When I saw this spike studded shoe at LuLu’s, I had to take note, mainly because of the spike and stone detail on the back that is clearly inspired by a style we all know.  Yes, the Sam Edelman Lorissa officially has a knockoff.  But, I do use the term “knockoff” loosely, however, as the Qupid shoe does have quite a few differences, which could be viewed as positive or negative depending on the person.  First, it has a much higher platform, which I know some people wished the Lorissa had a bit more of in order to off-set the height of the heel (although the lack of a high platform has its own merits for a certain kind of look).  Also, rather than having the stones and spikes running all the way down the back of the heel like the Lorissa, the Qupid pair extends this detail down the side of the shoe, on the part facing outward.  While the Lorissa is made of genuine suede, the Qupid version is faux leather, or what they describe as vegan leather.  I do like the lace sole on the Qupid pair – it’s a nice touch:

Then there’s the price.  The Lorissa retails for $199.95 - although sale prices can be had — and the Qupid Brulee retails for $73 at LuLu’s.  If you’ve been wanting to try out the look of spikes, but you don’t want to invest too much in what might be considered a passing trend (but a very fun one to wear, I must say), then this might be a more suitable option.  Of course, it’s probably not the most opportune time to buy a white peep toe, if you follow the no-white-after-Labor-Day mantra (or just because we’re getting into the colder months of the year), but I did notice that there’s a black version of this style, as well as white, at Urbanog.com for $67.90.

For shoes with spikes at an even lower price point, check out the Liliana Angelina in black, brown, red, or tan at Endless for $40.25.  In this case, you have your spikes over the front of a pointy toe pump and round studs along the back.  If you spend over $100 on your order of eligible styles, including this one, you’ll get 20% off for a limited time.

Update: I came across another shoe much like the Sam Edelman Lorissa or the closed-toe Roza, the Wild Pair Carly, available at Bakers in black or tan for $94.99.

When Kate Middleton married Prince William earlier this year, it was a beautiful fairy-tale wedding and I loved her dress, but I have to admit I was disappointed when we couldn’t get a good look at her shoes.  I’m not sure when or how I thought Kate would be able to show us her shoes, given that they were well-concealed under her full-length gown, but I did hope for a better glimpse.  Fast-forward a few months later and my little shoe wish has come true now that Kate’s Alexander McQueen dress, heels, and more items from the royal wedding are on display at a Buckingham Palace exhibition.  The custom lace shoes Kate wore are pictured above and, much like her gown, they are classic and elegant.  They also appear deceptively simple, but all of those tiny little stitches were done by hand and there’s no telling how long they took to make.  In light of Kate’s shoes making an official appearance, I decided to find some lace wedding shoes for those who want a similar look when marrying their own Prince Charming — or for anyone who wants to incorporate the feminine look of lace into their wardrobe.  Let’s take a look:

The Stuart Weitzman Laceswoon has a similar silhouette in ivory lace.  Find these at Zappos on sale for $255.50 with free shipping (retail $365).

BridalShoes.com has the Touch Ups Bobbie in ivory, which is also similar, but costs less at $74.  The Touch Ups Catalina is a peep toe style in lace and it’s priced at $72.  Note that both will be available in August.

My personal lace fave is the Chinese Laundry Hotline, which has bolder styling with the higher platform and bow detail.  You can find these at Endless in ivory or black for $69 with free overnight shipping.  If you spend $80 or more on your order, you’ll get $25 off automatically at checkout for a limited time.  Shoemall has it for $69.95 and if you buy one item, you’ll get 30% off your second with coupon code BOGO through 7/30/11.  Chinese Laundry also has it for $89.95.

Top image from dailymail.co.uk

Endless is one of my go-to online shoe stores for their wide selection and extra-quick shipping options, but I especially love when they have a good sale on top of all of that.  Right now, they are offering a discount of $25 off $80 on select women’s shoes and more items (update: expired), which is pretty good, but it’s even more notable considering that many eligible styles are new arrivals for fall.  That’s a nice way to get an early discount on something fresh and new for the upcoming season, but there’s also some summer styles eligible as well.  With nearly 2,000 shoe options, there’s definitely plenty to choose from, but one that caught my eye is the pretty Poetic Licence Sweet Dreams (pictured above), which has a very delicate and romantic look with it’s sheer dotted lace detail that runs all the way up to the ankle.  It comes in black, champagne, or dark pink for $129 with free overnight shipping, but falls to $104 after the discount, which is applied automatically during the final stage of checkout.  Here are a couple of more options I found:

The Not Rated Short Stack is another pair from the Not Rated brand with a studded wedge heel very similar to the Jeffrey Campbell Tick.  It comes in white (pictured), black, grey, tan, or yellow for $84.95 with free overnight shipping.  After the discount, you can get them for $59.95.

This pair stood out because of it’s cool black and white giraffe pattern and it’s sweet little price tag for a statement-making fall boot.  Get a little wild in the Michael Antonio Melati, which is $95 before the discount and $70 after.  Free overnight shipping is included and it also comes in an all black version.

I then spotted a nice price on the Sam Edelman Lorissa in Truffle.  It’s marked down to $114.71 and falls to under $100 after the discount - $89.71 with free 2-day shipping to be exact.  There are more options available at various price points depending on the color selected.

For many more, check out all of the shoes on sale.  The $25 discount is available for a limited time (expiration unknown, but the discount will show on the product page if available) and all prices are subject to change.

Update: The $25 off $80 promo listed in this post is now expired.

I had a request from my new Facebook friend, Laura, a bride-to-be who is looking for teal wedding shoes to match the absolutely beautiful dress (pictured above) that she picked for her big day.  Specifically, she wants to find teal satin heels from 3-4″ in a peep toe d’orsay style with knotted detail or a bit of bling on the front.  I’m happy to help out and I think teal is such a great color, but it can be tricky to find in shoes.  Here are some styles that match all or most of the criteria Laura is looking for, making them viable options for walking down the aisle in gorgeous style:

First, we have the turquoise satin Paris Hilton Suarey.  While it isn’t knotted in the front, it does have a pleated side bow that adds visual interest and you could always add something like these shoe clips (or perhaps these) for some added sparkle over the middle piece of the bow.  These shoes are $95 at Shoes.com and you can apply coupon code SECRET20 for an extra 20% off through 7/5/11.

Then we have another style from the same brand, the Paris Hilton Spelled in turquoise satin.  While it’s listed as the same color as the Suarey, this one strikes me as being more of a true teal shade, at least from this photo.  It isn’t d’orsay or peep toe, but has the knotted front and some pretty bling along the top of the heel.  Shoes.com has this style for $109 and you can get 20% off with the coupon code listed above.  For additional size options, try Amazon.com or Heels.com.

While the Paris Hilton shoes are nice ready-made options, it might be best to try custom bridal shoes to really fine tune the details.  My Glass Slipper offers a wide selection of designer shoes for brides, many of which can be dyed in your choice of the variety of colors they have available.  Its sister site BridalShoes.com is similar, but offers less expensive wedding shoes under $100.  The Pink Hot style pictured above, shown in teal, is priced at $89 with an extra $10 charge to dye it.  They have many more shoes to choose from at various price points, but here are some I found that have all (or many) of the features Laura is looking for and can be ordered in white and then dyed teal for $10 extra:

Stuart Weitzman Knotted in white for $289.  Note that some sizes won’t be available until September.

Benjamin Adams Salma for $199.

Paris Hilton Senorita for $120.  You can dye the bow and toe area one color and the rest of the shoe a different color if desired, which is pretty cool.

Liz Rene Saskia for $92.

Pink Saffron for $80.

Pink Kiss for $80.

Note that once shoes are ordered and dyed, they are not returnable.  However, they do offer Try-N-Dye, which is where you order the shoes to try them on and ensure they will work for you, then return them to get dyed (see site for details).  You can also order a swatch of your desired color for $1.

Congrats to Laura and hopefully this will help out!

I’ve been out of commission for several days due to a power outage we experienced in my area after major tornadoes came through the south last week.  Not having power for five days wasn’t exactly fun, but it was definitely a minor inconvenience compared to the devastation many others have dealt with, like the loss of homes and lives.  My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the storms and I’m very relieved and thankful that my loved ones are all safe.  I’m also happy to be up and running here on this shoe blog today so we can talk shoes!  And today we’re talking about American Idol shoes again!  I received a request on Facebook to help find the white shoes with floral detail that Haley Reinhart wore on the American Idol results show this past week (the 4/28/11 episode).  I didn’t see the show, for obvious reasons, but I did find the pictures above at americanidol.com and I did recognize the brand of these shoes immediately, mainly because of the heel:

Irregular Choice has made several different styles with this very cool translucent heel and I found what appears to be the exact pair Haley wore, Irregular Choice Can’t Touch This, at Irregular Choice, where they are available for $129.  I can’t tell if Haley’s shoes have the same all over pattern - they look solid white from the pics - but the stylists at American Idol are known to customize items for use on the show, so that may be the case here.  You can also find this style in beige, black or off white at Amazon for a sale price of $119 with free shipping (note: sale prices are subject to change) or at Akira for $129.90.

Also of note, it looks like Lauren Alaina wore the same Bebe shoes she wore to another results show.  It’s the Bebe Leah cork wedge sandal and it has a removable flower accent, so it appears she decided to go sans bloom this time around.  You can find these shoes in white, black or pink at Bebe for $129.

Images from Americanidol.com

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It’s President’s Day and that means many retailers are having great sales and coupon discounts in honor of the holiday.  If you’re in the mood for a little shoe shopping today, get your purchase for less with these offers:

Amazon is having a President’s Day Sale that takes up to 70% off select shoes.  There are tons of options, but the Chinese Laundry Hide and Seek mesh bootie pictured above is definitely a steal at $26.99 with free shipping (list price $89.95).  Another hot option is the Lauren Jones Vicki double platform peep toe pump in blue for $34.32 with free shipping (list price $109), but few sizes are left.

Steve Madden takes an extra 50% off select clearance shoes when coupon code SALE50 is applied at checkout.  The bright red Steve Madden Catwalkk is on sale for $69.99 and you can snag it for $34.99 after code.  Shipping is $6.95 extra and all sales are final.

Singer22 takes an extra 20% off sale items with coupon code PRESIDENT20 at checkout.  Their selection of sale shoes include items from brands like Jeffrey Campbell, House of Harlow, Sam Edelman and more.  Get armored up in the Jeffrey Campbell Ninja wedge, which is on sale for $111 and drops to $88.80 after code.

Nine West takes a 20% discount on orders with 2 or more pairs of shoes and shipping is free on any order.  I’m loving the Nine West Qutiepie in grey reptile for $89.  When ordered with another shoe, you’ll get them for $71.20. 

At Bakers, buy 1 shoe or handbag and get 25% off a clearance item.  One clearance option is the H by Halston Gloria glitter platform in black for $39.99 (regularly $79.95).  With the 25% discount, you can get it for $29.99.

6pm has a selection of Steve Madden shoes for $29.95 or less.  One option is the Steve Madden Koraline strappy wedge in black or brown for $29.95 (MSRP $79.95).

Get 25% off sale shoes at Shoes.com with coupon code DEAL25 at checkout.  The Paris Hilton Spelled in magenta is on sale for $103.55 (originally $109) and is further reduced to $77.66 after code.  It also comes in black, grey and turquoise.

Get an extra 25% off clearance shoes at Macys (prices as marked).  The Nine West Carmalita white pump with metallic mesh bow is on sale for $41.47 (originally $79).

Note that all sales end today 2/21/11.

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Many people, at some point or another, fantasize about becoming a competitive figure skater, but very few actually see that pipe dream turn into reality.  Personally, I’ve always fallen straight on my behind (and had a helluva time getting back up) anytime I’ve tried ice skating, so I think these skate-inspired shoes would work out much better for me.  It’s the Jeffrey Campbell Skate in white, part of the brand’s White Out collection for spring, and it’s the perfect shoe for channeling those inner ice queen dreams.  I’m definitely fascinated by this fanciful carved wood wedge, although it’s appealing more to my roller girl side because I was always much better at that.  Get JC’s latest must-have shoe in white at Singer22 for $198 (Update: Also in black or tan) or opt for the Jeffrey Campbell Skate in black for the same price at Lori’s Shoes.  Update: The black pair is now sold out at Lori’s, but Karmaloop just got the Skate in stock for $205.  Coupon code OHSNAP takes 15% off $75 until 2/28, making them $174.25.  Shipping is extra (sold out).  Update: Karmaloop got some more of the white Skate, but only a couple of sizes are left (sold out).  Update: Urban Outfitters has the black JC Skate in stock for $199 (sold out).  Update 5/10/11: Karmaloop has the black Jeffrey Campbell Skate in stock for $205, but betta hurry!  They also have white for the same price.  Update 5/31/11:  Urban Outfitters has the white JC Skate for $199.  Envishoes has the brown, white and black Jeffrey Campbell Skate for $198.95.  Lori’s Shoes has the black JC Skate or white for $198.

Update: Solestruck now has the Jeffrey Campbell Skate in beige or black for $214.95 with free shipping (sold out).  Update 5/12/11: Solestruck has a couple sizes left in the brown Jeffrey Campbell Skate for $214.95 with free shipping.  Update 5/13/11: Solestruck also has a couple sizes left in the nude version.  Update 5/31/11: LuLu’s has the brown JC Skate for $188.

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