Lately I’ve realized that there’s a serious void in my closet for a pair of comfortable, casual shoes that also offer a bit of oomph - i.e. a heel.  If you haven’t already noticed from visiting this shoe blog, I definitely love my high heels.  Yes, heels do tend to be much more exciting (generally speaking) and I do have my fair share, but obviously we don’t go super-high for the sake of comfort - and, let’s face it, some occasions do not call for a high heel.  That’s why I’ve embraced flats much more than I used to, but there are still plenty of times that I need something in-between.  That’s why I’ve been looking around for a casual shoe with a low wedge heel to solve my shoe dilemma.  Of course, I tend to get distracted while browsing for something a bit more sensible, like I did at DSW with these shoes:

Oooh, sparkly!  And a big bow!  It’s the Moda Spana Chase pump in pewter, gold or black for $54.95.

Bright blue heels!  And triple platform!  The SM Adell pump in blue, black or pink for $89.95.

But, in the end, I think the Blowfish Hichi (pictured at the very top in brown and just above in black) is an option I’ll be considering for my casual shoe quandry and something that looks cool enough that I can still have plenty of fun buying it.  It has a wedge heel with just enough flattering height - 2.5 inches to be exact - and also comes in a heavy linen black version.  It’s priced at $59.95 and DSW offers coupon code FALLSHOP that takes $10 off $49, $25 off $99 or $45 off $149. That drops the price to $49.95, but there’s also code SAVE20 that takes 20% off a purchase of two or more items. Then there’s code SHIPR for free shipping on $35.  The good news?  These codes stack and DSW allows up to three per order, so I could get all three of the shoes in this post for $127.88 with free shipping instead of $204.85.  Alternately, I could remove the Steve Madden pair and buy the other two, which drops my total to $71.92 instead of $114.90.  A free DSW account is required for all of the codes except for SAVE20 and there are plenty of possibilites to choose from, so be sure to check out all of the shoes to save big on your own set of faves.

The FALLSHOP code ends 9/7, the SAVE20 code ends 8/30 and the SHIPR code ends 9/12.  Exclusions apply.

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Bethenny Frankel from The Real Housewives of NYC and her spin-off show Bethenny Getting Married? (a question that is now, most certainly, a moot point) made an appearance on The CBS Early Show last month to whip up some summer cocktails.  I received an email from Johnette, who wants to know about the super-fab black patent sandals she’s wearing with her red, strapless dress.  Bethenny, who is now a bonafide hot mama after having her baby girl, is wearing the Yves Saint Laurent Tribute Platform Sandal (pictured above), which is available at Neiman Marcus for $760.  If you’re looking for a similar look, but want to spend much less, try these shoes on for size:

The Steve Madden Haylow in black patent for $79.95 at Steve Madden. It also comes in black satin, blush or platinum and you can get free shipping by applying coupon code SMFREESHIP at checkout.

The Aldo Vadenais on sale for $44.99 (regularly $80) in black or bone at Aldo.com.

Hope this helps Johnette!  And, don’t forget, if anyone else needs help with finding a pair of shoes, just let Fairy Shoe Princess know!

Photo from celebrity-gossip.net. 

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After checking out the latest Steve Madden sale at 6pm, I found plenty of shoes that cost less than, say, what many of us may have blew on having a little fun over the weekend (money just flies when your having fun, doesn’t it?).  The sale includes over 300 women’s shoes from just $20, but one in particular that caught my eye was the Steve Madden Truee pictured above.  The polished leather style looks like a take on the current clog trend, but the cutouts and super-high 5″ heel add a decidedly modern touch (the 1.5″ platform helps to offset the height, thankfully).   You can add this pair to your closet for a mere $26.99 (MSRP $89.95) or, for something different, check out the many Steve Madden styles 6pm offers for up to 75% off during the sale, which runs for the rest of the week or while supplies last. 

I received an email from fellow shoe lover Rebecca, who is on the hunt for a lower-priced version of the Jimmy Choo Quinze, which can be found for $1,795 at Nordstrom in nude and for the same price at Jimmy Choo in black.  This is an absolutely gorgeous shoe, but it’s definitely a toughie to find anything that compares to it and I had to put my magic shoe wand on full throttle to find anything that even comes close.  So, are there inexpensive alternatives for the Quinze?  Unfortunately, after doing an extensive search I didn’t see any mesh, crystal-adorned booties for less.  That doesn’t mean we won’t see an inspired-by version at some point (I’ll update this post if I see one), but if anyone knows of something similar, please help Rebecca out.  In the meantime, I’ve found some shoes that incorporate at least some of the same elements of the Quinze and are viable options, at least for the time being:

There’s no mesh in sight, but the Badgley Mischka Forrester has a string of bling across the vamp that reminds me of the Quinze.  Get these for $215 with free overnight shipping at Endless.

Similarly, the Pelle Moda Favilla has beads and crystals running all they way up to the ankle strap.  Endless has this pair for $188.95 with free overnight shipping.

The Steve Madden Fanfair comes in black or blush and features plenty of jewels in various sizes along the t-strap.  Get it for $99.95 at Stevemadden.com with free shipping using code SMFREESHIP or for $89.96 with free shipping at Zappos.

The Boutique 9 Denya doesn’t have jewel or rhinestone detail, but it is a mesh bootie adorned with pretty flowers.  Get it for $129.95 at Shoebuy and 15% off with coupon code FIFTEEN for a limited time.

Get some serious sparkle for much less with the Celest Hana-08 for $28.50 at Urban Originals.

To get an even closer lookalike for the Quinze, you may have to take matters into your own hands…literally.  Get a plain mesh bootie, like the Aldo Schade (pictured above) for $44.98 or this super-cute tie-back mesh heel from Americlubwear for $27.99.  Add some super glue and loose rhinestones and go to town on the black piping for a creative DIY project.  I’m not quite sure how this will turn out, but it might just work for the crafty among us.

Any more suggestions for Rebecca?  Let us know in the comments!

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I’ve noticed plenty of shoes in the news lately, so I thought I’d gather up some of the latest, most interesting things I’ve seen, mix ‘em up real good and have a little Shoe Buzz roundup.  We’ve got a new Hollywood flick about shoe addicts, “granny” footwear having a fashion moment, a Dolce Vita budget line and more.  So, what are we waiting for?  Let’s dig in:

As a shoe lover, I get giddy when I hear about a new movie that’s all about the shoes.  Especially when the lead actress is none other than Oscar-winner Halle Berry, who is set to star in the movie Shoe Addicts Anonymous.  The film, which will be out in Fall 2011, is a comedy based on the book of the same name by Beth Harbison.  Apparently won’t be much of a stretch for Berry, who “loves shoes” according to a producer.

Dolce Vita is the latest company to collaborate with Target on an affordable fashion line, which is fittingly called Dolce Vita for Target.  There’s a selection of five different styles available at Target’s website, most of which are very menswear-inspired, and all at much more budget-friendly prices than the usual Dolce Vita fare.  The Dolce Vita for Target Buckle Ankle Boots pictured above are $34.99, which is the highest you’ll pay for any of the shoes available right now.  They are expected to be in stores by August 22.

My very cool mom, who is always on the lookout for shoe-related info for me (thanks Ma!), let me know that Worishofer shoes were just featured on the CBS Today Show.  The German-made line of “granny” shoes (their description, not mine) are well-known for providing a high level of comfort.  Ruthie from Styleite.com was on hand to provide tips on how to wear them without looking, well, geriatric.  One shoe featured was the Worishofer 583 lace-up sandal (pictured above), which was paired with jeans and looked pretty cute.  Apparently, the “sandals so ugly they’re stylish” (again, their words) are a celeb fave and the brand, which has been available in the U.S. since the 1970’s, has been enjoying a nice surge in popularity in the past couple of years. You can find Worishofer at Endless from $42 - $75.

Seen on The Cut: You can combine a love of pretty shoes with a love of smelling pretty with the new fragrance called Beyond from Anna Dello Russo, who is currently Editor at Large and creative consultant for Vogue Japan.  The almond and vanilla scented perfume will be housed in a golden shoe, which I imagine would be a nice little decorative keepsake once the fragrance runs out.  It will be available by the holidays.

Is there a correlation between an economic downturn and an upturn of heel height on shoes?  Apparently so, as this New York Times article explains.  During a recession, we typically see higher heels, like the over 5-inch heel on the shoe pictured above, which was created by Salvatore Ferragamo during The Great Depression.

There’s a new trend for au naturel, prehistoric-inspired shoes, like the one pictured above which will be available at a store near you this fall.  Ok, I’m kidding…this is actually thought to be the world’s oldest known leather shoe that was recently discovered perfectly preserved in a cave in Armenia and estimated to be 5,500 years old.  These are considered to be very high quality for the time and were likely very expensive.

Finally, we have a resource for buying and selling shoes online.  I received an email from Ellen at If The Shoe Doesn’t Fit, which is an auction site where people can sell, swap or shop for shoes.  She let me know that there’s a coupon code SOLES for two free listings and you can also use coupon code SHOES to get five more free listings (expiration unknown).  Update: The SOLES coupon is available indefinitely, while the SHOES coupon is good for 12 months. 

That’s all for now, but have a happy Wednesday!

Halle Berry image from People.com.

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Smartbargains is having a sweet sandal sale and I couldn’t help but notice the bargains they are offering on Harajuku Lovers shoes.  That’s Gwen Stefani’s line of fun and funky footwear (and many other items) inspired by the street style in the Harajuku area of Tokyo.  I find that the brand is somewhat reminiscent of Gwen’s L.A.M.B. line, but the shoes are much more affordable, and I like the fun, girly details they have, like the heart-shaped buckles and pink sole found on many styles.  Right now, Smartbargains has a selection of Harajuku Lovers sandals marked down to $36.98 or less and you get an additional 30% off each pair if you buy two or more.  Do the math and that adds up to a max of $51.76 for two pairs, which is only $25.88 a piece.  That’s a great deal and the $36.98 Harajuku Lovers Karis (pictured above) is eligible, but let’s check out a few more styles:

Harajuku Lovers Kasi for $36.98 in red, black, blue, brown and natural.

Harajuku Lovers Kameryn for $36.98 in silver, brown or black.

Harajuku Lovers Dalle for $36.98 in black (red is sold out).

For more eligible sandals from a wide variety of brands, check out the entire shoe sale.  The expiration is 7/24/10.

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I’m a fan of Naughty Monkey shoes, so I love finding a great bargain on the brand.  And although I already own the Naughty Monkey Fiesta heel, I’ve had to notice that the same pair is going on sale for super-low prices lately - quite a bit lower than I paid (but they were so worth it).  Amazon has the best price I’ve seen for the black and brown Naughty Monkey Fiesta shoes, which are both priced at $32.38 in most sizes with free shipping.  Another nice price can be found at Piperlime, where the brown and purple versions are marked down to $39.99 (purple is almost sold out) and coupon code EXTRA20 takes another 20% off until 7/22/10, making them $31.99 with free shipping.  From what I can tell, the brown Fiesta has been less popular than, say, the yellow Fiesta, but I can very well imagine pairing it with the other LBD - the little brown dress - with superb results.  If you’ve ever owned a perfect little brown dress, you know what I mean.

Or, you can opt for the similar, but newer, model of mini studded pumps offered by Naughty Monkey.  The Naughty Monkey Star Studded is on sale at 6pm for $47.99, marked down from its MSRP of $79.99.  I’m liking the grey version, which reminds me a bit of those shoes Sarah Jessica Parker wore to the Sex and the City premier with her yellow dress.  Or, you can go for something bright with the blue and pink options or choose classic black, each for the same price.  However, if you like pink, head over to Amazon to get them for $45.86 with free shipping instead and save even more.

To find discounts on addtional Naughty Monkey styles, check out the selection at Amazon and 6pm.  The expiration on the sale prices listed here are unknown.

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