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.

Some of you may recall those classic Sam & Libby leather ballet flats with bow that were all the rage in the late eighties/early nineties (if not, you can see one pair pictured here).  I can certainly remember a time when everyone had these shoes and they came in all kinds of colors (I had black and loved them to death).  When I first saw the Libby Edelman Kendra pictured above, it had me thinking about those shoes once again.  Of course, it’s partly because Libby Edelman is the “Libby” from Sam & Libby and this pair is from her namesake Libby Edelman brand, while her husband is Sam Edelman, whose namesake brand we all know so well.  But, it’s also because the Kendra has similar bow detail in the front, like the original, but with a bit of an update: it’s even larger and made of flouncy satin, plus the pink color contrasts so nicely with the cheetah print.  Totally adorable.

You can find these flats at Shoes.com for $59 with free shipping and coupon code SECRET20 takes 20% off through 7/5/11, but few sizes are left in cheetah.  You can also find the cheetah version at Piperlime for $59 or at Zappos for $69, both with free shipping.  Additional color options are available.

We have a super-sweet sale to talk about today and it’s going down at Last Call by Neiman Marcus.  Until tomorrow only, you can get an extra 40% off any one regularly-priced item, which includes their large selection of designer shoes.  But, don’t forget, this is Neiman Marcus’ outlet site, so these items are already discounted off their original retail price even before you get the extra savings.  And, even though you’ll see many styles marked as ”Plus 30% off” while browsing, I noticed that the larger 40% discount is applied to the highest-priced item once you add the shoes to your cart and any additional items in your order are 30% off as part of their concurrent Fun in the Sun sale.  That makes brands like Dolce Vita, L.A.M.B., Charles Jourdan, Pour La Victoire, Rock and Republic, Beverly Feldman (and many more) much more affordable than they normally are.  For instance, the L.A.M.B. Kai Mesh Pump pictured above retails for $295 and is marked down to $225, but falls even further to $135 after getting 40% off in-cart, which is a discount of over 50%.  Let’s check out a few more examples, each with the extra 40% one item discount applied to the price listed:

L.A.M.B. Keagon woven pump in light grey for $147 (retail $325). Also available in black or white.

Dolce Vita Vanni for $95.40 (retail $220).

Dolce Vita North in gold, silver or black for $75 (retail $200).

Seychelles Rogers for $53.40 (retail $100).  Also available in black/white gingham and another floral combo.

Pour La Victoire Vanna in luggage or black for $119.40 (retail $296).

Beverly Feldman Hurray polka dot flat for $69 (retail $170).

To sweeten the deal even more, apply coupon code LCJUNEFS at checkout to get free shipping with no minimum (exp. 6/15/11).

The 40% off one item sale expires 6/9/11 and 30% discount applies until 6/13/11.

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Lately I’ve really been crushing on shoes in various shades of light blue.  I’ve always loved the lighter side of blue, but these shades haven’t been too terribly common when it comes to footwear.  That’s why I’ve been happy to see more and more styles available in gorgeous shades of soft blue that range from pale baby hues to bolder aqua pastels.  These are colors that generally have a cool, calming effect when you look at them, much like gazing at a clear sky or tropical ocean might do, and they tend to convey a fresh, clean look.  One fine speciman is the Jeffrey Campbell Garett, available at Envishoes for $144.95, which combines aqua suede and a Valentino-esque bow with dark blue and light green accents.  This is one of my favorites, but there are definitely more to consider, so let’s it check out:

Aldo Frankenberg sandals with a crisp pop of blue for $110 at Aldo.com.

Rachel Roy Zahira in light blue for $119 at rachelroy.com.

Pour La Victoire Irina in aqua for $179.99 with free 2-day shipping at Endless.

Sole Boutique Mamie for $70 at Karmaloop.

Jeffrey Campbell Shy Town for $148 at Lori’s Shoes.

Jeffrey Campbell Tick in light blue for $180 at Karmaloop.

I’m loving all of the above, but if you really want to make a statement with aqua blue, you mix it with fiery shades of pink and orange à la the Jeffrey Campbell Munroe.  With its unabashedly bright color palette and extra-bold styling (love the two-toned platform!), this shoe definitely has the makings of a quintessential fun summer shoe.  Find them at Lori’s Shoes for $140 or at Envishoes for $144.95.

Note: To get a discount on Karmaloop orders, use coupon code SAVE20 to get 20% off $100 and free shipping (first time users only) or try ROCKIT for 15% off $75 (expiration unknown).  For Aldo orders, use 349147751 to get 10% off (expiration unknown).

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You may remember the Spring 2010 Fendi Cinderella (pictured above) as one of the “it” high-end designer styles from last year.  This shoe was worn by a plethora of celebs, including Demi Moore in a Rachel Zoe-styled Harper’s Bazaar shoot and Whitney Port in a promotional photo shoot for MTV’s The City, both of which I posted about here.  Of course, I always try to find similar, lower-priced options for those who want a comparable look, but can’t afford the over-the-top price (plus, these have long since sold out).  At the time I posted about these, I was able to track down scarf shoes with fabric that wraps around the ankle and plenty of shoes with clear lucite heels (you know, the extra sexy ones), but I couldn’t locate a pair that combined both.  But, now we have these:

The Colin Stuart Wrapped Platform Sandal is a lookalike for the Fendi Cinderella, but it’s far less expensive.  Of course, at this price point, the fabric isn’t as luxurious and the platform is definitely a lot lower, but personally I appreciate this detail.  It can be a fine line when wearing clear heels and I feel like the half-inch platform is more subdued and wearable, while still providing the intended effect.  I also like the pretty pink upper on this pair, which is available at Victoria’s Secret for $70 (originally $88).  Additional color options include cream, black or grey and you get free shipping if you spend $100 or more via coupon code SHIPVS11 (exp 5/19/11).

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I recently received a request for help finding shoes similar to the Christian Louboutin Balota (the gorgeous shoe you see pictured above) as well as a few requests for wedding shoe ideas, so I figured today would be a good day for a nice little diversion into the land of fancy footwear.  I don’t personally have an occasion that would call for wearing these kind of dressy shoes in the near future, but I have to admit I love looking at them anyway (eye candy!).  So, whether you need some extra-special shoes for a wedding or another event, or if you just want to window shop like me, here are some pretty little things for your feet:

First we have some sparkly and/or glittery strappy sandals that have a similar look to the $1,095 Louboutin Balota, but are far less expensive:

Steve Madden Aillie glitter sandal in champagne for $79.95 at Steve Madden.  Coupon code rmn15f takes 15% off and applies free shipping, making them $67.96 (expiration unknown).

Nine West Elaine in gold for $79 at Nine West.  Shipping is also free for a limited time.  Note that this shoe is currently on preorder and expected to ship by 5/24/11.

Zigi Soho Gala in beige for $79.95 at DSW.  Members get free shipping on $35 with coupon code SHIPR through 8/15/11.

Michael Antonio Thandie in gold for $44.88 with free 2-day shipping from Endless.

Now, let’s talk bridal shoes.  There are so many styles for brides to choose from and so many color options to consider (not just white these days), so today I’m going to hone in on one particular brand that has really caught my eye lately - Menbur. 

I love so many of their latest shoes and they are tailor-made for gorgeous bridal style, but you certainly don’t have to be getting married to appreciate this brand.  One standout is the Menbur Casanova (above), a total princess shoe with its sparkling, rhinestone-encrusted ankle wrap.  You can find this style for $220 with free overnight shipping from Endless.  Here are some more options from the same brand, each from Endless:

Menbur Ballesio in nude or black for $234 with free overnight shipping.

Menbur Ceylan in grey, black, stone or champagne for $190 with free overnight shipping.

Menbur Bicci in nude, blue, fuchsia or black for $145.90 with free overnight shipping.

Menbur Curran in fuchsia, red, stone or black for $147.90 with free overnight shipping.

Menbur Carmichael in midnight blue (something blue!), black, nude, turquoise and fuchsia for $164 with free overnight shipping.

Check out all of the Menbur styles at Endless for even more options.  Note that prices and shipping information are subject to change at any time.

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