I don’t know about you, but when it comes time to start shopping for a pair of high-heeled boots, it’s never an easy job. There are so many variations that sometimes the options can be daunting; how do you decide which pair suits you best? Well, take it from someone who is fortunate enough to be doing an internship that allows me to be surrounded by wonderful shoes: these Tabitha Simmons Heidi boots are the most versatile boot I have seen this season. Remember back on our site when we discussed the Cutout Lizard Ankle Wrap Sandal? In retrospect, this sandal actually caused a lot of debate. Will opinions be more unanimous about these boots?

Black boots are a timeless shoe and will never be out of style. On this Heidi shoe, the zipper decoration, along with the mix of snakeskin and black leather textures, make this a cutting-edge boot that’s worth investing in (or at least considering). Face it ladies, at this stage in the game our feet are no longer growing, so why not splurge on a pair of edgy boots that we can wear now or five years from now. Buy through Barneys for $1895.

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Although I was never a little girl who dreamed about weddings, I can totally appreciate a really great wedding shoe. Not only is designing white footwear incredibly difficult, but shoes are increasingly a popular subject of wedding photography, so choosing a pair that suits your personal style and really stands out is a great way to to add an extra note of personality that you’ll be able to enjoy in photos for the rest of your life.

That’s where the Tabitha Simmons Chandelier Crystal Sandals come in. They’re just the right combination of tradition and fashion, out-and-out glamour and European chicness. You may even want to buy a tea-length wedding dress to show them off; that’s how pretty they are.

It’s not the crystal foot jewelry that makes this design work for me. Rather, it’s the grosgrain trim at the top. It’s a neo-Lanvin touch that tempers the bling on the front of the shoe, and it’s a thousand times more elegant and interesting than using a traditional strap with a buckle closure. Not only that, but the grosgrain and crystal mirror the details that go into a wedding dress, which make this shoe particularly apropos. Buy through Neiman Marcus for $2195.

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The Tabitha Simmons Cutout Lizard Ankle Wrap Sandals are just that kind of shoe. The texture and color variations in the lizard skin provide plenty of visual fun, but at they’re hard, they’re a brown and cream sandal that could go with a lot of the things you have in your wardrobe.

And not only are these shoes both interesting and neutral, but they also have the kind of heel that you can wear all day – chunky and stable, with a platform to cancel out a bit of the height. The lizard pattern used in so many straps might be a little much for some customers, but if you want a shoe to make a statement and do so neutrally, this is what you’re looking for. If you have the money to pay the price for exotics, that is. Buy through Bergdorf Goodman for $1795.

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Taylor’s best known for her work in the late 1950s and 1960s, though, which is precisely the era to which the Tabitha Simmons Two-Tone Leather Pumps harken back. It was a time of sharply-tailored formality and shoes that a woman could actually walk in, but that didn’t stop Taylor from becoming one of the world’s best-known beauties or finding ways to sartorially stop traffic. During that time, these shoes would have been just the thing.

From the side, these shoes look far more 60s than they do from the back. The chunky heel actually narrows out quite a bit at the bottom to reduce the shoe’s visual heft, a move of which I’m sure any number of old-school screen sirens would have approved. The two-tone tan leather and touch of wingtipping give the design a thoroughly retro feel, and it’s almost so retro that I wonder if the shoe’s audience will be limited. I hope not, because these shoes constitute a very nice, subtle update on a classic footwear look. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $1010.

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It takes more than a little nerve for a designer to use a lot of print in a shoe or accessory collection. Most customers tend to look for versatility in shoes, and making a collection with print of one sort or another on nearly ever shoe takes a designer who has the courage of his or her convictions. Luckily for all of us, Tabitha Simmons Spring 2011 is a collection that’s not afraid to play with our expectations.

Whether she achieves the effect through patterned fabric or the combining of different leathers, Simmons brings a great deal of visual interest to each of her hand-made shoes. For a line that has only existed since 2009, it sure seems to know where it’s going.

Photos via Women’s Wear Daily.

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