Sure, we love slides at Ped, and we adore boots with buckles. Nevertheless, a little lacing goes a long way in terms of adjustable comfort and style! Whether it’s a classic oxford from Fiorentini + Baker or an innovative flat from Trippen, we enjoy a shoe that ties things up with a bow or knot. So, allow us to present a visual ode to the lace-up in all its lovely variations!

First up, one of the cutest shoes on the block this spring—Trippen’s Fish:

Wonderfully light, this little brown flat is so flirty with the way its leather laces weave through the front and back before twining around your ankles. Tie them in front, knot them in back—Trippen leaves the choice up to you! What’s certain is how comfortable your tootsies will be skipping down the streets of Prague, Perth, or just your hometown in the Fish!

But if ankle wraps aren’t your cup of tea, then maybe Trippen’s ultra-innovative Pull will appeal to your love of lacing:

We love the crazy way the elastic lacing crisscrosses the front before winding up in an adjustable knot behind your heel. This great travel shoe comes in both luscious teal and cool jade green.

Another shoe with out-of-the-ordinary lacing is Cydwoq’s Proud:

With this flat, there’s nothing to adjust—just slide in your foot and the elastic lacing automatically creates a glove-like fit. So clean, so chic, so cutting-edge—but still so versatile because the Proud literally goes with everything!

Sometimes, we like to change things up! Lots of you know the Fiorentini + Baker Emma Boot laces in the back, but did you know Trippen’s cut-front Fence ankle boot also features lacing in the back?

In a word (and no offense):  badass!

Then again, nothing beats the classic oxford for lace-up goodness. We’ve got two new ones in the house. Giraudon’s Plug Loafer is actually an old fave from years ago:

We love this traditional black shoe because it’s thoroughly modern with its perforated leather over the toe and four-eyelet lacing.

If you prefer to juice up your oxford with a blast of color, though, get an eyeful of Fiorentini + Baker’s latest:

It’s got all of F+B’s famed Italian construction in a glorious green package (and it comes in blue, too) all tied up with a bow!

By the way, have you checked out this week’s “sweet treat,” Argila’s Zoe? It takes lacing to a whole new level of sauciness:

Just click “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of any Ped page (including this one) to get 20% off this flirty heeled sandal!

So, lace up, ladies—in any of these great shoes, you’re sure to have a string of admirers tied around your little finger!

Here at Ped, we get so excited about the wonderful things we carry. Everyday we ooh and aah and swoon and gush over the goods in the Ped warehouse, which is why we love it when others appreciate what we appreciate!

It’s been a while since we expressed our gratitude, but we are truly grateful for all the shout-outs to Ped across the Web! Here are several of the wonderful people and sites that have featured Ped treasures recently:

• We adore Michelle Taylor of Blue Moss! It’s not just because she’s admired our Argila Elsie and Chie Mihara Hito, among other things; it’s also because every day she introduces us to beautiful sites, places, and ideas. What an eye for design! She also creates the coolest jewelry from re-purposed vintage baubles for her Blue Moss Etsy shop.
• Katrina Rodabaugh, an amazing artist and poet, mentioned how much she loves our Pepita jewelry on her terrific blog, Made by Katrina.
• The unknown author of the blog Goodness Aggregated made us smile with a post that featured our Fiorentini + Baker Eli boot and Jutta Neumann Kim sandal.
• The mysterious writer and photographer who maintains I Spuddle thrilled us when she coveted our Cydwoq Traction.
• The woman who loves lovely things at Crush Party gushed about so many of our pretty boots! Color us thrilled!
• Jessica at Ring o Blog took a shine to our Jamie Joseph Aqua Chalcedony ring (one of our favorites)!
• Becki Singer, who puts together the hilariously named blog, Shopping is My Cardio, fell for our gorgeous Fiorentini + Baker Eden boots. She’s in good company!

We also say merci, gracias, danke, and thank you in so many languages to the numerous overseas blogs that have highlighted Ped items, among them How to Make a Baby Elephant Float (how great is that name?), du fond du coeur, and Nata Velvska @ ShoeShoe.

If you’ve featured something from Ped and we’ve somehow overlooked your site, please know we still appreciate you! (Let us know who you are, so we can pay attention!) We love being part of the party!

So, to everyone out there who’s noticed us, a huge THANK YOU from everyone at Ped HQ!

Blue skies. The deep blue sea. Bluebirds. Blueberries. Some of the most wonderful things in nature are blue!

Here at Ped, we have quite a thing for blue. We love how it’s simultaneously dreamy, peaceful, and uplifting. (Not to mention romantic—there’s a reason why brides carry “something blue.”) Shades like turquoise add a jolt of color! Others, such as grey-blues, are nearly neutral and quietly add style.

Here’s a juicy sample of the many hues of blue at Ped.

Cydwoq sandals are de rigueur for the summer because they’re artistic and supremely comfortable. This season we decided to offer Cydwoq’s Hook in blue:

I bought this sandal myself in brown  a couple seasons ago, but this new blue version has turned my head. If you’re looking for the perfect companion to take on vacation, the Hook makes an ideal sight-seeing friend!

Another favorite shoe that we’ve refreshed in blue is Chie Mihara’s Vaive:

A cluster of violet-blue rosettes blooming on a heeled lace-up oxford—yes, please!!! The Vaive is the way to take your style to work!

Maybe you want something that’s airier than an oxford but not quite as breezy as a sandal? Then drink in the lovely blueness of Cydwoq’s new Border:

This wooden-heeled beauty is sophisticated enough for serious occasions, but it still let’s you celebrate that it’s summer outside! You’ll be as pretty as a bluebell!

If there’s one thing on which all Ped fans agree, it’s the fabulousness of Fiorentini + Baker boots. Meet Eden, the latest member of the Ped F+B family:

This boot’s a slice of blue paradise! Imagine how great it would look with a white prairie skirt and camisole on a hot summer day! Although the Eden danced out of the Ped warehouse as soon as it arrived, we have more on the way. Let us know if you’d like to be notified when the next shipment of Eden lands.

But there’s more blue than just shoes at Ped. Drink in the beauty of the linen Seville scarf that just arrived from Sophie Digard in Paris:

A lacy wonder, this scarf’s sky-blue background makes all the other colors sing so harmoniously! As with every Sophie design, we suggest you zoom, zoom, zoom at the Ped site to appreciate the intricate artistry of the work.

One way to keep a blue sky with you, no matter what the weather, is to slip a Jamie Joseph ring on your finger. Then you can just look at your hand for a little pick-me-up. One of our favorites is her Rainbow Moonstone ring:

The stone’s depth and luminosity are so spellbinding!

Finally, opening your wallet becomes a much less stressful experience when it’s made of wonderful blue leather:

“Yvs Klein Blue” is our new favorite color for 49 Square Miles’ Clingy Wallet!

Oh, and by the way, you can get this week’s Sweet Treat—Cydwoq’s Flap Bag—in teal, which is the loveliest blue green!

Just click “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of this page (or any Ped page) to be whisked to the Flap, where a magic code awaits to enable you to knock 20% off the price at checkout.

So, head over to the Ped site to find your favorite blue to help you keep the blues at bay. Only blue skies for Ped fans!

Hey, Ped fans, I just got back from my twice-yearly trip to Paris, where I scouted out all kinds of wonderful things for you to enjoy in Fall 2010. Let’s just say you have a lot to look forward to!

I started off the trip by spending a rainy day in Milan visiting Fiorentini + Baker and hunting for cool, new shoe designers. As usual F+B wowed me with their fabulous boots—get ready for an over-the-knee knockout(!!!) and a chunky-heeled ankle boot coming your way in autumn! I am smitten with F+B’s blue and green leathers, plus there’s a beautiful new grey called “rabbit.” Are you wondering if I discovered any new designers to add to Ped’s lineup? YES, I did! I don’t want to name names just yet, but I found three—one from Israel, one from Belgium, and one from Barcelona, Spain—who all create unusual and beautifully made designs! I can’t wait for you to see them!

It may have been rainy at the Duomo di Milano, but Amy's smile was still sunny!

My shoe friend Amy from Virginia was also in Milan, so we battled the rain and went out for a “light” dinner. Let me tell you, going “light” in Italy is impossible—we feasted on bruschetta, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, and ravioli in cream sauce. Yum!

Then it was off to Paris for five days! While there, I picked out new Antipast items, which you will love, and swooned over Sophie Digard’s latest designs. Cross your fingers because I’m hoping she’ll make us some arm warmers for chilly days next fall! Karin Wagner took the train from Switzerland to deliver her latest wonders to me in person! How sweet was that?

Sophie Digard (center) flanked by her lovely staff amid her gorgeous scarves!

As usual, Rafi from Cydwoq and I went to our favorite Lebanese restaurant to talk shop. I also drank coffee and discussed new styles for Ped with Trippen’s Michael and Claudia. And we had a Seattle Ped reunion when I ran into former Ped employees, Nealy and Nicole! The days were so full that I didn’t have any time to sightsee or shop this go-round, but I did enjoy my morning walks through the Jardin des Tuileries on the way to work (although, brrr, it was brisk—26 degrees)!

Children sailing boats in the Jardin des Tuileries. What a wonderful walk to work!

I came back happy and satisfied from a very productive trip! Although I’m in no hurry to rush through spring and summer, wow, is Ped ever ready to dazzle you in Fall 2010! You’re going to smile, I promise!

Whoohoo—everyone is having such a blast in the Ped warehouse with all the new shipments arriving! It’s one thing to pick out what styles to offer from various designers, and it’s another to have them in our hot little hands! Every box that lands on the doorstep guarantees another round of oohs and aahs when we open it.

A running theme in this season’s sandals and shoes is a focus on the ankle. When I was little, I remember hearing people say a woman had “a well-turned ankle.” I always loved that phrase! So, it’s especially fun to know Ped’s customers are going to have ankles worth a second look this season! Whether wrapped in laces or encircled with sexy straps, the ankles of anyone wearing one the following numbers are destined to be “well-turned.”

Lots of Ped fans love Cydwoq’s Bare sandal. Well, Cydwoq’s Rafi has taken the best of the Bare and amped up the heat by adding an ankle strap. Behold the new Naked:

S-s-s-sizzling! Say no more.

Speaking of Cydwoq, the ever-popular Defend is back this year, sporting a sassy new copper color:

Two, two, two ankle straps are better than one! Well, for some gals, at least. (As Tim Gunn would say, “Chacon a son gout.”)

You say you want even more? Trippen hears you! Get an eyeful of the gorgeous Exotic wedge:

Now that’s a strappy ankle strap (don’t worry, it’s not as complicated as it looks)! And this peep-toe stands on Trippen’s oh-so-comfortable t-shaped wedge. Sexy and comfortable—that’s the way we like it at Ped!

But maybe you’re one of those gals who lives for clogs, in which case, Trippen hears you again! How cool is the wooden sole on Trippen’s new Ritzy?

We just can’t get enough of that window in the heel! We love how its airiness finds an echo in the way the ankle strap wraps.

Speaking of wrapping, Trippen also excels at designing styles with laces that twine and vine around your ankle. Case in point, the cuter-than-cute Fish:

We love how Trippen leaves the way you wrap this flat’s double laces to your whim—vine and tie them in front, twine and tie them in back, whatever you fancy.

If you’re a Fiorentini + Baker fan (and who isn’t?), you’re going to swoon over the gladiator-inspired Tessa:

Now that’s a sandal guaranteed to turn your ankle into an attention magnet! Wow–and it’s red, our favorite, although it also comes in black.

Still we know some Ped gals prefer to be a little more understated. Argila’s Elsie is demure without being a bit boring (it’s got that girl-next-door sex appeal going for it):

So pretty! Plus, it’s wonderful to wear and will go with pretty much everything in your spring and summer wardrobe.

These are just a few angles on how to enhance your ankles! Click over to Ped to find even more ways to get that well-turned look! We know you’re going to heat up the joint!