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

I’ve always really admired the eclectic approach taken by Irregular Choice, but I have to say they are slaying it with some of their new fall styles for 2011.  I mean, please, check this shoe out: The Irregular Choice Mayhem, possibly the crown jewel of their current collection –  shoes with wings that I find completely amazing.  I do see a likely Alexander McQueen influence here — you can see some McQueen wing shoes from fall 2010 pictured over at Nitrolicious — but it’s definitely their own unique interpretation of the look, plus they don’t run thousands of dollars in price.  There’s also a black version:

There are so many cool details on this shoe: a stylized silver wing topped with actual feathers, a fuzzy “calf hair” effect on the platform and heel, sparkly detail on both the outside of the shoe and the insole — basically these are blowing my mind right now.  I mean, really, what kind of life adventure could winged heels take you on?  The sky is the limit.

If you love them too, find them at Irregular Choice in red or black for $195.  Update: You can also find them at Must Have Shoes in red or black for the same price.

End-of-season sales are a mecca for a bargain-hunters like our friend Cheap Chick, who loves to find cute shoes on the cheap.  First, I have to point out that the use of the word ”cheap” on this blog only refers to the price of the shoes (simply defined as under $25) because anything beyond that — looks, quality, etc – is really a matter of personal preference.  However, it does help to find shoes that are not only low in price, but also come from recognizable brand names that are normally much more expensive.  That’s what Cheap Chick found in the Piperlime Final Sale and it’s also when things get really fun, like when you come across something like the Sam Edelman Magdalena (pictured above) with a retail price of $150 marked down to just $19.97 with free shipping in gray or whiskey/black.  That’s an unusually low price for this brand and I’m not seeing this particular style for less than around $80 anywhere else right now (Update 8/20: The price of the whiskey/black version was just increased to $39.95).  Want more?  Here are some additional name brand sandals and heels under $25 at Piperlime:

Seychelles Pickford for $24.97 with free shipping (retail $99).

Steve Madden Glistenn in black and 3 more color options for $24.97 with free shipping (retail $90).

Naughty Monkey Shinner in grey for $24.99 with free shipping (retail $89).  Sizes are getting a bit limited.

Report Ledger for $24.97 with free shipping (retail $90).

DV by Dolce Vita Siren for $24.97 with free shipping (retail $90).

Matiko Blake for $19.97 in black or white (retail $195).

Mia Biscotti in natural or black for $19.97 (retail $59).  The Naughty Monkey Divine in grey is a similar style for the same price (retail $99).

This is merely a sampling — there are tons of options at various price points in Piperlime’s Final Sale.  Note that returns are not allowed for these styles and prices are subject to change.

Update: Many more shoes under $25 can be found in the Steve Madden clearance sale, where prices are currently reduced by an extra 50% through 9/2/11 (the price listed has the discount applied).  There are quite a few priced under $20!

Lord and Taylor is having a sale on a sale with their latest coupon and I’m seeing some extra-good savings on shoes already-reduced in price.  You can opt to get an extra 15% off regular or sale styles by applying coupon code STYLE at checkout, but the real bargains are found in the clearance shoes section, which enjoy an even higher extra 25% off discount using the same code.  As an example of the savings, the Elie Taharie Chelsea sandal (pictured above) retails for $398 and is marked down to $139.99, but falls even further to $104.99 at checkout after the code.  But, be forewarned that many of these shoes have few sizes left (the Elie Taharie pair only has three as of this posting), so you might want to pick your size at the top before browsing the options.  Here are some more shoes I found in the sale that still have a wide selection of size options:

The Steve Madden Minnii in blush for black retails for $129, is on sale for $49.99, and drops to $37.49 after code.

The Bourne Josephine in animal print or ivory retails for $238, is on sale for $89.99, and is reduced to $67.49 after code.

The Poetic Licence Exclusive Delight in red retails for $98, is on sale for $69.99, and falls to $52.49 after code.  It also comes in purple, but only one size is left in that color.

The Enzo Angiolini Romario in black retails for $89.99, is on sale for $34.99, and is reduced to $26.24 after code.  You can also get it in green or denim.

See the entire selection of clearance shoes for more options.  The coupon expires 8/22/11 and exclusions may apply.

I don’t know about you guys, but I have been oh-so-crazy busy over the past week that I am totally ready to indulge in a little shoe fantasy again, even if just for a bit of diversion.  The object of my affection right now?  Abigail’s Party.  Ok, it’s actually Abigail’s 3rd party because clearly Abigail, whomever she is, loves herself a fancy little soiree.  Yes, we’ve seen this same shoe from Irregular Choice recreated in many lovely patterns and colors, but I have to admit that the blue-green sequin version (above) grabbed me immediately.  It’s fanciful, not really practical, and I’m not even sure what I’d wear with it exactly, but I do know that it looks like a pretty little party for the feet and I, for one, would covet an invite.  It could also be a wedding shoe option for the bride who wants something whimsical –  I actually came across it after searching for some wedding shoe options requested by a Facebook friend.  You can find the Irregular Choice Abigail’s 3rd Party at Irregular Choice for $155.  If the light blue color isn’t your thing, there’s also an all-black version for the same price, as well as this pair from Shoebuy:

You really can’t beat the black / tan combo for a little extra versatility and I’m definitely loving it.  You can even get a discount: Shoebuy has it for $144.95 and coupon code EMLBIGGESTSALE11 takes 25% off, making the Irregular Choice Abigail’s Party $108.71 with free shipping.  Update: Also available at Must Have Shoes for $145.  There’s a purple floral pair for the same price:

If you love other styles from Irregular Choice, I also found these coupons that can be used to get a discount on the brand (and more shoes).  Choose your personal fave, then save with these offers:

Heels.com: Get 30% off your order, including Irregular Choice, with coupon code MOVINGONUP for a limited time.

Shoebuy: Get 25% off Irregular Choice shoes and more items with coupon code EMLBIGGESTSALE11 through 8/17/11.  Update: This code was extended and appears to be valid until 8/24/11.

Karmaloop: Find more color versions of the Irregular Choice Abigail’s Party and additional styles, some on sale.  Get 20% off $100 and free shipping with coupon code SAVE20 (first orders, expiration unknown).

Happy Monday!

Leopard and other animal prints are unquestionably huge for fall and we’re seeing many shoe options that incorporate the trend right now, but I definitely appreciate this particular take on it.  The RACHEL Rachel Roy Chrissta has the whole animalistic look going on, but with a twist: it pops in bold purple and shades of blue and green. 

Then you have the hanging spike detail in the back, which is a unique touch that gives it even more of a primal vibe.  I must say, it’s appealing to my natural instincts for sure.

You can find this style at Macy’s for $120 and apply coupon code SCORE15 to get 15% off, making the total $102 with free shipping.  The coupon expires 8/7/11.