Knee-high, mid-calf, and ankle—those were the three basic boot heights for what seemed like forever. But a couple years ago, three newcomers jumped in to jazz up the mix: shootie, low, and over-the-knee. The low boot, with a shaft falling somewhere between ankle and mid-calf height, quickly became a fan favorite with its rock ‘n’ roll vibe! Let’s take a look at some of Ped’s low-boot hotties:

If you want a boot unlike any other on the street, Argila’s Celia is guaranteed to please:

The seaming and the leather’s pinked edges make this boot a head-turner! We also like the effect of the unexpectedly demure ankle strap, and let’s not forget the wooden wedge! All the parts are beautiful, but the sum is even better!

Another boot that puts a lot of details to good use is the new Cydwoq Pilot:

This bad grrl of a combat boot is ready to wage war on the battlefield of style! In its rock ‘n’ roll arsenal: a sexy zipper up the back, grommeted lacing in front, and two kickass buckles at the top!

Too many bells and whistles? Perhaps the new Cydwoq Statue is more along the line of what you have in mind:

The way those wizards at Cydwoq cut leather is truly a thing of beauty! We particularly love the contrast of the natural edge along the exposed seams with the blue of the Pilot‘s luxe leather!

Blue is one of the IT colors this season, but color in general is big on the streets. If you’re ready to do hue, consider lacing up the Trippen Fountain:

Fun and funky, this boot is guaranteed to steal the scene wherever you walk—and you can walk anywhere, thanks to Trippen’s famously comfortable t-shaped rubber wedge! We love the Fountain in spring green, which looks great strolling through the fall leaves, but this low-boot lovely also comes in a washed blue!

As always, there are more low boots to love at Ped’s main site. (Also, as always, Fiorentini + Baker offers some of the best, like the ever-popular Emmy and versatile Ella.)

Stay tuned—in our next installment we’re booting it up to mid-calf!

The variety of boots this fall is virtually endless: flats, heels, wedges, lace-ups, buckle-straps, laceless, rugged, girly, rock ‘n’ roll, etc. Every woman can find one (or two or three) she wants, but wading through all the options can take quite a while.

So to make browsing more bite-sized, we’ve decided to offer several quick samplers of Ped’s boots, arranged by height. Every blog post for the next few days will be like a tasting menu—or boot tapas, if you will! Enjoy! It’s all delicious!

Today’s installment focuses on ankle boots that are barely boots (they just made the height requirement to get on the coaster). Sometimes called “shooties” because they walk the fine line between shoes and booties, these designs may have short shafts, but they’re long on style!

Since we were singing the praises of Pep Monjo yesterday, let’s start with a sweetheart from the company he founded, the Argila Anna:

Like a femmed-up version of a motorcycle boot, the Anna charms with a perforated design over the toe and a supple front, pinked at the top and cinched into a loose ruffle by the buckle strap. Pretty and practical, this little boot goes with everything!

Another versatile beauty is Coclico’s Rilke:

We love the tie and tongue at the back—it’s always fun to give those behind you something to see! Plus, the Rilke is made of the softest grey suede imaginable!

Looking for something with a little more va-va-va voom? See what you think of Cydwoq’s Elevate:

This is one of our favorite new styles from Rafi and Ari at Cydwoq! The serpentine curves and mix of leathers is simply spectacular! Choose from either brown and silvery faux croc (pictured) or black and burnout paisley pony (perfect for you steampunk lovers).

Nice, you say, but you want a boot with “go big or go home” boldness! Well, Cydwoq’s Indies has that and then some:

Rock ‘n’roll, sister! Cydwoq’s riveted red lace-up will have everyone wishing they were in your boots!

These are just a few of the low-riding lovelies over at Ped’s main site. (For instance, we know we just showed you the Fiorentini + Baker Celia a few days ago, but it really is worth oohing and aahing over again!)

Be sure to come back tomorrow when we take things up an inch or two!

Ped fans, you know how it goes: you’re window shopping on the Internet when you run across a shoe or a bag that makes your heart beat faster. You think, “Oooh, I LOVE that!”  Then you quickly rein yourself in with the follow-up question, “But what would I wear it with?

We know certain styles and colors may seem daunting. Chances are, though, they’re easier to wear than you think! To help you see the possibilities and spur your imagination, we offer a few visual prods below.

All the gals at Ped HQ are committed to ease—the less fuss in getting ourselves out the door, the better. With that in mind, each of the following five ready-to-go outfits consist of only four elements.

Here Vialis’s Claudette peep-toe clog offers an ideal complement to the the textural interest of the drape-y top and skirt. Add the Cydwoq Cedar Bag in turmeric, and all the colors become richer! Easy and elegant.

Maybe you want to incorporate a mod Mad Men-esque look into your wardrobe?

It’s all about geometry and balance! We love the chunky-heeled Coclico Vidal paired with this fun shift dress! Square everything up with Fiorentini + Baker’s sleek Milano Shopper and Jamie Joseph’s Smoky Quartz Ring. (Did we mention every Ped item in this look is on sale?)

If you have a penchant for black and your aesthetic trends toward urban sophistication, why not give it an artistic edge?

Riveting (literally)! Cydwoq’s versatile Bright Bag and Trippen’s fantastic Agave sandal boot anchor the dazzling patterns of the skirt and jacket. Sure, it’s “a lot of look,” as Tim Gunn would say, but it’s a lot of look we like!

What’s that? You say you simply want something comfortable to dash from class to lunch and then off to run errands? No problem!

Easy as pie and just as tasty! Fiorentini + Baker’s Ding Clog‘s fringe echos the movement of the striped skirt, and the Dean Towner Bag makes an ideal everyday satchel.

Maybe you’d like to amp up the femininity for a garden party or date night? If so, florals and jewel tones are your best friends!

Although not exact matches (that would look twee), Dean’s green suede Thimble Bag, Jamie Joseph’s Orange Chalcedony Ring, and Accessoire’s Sagan in the prettiest shade of dahlia all work with the dress’s colorful palette!

And to demonstrate the versatility of these styles, imagine how terrific  F+B’s Ding Clog from outfit #4 would look with the shift dress in the second outfit, or how beautiful outfit #1’s Vialis Claudette would be with the skirt in outfit #4. Feel like creating edgy contrast? Then envision pairing the Trippen Agave from outfit #3 with either outfit #1 or #5! Fun and unexpected!

A great way to figure out how a tempting shoe or bag might work with your wardrobe is to play around—like we did—at Polyvore!

(Speaking of tempting bags, this week’s Sweet Treat is Cydwoq’s Flap Bag! Get Flap happy for 20% off by clicking “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of any Ped page, which will take you to the Flap Bag with a magic code to enter at checkout.)

School’s out. The grass is green. Fireflies light up the evening. There’s so much to enjoy in June! So we thought we’d do our part to fuel the June love by kicking off the Ped Summer Sale!

Had your eye on a sweet temptation? Chances are its price just got nicer! Behold a sample of the sunny bargains:

Accessoire has such a colorful way with suede! We especially love how they tie everything up with a bow on the vintage-inspired Sagan:

Beautiful at $328, it’s even lovelier at $262!

Speaking of vintage looks, you can rock the retro in an ultra-modern way by buckling up Coclico’s Valencia:

Patchwork leather? Sculpted wooden heel? Far out! Swinging at $358, it’s even more righteous at $286!

If you prefer to keep your heels on the ground, one of the best flats this season is the Cydwoq Malba:

Talk about an ankle of interest! Delicious at $246, it’s even tastier at $196!

Another sassy ankle-strap design from Cydwoq (with a little more “lady” to it) is the Volcano:

The textured leather is fantastic—what a way to express artistic style in any situation! Hot lava at $298, the Volcano is positively explosive at $238!

Taking things a little higher, a neutral that’s sexy as all get-out is Fiorentini + Baker’s Nene:

Here’s a guarantee: all eyes will be on you in this suede knockout! Glamorous at $498, the Nene‘s star quality shines even brighter at $398!

Looking for something more everyday and more go-everywhere? Consider the Vialis Claris:

So much more than your average clog, this streamlined Spanish beauty will work with everything in your wardrobe. Fab at $198, it’s even more of a treasure at $158!

As dessert to this smorgasbord of sale delights, behold one of our favorites of the season: Fiorentini + Baker’s luscious Floss!

Supple green leather in a retro-licious style crafted by those Italian masters at F+B—GORGEOUS! Every head will turn! Worth every penny at $398, it’s a green dream at $298!

More wonderful styles at fresh prices are flying out the door at Ped’s main site. So snag a deal to keep your sunny side up all summer long!

(And don’t forget about this week’s oh-so pretty Sweet Treat: the Cydwoq Climax! Just click “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of any Ped page to land at the Climax with the magic code that will bring 20% off at checkout! )

Ped fans, it’s been far too long since we’ve said thanks for the wonderful attention other blogs and sites have paid to Ped! Discovering someone has featured a Ped item or said something nice about us always lifts everyone’s spirits here at Ped HQ. It’s the equivalent of walking down the street and having a stranger say, “Cute shoes!”—and you know we all love that!

Here are just a few of the sites we appreciate (and if we missed your recent kindness to Ped, let us know in the comments because we’re definitely grateful):

• At the hilariously named Little Fascist Panties, Emily Louise, who describes herself as “visual artist, cyborg feminist, licensed hysteric, post90s riot grrl,” blogs about all things well-designed. She served up some enthusiastic (and funny) love  for the Trippen Strahl.
• Megan Mae Daily (MMD) is the eponymous style blog of the truly stylish Megan Mae! It doesn’t get any better than this unsolicited review she recently wrote about the Trippen Army! Doesn’t she look fantastic wearing them?! (Plus, she has seriously cute kitties!)
• Lucky Girl Shoes is the blog of a podiatrist in Portland, Oregon, who posts shoes she deems cute, comfortable, and walkable. We’re delighted she gave the thumb’s up to the Cydwoq Samba!
• The Fashionable Bureaucrat is the personal style blog of Megan, a self-described “middle manager in government.” What a breath of fresh air she must be in her office! She recently showed off her Cydwoq sensibility, giving Ped a credit.
• At Pretty Neat Designs, Cindy blogs about all manner of things that interest her. She happily declared the Chie Mihara Guinyo to be “like a party for your feet”! (And she called us “fine purveyors of shoe candy,” which we love!) Be sure to check out the Pretty Neat Designs Etsy shop, where Cindy sells stitched stationery goods.
• East Side Bride, “an evil club of mean hipster brides,” is a blog that offers straight-forward advice with attitude to women who are about to walk down the aisle. Although we have to disagree with the blogger’s response, we were happy to discover the question from a bride who was trying to decide between wearing the Cydwoq Tomcat and the Cydwoq Naked as her wedding shoes. (The comments were also big fun!)
• Ped was featured as a “Gloss Find” on the site myGloss: What Women Want to Know. So nice!
• The design-conscious Michelle Taylor at Blue Moss, a blog of beautiful things, decided Fiorentini + Baker’s Floss was worthy of notice. She also makes wonderful jewelry from vintage baubles, which she offers in her Etsy shop.

A big virtual bouquet of roses to all of these blogs and sites!!! We love what we carry here at Ped, and it’s always thrilling to find out others do, too! THANK YOU!

Lulu and Ella wag their tails for all the virtual Ped love!

(By the way, this week’s Sweet Treat is the Trippen Sinus! Find out why everyone’s wild about Trippen’s wedges by clicking “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of any Ped page, which will take you to the Sinus with the magic discount code that will bring 20% off at checkout.)