4th of July

Oh say, can you see by the dawn’s early light

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?

The Bekah by Penny Loves Kenny is all patriotic and nautical and so perfectly summery, what with the stripes and lacing and cork!  It’s a serious wedge (six inches) but there’s a 2.25-inch wedge, so it really only feels like 3.75 inches.  Also available in red with black stripes and yellow with blue stripes, but neither is quite as awesome as this one!  Your choice for $89 from Zappos.

Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight

O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?

The flag print on the Gloriee by Madden Girl is so perfectly aged, and in graphic swathes across the shoe.  (Stripes here!  Stars there!)  There’s some red elastic on the vamp to help it fit, textured non-slip sole, and cushioned footbed—great for any 4^th of July adventures you might be embarking on!  Available a few places, but I found the most sizes at Bealls for $34.

And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there!

The Star-Light by Wedge Welly is perfect in case we get some afternoon thunderstorms!  A red 2.5-inch wedge and accent stripes compliment the blue shaft covered in multi-sized stars.  Size 10 only, I’m afraid, but if you’re a 10 they can be yours for $90 from ShoeBuy. 

Oh say, does that star-spangled yet wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Perfect!  This pair of star-spangled heels is made of distressed denim (so all-American!) in stars and stripes.  The red heels are about 5.3 inches high, and the hidden platforms are about 1.77 inches.  Love, love, love.  Find them at Maykool for $27.

Happy 4^th, Philly girls!

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!

Fall Trend: Fringe

Fall shoes are in stores, so I’m sure you’re already seeing some of this fall’s biggest trends.  Today, I give you... fringe!  Fringe is everywhere this season: clothes, bags, even on shoes.  It’s on boots, of course:

The Burlesque by Mojo Moxy is fringe, sophisticated.  (No hippie boot, this!)  This pull-on boot has a camel leather upper, three tiers of angled fringe up the 15-inch shaft, a round toe on a hidden 1.5-inch platform, and a five-inch heel.  (It also has a 15-inch leg circumference.)  Also available in red and black; yours for $160 from Shoes.com.

But it’s also on booties...

The High Heel Fringe Ankle Boot is pretty self-explanatory, isn’t it?  This black fabric bootie is draped in two long layers of fringe—it looks more fringe than boot!  Just imagine how it moves.  It’s on a little platform and has a skinny 4.5-inch heel, and can be found at Zara for $100.

... cowboy boots...

Rockin’.  The Jamestown by Volatile is a red leather cowboy boot topped with bleak leather fringe.  (And lightening cutouts!  Look at those!)  It has a 1.5-inch stacked heel, a 12.5-inch shaft, and a 15-inch circumference—find them at Zappos for $115.

...uh, whatever these are...

The Sonya by Penny Loves Kenny is a sort of clog/sandal, with a kickin’ wooden platform!  Two inches under the peep toe and 5.5 inches at the heel.  The yellow leather upper has a slingback and studs up the wood, and of course the fringe across the front!  Also available in black and tan; your choice for $40 from 6pm.

...even pumps!

I feel like I see something new in the Cascade by Naughty Monkey every time I look at it.  The fringe arcs around the heel, suspended from a burgundy and black snakeskin strip, embellished with studs.  The snakeskin makes an appearance in the triple-decker one-inch platform too, offsetting the 4.75-inch heel.  Very cool!  Find them at DSW for $100.

However you like your fringe, there’s a shoe for you.  And if you love fringe, this is your season!

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is Monday!  So begins the year of the dragon:

Philly Shoe Fairy’s first cowboy boot—and it’s rockin’!  The Dragon by Old Gringo has a leopard-print leather upper, studs, 2.75-inch heel, and embroidered orange dragon—and hey, did you know tangerines are often used as decorations on Chinese New Year?  In Chinese, their name sounds similar to the word for luck.  But if the orange isn’t doing it for you, it also comes in a brown-and-bone combo, as well as the classic black.  Find them on Zappos for $550.

If you want to decorate properly for Chinese New Year, you’ll need peonies!

While any kind of flower will do as a symbol of a new beginning, peonies are known as the “queen of flowers.”  Long live the queen in the Iconn-L by Betsey Johnson!  This pink floral print beauty has a 4.5-inch stacked heel, one-inch platform, and zipper up the back.  Plus a bow on the peep toe and folded ruffles up the front!  Beautiful.  They can be yours for $66 from 6pm.  (Also available in a black floral print as well.)

Also good luck?  Songbirds:

A red bird might be luckier, but any songbird will do!  These beauties have a printed satin upper, serious heel and platform, and snake-y yellow rhinestone feature up the front of the foot.  $60 from Light in the Box.

But perhaps the most iconic colors of Chinese New Year are red and gold:

I love this!  The Mahla by Penny Loves Kenny is a red suede pump with a gold cap toe and T-strap—not to mention the grosgrain bow, 4.75-inch heel, and 1.75-inch platform.  Love, love, love.  Also available in black/silver and nude/gold; find them at DSW for $60.

Gung hay fat choy, all!

Sales this weekend:

Aerosoles: 20% off all new arrivals

Bakers: $30 off ankle boots

Bare Feet Shoes: Half off Steve Madden shoes, and up to half off boots

Call it Spring: Free shipping on orders over $40

Joan Shepp: 50-70% off all fall merchandise

Nine West: 25% off select platforms

Payless: BOGO!  Buy one, get one half off

Steve Madden: Spend $100 and get 20% off; spend $125 and get 25% off (Plus free shipping on orders over $75 with code SMFREESHIP)

Lord & Taylor: An extra 50% off already-reduced shoes, 50% off a selection of boots, and an extra 20% off using code FINAL

Bloomingdales: Winter clearance: 30-65% off a selection of styles

Jelly Shoes

We all remember jelly shoes, right? Ah, childhood memories—slipping those pieces of plastic over our feet in the summer and we were ready for anything! Running through the sprinkler, playing with the neighbor kids in the park down the street, getting ice cream from the ice cream man... Just because we grew up doesn’t mean we have to give up our jellies. And look—while we were growing up, jelly shoes grew up too!

The Yipee Wedge Sandal by Harajuku Lovers has a 2.5-inch wedge, heart-shaped buckle, and comes in red, yellow, black, and white. I just love the big jelly bow at the toe! It makes me want to hold a picnic just to wear them. I picked these beauties up myself on my last trip to DSW, and they can be yours too for $30. Cinderella’s summer shoes! (Glass slippers are just too impractical for summer.) The Victory by Nina have a two-inch heel, an elaborately knotted upper with rhinestone detail, and can be yours most cheaply from HSN for $50. Free shipping too!

Want a nice, simple summer flat? How about these?

  The Campana Zig Zag by Melissa is almost like poured strands of gold for your feet. (Gold, or silver, or red, or black—all glittery!) They’re not made of your average jelly sandal plastic, either—they’re made of something called MELFLEX, “a trademarked plastic which offers improved elasticity, impermeability, and resistance to water. The material is injected with natural materials resulting in a sweet smell. It is also hypoallergenic and recyclable.” Cute and good for the environment! Sweet! Pick up a pair for $80 ($60 for the red) at KarmaLoop.

And hey, jellies don’t necessarily need to be sweet.

  Look at these bad boys! The Kooper by Penny Loves Kenny has a five-inch stacked heel with a 1.25-inch platform, lug sole, and badassery to spare. You can pick these up from DSW for $45.

Jellies will make you smile through even the worst heat wave. Pick up a pair and relive your childhood today! (And eat an ice cream while you're at it. Thank me later.)