Bloomingdale’s in New York is touting Sam Edelman Gogo flats. They’re available at Shoes.com for $115. I actually really like these despite the huge jewels, I think because the straps are a little different from traditional gladiators. With a pair of Rayban Wayfarers shown above the shoes (available at Shopbop.com for $139), all the rage these days when I was traveling in Europe and now in New York, why not? A good match for the beach, which I intend on heartily visiting this summer.

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I have only one pair of Hollywould shoes, and those are from the ‘for Target’ line that was produced a year or two ago. I do admit to admiring a number of Hollywould shoe styles; particularly some of the colorful ticking-striped shoes in red and blue that are just too cute for words. Unfortunately, cute is rarely enough for me to shell out close to $500 for a pair of shoes - for me it must be true love combined with an almost mindless desire to get that shoe!  Luckily for me, that rarely happens, leaving most of my purchases in my budget ’sane zone’. I was, however, hoping to try out at least one pair of Hollywould shoes toward the end of next year when all of my ‘New Home’-related debt was paid off.

Unfortunately, the odds of my finding the perfect pair has dropped as Hollywould follows Linens and Things in closing up shop. I love a sale, but this is a sad way to get a bargain.

Hollywould shoes is subsidiary of the Kellwood Co.; a company which markets both men’s and women’s sportswear as well as, interestingly enough, sporting goods. Kellwood Co. announced plans to sell the Hollywould line back in October of this year; unfortunately, there have been no takers to date. Founder and creative director Holly Dunlap’s final day was November 24, 2008 and the press offices are also closed at this time. 

If the Hollywould website is any indication; this is their last hurrah.  Beginning December 2, 2008, a sale was announced with discounts of up to 85% off original prices; the site is currently down to $79 per item site-wide. Yesterday it was $89, so expect discounts to continue as the stock depletes.  Discount shipping codes appear to have been shut off.  Order confirmations will be emailed, but due to the store-closing nature of the sale, e-mail cancellations are still possible if stock cannot be located.  All items are, predictably, final sale.

So, if you want to take a peak and see what is left, by all means, visit the Hollywould website and get your last shot at shoes that are reputed to be as comfortable as they are attractive.

When last I checked, there were still many styles available, including Ballet Flats, Kitten Heels and a handful of boots:

For those of you who love the Hollywould brand or were thinking of trying it out ’someday’, this may be one of your last opportunities to own a new pair of Hollywould shoes (Outside of whatever stock is left on websites such as Shoes.com and 6pm.com). Certainly it’s a little bittersweet, and it does show that even the luxury market is affected during an economic turn-down. One of the few up-sides I can see coming from this is a possible slow-down on the price-inflation that has started to become normal in the shoe market over the last few years. Obviously, that’s a very small silver lining to be found, but at least it’s something.

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Project Runway 5.2 is tonight. (Season 5, Episode 2 for the non-PR junkie).

Reading Jitterbugbaby’s Project Runway 5.1, those Dior python shoes looked vaguely familiar to this small-town girl.

Dior Anniversary Python in Green:

(Discounted 40% to $834 off from Bluefly)

Maybe it was the glammed-up L.A.M.B. “Georgina”?

(Available in Grey, White, or Camel from Endless.com, Shoes.com, Zappos and retailing at just shy of $400; It is currently on various sales at Heels.com/$349.99, Shopbop/$197.50, and DJPremium/$266)

No, it was the Guess “Karavi” slingback:

(They are available in black, white, tangerine, pink, green, or espresso at Zappos/$114, Shoes.com/$110, Endless/$109.95, & Heels.com/$108.99 . However, you can steal these for $59.99 at Smartbargains.com).

And there you go. There truly is a shoe for all budgets.

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It seems that I was telepathically hooked into Shoesense’s vibe yesterday. While she was posting about wedges and lamenting that they may be on the way out, I was at my local Macy’s drooling over this shoe on the clearance racks. In fact, I severely fractured my shopping ban grabbing these funky babies:

The Zinc “Cassidy” slingback.  Love, love, loving that tattoo “flash” that wraps around the wedge all combined with that soft suede upper. I am almost tempted to keep these as a display; I can’t stop staring at them.

As far as I could discover, there are only two actual ’Cassidys’  available for purchase online: A Size 7.5 in Red at Endless.com for $88.95 and a Size 6 in Blue at Zappos.com for $93.00.

On a positive note for wedge lovers, Zinc doesn’t appear to be abandoning the wedge style anytime soon.  While I was still haunting the local shoe department, I saw that they have now released the “Cassidy Too” which is based on the above  style. This time, its edge comes not from tattoo art, but from a bold pop-art graffiti style.

Have a look:

Available in a variety of colors from Heels.com ($84.99),  Endless.com ($88.95), Shoes.com ($90.00), and  Zappos.com   ($93.00). 

These are for the person who likes their feet to do the talking.

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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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