After being a bit MIA around here the past week, I had to get back in the swing of things, literally, with this swinging little boot.  The Luichiny High Life stood out to me when I saw it at Endless and it’s not just because of the fringe detail — let’s face it, we’ve seen many fringe boots before — but it’s the longer fringe that hangs around the ankle, which adds an interesting element of movement.  I don’t know if you’ve ever seen someone walking down the street in this type of fringed shoe before, but I’ve found that I really like the the look of swaying fringe in motion: it’s what you might call dynamic.  I also like that this pair is quite moderately priced for a new fall boot – $134.95 with free shipping in red or black (plus a discount, see below).  Since bold colors, particularly red, are on-trend for fall, it would certainly be easy to get tempted by the fiery hue of the pair pictured above, but I’m personally gravitating towards black in this case:

The reason?  I imagine pairing these with black tights or leggings for the streamlined, flattering look that solid black on the bottom tends to provide, particularly when working with oft tricky mid-calf styles, but you still have the added visual interest of the fringe detail.  Oh, and the cute little heart on the bottom (of either pair) doesn’t hurt either:

Find the Luichiny High Life at Endless for $134.95 and get an extra 20% off your total for a limited time while Endless takes 20% off $100 or more in eligible fall styles.  The expiration date for this offer is not provided; however, if it is still valid, you will see it listed on the product page and the discount will apply automatically during checkout.

Happy Monday!

Ahhh, Aldo, I love you for this shoe.  The moment I saw the Aldo Hafen, I knew it was right up my alley.  Star detail on shoes tends to get me every time but, of course, it has to be done right — and this is a good example of that.  This is the kind of shoe that will add a fun and playful touch to your look, but it definitely doesn’t come across as overly cutesy – no, this is decidedly grown up and fabulous.  Plus, the black and metallic combo is incredibly versatile, which is always a welcome benefit.  The Aldo Hafen is available at Aldo.com for $100 and you can use coupon code getlucky75985 to score an additional 15% off, which makes them $85 with free shipping (exp 12/11/11).

Update: A sequin version of the Aldo Hafen is now also available for $100 at Aldo.com.  Love it!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Season 2 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills premiered this week and I know a lot of people, including myself, were really looking forward to it after the popularity of the first season.  The opening episode, which aired Monday night, was definitely hard to watch given the recent tragedy of cast member Taylor Armstrong’s husband, Russell, taking his life after the season filmed.  That whole situation is incredibly sad and Bravo is now re-editing the show, but I’m sure it’ll still be pretty surreal for viewers to watch Taylor knowing what the future holds.  Plus, we have other serious situations, like the bitter ongoing fued between sisters Kim and Kyle, Camille getting some of her personal belongings unceremoniously shipped to her from estranged ex-husband Kelsey Grammer, and the addition of the Brandi Glanville, the scorned ex of actor Eddie Cibrian, in future episodes (judging from the previews, her arrival isn’t going to be sugar and spice and everything nice).  All in all, it’s hard to say where this season will to take us, but I have to say it’s looking a little bit dark so far.  However, there is something that may have lightened the mood, even if just a bit: The pretty shoes they featured worn by Adrienne Maloof and Lisa Vanderpump.  I know there are some people looking for these shoes, so here’s a rundown of some of the styles seen on the premiere, plus some options for getting a similar look for less:

We’ll start out with Lisa Vanderpump’s pink heels, which were shown near the beginning of the episode.  To be honest, I can’t see the shoes well enough to be absolutely certain on what they are, but I did find out that Lisa has shoe design aspirations and it involves something pink: Her Vander “Pump” (yes, she does have a perfect last name for this) is a style she created with designer Ryan Haber:

This glam pair comes in pink or black and it’s made in suede with Swarovski crystal detail.  For those of you that can handle the $902.10 price tag, it’s on preorder at ryanhabercollection.com.  If that’s totally out of your price range, but you’d still like to find a pretty pink pump with decorative detail, here are some alternatives:

The Steve Madden Party-R for $129 with free shipping at Shoes.com.  Coupon code 15OFF takes 15% off (limited time) and drops the total to $109.65.

The Paris Hilton Sarina on sale for $80.75 at Shoes.com with an extra 15% off using the code mentioned above.  Few sizes are left, but you can also get it at Heels.com for $94.99 with free shipping.

Lisa also wore these black pumps with large rhinestones on the top of the shoe and around the ankle strap.  We do see a red sole, indicating that these are likely Louboutins (plus, Lisa is known to be a huge fan of the brand), but I haven’t seen this particular style before — perhaps they were never available online or they might be custom made (or maybe I just totally missed them!).  If you like the look of the oversized rhinstones around the ankle, you might like this more affordable style:

The Nina Garima in black, ivory or silver for $114.95 at Shoebuy.com.  Use coupon code SHOEBUY to get 10% off (limited time) or get a better price in gold or silver at Endless, where they are on sale for $74.74 with free shipping.

On to Adrienne Maloof, who made a big splash last season when she wore sparkly Gianmarco Lorenzi heels.  For the dinner party she hosted on the premiere, this lucky lady got to reach into her highly enviable shoe closet for another amazing pair:

This, of course, is the $1,195 Christian Louboutin Lady Clou Spike (seen at Nordstrom), which now appears to be completely unavailable online.  But, I think this next pair is a super-hot — and totally available – option for less:

The Sam Edelman Lorna with spiked bow for $136 at Karmaloop.  Coupon code 15FALL takes 15% off $75 (exp. 9/30).  In addition to the Aged Metal color pictured, it also comes in nude and leopard.

That’s all for the shoes I spied in the first episode, but I also wanted to note that Adrienne Maloof just launched her shoe line and the collection is currently available for preorder.  You can find Adrienne Maloof by Charles Jourdan shoes at Isaay.com and they are priced from $195 for flats to $295 for crystal-adorned heels.  I definitely noticed some Giuseppe Zanotti inspiration going on; for instance, the Ivy Sandal is very much like the Giuseppe Zanotti E10079.  All of the options are really very pretty, but my personal favorite is the Veronica Platform (pictured above) in turquoise - love that color!

Happy Wednesday!

RH photos from Bravotv.com

You may remember my mention of the Chinese Laundry Mod Squad awhile back and my admiration of the unique curvy heel, which you might describe as a teardrop-shaped wedge cutout.  Or, you might call it an “abstract heel”, which is how the shoe pictured above is described.  Whatever you call it, this heel style is now available in a different form: the Sole Boutique Tully, which can be found at Karmaloop.  With this pair, you get the very cool sculptural look of the heel, plus you incorporate one of the hottest trends for fall, which (in case you haven’t noticed) is leopard print.  It’s also nice that this shoe is very affordably priced: Get it for $45 at Karmaloop and score free shipping on new arrivals with coupon code FREERUN through 9/30/11.  More color options are available:

Sole Boutique Tully in black

Sole Boutique Tully in taupe

The Chinese Laundry Mod Squad in turquoise, black or fuschia is also still available at Chinese Laundry for $129.95 with free shipping, although the fuschia color is really low on size selection at this point.

If you’re all about some heavy metal detail on your shoes, you definitely need to check out the styles from Hades Shoes (also known as Metropolis Alternative).  The Hades Shoes Predator (pictured above) instantly grabbed my attention when I came across it on Amazon recently because, let’s face it, it’s not every day you see a heel with metallic spine-like detail going all the way down the back (not to mention spikes on the platform).

Now, clearly these aren’t shoes made for blending in.  These are meant for showcasing a strong and assertive vibe with a healthy dose of rebellion kicked in.  And, if you seriously coveted those DSquared Spine Shoes, but couldn’t get your hands on them, these shoes provide a similarly skeletal alternative for a much lower price.  Find them at Amazon for $109.99 with several additional color options available.  The Hades Shoes Ripley is the peep-toe version.

Another standout is the Hades Shoes Eiffle, which features custom metal hardware with bolts and gears, making it look like the inner workings of some type of machinery, but placed on the outside of the shoe for a unique effect.

This one actually reminds me of the Alexander McQueen Titanic pump with similar metal detail, but this pair delivers that edgy, industrial aesthetic for a much lower price of $127.99.  Again, there are more colors to choose from and the peep toe version is the Steampunk Pump.

For even more styles, check out all of the Metropolis Alternative / Hades Shoes at Amazon.

Have an amazing weekend!

Update: Hades Shoes are also now available at Shoebuy.com.

I’ve always really admired the eclectic approach taken by Irregular Choice, but I have to say they are slaying it with some of their new fall styles for 2011.  I mean, please, check this shoe out: The Irregular Choice Mayhem, possibly the crown jewel of their current collection –  shoes with wings that I find completely amazing.  I do see a likely Alexander McQueen influence here — you can see some McQueen wing shoes from fall 2010 pictured over at Nitrolicious — but it’s definitely their own unique interpretation of the look, plus they don’t run thousands of dollars in price.  There’s also a black version:

There are so many cool details on this shoe: a stylized silver wing topped with actual feathers, a fuzzy “calf hair” effect on the platform and heel, sparkly detail on both the outside of the shoe and the insole — basically these are blowing my mind right now.  I mean, really, what kind of life adventure could winged heels take you on?  The sky is the limit.

If you love them too, find them at Irregular Choice in red or black for $195.  Update: You can also find them at Must Have Shoes in red or black for the same price.

End-of-season sales are a mecca for a bargain-hunters like our friend Cheap Chick, who loves to find cute shoes on the cheap.  First, I have to point out that the use of the word ”cheap” on this blog only refers to the price of the shoes (simply defined as under $25) because anything beyond that — looks, quality, etc – is really a matter of personal preference.  However, it does help to find shoes that are not only low in price, but also come from recognizable brand names that are normally much more expensive.  That’s what Cheap Chick found in the Piperlime Final Sale and it’s also when things get really fun, like when you come across something like the Sam Edelman Magdalena (pictured above) with a retail price of $150 marked down to just $19.97 with free shipping in gray or whiskey/black.  That’s an unusually low price for this brand and I’m not seeing this particular style for less than around $80 anywhere else right now (Update 8/20: The price of the whiskey/black version was just increased to $39.95).  Want more?  Here are some additional name brand sandals and heels under $25 at Piperlime:

Seychelles Pickford for $24.97 with free shipping (retail $99).

Steve Madden Glistenn in black and 3 more color options for $24.97 with free shipping (retail $90).

Naughty Monkey Shinner in grey for $24.99 with free shipping (retail $89).  Sizes are getting a bit limited.

Report Ledger for $24.97 with free shipping (retail $90).

DV by Dolce Vita Siren for $24.97 with free shipping (retail $90).

Matiko Blake for $19.97 in black or white (retail $195).

Mia Biscotti in natural or black for $19.97 (retail $59).  The Naughty Monkey Divine in grey is a similar style for the same price (retail $99).

This is merely a sampling — there are tons of options at various price points in Piperlime’s Final Sale.  Note that returns are not allowed for these styles and prices are subject to change.

Update: Many more shoes under $25 can be found in the Steve Madden clearance sale, where prices are currently reduced by an extra 50% through 9/2/11 (the price listed has the discount applied).  There are quite a few priced under $20!