It’s that time of year, Ped fans, when your inbox starts to overflow with invitations to holiday shindigs. No doubt, your favorite LBD will get a workout, night after sparkly night! But what to put on your feet to make sure you’re still standing comfortably after all those hours of socializing while quaffing eggnog, wassail, and champagne?

Ped to the rescue with a few festive ways to keep your dogs from howling at the moon!

Chie Mihara knows all about letting your inner girly girl out to shine without sacrificing your soles (and arches and toes). One of the prettiest shoes of the season is the Chie Mihara Kitaro:

Ooooh, we adore the textured gold leather trim with the blue suede heel and brown suede toe! What a way to add color and sparkle to a little black dress!

Colorful suede also makes the Accessoire Doisneu a welcome guest at any party:

Gorgeous and soooooo comfortable! This beauty’s suede-covered platform slopes from 1.75″ in back to .75″ up front, making the pitch a delightful 1″! And the stylized rosette is beyond chic! (We adore the “grenat” (garnet) version pictured here, but the Doisneau also comes in amethyst.)

Another flower-adorned shoe that will have you shining is Chie Mihara’s Karta:

This glittery oxford is tied up and ready for cocktails! (We also offer the Karta in a red that’s as pretty as a poinsettia.)

If you’re looking for something sparkly but a little airier, you’re guaranteed to wow in Cydwoq’s Gaudi:

Hi ho, silver! In this gorgeous sandal, you’ll turn every head in the room. (And those behind you can swoon over the design on the etched heel!)

Perhaps you like your metallics a little more low-key. If so, say hello to Cydwoq’s understated yet oh-so chic Fluid:

The Fluid is perfect for when you need to go straight from work out for evening drinks—it makes the transition in the most fluid and stylish way!

Another work-to-play knockout is Cydwoq’s strap-a-licious Young:

The Young is so very sexy but in a socially acceptable way! (Make sure you click “Views” to see the saucy corset-like closure in back.)

The same closure adds even more fuel to the fiery hotness of Cydwoq’s Knee, which is ideal if you want to party in a dressy ankle boot:

Isn’t that burnt-out paisley leather breathtaking? The Knee is guaranteed to make you the modern and edgy belle of the ball!

For you Ped fans whose style is more funky than femme, consider rocking the holiday cocktails in Cydwoq’s Love Ankle Boot:

We love the idea of wearing an LBD with this black and red badass beauty! You’ll light hearts on fire! (Where you can roast some chestnuts…)

As usual, there are more ways to make your feet festive over at Ped’s main site (don’t miss Cydwoq’s Skate and Rotate, which we showed you a few posts back).

‘Tis the season to take your tootsies out on the town!

Ped fans, it’s no wonder Chie Mihara shoes are so whimsical, pretty, and fun because that’s what Chie herself is! Take a gander at this sweet video of our lady of Spain modeling shoes from her current collection:

Cute as the proverbial bug in a rug!

(Psst, did you notice we’re having a BAG SALE???? Yep! Through Friday, November 15, all Ped’s beautiful bags are 20% off! Time to tote!)

Know what wows us these days? The myriad techniques Italian tanneries use to transform already-beautiful leather into artistic canvases that make shoe and bag designs POP! From twice-dyeing to embossing to hand painting, these methods yield leathers that elicit “oohs” and “aahs” from everyone who sees them.

Cydwoq’s Rafi Balouzian is particularly adept at picking eye-opening leathers for his unusual designs, a skill he’s passed on to his son Ari, who makes shoes for Cliff Dweller. Let’s take a look at some of their gorgeous finds!

Hands down (feet down?), the best way to sparkle and shine at your upcoming holiday parties is to wear Cydwoq’s Skate:

Drink in the way the embossed paisley pattern shimmers in red and gold against the black matte background! We’re sure your favorite LBD is chic, but it’s going to look truly spectacular with the Skate!

Another festive head-turner is Cydwoq’s Rotate:

The design itself is fluid work of art, but it becomes a masterpiece when crafted from this stunning multicolored marbled leather!

Also impressive is how Italian tanners have mastered replicating rare animal hides, like python and alligator, without touching those endangered species. Check out the Cydwoq Range to see what we mean:

We love how the sienna and ocher details enhance the persuasiveness of the embossed scaly midsection of this outstanding oxford!

Another convincing copy is the faux ostrich leather of the Cydwoq Mountain:

The vintage feel of these mid-calf beauties is enhanced by the “ostrich” leather, which calls to mind the romance of a different era.

Cydwoq also use the spectacular leathers it finds to make wonderful bags. The same Picasso leather used for the stunning Larkspur shoe can found in this edition of the Olive bag:

The increased “real estate” of the bag really shows off the jaw-dropping beauty of the leather! (Also, note the stoppers on the bottom, which will help protect the leather when you set the Olive down.)

At Cliff Dweller, Ari Balouzian’s specialty is designing modern versions of classic styles, which he often constructs in unexpected leathers. A perfect example is the Cliff Dweller Canoe:

Here Ari updates the classic deck shoe/loafer hybrid and makes it in a modern blue leather that’s hatched for visual and textural interest.

But perhaps the prettiest shoe yet from Cliff Dweller is the swoon-worthy Yoga:

Let’s face it, ballet flats are a dime a dozen, but the Yoga, crafted in this spectacular floral leather that’s perfectly complemented by the crisscross elastic lacing, is truly one in a million! Talk about a gorgeous shoe!

As usual, there are more specialty leathers to make you (and your fans) wake up and take notice over at Ped’s main site! Let your feet and eyes take pleasure in the leather!

(In case you’re wondering, this week’s Sweet Treat is the Trippen Drama Boot! Zip up with flair for 20% off when you click “be sweet to your feet” at the bottom of the box on the left of most Ped pages. No code needed—when you click through from “be sweet to your feet,” the discount is automatic when you add the Drama to your shopping bag! Yep, the treat just got a little bit sweeter.)

Ped fans, we are loving the current emphasis on COLOR—all the new shoe hues have the Ped warehouse looking bright and lively! It’s amazing how an infusion of color makes the daily grind less grind-like and more like a party.

Quite a few of you, though, are mystified by how to work the new shades into your wardrobe. It’s easier than you think! You simply need  to realize things don’t have to match as long as they “go.” In fact, matching too precisely can make an outfit look “twee,” as the British say. (Laura says a friend of hers calls it the “flight attendant look.”)

You’ve also told us you worry that you’ll only wear colorful shoes once in a while, with one specific thing. To demonstrate the versatility of some of our more show-stopping shoes, we’ve incorporated them into not one but two outfits, often quite different in tone and purpose, to help spark your imagination. Let’s take a tour, and along the way, we’ll offer a few colorful tips.

First up, the Trippen Calexico:

This fun boot offers a lot more options than simply wearing it with jeans! We love the Calexico with the easy day look on the left, but it can even go after-five when paired with the dress on the right. We’ve also included Jamie Joseph’s Round Rock Crystal Ring since it looks stellar with the white in both the top and the dress.

Another shoe that’s more than simply casual is the Cydwoq Lodge:

Sure, it’s great for weekend apple-picking in the outfit on the left, but look at the chic edge the Lodge gives the argyle sheath dress on the right! The Cydwoq Bright Bag also easily transitions from brunch casual to workweek sleek. OD-ing on all that red? Simply add the Epice Plaza Scarf to change the flavor!

Perhaps your personal style trends toward conservative, and although you like to browse at Ped, you can’t imagine how you’d incorporate a colorful style into your wardrobe. The answer is to let a shoe, like the Cydwoq Larkspur, punctuate your outfit, like a great piece of jewelry.

What a way to jazz up a suit!

Chie Mihara’s Tunisia is a shoe that immediately produces oohs and aahs, but the unusual color and patterned heel mistakenly lead people to think it might be hard to pair.

The key is not to worry about matching the color and instead simply let it “go.” The Tunisia‘s checkerboard heel echoes the black and white photo on the dress on the left and complements the variety of patterns in the skirt on the right. Since the shoe and clothes are doing the heavy lifting style-wise, it’s nice to go with a simple bag, like the Cydwoq Bright.

Sometimes it’s not just the color but also the cut that gives Ped fans pause when they think about how to wear a design. Case in point, the Trippen Drama boot:

A couple options: 1) contrast the Drama‘s fabulous flared top with simple straight lines up top, such as wearing it with a pencil skirt and streamlined top; or 2) let its shape play up the lines and movement of a flirty A-line dress. We tossed in Jamie Joseph’s round carnelian ring for a little extra red zing!

If you approach dressing with a sense of adventure, it won’t matter an iota if you don’t own anything blue to wear with the Trippen Tender:

When you want to reference the color of your shoe, accessories can work that magic. We like the contrast of the floral of the skirt on the left with Epice’s Baya Scarf, which includes a periwinkle color that calls out to, but doesn’t match the blue of the Tender. On the right, it’s fun to mix the squares of the dress with the circles on the Epice Los Lunares Scarf.

Finally, let’s consider  Chie Mihara’s Kalendu, which is simply too juicy to miss!

You don’t have to go be a girly girl to take advantage of its delicious greenness! The Kalendu adds such fun to the workweek look on the left (again without actually matching any of the colors in the sweater) and is utterly chic with the casual jeans and top on the right. We also like Cydwoq’s Bright Bag and Jamie Joseph’s Organic Circle Earrings with both outfits.

As you’ve probably noticed, many of the shoes above work equally well with outfits paired with other shoes. We hope these ideas bolster your confidence that colorful shoes truly can be your constant companions and not just once-in-a-blue-moon friends! Life is so much more fun in color!

(Psst, you only have a few more days to snap up this week’s Sweet Treat, the Trippen Yard. Simply click “be sweet to your feet” at the bottom of the box on the left of most Ped pages to reach the Yard with the code that will bring 20% off at checkout.)

The colorful and fun Cydwoq Link was one of our favorite shoes this past season, so we were delighted when Ped fan Elizabeth Y. wrote us about her Link love! Here’s what she had to say:

My Cydwoq Links did double duty this summer as my gift to myself for completing my Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at age 60 and as my special shoe for a European vacation. I had my Trippen Seine with me for airports and long walks, but the Links were for the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain.

Looking lovely in her arty Cydwoq Link, Elizabeth (right) takes in the air outside the
Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.

Earlier this summer, the happy flowers on the Link had been cheering patients and co-workers at my hospital job on a mother-baby unit.

Elizabeth’s Link looking snazzy on the staff shoe shelf at the hospital.

But the response I got when I wore them to the Guggenheim was extra happy. My shoes reminded museum goers of the giant flower puppy by Jeff Koons that welcomes visitors. I was one with the Koons’ Puppy—a walking exhibit of wearable art.

The Cydwoq Link made Elizabeth Y. one with Jeff Koons’ “Puppy”!

Still smiling thinking about the  good feelings the Links brought. As one little girl said, “Puppy shoes! “

Wow! Congratulations on finishing your degree, Elizabeth! Your tale made everyone at Ped HQ smile all day!

To thank Elizabeth for sharing her wonderful story, we’re pleased as punch to give her $100 in Ped credit! Well earned! Here’s to Puppy shoes!

Do you have a Tale of the Sole? Tell us—and show us (we LOVE pictures!!!)—what happened to you while wearing something from Ped, and you, too, might be the recipient of $100 in Ped credit. We’d love to share your sole-ful story on the blog, so let us know what in the world you’ve been doing in your Ped!

(Psst, you have only a couple more days to snag this week’s Sweet Treat, the fabulous Trippen Peony! Simply click “be sweet to your feet” at the bottom of the box on the left of most Ped pages to be whisked to the Peony’s page, where you’ll find the code that will bring a sweet 20% off at checkout!)