HAPPY NEW YEAR, Ped fans! Everyone here at Ped HQ hopes your 2014 is off to a fantastic start! Thanks to longtime Ped fan, Peggy R., ours certainly is!

Peggy’s Tale of the Sole is simply beyond wonderful to us—it’s like a giant hug sprinkled with sugar! Here is what she sent:

In 1998, I got my first pair of shoes from Ped, a pair of Giraudon oxfords, and I was immediately hooked on wearing cool shoes! Whenever we were in Seattle, we headed to Pioneer Square to visit Ped and, hopefully, make a purchase. There was just something about wearing great shoes that made me smile and feel so good! Once Dayna opened Ped online, it was hard to pass up the incredible styles. So…. I have a lot of fabulous shoes, handbags, and treasures from Ped!

Peggy’s first catalog from Ped! (We’re so flattered she kept it.)

I decided this fall to document my Ped collection on a daily basis. The challenge was to wear a different pair of shoes or something that I had purchased from Ped for the entire month of December. I called it “The 31 days of Ped.”

The first 12 days of Peggy’s “31 Days of Ped.”

Being a nurse, the workdays were a bit of a challenge—lots of Trippen, a few Cydwoq, and sometimes just my beautiful Antipast socks. Many of my coworkers, as well as patients and their family members, commented on my shoes. I’ve shared Ped with a lot of people!

Days 13-23 of Peggy’s “31 Days of Ped.”

On my off days, it was easier to wear my boots, heels and—thanks to the warm December we had in Sacramento—even a few of my sandals. And every day I smiled!

The final eight days of Peggy’s “31 Days of Ped.”

Dayna and I have had many conversations on the phone over the years. She knows what styles I’ll like and what shoes will fit my feet. I appreciate Ped’s quality and the incredible customer service—but mostly, I like knowing where to get the most fabulous shoes! Dayna has said to me, “Fashion starts with the feet.” And I believe it’s true! Thanks Ped for making me smile!

Oh, Peggy!!! Your smile can’t be any brighter than ours after reading your Tale of the Sole! THANK YOU for starting our new year off with a big burst of Ped love!

We’re delighted to give Peggy $100 in Ped credit as a small token of our HUGE appreciation!

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!

It seems like yesterday we were dancing through March and April, trying on all the new sandals in the Ped warehouse. Now we’re already in the second week of August? How did that happen??? We’re sad to see the long days of summer grow short, but one consolation to their coming to an end is the arrival of fall’s beautiful shoes and boots!

Want more good news? You don’t have to wait until the leaves start to turn to wear them! Ankle boots and heeled oxfords look terrific and utterly modern with flirty summer skirts!

Here’s a taste, fresh out of the boxes arriving daily at Ped HQ, to whet your appetite:

Who can resist the charms of Chie Mihara’s Vaive?

Yes, we’ve had this wonderful, rosette-embellished oxford before, but not in VIOLET!!! What a fabulous, head-turning color to take you through the rest of summer and right into fall!

Another old favorite that’s just arrived in a new color scheme is Giraudon’s Plug Loafer:

The latte-colored toe really calls attention to the wonderful perforated leather in Giraudon’s design. So cute!! We love the idea of pairing this play on men’s wear with a flouncy, girly dress!

Another colorful new style for transitioning from summer into fall is the Cydwoq Buckle:

The Italian leather in this über-modern flat is the most wonderful blend of wine and black. The zig-zag strap and square buckle also offer a refreshing break from all the lace-ups that are everywhere this season (not that we don’t adore lace-ups—we definitely do!).

We’re excited about all the new styles at Ped, but we confess one little boot has us in a particular tizzy: Cydwoq’s Iota!

We’ve loved a lot of lace-up ankle boots in the past, but, without a doubt, the Iota is our favorite engineer boot EVER! The way the leather comes together is wonderful, but what we like best is how the leather is an “aging” black, which means over time it acquires a brownish patina. So cool! In Japan, they have a special term, sabi, for the beauty that comes with time and wear!

Needless to say, there are more new designs to ooh and aah over at Ped’s main site, with still more on the way! Stay tuned, Ped fans because the sun may be setting on summer, but this fall promises to be spectacular!

Some of you Ped fans have let us know how much you adore clogs! It’s true there’s nothing like the feeling of wood beneath your feet—so solid yet comforting. But we wouldn’t be Ped if we simply offered run-of-the-mill clogs, especially when we know your toes want to be free to enjoy the summer! So, we combed our sources to find a few especially beautiful wood-bottomed sandals that will speak to your stylish souls as well as your soles.

Although we hate to play favorites (we truly love all our shoes), Trippen’s Ritzy is the stand-out style of the season:

It is just IT! Starting with the fabulous way the supple black leather crisscrosses and wraps around your ankle and ending with how the wooden sole gives you a window on the world beneath your heel, the Ritzy is like no other sandal out there. Fun, edgy, and sexy!

Another clog sandal with head-turning power is Giraudon’s Riley:

The lines of this airy peep-toe are so interesting, and we love how the ankle lacing gives the subtle suggestion of an ankle boot. Absolutely of the moment! (And the gold lining is so fun!)

But maybe what you like in a clog is the ability to just slip it on and go, in which case Trippen has your number with the Zen:

Nothing could be simpler to wear, yet the Zen still has enough ‘zazz to make any outfit juicy! After all, who doesn’t love a red sandal?

Another easy-to-wear style with a sole of hand-sculpted wood is the Cydwoq Revolt, a perennial Ped favorite:

Cute and practical, this sandal makes a great traveling companion (slide off, slide on when navigating airport security). And because it’s from Cydwoq, you know the Revolt’s leather will comply with the shape of your individual foot for a custom fit.

So, clog lovers, choose whichever wood-soled siren sings your name, and take a solid step into summer!

(Psst, just fyi, this week’s “sweet treat,” Cydwoq’s Proud, will only be especially sweet for a couple more days, so click “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner for 20% off while you still can.)

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!