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!

The New Glass Slippers

One of the first shoes we grow up with is Cinderella’s glass slipper.  It’s an icon, a cultural phenomenon, the shoe every little girl dreams of.  (Also impractical.  Glass?  C’mon.)

You can’t blame shoe designers for wanting to take a crack at it.  And fortunately, to coincide with the opening of the new live-action movie Cinderella opening today, Disney asked nine famous shoe designers to give us their best glass slipper.  And boy, did they.

Nicholas Kirkwood gave us these pointed toe pumps.  The bow at the back is covered with rhinestones, and the heel and toe are capped in silver.  The zigzag cut at the toe isn’t my favorite, but I LOVE the sort of iridescent-lace-over-PVC he used for most of the vamp.  GENIUS.

Paul Andrew gives us this pair.  Another pointed toe, capped in metallic silver and adorned with two rows of pointed aurora borealis rhinestones.  PVC up to the heel, which is covered in glittering silver stones.

Jerome Rousseau sort of went in a different direction, almost taking inspiration from the night of the ball: a midnight blue glitter sandal, with a clear toe strap dotted with silver and gold balls, almost reminiscent of planets in the heavens.

René Caovilla gives us a shoe that looks more like Elsa than Cinderella, perhaps, but I bet it would look like glass on-screen.  Light blue fabric covered in sparkling crystals peaks around the heel and cap toe, and icy mountains of PVC dotted with crystals make up the rest of the vamp.

Salvatore Ferragamo goes very structural with his heel, like the Eiffel Tower, or the antenna on top of the Empire State Building.  His heel and toe are capped in black velvet, and the vamp is clear.

Oh, Charlotte Olympia, I’d know you anywhere.  She goes the all-clear route, which I give her major props for.  Can we also appreciate for a second how well the heel is done?  Usually with clear heels there’s an enormous screw at the top that ruins everything, and she made it so tiny.  Also, the heel looks nice and stable, without the need for one of the metal spikes that usually supports heels.  Well done.

Stuart Weitzman is the only one to give us a bootie.  His cap toe of crystals comes to a slight point up the front of the foot, then sprinkles out to only a scattering stones up the rest of the mesh vamp.  For the heel, he goes white satin.

Alexandre Birman gives us two colors of glitter: silver on the wavy strip encircling the foot, and light blue down the back of the heel.  The rest of the vamp is simple white satin.

And the winner?  (This wasn’t a contest, except in my brain.)  My vote goes to Jimmy Choo.

OH. MY. GOD.  Just look at it.  Take it in.  It’s…phenomenal.  The vamp and heel are covered with silver crystals of varying sizes, and at the pointed toe is this crystal explosion.  (Major kudos for actually including glass.)  Words fail me.

The sketches themselves are also things of real beauty, and worthy of hanging on a wall.  The shoes will be displayed at an exhibit at the Berlin Film Festival, and will also be on display in early March at Saks Fifth Avenue’s flagship store in New York City.  The only way to get a pair for yourselves, however, is probably via fairy godmother.

Sales this weekend:

Sorry ladies, I'm away on a business trip.  You'll have to search out the sales for yourselves!

KoP Gets Even Bigger

Hold the phone…what’s this?  The King of Prussia Mall, the largest mall in the United States (you heard me, Mall of America), is expanding?  That’s right!  They’re building a connector between the Plaza and the Court, which will add 155,000 square feet to an already-enormous mall.  There will be a fancy food court…valet parking… 50 new stores and restaurants.  (Fifty?  How is that possible?)

There’s no list of new stores yet so I can’t say if there are any new shoe stores in the mix, but I do know that KoP is already a haven for shoe lovers.  You could go to Aldo…

This sweet little flat is the Zicia.  The vamp is made of ballerina-pink microfiber, capped at the pointed toe with metallic silver.  And look at the pretty silver bow at the toe too?  Could this get any more adorable?  Also available in black; on sale for $28 at Aldo.

…or Payless…

This is the Raven by Lower East Side.  While the wine suede outer isn’t quite marsala, it is in the same family.  (Mmmm…wine.)  I do love the slouchiness, and that little buckle around the back.  A zipper on the side lets you in.  Also available in black suede and black, gray, and brown faux leather; your choice for $35 at Payless.

…or Steve Madden…

The bright flowers-on-black motif on the Vincible is kind of sexy, don’t you think?  (Not to mention that 4.5 inch heel… looks taller than that.  Looks very, very tall.)  I also love the curved cut of the upper part of the vamp—it makes such a lovely shape.  Find them at Steve Madden for $100.

…or Salvatore Ferragamo…

This gorgeous sandal is made of snake print leather, delicate black lace…and feathers!  Look how nicely the feathers are arranged.  The heel is just shy of four inches, and a slender ankle strap keeps them on.  This is fun and sophisticated at the same time.  Yours for $1350 from Salvatore Ferragamo.

…or my favorite, DSW.

Oooooooh… pretty.  The Nakkita by Betsey Johnson almost looks like those iridescent butterflies, but made of teal and blue rhinestones of different sizes.  There’s a 4.75-inch heel and a half-inch platform, and a zipper up the back to let you in.  Find them at DSW for $130.

The expansion won’t be done until October 2016, but hey!  There’s still plenty of shopping to do until then!

Sales this weekend:
Aerosoles: 25% off sitewide
Call it Spring: Extra 30% off all sale
Lord & Taylor: 20% off sale and clearance with code WINTER
Macy's: Extra 10% off with code SALE
Payless: Clearance sale: up to 60% off

Scents for the Shoe Lover

Still looking for gifts for the shoe lover on your list?  And she wants Jimmy Choos?  (Who doesn’t.)  Well, if you can’t afford these…

OH. MY. GOD. WANT!  The Kaci by Jimmy Choo is just too beautiful for words.  The suede upper is delicately cut out into crystal-covered leaf shapes that swirl around your feet like, I don’t know, if a magical crystal ice storm hit in October and covered all the leaves in amazing.  A four-inch heel completes the look, which you can get for $1595 from Neiman Marcus.

…get her this!

Perfume!  Made by Jimmy Choo!  Jimmy Choo by Jimmy Choo (how many times can I say Jimmy Choo here? if I say it enough, will he appear and give me shoes?) is a casual, feminine fragrance which speaks of fun and relaxation. Introduced in 2011, this perfume features notes of mandarin, orange and pear combined with hints of orchid, patchouli and toffee to create a lovely scent that can be worn during laid-back daytime functions. This sweet fruity, flowery scent is perfect for women who embrace the spirit of youth.  There are, of course, eight thousand different combos of perfume and creams and things out there, but if you just want to start with the perfume, you can get two ounces of it for $42 from BeautyEncounter.

…or this!

Yes, there’s another!  Evoking a sophisticated, urban woman who is provocative, rebellious, and magnetic, Flash by Jimmy Choo is effervescent and sensual.  Pink pepper, tangerine, and strawberry open the fragrance with a fresh, sparkling introduction. Heart notes of strong, exotic white flowers reveal a sexy character. A base of white powdery woods leaves a lasting impression, both seductive and modern.  (Plus the box is sparkles.  Sparkles, I say!)  You can find two ounces of this one at Overstock for $48.

Or maybe she wanted Ferragamos this year:

So classic in every way.  The Tina by Salvatore Ferragamo is a black patent leather pump (love the shape of the toe) with a 3.5-inch heel and a small platform.  And look at the gold-accented bow!  Perfect.  Yours for $625 from Nordstrom.

Got you covered there too!

Signorina by Salvatore Ferragamo is a celebration of chic girls with a sophisticated and fresh scent signature.  Elegant jasmine and the unexpected and delicate sweetness of pannacotta blend together to create a refined and memorable fragrance.  And please note how the ribbon is the SAME TEXTURED RIBBON as on the shoe!  I see what you did there, Signore Ferragamo.  This 1.7-ounce bottle will run you $74 at Macy’s.

If she wanted Louboutins or something, well, I can’t help you.  Maybe Santa will help a sister out…

Sales this weekend:
Aerosoles: Take an extra 30% off already-reduced boots
Bakers: Buy one get one half off entire site!
Bloomingdales: 15% off almost all regular and sale items
Call it Spring: Take an extra 30% off all sale
Lord & Taylor: Take an extra 30% off women's shoes
Payless: Christmas sale-- up to half off
Steve Madden: 30% off plus free shipping with code PARTYTIME