Ped fans, you may not think of us as a “one-stop shop,” but if you have daughters, mothers, aunts, sisters, or simply female friends you want to make smile this season, we’re confident of the pleasing power of Ped presents! Here are just a few ideas to brighten your favorite gals’ holidays:

When you’re mystified by your recipient’s size, there’s no need to scratch your head. Simply give her something toasty to wrap around her neck, like Ben Alder’s Edinburgh Scarf:

Such stripe-tastic fun, this soft scarf is knit from the finest Scottish new wool! One size makes everyone look stylish! We’re in love with this smashing Blue/Lemon/Fuchsia version, but Ped also offers the Edinburgh in three other great color combinations!

Word to the wise gift giver: Ben Alder also knits wonderful striped gloves!

Make her fingers festive and protect them from frostbite! If purple and green don’t float her boat, perhaps Ben Alder’s other color combos will make her heart set sail.

As long as we’re keeping the extremities warm, let’s make sure the tootsies stay toasty! Socks can make a sensational present, especially when they come from Antipast:

Everything Antipast designs is like a party for your toes, but we are especially crazy about the Winter Skier Socks. They are so clever! Beneath a snowy sky of polka dots, a tiny skier whooshes down a mountain of stripes!

We also have a new kid on the sock block: Bonne Maison! Why not give your gal the gift of a garden walk with Bonne Maison’s Autumn Flower Knee High:

This carmine version makes our hearts sing, but perhaps the honey or aged green options are more in tune with your gal.

If you want to up the ante with heating things up, a Sophie Digard work of wearable art is an excellent way to express your affection.

Sophie’s hand-crocheted Cercle Pop Scarf, for instance, is guaranteed to thrill! When she’s not wearing this stunner, your lucky recipient may opt to keep it out where she can simply look at it!

Another gift every woman welcomes is a fantastic bag. Cydwoq offers beautiful ways to help her haul it all through the day!

We just got in two new versions of Cydwoq’s terrific Leather Market Sack! Isn’t this navy and rust argyle pattern to die for? (We’re adding it to our own wish list!) The olive herringbone option is equally gorgeous!

Of course, if you really want to “wow” her, something sparkly from Jamie Joseph is just the thing!

The gold and diamond treatment of Jamie Joseph’s 14kt Gold Organic Circle Necklace is a sure-fire way to kiss holiday doldrums and winter blues goodbye!

As always, there are more goodies at Ped’s main site, so let your stylish thoughts count as you spread the love!

By the way, if you want to make absolutely sure the women in your life will like their gifts, invite them to browse the Ped site and click “add to favorites” for whatever strikes their fancy. Once they’ve finished making selections, they can share the list with you via email. That way the pressure’s off, and happiness is on!

(Psst, the Sweet Treat this week, Sophie Digard’s Velvet Lune Scarf,  would make a fabulous gift, too, even if it’s just to deserving you! Simply click “be sweet to your feet” at the bottom of the box on the left at Ped’s main site. When you land at the Velvet Lune Scarf’s page, just pop it in your shopping bag to get 20% off!)

Ped fans, it’s no wonder Chie Mihara shoes are so whimsical, pretty, and fun because that’s what Chie herself is! Take a gander at this sweet video of our lady of Spain modeling shoes from her current collection:

Cute as the proverbial bug in a rug!

(Psst, did you notice we’re having a BAG SALE???? Yep! Through Friday, November 15, all Ped’s beautiful bags are 20% off! Time to tote!)

Ped fans, we enjoy every Tales of the Sole you generously share, but we especially relish the stories that let us vicariously satisfy our wanderlust.

So we’re grateful to Carolyn H. whose recent submission has everyone at Ped HQ daydreaming about traveling to Amsterdam, Portugal, and—on the homefront—Montana! Here’s her entertaining show-and-tell:

This summer I travelled alone to Amsterdam and then met up with an old friend in Portugal. The mountainous Alfama region, where we rented an apartment, was built about a thousand years ago.  The narrow and winding streets and staircases of worn stone that traversed the hills were laid out to protect the castle by baffling invading armies. They baffled me, too. Every day I went out to purchase apricots, dates, bread, cheese and vino verde, and everyday I got lost. Being lost In Alfama meant wandering sometimes for hours, up and down, and up and down the steep hills and stairs.

“Walking around Lisbon in my Cydwoq sandals with a bagful of apricots, dates, bread and butter, and vino verde.”

Fortunately, because I live in Seattle and have had a lifetime of hill climbing, I was okay. And because I have a broken-in pair of Cydwoq sandals from Ped, my feet were happy with every step. Not only that, but I looked great, and everywhere I went, someone would ask where I got my sandals.

Apparently, Carolyn’s Cydwoq-enhanced adventures didn’t end when she got home because she also sent us this great photo:

“Leaving for my Montana road trip with my cool new car, my cool new Montana boyfriend, and my still cool old Cydwoq sandals!”

So fun! And is it just us or does Carolyn’s new Montana boyfriend bear a striking resemblance to Anthony Bourdain?

Although sandal season is only a memory until next year for most of us (but not for all—hello, Ped fans who live in the Southern Hemisphere!), Cydwoq’s shoes and boots are just as walkable and comfortable as Carolyn’s fabulous sandals. To thank Carolyn for taking us along on her trips, we’re delighted to give her $100 in Ped credit!

Do you have a Tale of the Sole? Tell us—and show us (we LOVE pictures!!!)—what happened to you while wearing something from Ped, and you, too, might be the recipient of $100 in Ped credit. We’d love to share your sole-ful story on the blog, so let us know what in the world you’ve been doing in your Ped!

(And speaking of Cydwoq, this week’s Sweet Treat is the go-everywhere Cydwoq Stamp Bag! Simply click “be sweet to your feet” at the bottom of the box on the left of most Ped pages to reach the Stamp Bag, where you will find the magic code that will bring a welcome 20% off at checkout!)

Ped fans, you know we are all about beautiful, fun, artistic and comfortable shoes, but style cannot live on shoes alone. It needs a few other items to make it zing—like zesty socks or an eye-opening scarf or the perfect bag!

We’ve already introduced you to our fresh line of Bon Homme socks, but we have new goods in the Ped house from Antipast, Epice, Sophie Digard, and Trippen, too, to amp up your flair as the temperature drops. Let’s take a look!

As always, Emiko and Junko at Antipast have made it easy to walk through fall and winter with a smile, thanks to their always-fun sock designs! Even if you’re not quite ready for snow yet, who can resist Antipast’s Snowball socks?

We love the shift in color and dot size from top to bottom!

Snow also inspires  the charm of Antipast’s Winter Skier Socks:

These sweethearts have everything we like: stripes, dots, colors, and a fun narrative! Prefer your socks longer? You’re in luck because we also have Winter Skier Knee Highs!

On the other hand, maybe you’d rather have your woolies remind you of warmer days, in which case the Antipast Spangle Knee Highs are singing your song:

Birds, beasts, and blooms—it doesn’t get any better than these beauties! By the way, we also have trouser-length Spangle Socks.

Now that your toes are toasty, let’s sample a few lovely ways to bedeck your neck! When it comes to exquisitely loomed textiles, Epice has our hearts! The new Licorice Scarf  is the sweetest way to spice up an overcast day:

A solid-color wool coat becomes infinitely more interesting when you add a lick of Licorice!

If you prefer to keep cozy in a more understated way, perhaps Epice’s Lunares Scarf will light up your sky:

Luminous ivory moons dot the charcoal background, all sweetly bordered by ivory and periwinkle stripes. (We also have offer this woolen beauty in royal blue with golden lunettes.)

Sophie Digard also has moons on her mind this season! Bask in the dazzling glow of her Velvet Lune Scarf:

Soft velvet moons shine from within hundreds of hand-crocheted merino wool squares! Your fans will be starstruck when you wrap this gorgeous scarf around your neck!

Another multi-textured masterpiece is the Sophie Digard Manouche Scarf:

Velvet and wool squares of all sizes mix it up in this wearable work of art!

Perhaps our favorite of the new Sophie Digard scarves, though, is the Cercle Pop Scarf:

We adore the fresh colors of this crocheted mosaic of joy, guaranteed to make winter days a lot more fun!

Your ankles are covered, and your neck is nice and warm, so all that’s left is to find a stylish way to carry your essentials! Happily, the genius German shoemakers at Trippen have now ventured into designing fantastic bags! Need to haul a lot? Check out the spacious Trippen Claudia Bag:

You can tell how buttery the leather is just by looking at it! Choose either the black version of the Claudia pictured here or the equally beautiful and versatile brown version.

Need to carry a little less? Then sling the Trippen Carola Bag over your shoulder:

We love this boxy little bag—so streamlined and modern!

Of course, there’s still more to see over at Ped’s main site. So rise up and accessorize—it’s the easy way to add soul to your soles!

(Psst, the Sweet Treat this week is the Argila Madrid boot. Let your inner cowgirl kick up her heels by clicking “be sweet to your feet” at the bottom of the box on the left of most Ped pages, which will take you to the Madrid’s page, where you will find a magic code that will bring 20% off at checkout! Yee-ha!)

Ped fans, we are loving the current emphasis on COLOR—all the new shoe hues have the Ped warehouse looking bright and lively! It’s amazing how an infusion of color makes the daily grind less grind-like and more like a party.

Quite a few of you, though, are mystified by how to work the new shades into your wardrobe. It’s easier than you think! You simply need  to realize things don’t have to match as long as they “go.” In fact, matching too precisely can make an outfit look “twee,” as the British say. (Laura says a friend of hers calls it the “flight attendant look.”)

You’ve also told us you worry that you’ll only wear colorful shoes once in a while, with one specific thing. To demonstrate the versatility of some of our more show-stopping shoes, we’ve incorporated them into not one but two outfits, often quite different in tone and purpose, to help spark your imagination. Let’s take a tour, and along the way, we’ll offer a few colorful tips.

First up, the Trippen Calexico:

This fun boot offers a lot more options than simply wearing it with jeans! We love the Calexico with the easy day look on the left, but it can even go after-five when paired with the dress on the right. We’ve also included Jamie Joseph’s Round Rock Crystal Ring since it looks stellar with the white in both the top and the dress.

Another shoe that’s more than simply casual is the Cydwoq Lodge:

Sure, it’s great for weekend apple-picking in the outfit on the left, but look at the chic edge the Lodge gives the argyle sheath dress on the right! The Cydwoq Bright Bag also easily transitions from brunch casual to workweek sleek. OD-ing on all that red? Simply add the Epice Plaza Scarf to change the flavor!

Perhaps your personal style trends toward conservative, and although you like to browse at Ped, you can’t imagine how you’d incorporate a colorful style into your wardrobe. The answer is to let a shoe, like the Cydwoq Larkspur, punctuate your outfit, like a great piece of jewelry.

What a way to jazz up a suit!

Chie Mihara’s Tunisia is a shoe that immediately produces oohs and aahs, but the unusual color and patterned heel mistakenly lead people to think it might be hard to pair.

The key is not to worry about matching the color and instead simply let it “go.” The Tunisia‘s checkerboard heel echoes the black and white photo on the dress on the left and complements the variety of patterns in the skirt on the right. Since the shoe and clothes are doing the heavy lifting style-wise, it’s nice to go with a simple bag, like the Cydwoq Bright.

Sometimes it’s not just the color but also the cut that gives Ped fans pause when they think about how to wear a design. Case in point, the Trippen Drama boot:

A couple options: 1) contrast the Drama‘s fabulous flared top with simple straight lines up top, such as wearing it with a pencil skirt and streamlined top; or 2) let its shape play up the lines and movement of a flirty A-line dress. We tossed in Jamie Joseph’s round carnelian ring for a little extra red zing!

If you approach dressing with a sense of adventure, it won’t matter an iota if you don’t own anything blue to wear with the Trippen Tender:

When you want to reference the color of your shoe, accessories can work that magic. We like the contrast of the floral of the skirt on the left with Epice’s Baya Scarf, which includes a periwinkle color that calls out to, but doesn’t match the blue of the Tender. On the right, it’s fun to mix the squares of the dress with the circles on the Epice Los Lunares Scarf.

Finally, let’s consider  Chie Mihara’s Kalendu, which is simply too juicy to miss!

You don’t have to go be a girly girl to take advantage of its delicious greenness! The Kalendu adds such fun to the workweek look on the left (again without actually matching any of the colors in the sweater) and is utterly chic with the casual jeans and top on the right. We also like Cydwoq’s Bright Bag and Jamie Joseph’s Organic Circle Earrings with both outfits.

As you’ve probably noticed, many of the shoes above work equally well with outfits paired with other shoes. We hope these ideas bolster your confidence that colorful shoes truly can be your constant companions and not just once-in-a-blue-moon friends! Life is so much more fun in color!

(Psst, you only have a few more days to snap up this week’s Sweet Treat, the Trippen Yard. Simply click “be sweet to your feet” at the bottom of the box on the left of most Ped pages to reach the Yard with the code that will bring 20% off at checkout.)