Now this is the kind of Tale of the Sole we LOVE! Not only do we get to hear about the adventures of Ped items after they’ve left the warehouse, but we also get to enjoy a vicarious trip to Greece, all thanks to Vicky E. Here’s what she wrote:

I am sending this email to tell you about where my Cydwoq shoes from Ped took me this summer: Greece! Yes, I spent a week basking in the sun and walking, walking, walking on the island of Santorini and then a few more days exploring the contrast between modern and ancient in Athens.

Vicky shows off her Cydwoq Bare sandals for the ladies of the Erechtheum!

I enjoyed some delicious Greek foods and brought back some beautiful jewelry and textiles to accessorize outfits that can only be complete with a pair of Ped shoes. (I am building a beautiful collection of mostly Cydwoq shoes, all purchased from your amazing online boutique; every pair that arrives at my doorstep, once I slip my feet into them, feel as if I were born in them, thanks to their genius construction as well as to the perfect-fit assistance from Dayna when I call Ped.)

Vicky walks up not quite all the 200 steps at Armoud in her Cydwoq Thong sandals.

I traveled with Cydwoq’s Bare in red (purchased last summer) and Thong in black sparkle (purchased especially for this trip). Both kept me well-heeled traversing both urban and island-scapes and while on the town in the evenings, as well as along the ocean, beaching it, sailing it, or relaxing it portside.

Vicky "relaxing it portside" in her Cydwoq Thong sandals!

I spend most of my year as a high school English teacher, so taking a trip like this was part of venturing to cross off things from my bucket list. I enjoyed my trip so much that I might just plan another one in a summer or two. What was so cool about my Cydwoqs was that I could wear them anywhere for any situation, AND they packed slim and light. The only other footwear I relied on was my bare feet.

Vicky puts up her feet at the Parthenon! (How cute are her tootsies in those Cydwoq Bare sandals?)

Thanks for keeping me well shod!

You are welcome, Vicky! THANK YOU for sharing your fantastic trip with us!

As a token of our appreciation for giving us a Greek break in the middle of the day, we’re sending Vicky a $100 Ped gift certificate! We can practically feel the Greek sun on our smiling faces.

Do you have a Tale of the Sole? Tell us—and show us (we LOVE pictures!!!)—what happened to you while wearing a Ped item, and you, too, might be the recipient of $100 in Ped credit. Each month we pick the most sole-ful tale to share on the blog. So, let us know what in the world you’ve been doing in your Ped.

(By sheer coincidence, this week’s Sweet Treat is Cydwoq’s Thong sandal!!! You, too, can look and feel as terrific as Vicky did on her trip! Click “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of any Ped page, and it will transport you to the Thong with the magic discount code that will bring 20% off when entered in the box at checkout!)
Tweet

Bring on the ice tea and turn on the fans because it’s as hot as blazes! When midsummer gets sultry, we like open-air breezes—and that goes for our feet, too! Although we love prancing around barefoot, feeling green grass beneath our soles and squeezing sand between our toes, it’s not always practical. Which is why a great summer sandal is a Ped fan’s best asset!

And do we ever have some terrific ones! Behold Ped’s favorite tried-and-true sandals that are almost better than barefoot:

Of course, the masters of summer sandal design are Rafi and Ari at Cydwoq! The way the leather of every pair conforms to your feet is simply heaven. Case in point, Cydwoq’s Copy:

So easy to wear anywhere, the Copy cradles your heel with a riveted back that comes around to tie at the ankle! Cool and sexy, just the way we like it! (And it comes in brown, too.)

Another stellar Cydwoq style is one I personally own: the Tomcat!

The way Cydwoq has meticulously cut the toe ring, so that a strap branches off it to arc gracefully over the foot, is elegant without being fussy! (Fans of black, rejoice, we also have  it in your favorite color.) I love mine so much that I recently took a pic of my happy feet :

My Tomcat-wearing toes are smiling and sparkly!

Perhaps you love the feeling of a wooden sole against your skin and the gentle sound it makes when you walk? Well, you’re in luck because Ped just received our summer shipment of Cydwoq’s fantastic Revolt sandal clog!

Ped’s Laura is wild about the beautifully textured turquoise and brown leather, but we also have the Revolt in black. Whichever you choose, it’s guaranteed to be your go-to summer shoe.

Those German design geniuses at Trippen also know a thing or two about strolling through summer in comfortable, arty style! Check out Trippen’s eye-popping Knit Sandal:

Yes, that’s right, the section running up the middle of your foot is literally knit leather! Meanwhile, the heel features Trippen’s sinuous seams running up the back! Cutting. Edge.

For Ped fans who love metallics (and I’m a card-carrying member of that club), the Trippen Nepal is just the ticket:

It’s an ideal travel sandal for long days of sight-seeing! Even as you turn every head you pass, your feet will stay comfortable with every step, mile after mile. (Plus it’s so pretty and shiny!)

But perhaps our favorite sandal this summer for sheer funky drama and all-out impact is Trippen’s Tarantula:

KA-BOOM! Now that’s how to amp up the style! You’ll look as hot as the weather wherever you walk in this super-sexy sandal boot that stands on Trippen’s über-comfortable t-shaped wedge! (We love it!)

As always, there are plenty more sandals at Ped’s main site, ready to help your dogs survive the dog days of summer! So, slip on something airy and let your toes frolic in the sun!

(By the way, although not a sandal, this week’s Sweet Treat is about as sweet as it gets: Fiorentini + Baker’s spectacular Paula Boot!!! Simply click “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of any Ped page to arrive at the Paula with the magic code that brings a cool 20% off at checkout! Happy Fourth of July!)
Tweet

Can you believe the longest day of the year has already come and gone? Nevertheless, there’s still plenty of summer to enjoy, so we thought that as the days grow shorter, we’d shorten our prices! That way Ped fans can look like sensational in new shoes while reveling in the sand and sunsets, and still have a few dollars to spare for a summertime cocktail or two!

Here are just a few of the lovelies with even lovelier, lower prices!

Let’s start tall for those who love heels and gradually bring it down to earth for gals who are fond of flats. One designer who knows how to do heels is Chie Mihara, as evidenced by the Bankok:

Oo-la-la, such a sexy dominatrix of a buckle-licious sandal! Utterly rock ‘n’ roll at $428, it burns down the house at $342!

Another high-heeled hottie is Coclico’s Lucifer:

The design of the straps is so ingenious, and the sculpted wooden sole wows with its artistic lines! A looker at $364, it’s a knockout at $289!

Bringing the heel height down, Vialis amps up the sex appeal with the Belladonna:

Smoking hot, this sandal offers tough-girl beauty with buckle straps that dip down behind the heel and a zipper that rises up the back! Sassy at $378, it sizzles at $299!

Another beautiful heel that calls attention to your well-turned ankle is Fiorentini + Baker’s Tally:

Pretty as a picture at $378, the Tally is utterly gorgeous at $299!

Lower still in terms of heel height, Vialis offers the clean-lined Maribel that is as versatile as it is chic:

Simple yet packing a lot of punch, the Maribel stands on a heel that’s an ultra-wearable 2″. Great bang for your buck at $238, it’s even more of a stylish steal at $190!

But we know some of you like to keep your feet firmly planted on the ground, in which case Couple Of offers the fresh Lily ballet flat to help you pirouette through summer:

Isn’t the color of the suede delicious? A tasty treat at $238, the Lily is even sweeter at $149!

Another fantastic flat that let’s you walk the cutting edge is Vic Matie’s Elda:

Tough, sexy, and artistic in equal measure, the Elda wowed at $438, but it’s an even bigger rave at $349!

And those are only the beginning of the fantastic prices waiting for you at Ped’s main site. So, cool your heels in some cool-priced shoes from Ped!

We love shoes at Ped—no surprise there!—but we’re also crazy about accessorizing them with socks! Sure, Ped’s shoes are comfortable barefoot, but pairing them with the fun funkiness of a pair of Antipast or Mia Zia socks gives a whole new twist to their personalities! And socks aren’t just for chilly days anymore—wearing a cute pair with sandals is all the rage on the runways this year!

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!)
Tweet

Here at Ped, we love organic materials—leather, wool, cotton, wood! Plus we we have a sentimental soft spot for clogs. But old-school clogs with wooden soles, are often, um, how shall we say, frumpy? And, as Ped fans know, “frumpy” and Ped simply do not mix!

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?)
Tweet