumps are all the rage this season, perhaps reminding us that this fall women are all about business. Kick up your sexy librarian quota with one of these styles, which are in abundant supply just about everywhere:

ciuti

Claudia Ciuti ‘Luella’ pump, $332 at Nordstrom.

Pucci

Emilio Pucci black and gray patent oxfords, $579 at Zappos.

Marc

Marc by Marc Jacobs Oxford pump, $450 at Zappos.

MJ

Marc Jacobs cylindrical heel lace-up shoe, 508 Euros at Luisaviaroma.

Bally

Bally ‘Glania’ brogue pump, $575 at Nordstrom.

SW

Stuart Weitzman ‘Cambridge’ pump, $285 at Nordstrom.

CL

Christian Louboutin ‘Miss Fred Tacco’ booties, $695 at Saks.

I must admit that, by comparison, the low-heeled versions look positively dowdy:

Paul Smith

For example, the above Paul Smith ‘Starr’ oxford (rosso dip dye silk), $469 at Zappos, is, well, quite repugnant for me. Not quite menswear and not quite a feminine style either, these shoes are forever stuck in…no man’s land (no shoe’s land?). I can’t imagine any outfit that these shoes would flatter.

I guess I would need a compromise between the flat and the impossibly high heel–something like this, perhaps, with a 2-inch heel and somber croc-embossed leather:

Vittorio Virgili

This Vittorio Virgili low-heeled oxford is 242 Euros at Luisaviaroma and is a barely acceptable compromise between a man’s and a woman’s shoe. Since I can’t wear the stylish high heels above, I guess I’ll keep looking!