I’m such of huge fan of menswear-inspired women’s shoes that finding any new men’s silhouette in women’s sizing and fabrication is like waking up on Christmas morning. Not only do the shoes tend to be comfortable and classic, but the juxtaposition of a staid, masculine shape with a feminine, modern material like leopard-printed haircalf is a sly visual joke that I just can’t resist. Read More…

I didn’t think I’d ever have occasional to use the phrase “casual lucite” in either my personal or professional life, but that tends to be how shoe trends work. Just when you think something will never exist, an enterprising designer goes and creates it. In this case, two enterprising designers had the same idea, and the Chloe Patent Leather Toe Pumps and Vena Cava Lucite Heel Pumps both came to be at exactly the same time (but at significantly different price points). Read More…

As I’ve said before, it’s probably not fair to put any brand of relatively low-priced shoes toe-to-toe, both literally and figuratively, with a pair of Louboutins. In fact, there are very few brands of any price level that can really compete with the French footwear master, but since his shoes are not in everyone’s budget, sometimes we compare other brands to Louboutins anyway, fairness be damned. Read More…

When I first saw the ROSEGOLD Lane Open Toe Platform Pumps, I thought, perfect! Those will make a great comparison to the Prada Laser-Cut Patent Leather Pumps that have just come out for Resort 2011! And then I looked at the two shoes next to each other and, ehrm, not so much. They’re more like a reminder of why some of us have a tendency to pay so much for shoes in the first place. Read More…

Ever since I saw the Yves Saint Laurent Palais Platforms, I’ve been in love. The bold blue suede and curvy heels and platform turn a regular pumps into something special, but unfortunately, they do it to the tune of over $700. Luckily for us, the Dolce Vita Paige Platform Pumps uses a similar shape in a slightly more traditional color and cuts the price by over two thirds. Read More…

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. Read More…

Thigh-high boots are a bit of a conundrum. They’re a look that is mostly colonized by (and, let’s face it, a look that usually looks best on) the young, yet thigh-high boots are often among the most expensive of a designer’s offerings because of the large amount of material needed to manufacture a pair and the mechanical difficulties inherent in designing a boot that will cover almost all of the leg. Read More…

Clearly, it’s unfair to compare Christian Louboutin’s shoes to those of almost any other brand on the market. Not only does Louboutin make arguably the most stylish footwear on the planet, but his prices are equally out-of-this-world. When other premier designers struggle to compete, what hope does a “contemporary” brand have?

As it turns out, with some design restraint and a bit of flair, a few mid-priced brands aren’t doing too badly for themselves. Read More…