Nicole Richie House of Harlow Shoes

I am a bit ambivalent with these shoes.  They are nice, but there is nothing that says, “You gotta have me.”  What do you all think?

This first pair, I might purchase.  I like the chunky heel, I am not wild about the texture

Let me piggyback onto Fancyfeet’s New Mexico style. House Of Harlow 1960 by Nicole Richie has released it’s Navajo inspired spring shoe line, available through Singer22.  I have been interested to see how Nicole Richie’s shoe line are priced.   They are in the $180 – $300 price range.  This is what I usually spend on my shoes.  Anything less will paralyze me for a day, anything more I have to hide from Mr R5.  (Admit it, you do the same thing!)  Let’s have a look.

New Year Happy Chinese

You know what that means in regard to celebrating in Shoeblog style; not just animal-prints, but tiger-print shoes. And whether you prefer heels or flats, there’s a number of styles out there for those days you want to walk out the front door while showing your wild side.

People born in the Year of the Tiger always take pride in being different from others, and normally demonstrate their originality best in their homes. Their homes are typically filled with exotic possessions. It is no surprise that one of the Tiger’s favorite gemstones is the cat’s eye, but tigers also love the sparkle of rubies and diamonds. They like to spend money, and also to share it. They can be very impulsive spenders because they know they can at all times make more. (From yearofthetiger.net)

Actually, this is more of a belated Chinese New Year wish, since February 14th was the start of the approximately 15-day holiday.  So, celebrations this weekend are going on in many cities.

Welcome to the Year of the Tiger.

Bride Louboutin for the Spring

Christian Louboutin Double Platform Knotted Mule $895 at Niemanmarcus.com

Christian Louboutin Glitter Peep Toe Pumps $725 at Niemanmarcus.com

Oh, and just in case you are looking for a ’something blue’ pop of color to go with the old rhyme, how about one of these jewel-toned beauties?

But for our readers, I expect that at least some of you are in wedding planning mode. So why not add one of these spectacular wedding-worthy shoes to your bridal wish list?

I’ve been married for almost 20 years. So, I am not currently in the market for anything resembling a pair of spring bridal shoes

Spring Shoes Anthropologie

Choosing my favorite Anthropologie items is always difficult. So after a lot of thinking and admiring, here are the shoes that will carry me into spring courtesy of my favorite store!

Admittedly, I’m a bit of an Anthropologie addict. I just love everything in the store! For the last week I’ve been on California’s Central Coast for work and in my off hours I had the pleasure of visiting my favorite Anthropologie location at the Carmel Plaza! It wouldn’t be totally true to call the Carmel Plaza a “mall” it’s more of a luxurious and relaxing outdoor hangout surrounded by all of my favorite stores! The Anthropologie store is particularly impressive! It is huge, has an outdoor patio, has everything sold by Anthropologie, and always has the best sale section (dresses for $10 – seriously!)

Spring Shoes Anthropologie

Choosing my favorite Anthropologie items is always difficult. So after a lot of thinking and admiring, here are the shoes that will carry me into spring courtesy of my favorite store!

Admittedly, I’m a bit of an Anthropologie addict. I just love everything in the store! For the last week I’ve been on California’s Central Coast for work and in my off hours I had the pleasure of visiting my favorite Anthropologie location at the Carmel Plaza! It wouldn’t be totally true to call the Carmel Plaza a “mall” it’s more of a luxurious and relaxing outdoor hangout surrounded by all of my favorite stores! The Anthropologie store is particularly impressive! It is huge, has an outdoor patio, has everything sold by Anthropologie, and always has the best sale section (dresses for $10 – seriously!)

Runway to Retail YSL Spring 2010

YSL, how completely do these torment play with my desire for a fairy-tale Briar Rose shoe as both Vivier & Mai Lamore have done in the past!

Add these to my list of  Holy Grail shoes (unless I find a smoking deal on a pair of  aftermarket Vivier Rose ‘n Roll beauties; I would be satisfied with owning either style).

So, just in time for spring, the following retail versions of the Spring YSL runway styles are now available for pre-order at Saks, Nieman Marcus, Nordstrom, and YSL boutiques

But, it’s the wilted rose-and-thorn shoes have me shifting into full-on shoe-lust mode

Some of the sandals feel like they are a casual blending of YSL’s recent cage sandals with their wildly popular Tribute sandals. These architectural, open demi-wedges have a sweet and flirty summer appeal

But, the shoes and accessories – Yves St. Laurent, you have my attention.

Just look at this armlet. Gulp. I must find a way to get my hands on this.

…….the  ‘Oh, so you don’t want pockets’   punchline comes to mind.

Nor am I thrilled with the the floor-length, ruffled skirts that are just too long to compliment most body types

But these strangely placed bust-ruffle details that felt like Madonna/Gaultier stage costuming aren’t working for me

I particularly liked some of the structured bow details and how they contrasted with some of the more deconstructed pieces with unfinished edging

The Yves St. Laurent Spring 2010 fashions were a mixed bag for me. I liked the neutral palette and the extensive use of separates in the show. One or two spectacular, wearable, separates that you can depend on in your wardrobe are always a good thing.

Launches Jelly Shoes Collection Stuart Weitzman

What about you?  Would you wear stylishly made jellies?

if only because the bright, colorful shades appeals to my sense of aesthetics on this dreary March afternoon.   The collection retails from $98 to $198.

Sweaty jellies have never been my footwear of choice, but Stuart Weitzman’s newly launched jelly shoes collection,  with design flares like crystals, multi-colored stones and chic hardware, have me revisiting my stance,

Laser Cut Shoes Burberry

 I can’t help but find the whole effect to be rather charming. If that qualifies my taste as a little over the top, I can live with that.

When I checked online, I found it was also available in a both peep-toe pump and a ballerina flat.

Another peek-a-boo, window-paned shoe with a little more color subtlety than the Cavalli. This time the cutouts are flirting with the signature Burberry plaid and successfully abstracting it in the process!

So, while I could never justify $700+ on sale for this particular variation, the last 3 years have seen more companies entering into the laser-cut detail arena. This, to my mind, is a good thing.

I was reminded of this shoe the other day at Nordstrom Seattle when I saw this shoe on display in the Shoe Salon area:

And, while the color contrast of the rainbow backing fabric was too busy for some people, the flawless detail of the leather with it’s peakaboo cutouts has never lost it’s charm to me. I almost  forgot to breath when I first saw this shoe; you just don’t forget when you have that kind of gut reaction to something. Oh, and there was a matching roll clutch…just amazing.

I have been a huge fan of laser cut shoe detail since I first encountered this Cavalli T7711 shoe several years ago (‘07).

On Sale at Medici Cheap Boots

The place was packed. Go get your cheap boots now! The quality is surprisingly good for these prices, but Medici has always been known to be reliable.

Tromping through the slushy snow to get some skiing gear for last weekend’s trip, I saw these boots on sale for $30 at Medici at Columbus and 80th. Score for rainy spring, once covered with some waterproofing spray!

The Annual Oakland Museum White Elephant SaleThis Weekend

Here’s the scene in the “designer” shoe section (a very small part of the total shoe department) during my visit on a preview day (I was trying to take photos without anyone noticing).

Earlier this month, I went to one of the sale’s preview days and bought a gently used pair of Ferragamo’s for $20, a pair of vintage pumps for $7, and a brand new pair of Tretorn flats for $15. On the same trip, my shopping companions found shoes by Ferragamo and Michael Kors for $10 to $15. During the sale in previous years, I’ve seen Chanel, Cole Haan, and Stuart Weitzman shoes.

If you are the Bay Area this weekend, you should make it a priority to attend the annual Oakland Museum White Elephant Sale (Saturday 3/6 and Sunday 3/7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the White Elephant Sale Warehouse located at 333 Lancaster Street, Oakland, CA). Yes, the deals are as good as the crowds are crazy, but where else can you find Ferragamos for $10? The shoe selection is amazing and surprisingly well-organized. Now, I realize that many people are opposed to used shoes; however, the White Elephant Sale is not a dingy thrift store. Volunteers are actually rather picky about what they’ll accept in terms of quality and condition. This means that  shoes are either gently used or new. The gently used shoes can be easily cleaned up by a reliable cobbler (I like Paul’s Shoe Repair located at 2281 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA).