I’ve never entirely understood why more shoe designers don’t take advantage of the full spectrum of prints available to them. Particularly when a shoe involves a heavy platform or large heel, the opportunity is ripe to embellish the shoe with print and pattern to make it stand out, and perhaps more importantly, to make it look special enough to merit the designer price. A heavy sole provides an enormous canvas.

Brian Atwood is never one to miss an opportunity to embellish a shoe, which is why the Brian Atwood Manhattan Slingback is so thoroughly him. It’s bright, cheery and a shoe made for fun, even if it’s a little heftier than the slender heels for which Atwood is more widely known.

Something about the combination of blue and white just makes me think of summer. Maybe it’s all those glorious images of Greece in my well-traveled friends’ vacation photos? Maybe it’s the combination of blue sky and white linen that is so common in warmer weather? I’m not sure what it is, but these shoes are begging for a lightweight dress and a pool party. Not the kind of pool party where you swim, of course, but the kind where you wear something cute and stand next to the pool and drink chilled champaign cocktails. Someone pass me the bottle. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $885.