The Tale of the Sole that won our hearts this past month came to us via Michele K., the appreciative friend of the winner, longtime Ped customer, Jenny P. It’s such a sweet story, so we’ll turn it over to Michelle:

I want to tell a tale about my really dear friend, Jenny.  Jenny and I met online; we’ve actually never met in real life. I’m in New Jersey, and she is in Portland, Oregon, but we talk everyday through e-mail or on the phone.  She has been so kind in sharing some of her Ped shoes with me—we send shoes and jewelry back and forth across the country! She has let me try and even given me her Trippen Fence and Skylla boots. I’ve also had the pleasure of trying out her Fiorentini and Baker boots, such as the Eternity and Emma, so I could figure out my size.

The generous and lovely Jenny P in her Fiorentini + Baker Emma boots.

She even sent me her Jamie Joseph Chrysoprase Teardrop Locket to wear for Thanksgiving!  (I told her not to, but she sent it anyway.) She is so generous and just an awesome person, who puts the care of her husband and children before herself.  She never says, “I can’t do this,” or “It’s hard for me”— she just does. I strive to be like her and embody the outstanding qualities she has.

Jenny P's feet looking sassy in one of her latest Ped purchases, the Cydwoq Vintage Micron. (Perhaps they'll soon visit Michelle?)

What a great testimony to fantastic friend! How fun to have a deep bond reinforced by the exchange of shoes and jewelry! In appreciation of Jenny P’s generosity, we’re sending her $100 Ped gift certificate! She makes us grin from ear to ear!

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 the way, the “Sweet Treat” this week is super delicious: Fiorentini + Baker’s Eliza Oxford!!!! Get 20% off this drool-worthy classic by clicking “be sweet to your feet” in the top right corner of any Ped page, which will magically take you to the Eliza Oxford, where you will find the discount code! Lace it up Italian style!)

So many beautiful fall styles are arriving in the Ped warehouse that we hardly know what to show you first, Ped fans! One definite go-to look this season is ankle boots worn with anything and everything. From shooties that hit right at the ankle to short boots that don’t quite reach the calf, there’s a bootie in the house for everybody’s style, from girly-girl to badass to fairly straight-laced (Ped never quite makes it all the way there, as you know).

Here are a few of the latest lovelies to inspire low-boot lust.

Topping the list, Fiorentini + Baker’s new Paula:

Wow, there is nothing like Italian ingenuity when it comes to craftsmanship and get-out-of-town style! With ruching down the front and a zipper up the back, this boot rocks out on a chunky 3″ heel! We love the deep blue color with contrasting off-white top stitching, but the Paula also comes in pure black. Every season, Ped’s Laura gets a mad crush on one style (remember, it was Accessoire’s Island this past summer?), and for fall, the Paula is IT!

Another F+B winner is the new Mix!

This gorgeous low boot is the love child of the Eli and the Mike; it’s got the Eli’s popular 6″ shaft height and single buckle strap and the Mike’s chunky, take-no-prisoners heel! What a kickass combination!!! Plus, we love, love, love F+B’s new rabbit grey color, which is a soft dark grey tinged with brown. But if you’re like me and can’t get enough green, the Mix also comes in lush forest green.

Speaking of green, if you’re looking for a flat, knock-around-town bootie, check out Cydwoq’s Tourist:

Cydwoq’s Rafi has passed on his design know-how to his son, Ari, who has been refining this style for a few seasons, tweaking this and that detail, all leading to the Tourist! The pebbled leather is luscious, and the exposed seams around the rounded toe are just the right detail. And if green doesn’t float your boat (how can that be?), this comfortable shootie also comes in royal blue.

Lacing is also used to good effect in Argila’s Olivia:

You can’t imagine how wonderfully soft this boot’s caramel suede  is! Talk about buttery! And the cuff at the top lets you unfold it for a little extra height, if you like. The crowning touch (well, soleful touch) is the chunky but lightweight wooden heel!

“That’s all very well and good,” you may be thinking, “but what about something sweet and girly?” As usual, Chie Mihara has your back, er, foot:

So chic, Chie’s new Crusade is a taller, flirtier version of last year’s Piet . A few gathers on the toe and a bow at the ankle are all you need to be a femme fatale!

Perhaps, though, you want  your ankle boot to make a bold, art-a-liscious statement. Look no further than Trippen’s Fence, now available in metallic steel leather!

So urban and edgy, this boot does the talking and the walking! As if its stylish good looks weren’t enough (did you notice it laces up the back?), the Fence stands on Trippen’s famously comfortable t-shaped wedge that let’s you walk all day, turning heads everywhere you go! (And, yes, it also comes in black.)

Those are only the beginning of the ankle boot options that abound over at Ped’s main site. (There are scads more!) So, this fall take it low, and you’re good to go!

(Although not an ankle boot, this week’s “Sweet Treat” is still super cute: Cydwoq’s emerald green Forbid. Look like a million bucks for 20% off by clicking “be sweet to your feet” in the upper corner of any Ped page to reach the magic discount code.)

Sure, we love slides at Ped, and we adore boots with buckles. Nevertheless, a little lacing goes a long way in terms of adjustable comfort and style! Whether it’s a classic oxford from Fiorentini + Baker or an innovative flat from Trippen, we enjoy a shoe that ties things up with a bow or knot. So, allow us to present a visual ode to the lace-up in all its lovely variations!

First up, one of the cutest shoes on the block this spring—Trippen’s Fish:

Wonderfully light, this little brown flat is so flirty with the way its leather laces weave through the front and back before twining around your ankles. Tie them in front, knot them in back—Trippen leaves the choice up to you! What’s certain is how comfortable your tootsies will be skipping down the streets of Prague, Perth, or just your hometown in the Fish!

But if ankle wraps aren’t your cup of tea, then maybe Trippen’s ultra-innovative Pull will appeal to your love of lacing:

We love the crazy way the elastic lacing crisscrosses the front before winding up in an adjustable knot behind your heel. This great travel shoe comes in both luscious teal and cool jade green.

Another shoe with out-of-the-ordinary lacing is Cydwoq’s Proud:

With this flat, there’s nothing to adjust—just slide in your foot and the elastic lacing automatically creates a glove-like fit. So clean, so chic, so cutting-edge—but still so versatile because the Proud literally goes with everything!

Sometimes, we like to change things up! Lots of you know the Fiorentini + Baker Emma Boot laces in the back, but did you know Trippen’s cut-front Fence ankle boot also features lacing in the back?

In a word (and no offense):  badass!

Then again, nothing beats the classic oxford for lace-up goodness. We’ve got two new ones in the house. Giraudon’s Plug Loafer is actually an old fave from years ago:

We love this traditional black shoe because it’s thoroughly modern with its perforated leather over the toe and four-eyelet lacing.

If you prefer to juice up your oxford with a blast of color, though, get an eyeful of Fiorentini + Baker’s latest:

It’s got all of F+B’s famed Italian construction in a glorious green package (and it comes in blue, too) all tied up with a bow!

By the way, have you checked out this week’s “sweet treat,” Argila’s Zoe? It takes lacing to a whole new level of sauciness:

Just click “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of any Ped page (including this one) to get 20% off this flirty heeled sandal!

So, lace up, ladies—in any of these great shoes, you’re sure to have a string of admirers tied around your little finger!

A Ped customer, who prefers simply to be known as “Trippen Girl,” wrote us about how her Trippen Fence added some flash to the recent Look3, Festival of the Photograph in Charlottesville, Va.

The lights go down in the theater. I’ve been waiting for this moment for months. I am at the LOOK3 Photography Festival in Charlottesville, Virginia to see one of my favorite artists speak about his work and career. Martin Parr–Magnum photographer, curator, collector extraordinaire, Englishman–takes the stage. Cameras bristle a few feet from the stage’s edge to capture his entry. I have positioned myself close to the front of the theater and sit rapt, trying to ignore the paparazzi endlessly snapping away, photographing greatness. We all settle in for two magnificent hours of an overview of Mr. Parr’s career. A stunning parade of images is writ large on the screen. Time flies as we listen to his incisive thoughts on the art and practice of photography. The audience is in love.

Martin Parr, "The Melbourne Cup, Australia." 2008, pigment print, 40 x 60 inches, courtesy Janet Borden, Inc.

But what’s this? My mind, I confess, wanders ever so slightly midway through the proceedings. In the reflected glow of the huge screen in the darkened auditorium, a sight arrests my eye. It’s my left foot. And on that foot is a Trippen Fence boot. I have dressed myself carefully on this important day, and there was never any question about what would adorn my feet. A boot that brooks no challenge. A boot that, had I designed it, would allow me to die feeling content with my life’s oeuvre…

I attempt to return my focus to the screen, but not before a curious moment. One of the crouched photographers has turned from her supposed focal point. She has rotated 180 degrees. Her lens preys upon me…no, hang on…not upon me exactly. But, rather…upon my left foot! She’s doing her job. Photographing greatness.

"Trippen Girl" wears her Fence well at Look3, Festival of the Photograph!

We love it! Thanks, TG! A Ped gift certificate for $100 is winging its way to you for making us smile the most in June!

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!

I admit I went a little wild this season expanding the Trippen styles Ped carries. But they’re all SO COOL!!! If you haven’t discovered Trippen yet, you really should! Trippen makes the most comfortable shoes out there without looking like anything else around. Based in Germany, Trippen regularly wins international design awards and is committed to making shoes in a socially responsible way. Each Trippen sandal, boot, or shoe is meticulously handcrafted using vegetable-dyed leather. Plus, Trippen is all about function—the polar opposite of pretty-in-the-box-but-hell-on-the-feet (which is the antithesis of Ped’s philosophy, too). Their shoes are beautiful to view and beautiful to wear!

In order to make browsing easier, we’ve created two categories for Ped’s Trippen styles. The shoes and boots under “Trippen Classic” feature cork insoles that mold to your feet and offer Trippen’s tried-and-true, original rubber sole (which we fell in love with years ago). Here are a couple of our latest “Classic” favorites:

The straps on this Trippen Klimt are absolutely ingenious! Plus, the red is so rich.

Honestly, it just doesn’t get much cuter than this Trippen Bound. (You know we have a thing for innovative Mary Janes.)

Meanwhile, our second category, “Trippen Nouveau,” designates styles that sport Trippen’s recent sole innovations, including its lightweight “cups” and “penna” constructions, plus über-chic wedges. The designs are a little edgier, featuring exposed seams, interesting cutwork, and asymmetrical details. But the comfort remains the same! Here are a few “Nouveau” cuties to turn your head:

As soon as Ped’s Laura saw this Trippen Gottin, she had to have it! She’s wild (WILD!) about the turmeric color, and she’s wowed by how comfortable the x-shaped wedge remains after a long day on her feet.

The Trippen Move is another favorite around Ped HQ. Built on the “cups” sole, this blue beauty dazzles with amazing cutwork.

Speaking of cutwork, get a load of the Trippen Fence (so badass in the best kind of way)! Another totally rockin’ wedge style, this ankle boot laces up the back.

Once you buy one pair of Trippen, we guarantee you’ll be back for more. But addiction to Trippen–we call it Trippendency–is one habit that’s healthy to have!