Perhaps the most noticeable trend was FUR! It was everywhere—on shoes, on boots, on vests, hanging off of bags, more than I’ve ever seen. Just to whet your appetite, I ordered a version of Cydwoq’s gorgeous Podium boot with fur panels.

That said, ankle boots will continue to hold court next season, so our current version of the Podium is also right on trend:

Cydwoq’s 2″ resin heel is perfect since flats and low heels are going to be in vogue.

If you want to get a jump on the flat bootie trend, consider Vic Matie’s Euro-chic Luisa:

Another trend with staying power is men’s oxfords for women, such as Fiorentini + Baker’s terrific Eliza Oxford:

People were not only wearing their oxfords without socks in Paris and Milan, but fashionistsas were also wearing oxfords and boots with laces and buckles completely undone. All the Japanese buyers were rocking the deconstructed laceless and unbuckled look! If you have a size 36 or 37 foot, you can get ahead of the curve with the Vialis Mila, which Ped currently has on sale. (Lucky you!)

Innovative leather treatments are also going to be a hallmark of next season. Get an eyeful of the variety Cydwoq had on offer to retailers:

Ped fans can also look forward to eye-popping patterned leathers from Chie Mihara and jewel-toned suedes from Accessoire.

Regarding color trends, the new black is definitely GREY, which was all over the place in Europe in all kinds of shades. You can show off your trend-setting savvy right now by stepping out in Vic Matie’s Allegra:

You’ll be doubly cutting-edge in this slate-grey beauty since wooden soles also hold sway next fall. Expect knockout wood-soled styles from Vialis and Ellen Verbeek, too.

Given the style forecast, if you’re fortunate enough to fit into one of our remaining pairs of Ellen Verbeek’s Elise Bootie (on sale!), you’ll be right on trend on three fronts simultaneously:

Simply remove the laces, and you’ll be ultra-chic with a laceless wood-soled bootie! What could be better? And everyone will admire you for being so in the know!

Of course, everyone at Ped Central is excited about the fantastic things I ordered for fall while in Paris and Milan. But I have to say we’re also feeling pretty sassy about having so many cutting-edge styles already in the house! Advantage: Ped fans!
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Think how sassy any of the following would look with, say, Fiorentini + Baker’s Eliza Oxford, Vialis’s Eloisa, or even Chie Mihara’s Yoisho (for those of you who like to go bold with your style)!

It’s always a party at Ped HQ when we get a shipment from Antipast! Mother-daughter team, Emiko and Junko take such a playful approach to design. One of our Antipast favorites this season is the La Vie en Rose ankle sock:

A garden of flowers bloom across this sweet number, but what makes it really special is the sheer area just below elastic ruching at the top! Innovative and eye-catching!

Another dazzler, which looks particularly great with a knee-length or shorter skirt, is Antipast’s Spangle Knee High:

Fun and bubbly! We smile every time we look at the way the looping part of the pattern combines with the ruffly top! (We also have Antipast’s Spangle goodness in a trouser-length sock.)

An even more colorful, bubbly style is Antipast’s Puzzle Dots Sock:

There’s an ongoing debate in the warehouse about whether this trouser-length sock looks more like lollipops or a colorful honeycomb. One thing we all agree on, though, is how fab it is! (Ped also has the Puzzle Dots pattern in a knee-high.)

Everyone knows how much we go gaga for stripes. Happily, both Antipast and Mia Zia have satisfied our stripe craving this spring! First, Antipast’s Beach Chair Knee High:

This zesty knee high is perfectly named because its stripes recall those great canvas chairs we love to lounge in by the sea! If you like your socks on the shorter side, though, the Beach Chair stripes are also available in trouser-length.

Mia Zia also has stripes galore for adding zing to your spring and summer:

For stripe lovers, it doesn’t get any better than Mia Zia’s cottony-wonderful Mini Stripe socks! (They also come in a knee-high version.) Here’s an idea for a modern look:

That’s Mia Zia’s Mini-Stripe sock in Olive paired with the Vialis Eloisa.

For sheer, unabashed fun, though, the hands-down (feet-down?) sock winner is Antipast’s Jungle Check Sock:

Only Antipast would think to mix a cheetah print with a gingham pattern in summer colors! We are smitten! (Want even more? There’s a Jungle Check Knee High!)  If you feel like pulling the stops out on your style, then how about this combo:

That’s Antipast’s Jungle Check in purple paired with Chie Mihara’s Yoisho! We admit it’s a “lot of look,” as Tim Gunn would say, but it’s also crazy, flirty fun!

Whenever an outfit needs a colorful pick-me-up, our best advice is to rock the socks!

(By the way, this week’s Sweet Treat is Coclico’s sizzling Lucifer heeled sandal! Just click “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of any Ped page and be transported to the Lucifer with the magic check-out code that will let you set the world on fire for 20% off!)
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Fortunately, some of our favorite designers have taken a new turn with wood, creating shoes, clogs, and sandals, where the only adjectives beginning with “f” that spring to mind are fantastic, fabulous, and FUN! Of course, each sole is meticulously cut, sculpted and sanded by hand for maximum comfort and pizazz! Behold a few of our woody favorites:

Proving a wood sole can be unbelievably chic, Ellen Verbeek’s Caressa is a total knockout!

Ellen Verbeek perfectly balances the elements—the mix of colors, the lacing in the back, and the cutout wooden wedge—for maximum impact! We especially love how the black strap circles through the cutout under the instep. So cool!

Another sexy heeled sandal with an ingenious design is Coclico’s Lucifer:

Notice how the bottom strap is actually a t-strap that ducks under the others to meet up with cutout straps at the ankle! For you gals who love adding a few inches to your height, the Lucifer’s 4.25″ wooden heel lets you rise above the crowd, while the 1″ wooden platform up front keeps the pitch comfortable at 3.25″.

Ped’s newest line, Vic Matie, takes things in a slightly different direction by combining wooden soles with leather-wrapped heels. A beautiful example is the Allegra:

So sophisticated but also versatile, thanks to the Allegra’s slate grey color—an ideal summer neutral. The hand-sculpted and sanded wooden sole feels wonderful against your bare skin!

Experimenting with more traditional clog construction while creating fun, kick-around-town styles, Vialis has the hippest wood in the house this season. Check out the Gabriela:

The way this sandal clog’s straps weave in and out over the toe calls to mind a fisherman’s sandal—if a fisherman’s sandal were super-stylish and sassy! Another thing we love is the meticulous way the leather is stapled to the sole. Craftsmanship!

If you prefer nails to staples, then take a look at Vialis’s cute-as-can-be Delfina slingback:

So much to love from the sweet lacing to the “asphalto” suede (a stellar greyish brown with just a smidgeon of green) to the padded insole! The Delfina is ideal for wearing with summer skirts and walking shorts!

Of course, if you’re looking for the ultimate clog, one that pays homage to the classic style while taking it to a new level, then look no further than Fiorentini + Baker’s Zilla Clog:

Wow. Just wow. Ever fabulous, Fiorentini + Baker has taken the basic architecture of an old-school clog and made it irresistibly sexy and sophisticated! The Zilla’s brass studding is simply to die for! Wow.

As always, there are plenty more wood-soled beauties to admire at Ped’s main site! So, wouldn’t you like a wooden shoe?

(Psst, this week’s Sweet Treat is also as comfortable as they come: Trippen’s foot-loving Casanova! Simply click “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of any Ped page to land at the Casanova with a discount code that will romance you with 20% off at checkout. Why not give in to Casanova’s charms?)
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Well, good news, they’re finally here!!! And were they ever worth the wait! Behold the fabulousness of Vic Matié!

We immediately fell for the charms of the sexy Belladonna sandal! This season it’s all about the ankle, and this strap-and-buckle sandal will make the most of yours! Add in the 3.5″ heel and the seductive zipper up the back, and you’ve got deadly style!

Sandal boots are another look we love—so modern and chic! Vic Matié’s Luisa is one of our favorites:

The contrast of the soft suede shaft (which feels wonderful against your skin) with the matte leather straps is so delicious! Pair the Luisa with a floaty feminine dress, and you’ll look like you just stepped off a European runway.

Another ultra-edgy flat sandal that will inspire shoe envy in everyone who sees you is Vic Matie’s Elda:

Composed of countless rolled-leather straps, all meticulously made, the Elda is unlike any other sandal you’ll see! So stunning and so comfortable—this zipped-back sandal’s leather sole molds to your individual foot with wear.

If you’re looking for something a little girlier, perhaps with a wooden sole (another current trend we love), then feast your eyes on the Allegra:

We think it’s so cool how Vic Matié has combined a wooden sole with a beautifully contoured wrapped-leather heel! Every aspect of this sandal is gorgeous, from the silver rivets that attach the upper to the sole, to the thong that artfully laces the front section to the back, to the go-with everything slate-grey leather!

But if you’re in the mood to stop traffic—and we mean bring it to a screeching halt while drivers and pedestrians all rubberneck to get a better look at your cool shoes—then Vic Matié’s Sienna is the ticket!

This sandal is so devastatingly sexy that perhaps it should come with a warning label: “May cause cardiac arrest in those who see the wearer.” The wooden sole, the zipper up the back, the cage-like leather straps, and leather-wrapped heel—what a knockout combo!

Now you understand why I was so thrilled to add Vic Matié to the Ped family—even if the inherent hotness of the styles raise the temperature in the warehouse by a few degrees! Summertime is going to be that much sweeter when you sashay through it in a pair of Vic Matié sandals!

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* Michelle Taylor not only makes gorgeous jewelry out of vintage bits and bobs, but she also puts together the noteworthy design blog, Blue Moss. We love that she gave props to Vialis’s Rambla Bootie.

* Another blogger who is a wonderful friend to Ped is Mrs. French at the always interesting and newly redesigned Bliss, where she recently admired Argila’s Riley. (By the way, she also makes lovely photographs.)

* We heart Lindsey Cochran at Every Clog Has Its Day for giving a virtual hug to Ped’s entire Vialis line, even though, as she points out, they’re not technically clogs.

* Fernanda van der Laan included a tribute to Fiorentini + Baker boots on her eponymous blog, which discusses all kinds of things! (We hope she’s enjoying her red Eternity boots!)

* We think Kristin at Lovely Apidae has amazing style, and we’re so glad she thinks her Chie Mihara Loti beauties are perfect!

* Julie, creator of the The Accidental Frock, may be a “reluctant blogger,” but we like what she does and are happy she likes Chie Mihara’s Rumi. Plus, she’s a fabulous textile designer!

* Si, a lovely French lass, blogs in English about beautiful things at French By Design. We are thrilled she called attention to Chie Mihara’s Ruala!

* We are excited Sally McGraw at Already Pretty mentioned we carry Trippen! Sally has such bold style and offers great advice on body image and fashion.

* Of course, we also love it when our overseas friends write about us, even if we are often language-challenged by their words. (We’re sure they’re kind!) Here are a few foreign blogs that have recently mentioned Ped: Portion de vie, Lolapinso, and en Oby Ting.

Since all of us at Ped have so much fun bringing you wonderful things, it makes us feel fantastic when others notice and say so!

THANK YOU!!!!!!

(One last thing: the Sweet Treat this week is Sophie Digard’s fabulously fun Flower Petal Necklace! Just click “be sweet to your feet” in the top right corner of any Ped page to land at the Flower Petal Necklace with the discount code that will bring 20% off at checkout!)

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As F+B addicts know, once you indulge in a pair of these beautifully handcrafted leather boots, shoes, or sandals, nothing else will do. F+B’s quality, comfort, and timeless beauty are simply magnifico (as the many celebrities who wear this line will attest)!

So join us for a brief Italian lesson! After seeing Fiorentini + Baker’s latest designs, we suspect you’ll want to become fluent in F+B style.

One thing we adore about F+B is their understanding that less is often more, a point made clear in the knockout Elgin Boot:

The clean lines and soft scrunch-a-bility of this minimal mid-calf boot make it perfect for pairing with floaty spring skirts. Of course, it also looks great with jeans! The mattone brick leather version is so rich, but we also offer the Elgin in a delicious mocha ice suede! Good luck choosing between the two! (Hint: either one is the right choice!)

Some of you Ped fans have begged us to carry the two-buckle cousin of F+B’s popular Eternity Boot. Well, consider your wish granted! Behold the Emmy, also know as style #713:

We are woozy with love for F+B’s new turquoise leather! It is to die for—so unusual and yet it still works with lots of other colors. (Ped’s Laura went down for the count when she saw it.) Of course, if you’re a gal who prefers all things noir, we’ve got the Emmy in black, as well!

Want a few more flourishes? And perhaps a bit of textural contrast? Fiorentini + Baker’s Ebbi has your name on it:

You’ll give the people following you something to talk about when you saunter down the street in the Ebbi because the fold-over suede cuff laces in the back. And the raised seams that arc over the instep and encircle the ankle add further eye-popping interest!

If you like a well-heeled boot to boost your height, then feast your eyes on Fiorentini+Baker’s new Bessi:

The 3″ stacked-leather heel gives this sexy boot a leg up, while an inside zip lets you breeze in and out in a flash. F+B’s bonsai green leather is a Ped favorite, and it looks especially fresh on the Bessi!

Another great heeled style from F+B is the take-no-prisoners Zilla Clog:

The hand-cut wooden sole features a 3.5″ heel and a 1.5″ platform under the ball of your foot. The brass studs that rim the collar and attach the luxe black leather upper to the sole are, in a word, badass! Who knew a clog could be this smokin’ hot? (Somebody hand me a fan!)

When it’s the weather that’s hot, though, you may want to let your toes out to play. But you can still maintain your brass-studded style—just buckle up F+B’s Tribo Sandal!

Take a minute to admire the wonderful details of this easy-going yet dazzling beauty: the leather toe thong is rolled for comfort; the studded straps are leather-lined to be soft against your skin; and the leather sole is designed to mold to your foot with wear. Fiorentini + Baker does it all so well!

Another fantastic F+B sandal is the Tulip:

Crafted in our favorite rabbit-hued leather, this flat is both tough and girly, combining the edge of a gladiator sandal with petal-like cutouts that cascade down the front of the foot. What a way to go through spring and summer! Prepare to be the object of everyone’s sandal envy!

Of course, we have all of F+B’s classics over at Ped’s main site. So let Fiorentini + Baker’s leatherwork and style seduce you—we know you’ll agree: That’s amore!

(By the way, this week’s “sweet treat” practically sings, “Spring!”: Karin Wagner’s delightful Alps Brooch. Simply click “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of any Ped page, and you’ll arrive at the hand-felted Alps Brooch with the magic code that will bring 20% at checkout!)
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So, you can imagine how much I smiled when I discovered a number of our favorite designers created sandal-boot hybrids this season! What a great idea! The edgy look of a boot with the breathability of a sandal—what could be cooler, in every sense of the word? Below are just a few of the many variations.

No sooner did the Trippen Stream arrive in the warehouse, than it flew out the door! Fear not, though, because we just received our second shipment!

When you step out the door in this German head-turner, you are guaranteed to be the hippest thing on the street! Even better, you’ll be über-comfortable because the Stream features Trippen’s famous t-shaped wedge!

But if you prefer a flat with a closed toe, Trippen’s Omen may just have your name on it:

The style is cutting-edge, but the easy-to-wear grey color let’s you pair it with almost anything. For instance, how terrific would these look with a floaty, yellow cotton dress?

If you want to get even funkier, check out Argila’s Elizabetta:

Ped fans have snapped up this sexy-tough-grrl style, but we have more on the way from Spain, so let us know if you’d like to be on the list!

You say you’d like something that’s a little more sandal and a little less boot?  See what you think of Argila’s Jolene:

The airy leatherwork is amazingly intricate on this lace-up ankle “boot.” Also, the olive green color reminds me of Italian gardens. Gorgeous!

Perhaps the award for Most Balanced Blending of Ankle Boot and Sandal, though, goes to Giraudon’s Riley:

Oh my, this wooden-soled sandal (it’s really a sandal-boot-clog) is something else! The gold lining, the ankle lacing, the tiny square cutouts—there’s so much to love about this beauty! When you slip on the Riley, everyone’s going to want your shoes!

And  there are even more sandal-boots to consider at the Ped site. What a great way to amp up your style and flash a little summer skin!

Speaking of summer skin, have you checked out Ped’s “Sweet Treat” this week? It’s Fiorentini + Baker’s fabulous Tessa Sandal!

Not a sandal boot exactly, but a buckle-tastic, open-air cousin of F+B’s Eternity Boot! (It also comes in black.)

Unfamiliar with Ped’s “Sweet Treat”? Here’s how it works: Just click “be sweet to your feet” up there in the upper right corner of this page (or any Ped page), and you’re instantly transported to the treat of the week, where a magic code entered on the last page of checkout gives you 20% off! Just like that! Fun, eh?

The “Sweet Treat” changes every week. You never know when your favorite thing—you know the one you’ve had your eye on?—may suddenly be 20% off! So, be sure to click “be sweet to your feet” on every Ped visit to see what treat awaits.

A running theme in this season’s sandals and shoes is a focus on the ankle. When I was little, I remember hearing people say a woman had “a well-turned ankle.” I always loved that phrase! So, it’s especially fun to know Ped’s customers are going to have ankles worth a second look this season! Whether wrapped in laces or encircled with sexy straps, the ankles of anyone wearing one the following numbers are destined to be “well-turned.”

Lots of Ped fans love Cydwoq’s Bare sandal. Well, Cydwoq’s Rafi has taken the best of the Bare and amped up the heat by adding an ankle strap. Behold the new Naked:

S-s-s-sizzling! Say no more.

Speaking of Cydwoq, the ever-popular Defend is back this year, sporting a sassy new copper color:

Two, two, two ankle straps are better than one! Well, for some gals, at least. (As Tim Gunn would say, “Chacon a son gout.”)

You say you want even more? Trippen hears you! Get an eyeful of the gorgeous Exotic wedge:

Now that’s a strappy ankle strap (don’t worry, it’s not as complicated as it looks)! And this peep-toe stands on Trippen’s oh-so-comfortable t-shaped wedge. Sexy and comfortable—that’s the way we like it at Ped!

But maybe you’re one of those gals who lives for clogs, in which case, Trippen hears you again! How cool is the wooden sole on Trippen’s new Ritzy?

We just can’t get enough of that window in the heel! We love how its airiness finds an echo in the way the ankle strap wraps.

Speaking of wrapping, Trippen also excels at designing styles with laces that twine and vine around your ankle. Case in point, the cuter-than-cute Fish:

We love how Trippen leaves the way you wrap this flat’s double laces to your whim—vine and tie them in front, twine and tie them in back, whatever you fancy.

If you’re a Fiorentini + Baker fan (and who isn’t?), you’re going to swoon over the gladiator-inspired Tessa:

Now that’s a sandal guaranteed to turn your ankle into an attention magnet! Wow–and it’s red, our favorite, although it also comes in black.

Still we know some Ped gals prefer to be a little more understated. Argila’s Elsie is demure without being a bit boring (it’s got that girl-next-door sex appeal going for it):

So pretty! Plus, it’s wonderful to wear and will go with pretty much everything in your spring and summer wardrobe.

These are just a few angles on how to enhance your ankles! Click over to Ped to find even more ways to get that well-turned look! We know you’re going to heat up the joint!

If you’re like me, though, after all the hoopla and good cheer, your wallet’s feeling a little lighter. Still, a gal’s got to have good shoes and boots to get through the chilly winter months! Don’t worry. Ped’s here to help by taking our prices down a notch, so they’re a little friendlier to soles in need. We bet you’ve been generous to everyone you love, so now it’s time to treat yourself!

Who knows, maybe those cute Chie Mihara’s Santa forgot to bring you are still waiting for you to slide in and step out on the town?

Ped blew through its first shipment of Chie’s knockout Ninke practically overnight and reordered, which means we just might have your size in this vintage-inspired heel! With it’s beautifully stitched and scalloped toe, it was worth every penny at $328, but now it’s super stylish at $262!

Or perhaps you’ve looked longingly at the Cydwoq Vintage Game Boot, but always heard your mom or maybe Sister Mary Francis saying in your head, “Tis better to give than to receive…,” and turned away with a sigh.

Well, turn back around, gal, and give yourself a break and a gorgeous pair of boots! I own these wood-heeled beauties and wear them all the time! Surely, your thrifty mom or penny-pinching Sister Mary Francis would approve of your skipping past the original price of $498 to a sweet $398!

Most people I know are always on the hunt for a shoe they can slip on to go grocery shopping or into the suitcase for a vacation of strolling and sightseeing. Our recommendation?

Cydwoq’s Tibet, which is equally comfortable walking miles through the narrow streets of Venice or the wide aisles of IKEA! Wonderful at $268, this go-everywhere ankle boot will have your feet and your bank account feeling healthy at $214!

And that’s just a smattering of the cool deals Ped has to warm up your winter! In addition to Chie Mihara and Cydwoq, all Argila, Coclico, Giraudon, and Swedish Hasbeens styles are now on sale. And if you’re jetting off on a tropical vacation (lucky you!!!), we have a few cute sandals left from last summer that will leave you with plenty of dinero in your pocket to buy froofy drinks on the beach!

Happy New Year! May 2010 be the best year ever!

First up, the ultra-cool, wood-soled footwer of Swedish Hasbeens. Yes, they’re clogs, but they’re so much more! Inspired by the love-the-earth style of the 1970s, Swedish Hasbeens crafts their shoes from sustainably forested wood and chrome-free, vegetable-tanned leathers. You can feel good about your shoes without sacrificing a scintilla of style. Here, see what we mean:

How rocking are these apple green Jodphurs? We are officially in love—as are several well-known celebrities, like Sarah Jessica Parker, who has been snapped wearing Swedish Hasbeens’ Peep Toe on the set of the next Sex and the City movie. It’s definitely a cutie:

And just in time for when the mercury plunges, Rain + Jack arm warmers have arrived. We’ve known Helen Sharp and Si Doi, the creative hands and minds behind Rain + Jack, since the days when Ped was a brick-and-mortar store in Seattle, so we’re delighted to carry their luxe, Australian lambswool, fingerless gloves. Even better, Rain + Jack custom knits Ped’s arm warmers in our favorite color combos. For instance, chocolate and tiffany blue:

And you Ped fans know how much I love all things green:

Another new addition to Ped’s family is Pepita, a whimsical jewelry line out of Milan, Italy created by Sveva Camarati, who learned to appreciate beautifully crafted miscellany in her grandmother’s atelier. Sveva’s fabulous way of combining antique baubles and fabric beads has already proven popular with you Ped fans! Her dazzling creations barely make it out of the box before they whiz out the Ped warehouse door on their way to new homes. If you haven’t had a chance to drool over Pepita yet, here are a couple of our favorite pieces:

This Florinda necklace is where it all began for me. I saw it while traveling, tried it on, and never looked back. It’s unlike anything else, with flowers formed from clusters of tiny hand-sewn fabric spheres, interspersed with antique brass beads.

Another Pepita eye-opener is the Angela bracelet:

We think all these newcomers fit right in at the Ped party. (They certainly know how to start a conversation!) And we have still more ways to wow on the way–including a new shoe line! So, stay tuned.