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, 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.)

What we like about 21st century fashion is how open-ended it is! Just as hemlines have become wonderfully variable, boot heights are now left up to the whimsy of the wearer. Whether you like over-the-knee sexiness, mid-calf chic, or ankle-high edge, you’ll always be in style!

That said, Ped fans, we hold a special place in our hearts for booties. They’re just so fun and versatile—great with skirts and easy to wear with pants (no wrestling to get them over or under the fabric)!

This season our harvest of sweet-and-low ankle boots is especially bountiful! There are are so many juicy designs that it’s hard to know where to begin. Here’s just a taste of Ped’s bootie buffet:

Pep Monjo is best known as the genius behind Argila, but a couple years ago he started his own eponymous line. Since then, every single Pep Monjo style has become an instant classic. We are WILD (wild, I tell you) about his new Cora bootie:

The leather is so luscious, and the details are exquisitely thought-out, like the simple perforations arcing over the toe and heel. Buckle us up!

Of course, Mr. Monjo still works his magic for Argila, too, as evidenced by the gorgeous Granada:

Modern and curvy, this wood-heeled bootie takes the lace-up into chic new territory! Spanish style for miles!

Speaking of wooden heels, the one supporting Coclico’s Norma boot is particularly lovely:

The lines of the dark wood have subtle arcs that reflect the clean yet dramatic lines of the black leather upper! Plus, the .75″ platform under the toe offsets the 3″ heel to make the pitch a walkable 2.25″.

Looking for a lower heel but heightened feminine wiles? The Cydwoq Knee  is guaranteed to bring ’em to their knees:

The paisley burnt-out leather is stunning up front, and the corset-like closure is beyond sexy in back! Holy hot sauce, talk about a femme fatale!

A little less girly but no less charming, another ankle boot “with back” is Cydwoq’s Cleo:

This beauty is handmade in Burbank, CA, but it radiates European street chic! The leaf-shaped strap across the back offers function in stellar form and offers people behind you something to see!

Want a zing of color for your ankles? Cydwoq’s got just the thing: the Beacon bootie!

A dash of red adds zest to any day! The wonderful-to-wear Beacon, with its comfy round toe, is one of our big-time faves this season!

Trippen also does some dazzling things with color. Feast your eyes on the new Liverpool:

A fusion of a retro 60’s rock ‘n’ roll boot with a modern-day Aussie pull-on, the lightweight Liverpool, with its brilliant purple elastic sides, may put you in mind of the Fab Four as you dash down the street looking fabulous!

As we said, these are just few tasty morsels from the wide-ranging menu of delicious booties at Ped’s main site! While you do the walking, let your ankle boots do the  stylish talking!

(Psst, this week’s Sweet Treat, the Cydwoq Marmot, falls into “shootie” territory—a little more than a shoe, a little less than a boot, but just right for everyday wear! We love it! Just click “be sweet to your feet” at the bottom of the box on the left of most Ped pages to land at the Marmot with the special code that will bring 20% off at checkout!)

The colorful and fun Cydwoq Link was one of our favorite shoes this past season, so we were delighted when Ped fan Elizabeth Y. wrote us about her Link love! Here’s what she had to say:

My Cydwoq Links did double duty this summer as my gift to myself for completing my Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at age 60 and as my special shoe for a European vacation. I had my Trippen Seine with me for airports and long walks, but the Links were for the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain.

Looking lovely in her arty Cydwoq Link, Elizabeth (right) takes in the air outside the
Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.

Earlier this summer, the happy flowers on the Link had been cheering patients and co-workers at my hospital job on a mother-baby unit.

Elizabeth’s Link looking snazzy on the staff shoe shelf at the hospital.

But the response I got when I wore them to the Guggenheim was extra happy. My shoes reminded museum goers of the giant flower puppy by Jeff Koons that welcomes visitors. I was one with the Koons’ Puppy—a walking exhibit of wearable art.

The Cydwoq Link made Elizabeth Y. one with Jeff Koons’ “Puppy”!

Still smiling thinking about the  good feelings the Links brought. As one little girl said, “Puppy shoes! “

Wow! Congratulations on finishing your degree, Elizabeth! Your tale made everyone at Ped HQ smile all day!

To thank Elizabeth for sharing her wonderful story, we’re pleased as punch to give her $100 in Ped credit! Well earned! Here’s to Puppy shoes!

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!

(Psst, you have only a couple more days to snag this week’s Sweet Treat, the fabulous Trippen Peony! Simply click “be sweet to your feet” at the bottom of the box on the left of most Ped pages to be whisked to the Peony’s page, where you’ll find the code that will bring a sweet 20% off at checkout!)

Ped fans, a sure sign summer is winding down is when boxes full of fall goodness flood the Ped warehouse. We’re adding new styles to the site every day, and wow, are they ever beautiful this season! We’re particularly charmed by several of the innovative heels, which let you add both inches and interest to your look.

Here are a few of our favorites:

Anyone who’s spent any time in a pair of Chie Mihara heels know that she achieves the seemingly impossible: combining high style with down-to-earth comfort! Often Chie gives the heel an extra flourish to let you flaunt those extra inches. Who can resist the 3″ checkerboard leather-wrapped heel on the new Tunisia?

As if the stunning heel weren’t enough, this lace-up’s teal blue leather looks good enough to drink!

Another knockout heel from our lady of Spain is the Chie Mihara Brizna:

Strut your stripes! We also love the flirty window below the lacing—something saucy to see in front and something sensational to see in back!

Wooden heels and platform soles are the height of style these days, and Chie MIhara goes with the grain, adding some interesting angles to her new Wespa oxford:

Chie is expert at amping up even simple designs, and the geometry of this 3″ heel is the perfect example! Plus, the Wespa‘s deep blue suede is to die for! (Not a fan of navy? We also have the Wespa in chocolate brown!)

Coclico also knows how to make a wooden heel into a sculptural work of art. Check out the lovely curve and subtle taper of new Vita bootie’s heel:

We absolutely love the silhouette of this boot! The inward gesture of the Vita‘s 2.5″ heel provides the perfect counterpoint to the outward flare of its top!

A Ped favorite year after year is Trippen’s t-shaped rubber wedge, which not only is über-comfortable but also adds arty edge to many of Trippen’s fun designs, like the new Calexico ankle boot:

Wow! Between the lace-up back, colorful exposed seams, and fantastic shape of the 1.75″ heel, people walking behind you will be so transfixed by your cool boots that they may stumble into poles, other people, or traffic. Be careful with your power to attract and distract when you step out in this beauty!

The 2″ resin heel that supports many of Cydwoq’s Vintage styles is also famously comfortable, and now and then Rafi gives it extra zest! Get an eyeful of the gorgeous etched design that spices up the understated pewter version of the Calamity:

The art-deco elegance of the heel’s pattern looks so lovely with the streamlined design of this shoe! Even when the occasion calls for “conservative,” the Calamity‘s heel lets you put a little “kapow” in your style!

We love a shoe that offers something to see from every angle! Want to heighten your impact? These heels have got your back!

(Speaking of things that are clearly something to see, this week’s Sweet Treat is Jamie Joseph’s spectacular Round Rock Crystal Ring! Ready to sparkle? Then click “be sweet to your feet” at the bottom of the box on the left of most Ped pages to land at the Round Rock Crystal Ring with the code that will magically bring 20% off at checkout!)