Happy Birthday PSF!

Lots of things to celebrate this week: the city wasn’t washed away in torrential rain. Leaves are on the trees and flowers are blooming (finally).  And Philly Shoe Fairy turns three years old! Hooray!

There’s a party this weekend, of course (hope you’re coming!), and every party needs a good pair of party shoes.  Feast your eyes on this selection!

The Nadeah by ABS by Allen Schwartz is a beautiful teal pump with a round toe, but it’s the heel that’s special: four inches tall and covered in rhinestones!  It’s so sophisticated and rich, what with that deep color, like a peacock turned into a shoe. Gorg.  If you agree, pick up a pair at DSW for $65.

The Viv by Coloriffics is so ladylike: ivory lace, rhinestones, and I’m really digging how the fabric at the heel curves around towards the front.  It has a four-inch heel, and three-quarter-inch platform, and a zipper up the back to let you in.  Also available in black or nude; your choice for $125 from Zappos.

Wild!  The Hondola 3 by GUESS has cheetah pony material at the __-inch heel and _-inch platform, but the upper—the upper is gold glitter!  It has a peep toe, and interesting cutouts up the side of the foot towards the ankle.  I just love the shapes on this… and the glitter and the cheetah, too, of course!  Yours for $78 from Heels.com.

Ooh, rhinestones everywhere!  The Lulu by Benjamin Adams London is just covered in silver rhinestones.  There’s a five-inch heel and one-inch platform, and an adorable sort of almondy-round toe.  I think the toe might be my favorite part.  Which is saying a lot, considering the amount of rhinestones here.  Find them at Nordstrom for $449.

And the grand (and I do mean grand) finale:

It’s a party in a shoe if I’ve ever seen one! The 80^th Anniversary Glittery Feather Ankle-Wrap Sandal by Rene Caovilla is just fun everywhere: the bright pink, the glitter straps, the multi-colored feathers going every which way, the curlicue around the ankle… and don’t miss the glitter sole!  You have to admit, it’s fun as hell.  Yours for $1175 from Neiman Marcus.

So happy birthday, PSF!  Celebrate in style!

Sales this weekend:

Bare Feet Shoes: 10% off Sitewide with code SPRINGFEVER

Lord & Taylor: 20% off regular and sale items with code LOVE

Macy’s: Extra 25% off with code MOM

Payless: Buy one, get one half off

New Year's Eve

It’s New Year’s Eve!  The very last day of 2013.  I hope there’s a party on your schedule for tonight!  Even if there’s not, you have to close the year in party shoes!

YOU JUST DO.  IT’S A RULE.  WEAR THEM WITH PAJAMAS IF YOU MUST.

So!   Let’s get you some party shoes then!

Who says shorter heels can’t be fun?  The Camille by Coach is a pointed toe D’Orsay with suede at the toe and glitter at the heel!  (That’s a 3.25-inch heel, by the way.)  The wine color is so elegant, isn’t it?  Pick up a pair at Bloomingdales for $198.

I love the lines on the E0028 by E! Live From the Red Carpet.  The interplay of the gray and the black, swooping around your foot, leaving cutouts (I especially love the tiny cutouts up by the heel!).  That’s a 4.5-inch heel, by the way, but there’s a three-quarter-inch platform to help out.  Yours for $88 from Macy’s.

Ooh, beads!  The Akira by ABS by Allen Schwartz is a beautiful peacock color, too—unexpected among the blacks and reds of the holiday.  The heel is 4.5 inches, and there’s an inch-high platform underneath the peep toe.  But the bow and the dangling beads—those make this pair special.  Also available in white if you’re going for a snow queen vibe; your choice for $100 from DSW.

Ooh, groovy.  The Madame by Steve Madden has features that, granted, could have gone horribly wrong in the hands of the wrong designer.  But here, the chunky clear heel and shiny gold upper feel more mod than unfortunate 70s throwback.  These would be especially nice with pants, I think!  Also available in black, but they’re not nearly as fun as the gold.  Find them at Zappos for $78.

All set?  Happy New Year!

Workplace: Business Casual

So we’ve covered the casual workplace.  Next up: business casual!  Business casual usually means no jeans, but no suits either.  For the men, this usually translates into a polo or button-down shirt and khakis.  For women, sweaters, nice tops, skirts, and pants are all acceptable. 

And good news: you can still have some fun with your shoes in a business casual environment!  I would stay away from sandals, but any of these would be a nice choice for a business casual environment.

Okay, I just love the Raddia: I love the print on the body of the shoe; I love black and gray together; I love the folded draping around the toe.  I love it all!  It also has an itty-bitty nubbin of a heel which you can’t see in this photo, but it’s sort of adorable.  Also available in this print in black and gold, or solid pink or black—your choice for $79 from Nine West.

The Gardner by Joan and David has the “business” in its traditional shape, and the “casual” in the warm orange color and the little heel!  I am just a sucker for those teardrop-shaped cutouts on the pointed toe, and the bow!  What’s not to love?  Also available in black and “bronze pearl;” find them at Zappos for $105.

I think nautical is appropriate for probably any office, so I’m digging the Astor Wedge by Unisa.  With a navy and white striped upper, bow at the peep toe, cork at the toe, and woven 2.5-inch wedge, it’s classic, summery, and stylish all at once.  Find them at DSW for $50.

That “casual” part doesn’t mean you can’t wear tall heels to a business casual office, if you love high heels (like I do!).  It just means that you have a little more leeway with the styles you can wear!   

Sure, the Trickster by ABS by Allan Schwartz a classic pump.  But it’s pink!  And the four-inch heel is gold!  And if you look carefully above the heel—why, it’s a hint of leopard!  Here’s a better view of it on the aqua one:

The aqua, sadly, is down to size 6 only, but there are pairs of pink, brown, and black in more sizes, looking for love!  Find them all at Macy’s for $75.

Next week: the professional office, and that in-between office that’s more than business casual but less than full professional!

Sales this weekend:

Bakers: Sitewide, buy one and get one half off

Bus Stop Boutique: Meditation event tonight!  “Meditation Through Bondage” will be from 6-8 PM; registers will be open!

Call it Spring: Extra half off all sale items

Lord & Taylor: 15% off regular and sale, and 20% off clearance

Macy’s: Extra 15% off with code NEED

Nine West: An extra 20% off sale prices

Nordstrom: Anniversary sale

Payless: Clearance sale—up to half off

Steve Madden: An extra 30% off clearance shoes with code HOTSHOES

Bastille Day

Bonjour, ladies!  Now that we’ve celebrated our own country’s independence, it’s time to celebrate the independence of the country that helped us beat Great Britain in the Revolutionary War: France.  Happy Bastille Day, France!  We celebrate with a proud tradition of throwing Tastykakes off Eastern State Penitentiary.  

Let them eat cake, indeed.

So show your patriotic spirit with the colors of the French flag: bleu…

Aww, the Canary by ABS by Allan Schwartz really remind me of the Eiffel Tower!  Don’t they, with the shape of the T-strap up the front?  And the bow at the ankle strap!  I think I’m in freakin’ love.  Also available in black and silver, and I have to say—they’re all equally beautiful.  I don’t know how you’d pick.  Find them all at Macy’s for $90.

…blanc…

Très chic, non?  The Balance by Badgley Mischka is a white satin pump with delicately stitched embroidery, a pointed toe, and 4.5-inch heel.  (Look at the stitching up the heel!)  Simple, classic, feminine, and yours for $225 from Zappos.

…et rouge:

These Lace Pumps by Nicholas Kirkwood are so lovely—such a sheer floral lace!  A pointed cap toe and gold stiletto finish the look.  (Look at that skinny stiletto!  Four and a quarter inches.  And do shiny!)  Available at Saks for $780.

And one more:

Oh la la!  These flip flops are so perfect for the outdoor festival at Eastern State (if you ignore the fact that la Tour Eiffel went up in 1889, a hundred years after the storming of the Bastille! but anyway...).  The strap comes in pink, yellow, and blue in addition to black, but none really look right.  Stick with the black!  A steal for $18 from Café Press.

Happy Bastille Day, all!

Sales this weekend:
Bakers: Buy one pair of sandals, get the second half off
Bus Stop Boutique: Save the date: trunk show at the Hotel Monaco next Thursday at 6 PM!
Bakers: 30% off all sale shoes
Lord & Taylor: Save 20% with promo code TWENTY
Macy's: Shoe sale and clearance, 20-50% off
Payless: Summer sale-- up to half off
Saks: Designer sale-- up to 60% off

Clear Shoes

Of all the trends out for spring, I find none more interesting (with more potential for disaster) than clear shoes.  There are so many ways clear shoes can look trashy, or cheap—but really beautiful?  I think I may have been misguided before, because look at what designers are putting out now:

The Tiger Lily by ABS by Allen Schwartz is aqua suede at the heel, aqua lace at the toe, and clear in between!  It’s so ladylike—there’s no mistaking these for stripper heels, for sure.  The four-inch heel is silver, and it also comes in black or a really nice berry color—your choice for $116 from Macy’s.

The Larisa by Penny Loves Kenny sort of reminds me of those watches where you can see the movement—it’s the classic oxford, but you can see inside!  The eyelets on the clear parts are a nice touch, but the punch detailing on the silver and the contrasting laces steal the show.  Also available in all black or a rather clown-shoe-looking yellow/blue/pink combo; find them at 6pm for $63.

SO glamorous!  The Metallic Leather Clear Vamp Pump by Oscar de la Renta is very much like a regular, beautiful dress sandal, what with the gold leather around the back and down the three-inch heel and the beaded rhinestone feature at the peep toe—but the lower part of the vamp is clear!  Love.  Yours for $695 from Bergdorf Goodman.

Sexy secretary, anybody?  The Potion-44 by Qupid is a cap-toe (trend alert!) pump in bright pink (or white, but the pink is cooler), with a 4.5-inch heel, ankle strap, and clear vamp.  Find them at DSW for $40.

There is a lot to love on the Crystal Cap Toe Clear Pump by Lanvin: the black and tan combo, the sturdy 4.75-inch heel and platform, the clear vamp, and the cap toe encrusted in sparkling crystals! Professional, fun, sexy, unexpected, classic… this shoe has it all.  Yours from Neiman Marcus for $1590.

The Ogen by Type Z is such a springy little flat, with yellow at the cap toe, around the foot, and down the back of the heel, and clear everywhere else!  Also available in red, blue, and pink; your choice for $59 on Zappos.

Clear shoes, I have misjudged you.  May the world learn from my mistake!