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.

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!

Despite my neverending love for heels, I’ll be the first to admit that the 4th of July isn’t always the right time to wear them.  If you’re lounging by the pool, headed for the lake or doing anything else remotely active, high heels often won’t do.  However, if you happen to have a little soiree to attend for the holiday and heels do fit the bill, these limited-edition Irregular Choice Chica Chola flag wedges are a fabulous choice for displaying a little independent spirit.  These shoes in red, white and blue are totally all American (though they are made by a UK-based company) and, while I love the rainbow version of these shoes, I must say the American flag theme fits really nicely with the shoe’s design.  Of course, if you really want to go all out and get these shoes to wear on the 4th, you’ll have to order quickly and pay extra for fast shipping given that the holiday is already upon us this weekend.  You can find them at Solestruck for $199.95 and they offer overnight shipping if you order by 3 pm PST on weekdays (no Saturday or Sunday delivery), so it appears you could get them by Friday if you order by tomorrow before the time deadline (although check with Solestruck to be sure).

Showing some love for the U.S. via a hot pair of shoes?  I’m down for that.

Chinese Laundry always offers plenty of hot shoes, but I’m particularly loving some of their recent arrivals for summer.  The colorful kicks I’m checking out right now definitely strike me as being ready-made for a little weekend play.  The candy-colored cutie pictured above is one of the styles I’m talking about — it’s the Chinese Laundry Lightning for $129.95.  Clearly there are plenty of others loving it too because it’s already close to being sold out, but it’s certainly one to put on the radar for more stock or availability (I don’t see it sold anywhere else at the moment).  But, there are more shoes that caught my eye, so let’s check it out:

The stock photo displayed for the Chinese Laundry Mod Squad definitely doesn’t tell the whole story on this style.  It might easily be overlooked as just a regular patent slingback pump, but you have to check out the side view (and the additional color options):

How cool is that heel??  You also have to see it being worn in some of their promotional shots for the full effect:

So.Loving.It.  These are priced at $129.95.

Then we have these super-stylin’ Chinese Laundry Back Seat booties.  I’m all about a pop of color, so these are totally up my alley.  Get them in blue or pink and rock them out for $149.95.

To save on your order, apply coupon code CL15REG323 to get 15% off regularly-priced shoes through 6/30/11.

It’s Monday, so let’s get a little wild today courtesy of Jeffrey Campbell.  The brand never disappoints when it comes to outrageous shoe styles and, once I spotted the Jeffrey Campbell Jumper at Lori’s Shoes, I had to discuss JC’s latest archless creation here.  Like the Jeffrey Campbell Benched I mentioned before, the Jumper has a large cutout in the middle of the footbed, where the arch of your foot lies.  I’ve managed to wrap my head around the idea that the arch of your foot won’t know what’s missing when the shoe is constructed in a certain way, but wowza these babies are tall.  The heel measures 6.25″ and the platform is 2.5″, which is plenty of height to make one feel high and mighty when wearing them, but the net effect on the foot is under 4″, which isn’t too bad.  Then there’s the long t-strap, the orange leather, the wide ankle strap…it’s quite the statement shoe.  Impress your friends who don’t know by telling them the shoe causes your arch to magically levitate, David Blaine style.  Then, really impress your friends by actually jumping in the Jumper.  That would be something.

You can find this style at Lori’s Shoes for $184.

I’m so excited because my birthday is this week and I definitely had something super-pink and totally spiky in mind as the perfect b-day gift.  I’ve been drooling over the Sam Edelman Lorissa for what seems like forever and, although this is a style that has been available in many color and pattern options, it was the hot pink pair that really won my heart.  Of course, my sweet hubby always knows exactly what I want (after I dropped a few not-so-subtle hints, that is), so now these bad babies are in my hands — and I am thrilled!

The pictures of this shoe really don’t do the color justice.  The pink is super-rich and vibrant and the suede is oh-so-soft.  Then there’s the pewter rhinestones and spikes on the back that really set it off and totally up the glam factor:

I am sooo loving these.  I also find that they feel pretty comfortable, at least so far.  I haven’t had a chance to wear them out yet, which is the true test, but some shoes can be uncomfortable right when you try them on.  I don’t imagine that these will be the shoes I wear when any serious walking is involved, but they feel pretty good for being as high as they are and they don’t strike me as being particularly heavy, which I’ve seen some reviews say.  All in all, this is one of my top shoe purchases to date!

I also had to mention this: My 5-year old daughter, who is a huge Mario Brothers fan, declared these “Bowser shoes” when she first saw them.  And, you know, she might just have a point:

Yes, I can totally see where she’s coming from.

You can find the pink Sam Edelman Lorissa on discount at Karmaloop, where the price is $200 and you can apply coupon code SAVE20 for 20% off and free shipping (exp. unknown, one time use per account).  Shoes.com also has them for $225 and coupon code SHOESAVINGS will take $50 off $200 (exp. unknown).  If you’re interested in other color options for even less, check out 6pm for black leather, white or denim for $139.97.

Whatever…stomping fools is my business! - Bowser

Update: I’ve had a couple questions about how these shoes feel when worn out.  I finally had the chance to do just that and I can’t call them comfortable by any means, but they felt much like many of my 4+ heels do after even moderate walking (which for me means I’m pretty much ready to get them off).  They don’t have a very high platform (only 1/2 inch) and I could feel a little more pressure on the lower area of my foot without that extra height in the front to help compensate for the height of the heel.  As far as the heavy back end of the heel goes, I did notice that the back of my foot would occasionally raise up just slightly while walking, but my foot never came completely out of the shoe and it only happened a couple of times.  I went half a size up, but probably could have gone with my true size.  I also haven’t had any problems with the studs and rhinestones falling off so far - they seem quite secure.  That being said, I love them and I definitely had fun wearing them.

Bowser image from mariowiki.com

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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