Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day!  I love Valentine’s Day, even though it tends to polarize people.  Granted, I love most holidays.  Any excuse to wear something special, or eat something special, or do something a little out of the ordinary… I’m down.  Just themes in general.  I’m flexible.

So today I give you… HEARTS!  Come on, everyone loves hearts, even if you’re not a fan of Valentine’s Day.

The Jacquard Heart Bobs by Sketchers is a navy canvas flat embroidered with itty bitty red hearts.  Isn’t it sweet?  Sweet and simple—and subtle too, in case you don’t want your footwear to scream “IT’S VALENTINE’S DAY AND I AM CELEBRATING BY WEARING THE CUSTOMARY SYMBOL OF THE DAY!”  Find them at Sears for $45.

The Late Night is a little bolder than the first choice, with its bright zigzags, big chunky heel, and glitter.  Glitter!  Glitter at the heel, and more importantly, a big glitter heart!  Tied with a tiny glittery bow!  Aww.  Also, look at the crazy white jagged sole!  Like a shark.  Yours for $165 from Irregular Choice.

This lovely pair of heels from Italina is a little unusual, isn’t it?  With the upside-down rhinestone heart at the front?  And the silver hidden platform in the peep-toe?  I sort of love that they’re not what you’re expecting.  Also available in red; your choice for $38 from Overstock.

The I Heart UGG Boots are so fun!  Bright red and bedecked with a glittery heart at the top of the nine-inch shaft… adorable.  I can’t tell if the details here are navy or black—I’d say black, except that the other version available is blue with red touches.  Either way, they’re too cute!  Find them at Zappos for $130.

The Cora by Christian Louboutin is Valentine’s sexy to the max.  The bright red heart on the pointed toe, of course, but the classic Louboutin red up the heel of this black shoe to match it?  Together, it’s a dynamite package!  That heel is four inches tall, by the way.  Yours for $795 from Neiman Marcus.

So happy Valentine’s Day, deputy shoe fairies!  I heart you!

Sales this weekend:
Aerosoles: 20% off two pairs, 30% off three pairs
Bakers: Take 20% off two pairs of boots, or 30% off three pairs of boots
Lord & Taylor: 20% off with promo code PRESIDENT
Macy's: 15% off with promo code PRES
Nine West: 30% off spring styles
Payless: Anniversary ale, up to 30% off

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

See all that pink everywhere?  Then you know it’s October—Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and it’s the second-leading cause of death for women.  Good news, though!  Many women can survive breast cancer if it’s found and treated early.

Those new discoveries and treatments, though, cost money to develop, and every little bit helps.  A purchase of any of today’s featured shoes contributes just a little towards the cause!

The Chaste Ballet is a sweet little ballet flat with the breast cancer awareness ribbon at each round toe.  And look at all the cushioning on the inside!  A donation has been made to the National Breast Cancer Foundation and your purchase of the pink Chaste Ballet will support an incredibly important cause.  Yours for $79 from Hush Puppies.

The Shiny Classic Mini Zipper Cancer Awareness is the classic UGG silhouette, but in shiny chestnut!  The breast cancer ribbon is embroidered on the outside heel of the boots.  Through November 30, UGG will donate to Susan G. Komen $5.00 for each pink ribbon product sold with a guaranteed minimum donation of $50,000.  Find them at UGG for $180.

The GT-1000 3 PR by ASICS is such a cheery running shoe anyway, in its bright white and pink—but if you look, you’ll see the breast cancer awareness ribbon embroidered by the back heel.  There’s also a big pink ribbon on the inside, where your heel rests.  But my favorite is the mottled pink and white sole—oh, and the fact that ASICS has teamed up with Christina Applegate’s Right Action for Women to help provide screening assistance to women who are at increased risk for breast cancer.  Yours for $99 from Famous Footwear.

This glamorous pair of rain boots has a 2.5inch heel, and uppers of a gorgeous pink-on-pink damask print.  And they do double good—not only does a purchase of them fund 1% of a mammogram, but for every pair sold another pair of shoes will be given to Soles4Souls, a nonprofit organization giving shoes to needy people both in the U.S. and abroad!  And even better: they’re on super sale for $18 from The Breast Cancer Site.

Do good and look good.  Can’t go wrong here!

Winter Olympics!

Cue the Olympic theme!  Doo, doo, doo doo, doo doo…

I will have you know that I just sat through all four minutes of the Olympics theme song.  I feel the sudden urge to luge, in slow motion, with flags waving.

AAH!  THE OLYMPICS ARE HERE!  I love the Olympics.  I love the world coming together; I love all the random sports (looking at you, biathlon!); I love that Jamaica has a bobsled team this year, in a case of life imitating art imitating life.  (If you consider Cool Runnings art.  Which I do.)

Sorry.  Got a little carried away there.

But tonight is the opening ceremony for the winter Olympics, which ironically is being held in a subtropical city.  That’s right: we’re holding a winter Olympics in a city with palm trees.  It’s like having the winter Olympics in Orlando.  So here are some shoes you might enjoy while enjoying the Olympics in Sochi!

The Vanya by Earthies is a ballet flat in a beautiful orange, blue, green, and white floral print.  This one is fabric, but the other color choices are leather: black, copper, gold, or pewter.  They’re all kind of boring, actually—but not the print!  (Can I also say I enjoy how the name sounds Russian?  Vanya!)  Yours for $160 from Zappos.

Ooh, birds of paradise!  The Cara by Luichiny is a bold platform heel with a tropical-on-black print at the peep-toe.  The two-inch platform and five-inch heel are both covered in shiny patent leather, and the ankle strap too—and that is a statement strap!  Find them at DSW for $50.

The Lucianna is by UGG, believe it or not!  It’s nowhere close to a winter boot, and it’s adorable.  It has a print ankle strap (the toe is the same print), raffia-covered 1.5-inch platform and 4.25-inch wedge, and can I say how much I like the solid purple at the ankle?  Very nice.  Also available in a lovely orange and blue combo; your choice for $86 from 6pm.

Ooh, spring has sprung!  Or it has in the Marlenee by Steve Madden, anyway.  Just look at the beautiful pink and yellow print—I’m also digging the wide ankle strap.  It toughens the look up.  It has a 4.5-inch heel and no platform to speak of so be careful where you go in these, but you can’t deny they’re beautiful.  If you agree, they can be found at Macy’s for $100.

So enjoy the next two weeks, and keep dreaming, Orlando: some day you too could hold a Winter Olympics!

Sales this weekend:
Aerosoles: Take an extra 20% off boots
Bloomingdales: $50 off $200-$299; $100 off $300-$499; $150 off $500+
Bus Stop Boutique: Saturday through Valentine's Day, 15% off when you shop with your sweetheart and post a pic to Instagram with hashtag #busstopboutique
Lord & Taylor: 20% off regular, sale, and clearance with code BIG
Macy's: Extra 10% off with code RED
Payless: Buy one, get one half off
Steve Madden: Extra 35% off all clearance with code BONUS35

If You Had a Time Machine...

It is one of the great hypothetical questions: what would you do if you had a time machine?  Groups all around the city get the chance to answer it in dance, theater, or other medium during the second Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts. 

Philadanco would go back to a time before time—only space.  In fact, their piece is called The Big Bang. 

These hand-painted sneakers look so much like a deep look at the night sky—I could stare into them forever, feels like.  Find them from Etsy seller Tearaininfinitely for $30.

The Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology would go back to April 21, 753 BC, the birthday of Rome, with a day full of activities: viewing gladiatorial bouts, trying on helmets and shields, and reenacting battle formations (as well as enjoy music, food, and arts and crafts!).

Gladiator-tastic!  The Georgie by Brigitte Bailey is a faux leather gladiator sandal studded with square bronze studs.  It has a three-quarter-inch heel and a zipper up the back to let you in.  Also available in a slightly darker brown called camel in addition to the tan; both are around $30 on 6pm.

Phantom Limb would go back to August 1, 1914 (the day Ernest Shackleton departed on his Antarctic expedition) with their show 69°.  Phantom Limb unites marionette puppetry, dance, film, history, and photography with contemporary music to create a stunning vision of the great arctic continent.  Dotted with icebergs that rise from the ground like ghosts, Shackleton’s crew—played by half-life-size puppets—struggles to survive in this vast landscape.

Glacial blues, snowy whites, sparkling stones—the Bailey I Do! By UGG has it all.  (Though they’re not really for snow wear… more of an under-your-bridal-gown type boot.  But come on, they’re gorgeous.)  It has a sheepskin upper and lining, genuine Swarovski button, and a cuff that can fold over, or not, depending on your style.  Find them at Zappos for $225.  (Warning: runs large!  Order a size down.  It’s whole sizes only, so if you’re a half size, go a half down.)

Whenever you would go, go to PIFA now!  It’s a fabulous opportunity to check out something you’d never see otherwise, and maybe learn a little about a time you’ve never considered!

The Big Bang runs from April 19-21; tickets are $29-$46.  69° runs from April 18-21 at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre.  Tickets are $37.50.  Rome day at UPenn is (of course) April 21, and it’s free with museum admission.

Firebird Festival

Another reason why Phoenixville may be the coolest little town ever: their annual Firebird Festival. Each winter, as the days get shorter, the good people of Phoenixville get together and build an enormous wooden phoenix, and on one very special day, they gather to parade down Bridge Street and... er... set the bird on fire. Awesome! Plus there’s live music (everything from zydeco to a carilloner), flamenco and belly dancers, storytelling and tarot card readings, fire breathers and dancers (of course), crafts, and food. A day of fun for the whole family! And the whole phoenix thing is so evocative:

The Mayhem by Irregular Choice is perfect: red and black feathers, silver fabric feathers, and fine red fur cover the upper. It also has a 4.7-inch heel and a 1.2-inch platform. Also available in black (and the black has a matching clutch!); pick up yours for $195. Prefer a stiletto?
The Electric by Bakers has a five-inch heel, one-inch platform, and bevy of feathers, both real and of fringed leather. A zipper up the back lets you in. Also comes in tan or black; yours for $80 (web only!). Want more fire and less phoenix? Classy fire! The Iden by Badgley Mischka has a satin upper, 4.5-inch heel, one-inch platform, and leather sole. Very narrow, so order up! Available in coral (shown), black, or taupe from DSW for $150. Oh, and since it will be cold tomorrow: The Classic Sparkles by UGG are covered in orange sequins! (Or silver, or gold, or black.) Sheepskin upper, suede heel, foam footbed, and bound in satin, in addition to those blazing sequins—like wearing fire on your feet without the discomfort. Yours for $170 from Zappos.


The Firebird Festival runs from 3:30 to 7:30 PM up and down Bridge Street, with the parade to follow at 7:45 and the phoenix lighting at 8:00. I saw the phoenix last night—it looks awesome, so be there or be square!


Sales this weekend: 
Aerosoles: Free shipping on your order of $50
Bakers: All boots on sale, and free shipping on all orders
Macy’s: Extra 15% off plus free shipping using code EXTRA
Nine West: Free shipping on all orders
Payless: Holiday sale: they don’t exactly specify, but it looks like all the festive party-looking pieces are on sale
Lord & Taylor: 25% off with savings pass or promo code FRIENDS Saks: Free shipping and return with code HOLIDAY