So, is anybody else sitting at home feeling miserable with the flu? Ah, the joys of back-to-school and fall weather are balanced by the colds that seem to come home with the kids.

Since local weather is still too insanely warm for me to think about consuming actual chicken soup, consider today’s shoes to be ‘emotional chicken soup’.

Sweet-but-sexy, studded Oxfords … luckily for me, the Oxford trend has not completely wound down yet.

Betsey Johnson ‘Kadina’ $200 at Zappos

As my husband said when I showed him these, “Oh yeah, those are completely you.”  What can I say? I have a week spot for women’s Oxfords. Oh, and plaid. And, of course, Betsey Johnson; it was inevitable that I would love these shoes.

To steal a movie quote, these are ‘Everything I never knew I always wanted’ *…or something like that.

Menswear-inspired, wing-tip appeal; Check.

Adorable, plaid-blocked contrast; Check.

Lace-up Lolita details; Check.

Patent leather, studded-Oxford edging; Check.

High Heels. Oxfords. Plaid. Lace-ups. Rockabilly. Goth. Lolita. Punk…a match made in shoe-heaven!

*Extra points if you can name the flick.

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As always, I hope our readers are having a wonderful weekend.  Here’s to time to unwind, relax, and spend time with those we love.

I am currently decompressing from my last, crazy, soccer-family weekend … that is, until it all starts back up again in the fall.  So, what did I run across today that made me smile? These gorgeous and airy cage sandals:

LAMB ‘Flavia’ woven peep-toe sandals in ivory, brown, or black $424.99 Heels.com, ($429 Zappos).

This is the kind of sandal a soccer-mom may dream of …. but can only get around to wearing after the spring soccer season is past. It must wait until she is no longer likely to find herself trudging across the kind of damp fields whose devious nature is to trap the unwary (OK, foolish) heel-wearer.  Don’t get me wrong; my brocade Skechers excel in that particular role.  But these basket-woven Maryjane beauties by LAMB?  They are a light, refreshing, and welcome, breath of spring.

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I recently found out that one of my sisters is reading our blog when she recently asked me via e-mail  “How are those fuzzy boots working out?“.  Now that she is following our site, she has also started campaigning to convert me over to Clarks, which is her absolute favorite shoe brand.  Apparently, it took me moving to a different state to find out that she loves looking at and trying on cute, sexy, or funky shoes almost as much as I do.

In this recent message, subject line: ‘My New Shoes’, she shares with me her brief summer sandal search. The siren-call that she was hoping to answer was for one of these two pairs of Frye sandals.

Frye ‘Dara’ T-strap $192 at Zappos

Frye ‘Grace’ Sandal $227.95 at Nordstrom

Unfortunately, she laments that “she couldn’t walk in them”.  And, since the primary purpose of shoes is to protect our feet in the everyday action of walking, this was an obvious deal-breaker.

So, where did she turn instead? Surprisingly, not to her fave brand Clarks, but to this shoe by Pikolinos:

Pikolinos ‘Romana’ mule $144.95 at Nordstrom

This is a unique little slip-on shoe that manages to be comfy and funky while still retaining a solid feminine flare. I love the attention to detail on these; they are also a wonderful way to get a boho-styled shoe that won’t be on the feet of everybody else around.

Now, the ‘Romana’ is definitely more Sis’s style than mine. But, it is refreshingly different and eclectic. So, after receiving her e-mail, I just had to go peeking around online to see what other styles Pikolinos might offer.

Here are a few that caught my eye:

This one is a wonderfully quirky interpretation of the still-dominant gladiator sandal style.

Pikolinos ‘Formentera gladiator sandal’ $174.95 at Nordstrom

And, if gladiators are not your thing, the Formentera is available in a simple slide variation as well:

Pikolinos ‘Formentera’ sandal $149.95 at Nordstrom

Another  Pikolinos shoe that I love is this charming Maryjane.

Pikolinos ‘Genebra’ Maryjane pump $81.90 $164.95 at Nordstrom

Now, I am undeniably a fan of Maryjane styles, so I was somewhat biased at the outset. But the leather on this is so yummy and I love the overall quilted effect of the stitching as well. This is one fantastic shoe with wonderfully whimsical artistic appeal.

On an unrelated note, I challenge you to say the title of this article three times fast.

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For those of you here in the United States, I wish you a thoughtful and safe Veterans Day.  To all those who have served, past and present, I am taking this moment to say Thank You.  Your willingness to put yourself at risk for your fellow citizens as well as for the ideals of honor, duty, and freedom makes this former military brat proud and thankful for your commitment and sacrifice.

And, for all of our Shoeblog.com readers, I proudly unfurl my own flag-inspired favorite that I reserve just for patriotic occasions:

Steve Madden Lejune at Zappos.com

Wear your colors proudly and with honor.

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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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