Wonderful Ped customer Patrice is so smitten with her Trippen Casanova that she confesses she rarely spends a day without “him.” Although she’s had many adventures with her Casanova, she recently wrote to tell us about a visit to the Seattle Art Museum:

Being of Spanish (Catalan) descent, when the Picasso (a Catalan) exhibit arrived at the SAM, we were ecstatic! My mom (the Catalan) actually scheduled her trip to Seattle so that she could see the show. As an artist myself, I’m often fascinated with the person behind the art. So, as we wandered through the crowded but luminous exhibit, I found myself gravitating to a hall where Picasso’s old black and white photos stood by themselves, revealing a small window into his personal life. In one particular photo, he stood proudly in front of his many canvases stacked carelessly against a wall, wearing his trademark striped boatneck fisherman’s shirt and short pants. As I got closer to examine every detail, my husband pointed to Picasso’s slipper shoes and said: “His shoes look almost like yours!”

I was wearing my Casanovas – which is fitting since Picasso himself was considered quite the Casanova!!

Patrice out for a stroll in her Trippen Casanova!

I don’t mind in the least that my shoes are reminiscent of an extraordinary male artist. It made me love them (and him) all the more. For me, I find romance in these shoes, hence my adoration—so befitting of the name.

Wonder if Picasso's shoes were as comfortable and loved as Patrice's Casanova?

Thanks, Patrice! We’re thrilled when Ped’s “works of art” go out and about in the art world! For letting us imagine Picasso wearing a pair of Trippen shoes, we’re delighted to give Patrice $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, there’s no Sweet Treat this week because we’re celebrating PED’S 18TH BIRTHDAY!!! Whoop it up with us by getting 20% off ANY full-price item when you enter “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” at checkout from October 19-24! PARTY ON, PED FANS!)

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As lots of you know, Terry threw me a fantastic surprise party for my 40th birthday two years ago. Well, one good bash deserves another, so since it’s Terry’s turn to dive into his 40s, I decided to surprise him with a whirlwind trip to Seattle this past weekend for a party at our favorite restaurant, Tavolata (which I’ve gushed about before). Little did I realize how much of a surprise it would be for me, too! I knew our friends Ellen and Becky (standing behind me in the picture on the right) would be at the party, but I was shocked that our sweet pals Kim and Amy flew in all the way from New York and Virginia (they’re on the left there, enjoying their coup du jour)!

It was a great beginning to a great party! Terry wound up feeling quite festive:

But we all survived and made it to breakfast, happy and intact:

We Ped heads sure know how to have a good time! Wish you all could have been there.

As Ped dances, skips, and runs into 2009, I’m making a solemn resolution—right here on the Web (so no backing out)—to blog much more often!!! I know the posts have been pretty sporadic up to this point, but my plan is to entertain you Ped heads with news and stories at least twice a week. So, definitely, stay tuned. Also, tell us what adventures you’ve had in your Ped shoes, and we’ll include you in “Tales of the Sole.” Pictures of you sporting your Ped purchases are always welcome! We love finding out what happens to Ped things once they’re out having fun in the world.

Looking ahead to 2009, the new year is shaping up beautifully at Ped! I’m especially excited about all the new Trippen and Giraudon styles we have coming in, plus Sophie Digard is crocheting away to make us lots of lovely things for spring. There’s a new bag line in the works, too, so head’s up (I don’t want to say more just yet). Plus, I’m jetting off to France and Italy again to scout for more goodies to make you smile.

In the more immediate future, Terry and I are heading back to our old stomping grounds in Seattle (birthplace of Ped) to celebrate New Year’s. We love Berkeley, but we miss our old friends and haunts. One place we’re definitely going is Tavolata, which makes me hungry just thinking about it. Next time you’re in Seattle, you must must go there! The restaurant serves clean, fresh Italian food, including homemade pasta, in the most beautiful space. See for yourself:

Terry is really looking forward to the grilled octopus salad, which he highly recommends! 

Here’s hoping your New Year’s celebration will be equally wonderful! Get ready for more Ped when we return fat and happy to Berkeley!

Thank you Seattle for 13 great years! We are packing up our business and moving it all to Sunny California. In order to keep the PED spirit alive – our website, http://www.pedshoes.com will only get bigger and better. We’ve added a shopping basket, easy navigation, flexible return policy (even on sale items!) and a broad selection of your favorite PED shoes, handbags and jewelry! You can still find your favorites such as CYDWOQ, TRIPPEN, ORLA KIELY, AND JAMIE JOSEPH and I promise to not let you down! I just got back from the Spring 2007 market in Vegas, NYC and Paris and am soooo excited for all the COLOR in the new designs. We have wonderful relationships with our vendors and will look forward to helping you online. Please let Ped be your favorite online boutique! Email me through the Ped Shoes website directly with any of your questions – I’d love to help you personally. Thank you again!! See you online

As the leaves are changing here in Seattle, don’t you just want to put on boots, wrap yourself up in scarves, and put on striped knee highs?? Yes, we are in Seattle…where the days will get shorter, rain will come indefinitely, and we will all hibernate….watch many movies, drink alot of wine, and try very hard to stay warm. I’ve been here 12 years and have realized the beauty of winter. Stay cozy. This means that I make sure that I have a good supply of water proof boots, cashmere/angora socks, a good rain hat (i never carry an umbrella), and a few bright colored scarves. I truly believe in wearing bright colors in such a grey environment. So many people wear black…..it’s depressing. Get over it and wear COLOR!! Ok, enough of this. I hope to bring my lil’ words of wisdom to this little blog of mine.