If you’re gonna sparkle, you may as well sparkle in many colors, à la this Bakers Maisie pump.  I think the mix of shades — mostly cool colors like blue and green with a bit of gold thrown in — is a nice combination and could work well with many different looks, from the jeans-cute-top ensemble to a cocktail dress.  Really, at this point, you can add sequin shoes to anything (ok, almost anything, let’s be reasonable) just to add a nice dose of shimmer to your look.  And given that Dorothy’s sequin ruby slippers may fetch two million dollars at auction, the price tag on this pair seems downright reasonable.  I know they aren’t red and they aren’t actually featured in The Wizard of Oz, but you can still click your heels three times in them if you really want to.  If so, find them at Bakers for $85 with free shipping.

TGIF!

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.

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.