Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, deputy shoe fairies!  Easter is another sure sign that spring is upon us.  Dress the part!  Here’s a selection of pastel shoes sure to match your Easter bonnet, and soothe your soul with the colors of spring.

The Finest by Nine West is so pretty in pink, isn’t it?  As pale as the palest rose—and adorned with jewels to boot!  Look at that collection of stones over the peep toe, sparkling just enough.  The platform is just over a quarter inch, and the heel is four inches.  Also available in black, blue, and white, but the pink is definitely the best.  Your choice for $99 from Macy’s.

Isn’t the mint shade of the Fauna by American Eagle so refreshing?  And that pretty lace, too—it’s so darling.  (And it’s lined in jersey with a padded insole, so it’s comfy too!)  Also available in cream, black, and a bright pink; your choice for $17 from Payless.

I got sunshine… on a cloudy day!  The Emmylou by Nina is so bright and sunshiny, isn’t it?  Like lemons and happiness.  It’s got a bow feature over the peep toe, an ankle strap, a half-inch platform and a 4.5-inch heel.  It’s also available in silver, ivory, navy, aqua, purple, fuchsia, coral and blush (…and red and yellow and green and brown and blue)—your choice for $50 from DSW.

I love the Vara by Salvatore Ferragamo.  The lavender is so lovely, and the combination of it with the patent leather is just mwah!  *Kissing fingertips gesture here.*  It’s got the signature Ferragamo shape, and a 1.25-inch heel, with a sweet little bow over the round toe.  Also available in navy, black, ivory, powder blue, and nude; your choice for $525 from Zappos Couture.

Happy Easter, everyone!

Sales this weekend:

Sorry ladies; I’m traveling this weekend.  I’ll be back next week with all the sales!

St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone!  Everyone’s a little bit Irish today, so everyone should be wearing a little bit of green today.  (No excuses.  NO.  EXCUSES.)  The easy way to bring the Emerald Isle into any look is with a pair of green shoes.  Like these!

The Anyamarie by Nine West is so professional, isn’t it?  I love how the green lizard print is contrasted with smooth green patent around the gold buckle.  And a slingback—fun!  Well done, Nine West.  Also available in a lovely blue; your choice for $45 from 6pm.

Ooh… fierce.  The Raver by Privileged is one sexy shoe.  It’s got St. Patrick’s green at the cap toe and up the side, but it also has an awesome black and white grid print that covers most of the vamp.  And it’s a little hard to see here, but that strip between the cap toe and the grid is actually clear!  The heel is five inches high, and there’s no platform, so this is for experts only.  Yours for $60 from DSW.

The Gardenia by Lauren by Ralph Lauren is so simple and bright—the green really steals the show here.  The jute midsole adds a casualness, but the lines are just so clean. Love.  Available in five others colors if I can’t convince you about the green; find them at Zappos for $69.

Erin go bragh, everyone!

Long Live Glitter!

If you’re on the interwebs at all you’ll have seen a thing going around this week about glitter.  Specifically, that you can now ship your enemies an envelope full of glitter, so when they open it glitter gets all over everything and they can never get it out.  It’s become so popular they’re having trouble filling orders.

I love glitter.  But I have to say, glitter once ingrained is rarely removed.  I worked at a jewelry store for awhile and some manager before my time thought it would be more jewel-y if he or she sprinkled the carpet with glitter.  It was a pretty tough, thin carpet, but let me tell you—we vacuumed that thing every night and I’m not sure the glitter will ever be completely gone.

But glitter definitely has its place—like on shoes!  Take these, for instance:

The Atlantyc is a classic pointed toe pump, but covered in gorgeous gold glitter—even up the 4.5 inch heel, too!  It’s perfect for a sophisticated party—and I’m not going to lie, I have a similar pair that I wear to work.  Because I don’t follow no rules.  Also available in navy; your choice for $100 from Steve Madden.

Okay, so if you don’t want to wear a gold glitter pump to work, these are more subtle.  The Lobster Smoking Slipper is a rounded take on the smoking slipper, with an almond toe and a quarter-inch heel, all coated in fine black glitter.  Available in nine other options (glitter and non-glitter alike); take your pick for $40 from Nine West.

The Passarello by Aldo is not a shoe to be reckoned with—just look at the chunkiness of the platform and five-inch heel.  These could be a weapon.  The glitter is an intense deep red—certainly in the Marsala family, if you’re still looking for a piece!  Yours for $80 from ASOS.

Oh my goodness, look at these!  Aaaaah!  Kate Spade and Keds got together to create the Champion Glitter.  These may be the greatest sneakers of all time.  I mean, look at the laces!  They’re ribbon!  They’ve even got the little Kate Spade spade symbol in stud form on the back.  Also available in navy, gold, black, gold with black ribbon, and multi with pink ribbon; your choice for $80 from Keds.

Glitter for your enemies…glitter for yourself…glitter for all!

Sales this weekend:

Bakers: 20% off tall boots

Bloomingdales: 5 day weekend sale

Lord & Taylor: 20% off with savings pass or promo code SAVE

Payless: Take an extra 20% off clearance with code ZZCLEAR20

Summer Flats,Part II

I’ve been doing this blog three years, and you know my most popular post?  Summer Flats.  It’s got over twice as many hits as any other post.  I figured since summer is here again, I’d give you a second round of summer flats that are good for running around town in the shorts, going to the office with a skirt… anywhere!

The Tosha by DV8 by Dolce Vita is so bright and nautical!  The red bow on the slingback really makes it.  Perfect!  Also available in a polka-dotty print where some of the dots are winking at you (a little weird, granted, but also kind of cute); your choice for $39 at Macy’s.

I love gold for summer!  And the curvy shapes on the Choppy by American Eagle remind me of flower petals, or raindrops, or a flowing river…  The insole is padded, and it’s lined with jersey for extra comfy-ness.  Also available in red and black; your choice for $28 from Payless.

Stripes are hugely in this year, and the Royalli has plenty!  The canvas outer makes it cool, but the faux leather touches make it a little more sophisticated.  Don’t like the green?  (Though I can’t see why you wouldn’t—it looks so nice with the brown!)  It also comes in blue, black, and orange.  Yours for $59 from Nine West.

  

The Lumiere by Xhilaration is the silhouette of the season, but with the added touch of the straps.  Plus it’s in three colors: pink at the toe and up the T-strap, tan around the ankle and up the sides of the foot, and white at the heel.  Nice!  Also available in taupe and black; find them at Target for $22.

Aah, lace!  The Too Swirly by 2 Lips Too is an off-white flat that wraps your foot in lace embroidered with roses—gorg.  There’s lining at the pointed toe and the heel so it’s not completely sheer, but it’s sort of ethereal.  It’s got a three-quarter-inch heel so I guess it’s not technically a flat, but it’s close enough!  Also available in black and pink; your choice from 6pm for $35.

 Here’s to another summer full of fun, functional flats!

Spring Trend: Pastels

In addition to python and block heels, another trend hot in stores this season is pastels.  At first I thought, “Pastels?  Boring!”  But then I began seeing shop windows, and was a little unnerved: these pastels are almost assertive in their pastel-ness. Fading wallflowers, they’re not.

The Eowalellan is pastel blue and white, but with a shape more boardroom than Easter.  (And a 4.5-inch block heel to boot!  Combining trends: you’re doing it right.)  Also available in all black and all white, but neither has the personality of this color-blocked pastel blue, which is $50 at Call it Spring.

The Sweettea is a sweet indeed!  This flat is in lavender leather, topped with a bouquet of daisies at the round toe, held on with golden studs.  The insole is cushioned for extra comfort, and there’s a tiny quarter-inch heel.  Also available in all black and a very pretty nude with multicolored flowers; your choice for $79 from Nine West.

The Thaya by Ted Baker is a pastel mint pump trimmed in gold at the pointed toe, at the tip of the four-inch heel, and all up the sole and down the heel.  It’s so refreshing, this color!  But it’s the touches of gold that take it from regular pump to fancy pump. It’s also available in black, nude, and white, if you want to be all boring about it.  Find them at Zappos for $111.

The Easy Does It by Chinese Laundry is a lace flat with another popular feature this season, in addition to the pastel: the pointed toe finished with a straight-across-the-toe cut.  This particular version is in pink lace, but it also comes in black or blue python, white croc, taupe suede, and a sort of tiny black dot print.  Yours for $37 from 6pm.

So give pastels a second look.  They’re not your mama’s pastels anymore!

St. Patrick's Day

Monday is St. Patrick’s Day!  The day that everyone is a wee bit Irish, and drinks green beer, and eats cabbage.  Hooray!

I am actually legit Irish (a full quarter, baby!), so I hereby deem these shoes St. Pat’s appropriate.

The Goulding by Nine West is the perfect, shiny shade of green!  But what struck me when I found them is the cutout on the side.  Usually in a half D’Orsay the cut-out side is on the inside of the foot, but here it’s on the outside!  Unusual.  The heel is 4.5 inches and it’s also available in solid black and a graphic black with white at the toe; your choice for $40 from 6pm.

The Some Nights by Luichiny is so fun!  I love how the green faux suede of the upper stretches onto the cork wedge in these bold lines.  And the wedge is sizable (two inches in the front and five at the heel), so there’s plenty of room to show off the stripes!  Also, I heart the large ankle strap and buckle.  Available in white, black, and brown as well; find them at Zappos for $85.

This green flat is simplicity with attitude.  The pointed toe, the nude trim around the foot, and of course the studs!  It’s the square studs that add that little something special.  Also available in blue, yellow, purple, and nude—take your pick for $20 from Light in the Box.

Yes, St. Pat’s is a work day this year, but the Hannon by Mojo Moxy are both work- and holiday-appropriate!  You guys already know I love Oxford detailing, so it should come as no surprise that I love these.  The upper is made of green and white faux leather, and it features a T-strap and 4.25-inch heel.  Find them at DSW for $35.

St. Pat’s green glitter explosion!  The Viva Bordello by Sin City is a whole lotta pump, not for the faint of heart: a six-inch heel and two-inch platform.  (Who says leprechauns need to be tiny, amirite?... what’s that?  Everyone says that?  Never mind.)  I think my favorite part is the green lacing up the front—it finishes it off so nicely.  Yours for $85 from Heels.com.

Happy St. Pat’s, all! 

Sales this weekend:

Bakers: All dress shoes $20 off today only

Bloomingdales: $25 off a purchase of $100-$250; $50 off $250-$500; $100 off $500-$1000; $250 off $1000+
Lord & Taylor: Save 20% on regular and sale online with code SALE
Macy's: Extra 15% off with code WKND
Payless: All comfort shoes on sale

Year of the Horse

This Friday is Chinese New Year!  We welcome in the year of the horse (and the wood horse, to be exact).  In the spirit of the new year, I give you a selection of (what else?) riding boots.

The lines on the Toxicatn are so sleek, aren’t they?  I love how they swoop up the 16.5-inch high shaft.  There’s a quarter-inch heel and a padded footbed, so you can spend all day in these.  Also available in black and a lighter brown; find them at Nine West for $100.

Ooh, shiny.  The Xibit by LifeStride is made of faux leather polished to gleaming.  There’s elastic in the back so you can pull them right on, and they’re finished with silver hardware.  Also available in an equally shiny brown; yours for $74 from My Favorite Shoe Store.

For the wide-calf girls out there (I know your pain), here’s the Maren by LAUREN Ralph Lauren.  It has a suede shaft (15.5 inches) and leather at the foot, and in the touches around the buckles.  It has a 15.5-inch circumference as well, and comes in black as well as brown.  Find them at Zappos for $150.

Two-tone riding boots are my favorite!  And the Careinaw by Bandolino is a little unusual in that it’s two shades of brown, instead of black and brown.  I sort of love it!  The boot is made of leather, has a 1.5-inch stacked heel, and a zipper on the inside to let you in.  I love the buckles too, and the harness-type thing around the ankle.  Also available in all black, all cognac, and the traditional black and brown combo—your choice for $120 from Macy’s.

And if you also really love two-tone riding boots, get them monogrammed!

This pair of monogrammed boots has a one-inch heel and a 16-inch shaft, and you can get your initials sewn right into the brown upper part.  You can even pick your thread color and font choice—and there are twelve different font options!  Very nice.  Yours from Etsy seller Tiny Tulip for $67.

So gung hay fat choy, and welcome to the year of the horse!

Happy Shoe Year!

Happy New Year, deputy shoe fairies!  I love the bright, shiny, fresh new start that the New Year brings.  You know what else it brings?  A new color of the year!  For 2014, I present the glorious pinky purple that is Pantone’s Radiant Orchid:

Love.  So here you go!  Deck yourself in the color of the New Year!

The Azelle is a little on the purple side, maybe, but it’s so fun!  I love the crystals all over it; I love the swirling cut of the vamp… I want to wear this to every party.  It has a 4.5-inch heel and a small platform underneath the peep toe, and is also available in black, but…black?  Come on.  Radiant Orchid.  Your choice for $60 from Nine West.

This shiny orchid beauty is the Laetitia by B Brian Atwood.  It’s a metallic snake!  Come on, that’s awesome.  Can I also say how I love the heel?  I love the shape it makes where it joins the shoe, and I really like the contrast of the black.  (That heel is 4.5 inches, by the way.)  The double ankle strap is a bit unusual!  Cool feature.  Find them at 6pm for $209.

Glitter flats! This pair by Pompili may be simple in silhouette, but not in materials: orchid glitter on the outside, trimmed in shiny orchid fabric and topped with a shiny orchid bow.  And silver on the inside, too!  These are all kind of fun.  Pick up a pair at Lyst for $45.

The Louie by Michael Antonio is an almond-toe pump with a body of orchid faux suede and a toe cap of black faux leather.  Classic and fun at the same time—not to mention on-trend!  The heel is 4.5 inches high, and there’s a hidden half-inch platform… and it comes in a ton of other colors!  Seriously, there are eight other choices.  (The black and yellow sort of reminds me of The Bride’s jumpsuit from Kill Bill.  But I digress.)  Your choice for $50 from Heels.com.

Oh god, I think I’m having a shoegasm.  The Embellished High Heel Ankle Tie Sandal by Rene Caovilla is magnificent beyond words.  Sure, the toe strap is simple, but the ankle… the ankle!  Rhinestones in blue and gold and purple (er, orchid), and the sole is all silver glitter!  If I could wear one pair of shoes for the rest of my life, it might be these.  They’re not out yet, but you can preorder them from Neiman Marcus for $1695.

This color makes me so happy.  I hope it brings you happiness in 2014 too!

Sales this weekend:

Sorry ladies; still on vacation!  Be back next week.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This Thursday is Thanksgiving, a day where we contemplate the good fortune we had in the previous year and give thanks.

Oh, who are we kidding?  It’s about the food.  Even the very first Thanksgiving was all about the food (…which prevented the Pilgrims from starving, for which they were thankful.  It all cycles around).

But what will be on every table this year?  Pillsbury did a survey on what people are planning to serve on Thursday.  Here I give you the top 5!

#5: 63% of people will serve corn.

The Burlesque by Mojo Moxy is tall like the stalk, yellow like the kernels, and has lots of dangling bits like that stupid silk that always gets stuck all over the ear…but my shucking inadequacies aside, this is a really fun boot!  The shaft is a foot high, the heel is five inches, and there’s a hidden 1.5-inch platform.  Find them at Heels.com for $185.

#4: 70% will serve green beans (probably in a casserole).

I’m not really a fan of green bean casserole, if I’m honest, but I am a fan of the Panto by Nine West!  This fall’s must-have smoking slipper, but in green suede with an embroidered golden crest at the toe.  Also available in pink, orange, or blue suede, or brown or wine snakeskin—find them all at 6pm for $52.

#3: 75% will have some kind of bread.

The quilted front of the Ryane by Rocket Dog sort of looks like slices of bread in a row, doesn’t it?  Cushy!  I’m sort of digging the outside zipper as well.  The hidden wedge is three inches high—just high enough.  Yours for $75 at Macy’s.

#2: 76% will serve pumpkin pie.

Mmm, pumpkin pie.  The Ball-A by Kenneth Cole Reaction has the orange of the filling (in suede) and the brown of the crust (in leather—plus look at the detailing! nice).  It’s got a short stacked wedge (just a half-inch) and some elastic around the collar.  Also available in black or blue; your choice for $69 at Zappos.

#1: Turkey, of course!  92% will serve turkey.

The Teri by Bucco is very reminiscent of a turkey!  The dark brown, the mottled coloring, just a hint of orange (like the wattle), and the feathers, of course!  However, I would not recommend eating these.  (Though who knows?  Cook anything long enough…)  The woven wedge is five inches high, and the platform is 1.25 inches.  Yours for $25 from Buckle.

No matter what’s on your table on Thursday, dig in!  (You’ll need your strength for Black Friday. J )

National Pomegranate Month

Little known fact: November is National Pomegranate Month.  (Mmm, pomegranates…and now I’m back from wasting an hour on Pinterest pinning pomegranate recipes.  What were we talking about?  Oh!  Shoes, that’s right.)

Ancient Egyptians regarded the pomegranate as a symbol of prosperity and ambition.

Ambitious, indeed!  The Plasma by Guess would be appropriate for someone with her eye on the corner office.  Sleek patent leather in pomegranate red, a pointed toe, a four-inch heel…classic but still fun!  Also available in black; your choice for $85 from Macy’s.

Some Jewish scholars believe that the pomegranate was the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.

The Basked Sandal by Zigi Soho is so seductive, isn’t it?  The faux suede upper almost reminds me of butterfly wings…gorgeous.  The heel is 4.75 inches high (ouch!), but there’s a half-inch platform to help you out with that.  (Well, it might not help much.  But sexy as these are, you may not be wearing them long!)  Also available in black; your choice for $70 from DSW.

In the Ancient Greek mythology, the pomegranate was also known as the “fruit of the dead,” and to have sprung from the blood of Adonis.

Oooh, dark.  If this is what death looks like, I think I may be down.  The Abeli is soft faux suede and sleek red patent swirled with black.  A peep toe, four-inch heel, and three-quarter-inch platform complete the look.  Also available in all black and black with cheetah, but neither holds a candle to the red and black!  Find them at Nine West for $79.

 I call pomegranates “delicious”!  Happy National Pomegranate Month!

Philly Fringe

It’s time to get your theater on: the Fringe Festival is here!  Actually, this year the Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe have merged, so it’s technically FringeArts.  (Don’t ask me.  I keep an eye on this stuff, but I was never entirely sure about this two-different-things thing.)

But anyway!  There’s a lot of awesome stuff happening between now and September 22, so you should pick your shoes and get a move on!  Like Hush Now Sweet High Heels and Oak.  It’s got shoes right in the title!  Brian Sanders premieres his newest dance sensation involving high heels, nursery rhymes, and the black hole of memory at the 23rd Street Armory. An enormous dead oak tree stands next to a sand dune, and an adult’s bedroom, all game for the mystical playfulness of the dancers. Expect raw physical daring, striking imagery, live music, and a “sweet” in-your-face attitude.

The Bezel has the playfulness and sweetness in the pink, and the wood in the heel!  Just look at the gorgeous striped wood in the 4.5-inch heel—GORgeous.  The gold detailing up the front is a nice touch too!  Also available in a bronze metallic, though the prices are different—these pink ones’ll run you $63 at Nine West.

Bathtub Moby Dick delivers what it promises: a man reads Melville's novel and begins a journey towards madness in his bathtub. With every page he turns, he begins to believe he is aboard the Pequod and seeks revenge against the Whale. Set in an apartment Renegade creates an immersive audience experience.

Just in case there’s splashing!  The Zenia Whales Rain Boots by Merona will keep your feet dry with its rubber outer decorated with a pod of cheery whales.  I like the lighter blue details at the sole and at the top of the 11-inch shaft (shaft circumference is 14 inches).  Yours from Target for $30.

I also have to put in a good word for Chlamydia dell'Arte: MORE Sex-Ed Burlesque.  I have seen two other incarnations of the show (once I went in a feather boa!) since my genius co-worker is one of the brains behind it.  It is smart, funny, sexy, and an all-around good time, but the girls are promising more dancing!  More singing!  More fan dancing and striptease!  More hilarious burlesque about all things sex!  Come for the titillation, stay for the education, as the ladies say.

Did I mention fan dancing?!

The Siren by Bordello is so perfect—it’s even the color of Gigi’s fans.  Not to mention the red rhinestones on the small platform, slingback, and heel (nice and solid—good for dancing!)—this shoe was made to be on a stage.  Also available in pink, but… no.  Find them at Shoebuy for $80 (whole sizes only!).

The festival runs through September 22.  Hush Now Sweet High Heels and Oak has shows tomorrow, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Bathtub Moby Dick has 10 performances between now and the end of the festival, pretty much daily.  Chlamydia dell'Arte: MORE Sex-Ed Burlesque opens tonight and has five more shows through September 19.  If these don’t tickle your fancy, well, there are about a hundred others to choose from!

Back to School

Back to school time!  Even though I am several years removed from this being back to school time for me, I can’t help but get a little caught up in the excitement.  (Yes.  I am a nerd.  I LOVED back to school time.)

You know, going to the store and getting new black-and-white notebooks…

The Camya is actually sort of a snow-leopard print, but you get the idea.  The peep-toe upper is made of a pony fabric, and the four-inch heel and one-inch platform are wrapped in black patent.  Also available in (get this) fifteen other options—everything from floral to red patent to gold sparkles.  Your choice for $99 from Nine West.

…new pencils…

I sort of love the pointed toe on the Tidal Flat by Restricted—very reminiscent of the pointed end of a pencil!  But the real star feature of this shoe is all the cutouts: rectangles, circles, and triangles.  (Get ready for geometry, class!)  Find them at DSW for $45.

…crayons in the big pack, because that’s where my favorite crayon (cerulean) was…

The Claudette by Jessica Simpson is actually listed as cerulean!  I see I have a kindred spirit in their design office.  This pointed-toe suede pump has a cutout by the inside of the foot and a 3.75-inch heel wrapped in matching patent leather.  Also available in black, gray, red, and burnt umber (crayon color alert!); your choice for $79 from Nordstrom.

…Elmer’s glue….

The Easy Does It by Chinese Laundry is white patent at the heel and pointed toe, but with a band of clear by the toe too.  (Just like glue—starts white and dries clear!)  Also available in black and a sort of lipstick red; find them at Macy’s for $40.

Is everyone else excited for school now?  Yay!