Shoes without anything under the arch aren’t a new phenomenon; I’ve seen brands as elegant and high-end as Yves Saint Laurent do it in various ways, but those particular pieces were obviously not meant for widespread consumption. Not only were they prohibitively expensive, but they were postured as extremely special shoes that one might wear to a particular event, but not to just any old party. Read More…

Jeffrey Campbell Brit Wrap Strap Boots, $230 via ShopBop

You ladies wouldn’t believe how many issues I’ve had looking for a pair of comfortable, relatively affordable, totally badass black boots for winter. I live in New York City, but I’m sadly not part of the tax bracket that can take taxis or car services everywhere (or even the majority of places), so I’m left with a bit of a conundrum: Truly cheap shoes wear out too quickly and hurt too much for my walking-heavy lifestyle, but truly expensive shoes are often a bit too precious for the kind of beating they’ll take with continuous city wear. Read More…

Burberry Explorer Biker Boots, $895 via Net-a-Porter. Jeffrey Campbell Brit Wrap Strap Boots, $230 via ShopBop

The return of tough, black, flat-soled leather boots warm the cockles of my little ex-teenage-punk heart. I do not simply want a pair of these boots, I want all of the pairs. In fact, I already have one pair of great, grungy BedStu boots waiting for winter, and I’m going to be adding more pairs as soon as possible. Read More…

Photos via Refinery29.com

I can think of no city that merits a capsule collection of vegan hipster shoes more than Berkley, although Williamsburg, Brooklyn and Portland also make the list for places that the Jeffrey Campbell x Convert Capsule Collection would be well-received. Jeffrey Campbell is already a favorite among people with modest budgets and very contemporary tastes, and nixing the leather only makes them even more relevant to a certain subset of consumers. Read More…

My shoe collection is fairly weak. I don’t own many shoes that are there for fun, my shoes are practical. My handbag collection started off practical until I started to take chances with some purchases (think of my quirky Marc Jacobs Fluorescent Tweed Bag). As far as shoes go, I opt for practical, comfortable, and classic. That is not to say that I don’t want to break out of my buying habits, which are somewhat boring when I find so many amazing shoes out there. Read More…