For those of you in the United States, Labor day is one of those three-day weekends that is synonymous with shopping (although for plenty of men it is synonymous with grilling). For many of the younger set, it is the last big holiday weekend before school resumes. What is interesting to me is that a holiday that originated with the intent to give a day of rest and appreciation to the working citizens has morphed into a day where those folks working in service industries (particularly retail and food service) continue to work during the holiday to serve the rest of us who are lucky enough to have 9-5 employment.

If you happen to work in a government or white collar job, enjoy your day off.  For those of you in the service industry, been there, done that; I do hope you’re eligible for overtime. 

To all of those working through the holiday, THANK YOU for your commitment and work ethic.   This is my cheerleader moment: Our people are what keep our nation strong.

And, to those in a shopping frame of mind, there are a few sales. Unfortunately, there are not as many as I might have hoped:

1.) Asos has a shopping discount code good until Sunday, Sept 7th; Enter “ASOSGLAMOUR” at checkout for 20% off (I do not know if there is a price floor on this discount):

(Lotus Long Vintage Panelled Boots £190.00 before ASOS discount)

2. Bloomingdales is having a “Big Brown Bag Sale” through today [Extra 30-50% off Select Sale Items valid thru September 1st, 2008 on Bloomingdales.com only. Sale Items as marked. Discount Automatically Taken at Checkout. Offer is not valid in conjunction with any other offer. Delivery charges and applicable sales taxes are additional. No adjustments to prior purchases. Offer excludes Electronic Gift Cards Beauty, Gifts, and Home (Including Furniture & Mattresses). Online Offer differs in Bloomingdale’s store locations and is not valid on bloomingdales.weddingchannel.com]:

3. Bluefly has select shoes at and additional 25% off through today. I don’t know about you, but in my book extra discounts at Bluefly are always a good idea:

4. Eluxury is giving an additional 30% off sale items:

How about these D&G patchwork sandals for an additional discount off the $539 sale price (Originally $895). That puts these under $400:

5. Nieman Marcus has free shipping for orders over $200 and for any shoe or handbag purchase over $350, a gift set of 12 designer notecards will be sent as a gift with purchase. 

I don’t happen to have any $350 shoes that I can’t live without. However, the notecards are darned cute.

6. Payless Shoe Source is having an online and in-store BOGO: Buy one; Get one for 1/2 Price. Always a crowd pleaser:

7. Shoebuy has a 20% off discount code; Enter “LD2008″ during checkout.  This is a great time to purchase a last-season clearance boot for fall.  With few exceptions, boots are a classic, trend-proof fall staple.  Don’t forget that if you are registered with Shoebuy, you normally receive an additional 10% discount above any current sales promotions.

Bronx ‘Zari’ on sale for $194 -20% -additional 10% = $139.68; 35% off the original $215.  Gotta love them stacked discounts.  I know I already said it, but the extra discounts make this a great time to browse; great time to buy.

As always, happy browsing!

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Know for innovative and bold styles, behold this Marni  platform boot with removable weasel-fur cuff:  ($1521.00 at Bluefly in size 38)

This boot needs nothing more from me than to give it an audience.

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I loved the Miu Miu “Pop” brogues that came out last fall. With subtle color-block styling, including topstitching and wingtip styling, it was a wonderfully feminine version of a classic menswear shoe. (See Manolo’s take here):

There are a few isolated sizes & styles available at Net-a-porter and Bluefly- but Bluefly is already selling out some styles even as I am writing this, so these will not be around for long, even at discounted prices that are still around $500.

These were apparently too original to stay original.   I am in true awe at the sheer mass of imitations that have spawned from these fun and elegant originals. 

Be warned, some are quite cute, but others border on a level of “What were they thinking?” that leaves me shaking my head in confusion.

So, in no particular order:

Contestant #1 -  Guess by Marciano “Yerex” $125 at Shoes.com & $129 at Zappos.com (Not too extreme, and I kind of like the slender heel):

Contestant #2 -  Two Lips  “Cotton Club” $79 at Shoes.com and Zappos.com (Not sure I’m really ‘feeling’ the antiqued/brushed metal finish.):

Contestant #3 -  Hale Bob “Imagine” $87.47 - $124.95 at Endless.com, Heels.com & Shoes.com. (I’m okay with the metallic color balance, but the red is just too much for me.)

Contestant #4 - Dollhouse with the “Warhole” and “Rembrandt” styles $69.99 at Heels.com for either style. (Honestly, I do like the blue combo as it has enough differences to make it a nice variation on the original idea.)

Contestant #5 - Bamboo ‘Hanete01′ $34.99 at Cutesyshoes  (I can’t ever see myself wearing this cotton-candy color combo.):

And, no,  I have not forgotten Steve Madden, master style imitator; He has an honorable mention for the “Specs” which have apparently sold out at most online retailers.

So, how do we feel about these?

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It is probably safe to say that I am not alone in my obsessive anticipation of tomorrow’s season premier for Project Runway Season 5.  I can hardly bear the wait.

As an enthusiastic (if occasional) seamstress, I am inspired by the design challenges as well as the fantastic footwear. And what footwear it was last season. My personal favorite, the “Marie Antoinette” by Christian Dior is still available at Bluefly; today only it is $440.99, an additional 10% off the normal $489.99.

And that they have it available in a 7.5 is tempting. But I have already purchased a lower-end beaded slide by Naughty Monkey while it was on clearance earlier this year:

And, while I have been unable to find anyone still selling the Naughty Monkey shoe, you can still grab the similar “Diana” by Beverly Feldman care of Zappos for $152.10 in Black Crepe (below) or  Python/Silver (not pictured):

As for me, It looks like I’m probably covered on swaggy beaded sandals for awhile.

So, the real Shoeblog question:  What new shoe will replace last season’s “Patron Shoe” of Project Runway?

And now, in anticipation of tomorrow’s season premier, I took a sneak peak at this season’s hopefuls.

I find myself particularly excited because 3 of these designers hail from towns that I have at various times called “Home”.

It could be interesting to see what these folks from agricultural towns and small-town Americal have to offer.

Hope it’s at least as fun as last season.

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It’s Saturday and that usually means the kick-off of some awesome sales around the Internets. I strongly suggest you check out the Bluefly sale, Sat.-Mon., which will give you an extra 15% off merchandise already on sale. I’ve picked just a few examples, but trust me, there is a lot more and I’d do some browsing in the lazy days of the afternoon if I were you.

So, here are some shoes that caught my eye:

Delman silver or gold flats, $76.50 (down from $255–that’s 70% off!)

Delicious Kate Spade purple velour slingbacks, now $81 (down from $295–that’s 73% off!):

Stuart Weitzman work-approved, yet delightfully stylish and cute lime green loafers, now $85 (down from$250–that’s 66% off!)

Slimmifying Delman tall stretch boots, fit for any calves, and now for any budget–$93.50, down from $310, that’s 70% off!

Designers are well-represented, so here’s your chance at owning some labels that might otherwise be out of reach–they’re usually about 50% off, sometimes more. I think these Prada camel leopard print pony hair pumps, $354, down from $695, are simply fab:

And so are these Gucci red sparkle patent buckle flats, $216, down from $425:

The sale lasts till Monday, and alas, sizes are quite limited–so if I were you, I would hurry.

Happy bargain shopping, shoe lovers!

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