The air may be icy and the tree limbs bare, but daylight has once again started to stretch out, which means two things: 1) Spring is just around the corner; and 2) We need to make space in the warehouse for all the warm-weather styles about to arrive! The answer? Ped’s wonderful Winter Sale, of course!

We clean house, and you clean up! What could be better? Those boots you’ve been pining for since August now have a price to warm your spirit (and tootsies) during winter’s chilly days! Here are just a few of the temptations:

You’ve probably noticed blue is one of the IT colors this season. We’re especially fond of it in Accessoire’s Martiza:

The classic oxford gets extra oomph from a wedge heel, which also happens to be ultra comfortable! And, gals, three words: Blue. Suede. Shoes! Totally rockin’ at $328, the Martiza brings down the house at $199!

The other must-have color this year is grey, which Cydwoq crafts into a stellar low boot, aptly named the Vision:

A little vintage, with its cool button-up closure, a bit modern rocker chick, and a whole lot chic, comfortable, and go-with-everything, the Vision will wind up on your feet every day! Sweet at $342, it’s utterly delectable at $268!

Needless to say, black never goes out of style. But it certainly does get amped up in Chie Mihara’s Maison:

Oooh-la-la, what a hot heeled number—you will leave a trail of sparks in your wake wherever you walk! Saucy at $578, its sex appeal is irresistible at $289!

Another absolutely to-die-for boot is Vic Matie’s Olivia Boot:

The leather workmanship is truly stunning! (The Italians do know a thing or two about crafting fabulous footwear!) Worth every penny at $648, this masterpiece of a boot is a veritable steal at $299! (You clever art thief!)

Another one of our favorite tall boots this season is Trippen’s Nightingale:

The wine color of the supple nubuck is luscious! Plus, we’re wild about the red inside zipper! Trippen is always so good at fun and funky details! A treat at $448, it’s mana from heaven for your feet at $348!

If you’re looking for something dressier and perhaps a tad more understated, the answer is Coclico’s fabulous Beckett Mary Jane:

The perfect shoe for all occasions, the Beckett may be quiet, but it still exudes style for miles! Wonderful at $338, it’s even prettier at $268!

Of course, it wouldn’t be a spectacular sale without offering a break on everyone’s favorite, Fiorentini + Baker. Grab ‘em while they last, gals, because we’ve reduced the price of the ever-popular Emmy Boot:

So tough-girl chic, this boot will become the backbone of your wardrobe! Spectacular at $528, it’s nothing short of WOW at $422. (Wow, wow, wow!)

And those are just the beginning of the bargains! So jump over to Ped’s Sale pages for some sweet pickin’s guaranteed to provide a wintry pick-me-up! (And stay tuned for the garden of spring styles about to burst  into bloom!)

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For years I’ve been nudging gals to try boots with summer skirts and dresses because the look is so sassy and fun! Finally, the trend has caught on! Everywhere I turn these days, women are rocking boots with breezy sundresses, light, floaty skirts, and even shorts! Not only do they look fresh and chic, but they’re also not stubbing their toes.

Because we think boots are for all seasons, here are few suggestions for how to kick up your heels while the sun shines!

Ped fans will agree that nobody makes better boots than Fiorentini + Baker! One of the easiest boots to wear with anything and everything is F+B’s Mix:

Everyone goes wild for a motorcycle boot, especially when it’s made of such luscious leather! Plus, the Mix gives you a leg up with its chunky 2″ heel!

Want a little less heel and a little more buckle? Then say hello to F+B’s Emmy (also known as Style 713)!

This beauty also comes in rabbit grey (always a good choice), but we especially love the teal version because it looks so cool (as in river-water cool) with light-colored summer skirts!

Still not enough buckles? Then Fiorentini + Baker’s popular Eternity Boot is your answer!

There’s a good reason why this boot is a perennial object of desire: It looks terrific with EVERYTHING! Plus, it exudes a sexy, badass attitude. Ped offers the Eternity not only in delicious dark brown leather (pictured), but also in black, red, and caramel. All gorgeous!

Perhaps you prefer a sleeker, more minimal look, in which case, drink in the loveliness of F+B’s Bessi Boot:

As Ped fans know, I can’t get enough of green, and I adore F+B’s bonsai green shade! It’s like a refreshing breeze on a sweltering day! Gals who like to enhance their height will also appreciate the Bessi’s 3″ heel.

Another fabulous minimal boot is F+B’s pull-on Elgin Boot:

Also available in mocha ice suede, the Elgin is easy to wear anywhere with its clean-lined, relaxed design.

Of course, we know for some gals, only a tall boot fits the bill. Our personal favorite is F+B’s Emma:

All of us at Ped HQ own this terrific boot (except Terry, of course—but even he’s an Emma admirer)! Black is classic, but we also carry the Emma in dark brown, red, and caramel (which is, psst, on sale right now).

But if you want to go the opposite direction, and bare a little more skin—it is summer, after all—then Fiorentini + Baker’s Paula is ready to be your warm-weather friend:

We love the Paula’s rock ‘n’ roll attitude with its ruched front and zipper up the back! It’s a knockout in chocolate brown, but Ped also offers it in cool blue and always-right black!

Believe it or not, there are still more boots at Ped’s main site to let you two-step through summer’s delightfully long days! So, give your hot-weather wardrobe a boost with a pair of boots!

(By the way, this week’s Sweet Treat is a boot-a-licious sandal: Trippen’s Tarantula! Just click “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of any Ped page to reach the Tarantula with the magic discount code that will treat you to a delightful 20% off at checkout!)
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Ped fans, you may remember last fall I returned from the European shoe shows all excited about a new line I’d found for Ped: Vic Matié from Italy. I was impressed that Vic Matié’s shoes are created start to finish in a small-town factory by a dedicated group of designers and craftsmen who work collaboratively to produce beautiful shoes of first-rate quality and first-rate comfort.

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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Ped fans, I’m in Milan, Italy, this week, finding all kinds of wonders to warm up next fall and winter. In the meantime, fresh Italian delights for spring and summer are the latest things to arrive in the Ped warehouse. And when we say “Italian,” we mean the line you love: Fiorentini + Baker!

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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August’s winning Tale of the Sole is a story we’ve heard many times, but we never ever get tired of hearing it! With each retelling, the details and locations change, but the happy ending stays the same. In this version, the cast of characters includes longtime Seattle Ped customer—and all-around great gal—Liesbeth R. and Fiorentini + Baker’s Paula boot. Here is what Liesbeth wrote us:

I ordered on Monday, and the shoes were here by Wednesday. Unbelievable! The boots smelled gorgeous opening the box. Outstanding! Amazing color and perfect fit. I can’t stand it!  This is one my all-time favorite shoe moments I have had and I, like your other fans, have had many shoe moments.

Liesbeth rocking the F+B Paula against the Seattle skyline!

I’ve been a customer since you opened the Seattle store, and I believe all of my treasured purchases from Ped are still happily in my wardrobe rotation, although my other shoes might be eclipsed by these awesome F&B’s. I’ve been looking for my perfect short boots for a few years and finally found them from Ped! Seattle summers as you remember are short and sweet, but I always get over the short part because when the cool marine air returns, out come all the boots.

Liesbeth looking smashing in her Paula boots, as photographed by her 12-year-old niece, Andrea (who clearly has a career in fashion photography)!

Thank you so, so, so much for giving me some Fiorentini & Baker insanity this week. I am one happy, rockstar boot-wearing customer. Thanks for all the shoe love!

You are more than welcome, Liesbeth. The feeling is mutual! F+B’s Paula may have made Liesbeth’sweek, but her story made our whole month!  To thank her, we’re giving her $100 in Ped credit!

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 Cydwoq’s wonderful Tourist! Get 20% off this easygoing sweetheart by clicking “be sweet to your feet” in the top right corner of any Ped page, which will magically take you to the Tourist, where you will find the discount code! So, save a little money, lace up the Tourist, go off on an adventure, and then tell us all about it!)