TalkShoes

Can we talk about one of my biggest online shopping pet peeves for a moment?

I absolutely cannot stand it when retail sites don’t list a brand’s products by their proper names. Case in point: The Brian Atwood Suede and Metal Heel Platform Pumps, currently available via Saks.com. Brian Atwood names all of his shoes. All of them. Most designers with a significant following do, because that makes it a thousand times easier for fans to track down a select design and to find information about them on the Internet. Read More…

Ever since I saw a Twitter picture of Kylie Minogue wearing the Sergio Rossi Crystal Cutout Sandals over a year ago, I haven’t been able to get the sparkling stunners off my mind. If designer shoes are meant to make an impression, this pair succeeded far beyond anyone’s wildest imagination.

That’s because the shoes are brilliant – from far away, it looks as though your feet are encased in a web of rhinestones. Read More…

Herve Leger Suede Ring Sandals, $995 via Neiman Marcus

If you’re a big fan of the Herve Leger bandage dresses, I’m probably about to offend you, so just read on with caution, ok? Don’t say you weren’t warned.

Herve Leger bandage dresses are over. They are so over that I can’t even think of something to which I can accurately compare them. Read More…

Photo by Tommy Ton for Style.com

This is another of Tommy Ton‘s beautiful street style images from Paris Couture Week, naturally, and it’s given me an idea that I’ve been thinking about for the past several days – why don’t we think to accessorize our shoes? You see, the Prada platforms pictured above don’t come with those gold cuffs; they’re just regular (if amazing) black suede platform sandals. Read More…

Diego Dolcini Fanned Zip-Back Sandals, $2445 via Neiman Marcus.

I’ve had the Diego Dolcini Fanned Zip Back Sandals sitting in a tab in my browser for a full week now, and Friday seems like as good a day as any to tackle their boundless…well, their boundless whatever. I don’t know if I admire these shoes for their chutzpah or dislike them for being overdone, but either way, I appreciate that Dolcini goes on making fantastical, over-the-top, very European (if you catch my meaning) shoes for all of us to talk about. Read More…

If I were to try to explain succinctly the Tory Burch aesthetic to someone who had no frame of reference for the brand or its products, I think that the best descriptor I could conjure would probably be “global preppy.” Burch’s pieces always have a traditional root, even if they’re influenced by the colors and shapes of far-flung societies.

But instead of thinking “tribal” or “Asian” or “American traditional” when I saw the Tory Burch Elias Cutout Sandals, I thought “Balenciaga,” which is usually not a reference that I’d expect to see. Read More…

Christian Louboutin New Marpoli Slingbacks, $750 via Net-a-Porter

Christian Louboutin’s outrageous shoes get all the attention. Sure, platforms covered in Swarovski crystals, pink spikes or googly eyes may be surefire head-turners, but what most women really want and need in their shoe closets are basics that they’re proud to own and wear frequently. And not only are they the shoes that women swear by, but they’re the financial bread and butter of most shoe brands. Read More…

Miu Miu Glittered Pumps, $595. Miu Miu Tromp d’Loeil Booties, $890. Both via Bergdorf Goodman.

The loud screeching sound you heard outside last night was probably me, involuntarily expressing my utter and complete joy that Miu Miu Fall 2011 shoes are finally starting to show up for preview on online retailers. Miu Miu Pre-Fall 2011 and some of the non-runway fall shoes have been out for a bit now, but the appearance of the Miu Miu Glittered Open-Toe Pump and Miu Miu Tromp d’Loeil Bootie mark a first for the runway shoes, as far as I’ve seen. Read More…