I came to see the Elizabeth and James E-Moxy Booties for the first time because one of my friends on Twitter sent me a link to them, professing her dislike. The link was actually to the brown suede version of the design, which I tend to agree are not the most attractive shoes I’ve ever seen. Redone in black leather, they’re not half bad.

What this design does really well is take fall’s trends for black leather booties and platform work boots, combine the two, and strip them down to their most essential elements. In doing so, some of the faddish qualities are eliminated from both and the shoe turns out to be a simple, very sexy, somewhat affordable fall option.

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Sigerson Morrison is a brand whose shoes have been widely available for a while now, but I can’t remember a season in the past when its offerings seemed quite so…covetable. Not everyone agreed with me about how much I loved the Sigerson Morrison Calf Hair Booties, but I have a feeling that the Sigerson Morrison Two Piece Buckled Suede Pumps will be a much more roundly enjoyed pair of shoes.

There’s just so much to love about them. Bright suede is a big trend right now, of course, and most women can’t resist a good red shoe. This one’s made even better by the fact that it’s not six inches tall and you might even be able to wear it for a few hours without wanting to cut your feet off at the ankle.

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Fall’s lace trend is a bit of a double-edged sword. Yes, lace is a great material – it can read hardcore punk or ultra feminine depending on how it’s styled, and it’s effective in both large and small amounts. Few trends are so versatile or will work on such a wide range of people. Unfortunately, lace has a durability problem, particularly in hardworking items like shoes and handbags.

Fortunately, at least one designer has come up with a work-around that improves upon the established trend. The Charlotte Olympia Minerva Suede Booties have a look similar to lace to the casual observer, but they’re actually made of intricate, laser-cut black suede. With a layer of Scotch Guard, these little darling will last you much longer than a conventional lace shoe.

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I’m always slow to give anything a superlative like “best” because I’m usually sure that something will come along that will be better and I’ll have to eat my words and backtrack. Plus, if you say it too many times, the term loses its very finite meaning. That being said, the Burberry Prorsum Shearling Ankle Bootes may in fact be the best shoes of the season.

This design was the talk of London Fashion Week back when it hit the runway, and for shoes to garner so much attention at an event that usually focuses more on ready-to-wear is unusual and worth noting. In my ever so humble opinion, the fashion bigwigs got this one right: these boots embody the feel and trends of Fall/Winter 2010 better than any other that I’ve seen so far.

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Depending on who you are, fall’s persistent trends toward flat boots over the past few years are either a blessing or a curse. I have ankle and knee problems from a sports injury and a freak accident, respectively, and flat shoes are always something that I hope will become fashionable in any form, if only for my own ease of use.

A lot of women like a bit of a heel, though, either to boost their petite frames or because they’re simply more comfortable when their feet aren’t flat on the floor. For those customers, designers across the board are coming out with flat-look boots that are secretly wedges – you just can’t tell unless you look really, really closely.

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Not long ago, I made fun of a bag over at PurseBlog Savvy because it looked like the designer had skinned a horse in order to make it. Well, I’m about to eat my words, but since I’m doing so over a pair of delightfully unique booties, I’m ok with it.

The Sigerson Morrison Calf Hair Booties are a little bit cowgirl, sure, but they’re helped tremendously by a stark color palette and clean, modern lines. If you’re still going to make fun of me for liking them, please, be gentle.

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Sometimes I get a sense that the Chanel schtick is wearing thin with some customers, but I still enjoy much of what the brand creates. Tweed, boucle, camellias and pearls may not be everyone’s proverbial cup of tea, but the adherence to iconic products and materials makes Chanel what it is today while still giving Kaiser Karl Lagerfeld ample opportunity to experiment on the runway (and sometimes with the runway – imported iceberg chunks, giant gilded lions, etc.).

These classic Chanel Tweed Pumps are absolutely the result of the brand’s idolatry of tradition. But what’s perhaps more important is that they’re really great, wearable shoes that don’t leach on youth and trends.

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If you thought the Lanvin Python and Mongolian Fur Pumps were badly in need of a blowout, get a load of the Opening Ceremony Curly Lamb Wedge Booties. I’m usually a fan of the majority of questionably tasteful fashion trends, but curly hair-adorned shoes and bags are simply beyond the pale, particularly because when they’re rendered in black, the appearance is a bit too similar to what grows out of my head.

I’ll give credit where credit is due, however – this pair is ever-so-slightly more artfully conceived than the utterly atrocious and unforgivably bad Mou Goatskin Cowboy Boots. That’s faint praise if there ever was any, though.

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If anyone out there was still dubious about the cyclical nature of trends after the fashion world’s recent jaunt through the 80s, the sudden resurgence of Doc Marten’s should put his or her incredulity to rest. Just like the hair bands and mall pop of the late 80s gave way to the grunge of the early 90s, fashion is now ready to relive the flannel and work-boot glory days of Nirvana and Alice in Chains.

Chief among the indicators that the transition has been made is the presence of the metallic pink Dr. Martens 1460 8-Eye Boots on Nordstrom’s website. When a huge natural retailer has started stocking shoes like these, it’s time to dust off your plaid shirts and rip your jeans, because this trend is here to stay for a while.

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Alexander McQueen is oft-imitated and never duplicated, but you can’t hold it against a girl for trying. The Alexander McQueen Ski Ankle Booties ring in at four figures, and that’s just not in everyone’s shoe budget. Luckily, the Ash Egoist Cuff Boots have a similar feeling without being an obvious rip-off, and the price is much more palatable.

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