Ped fans, it’s been a while since we’ve posted a Tale of the Sole, and since summer makes us long for a vacation, it’s the perfect time to tell the following tale. Let’s join Ped fan Anna for a vicarious jaunt to London. Here’s her report about her Ped-happy trip:

This fall I travelled to London. Black Trippen Casanovas were the perfect choice for spending hours on a plane and at the airport, as well as for extensive walking on stone-paved streets. I felt stylish yet comfortable even when I was on my feet all day.

Wearing her Casanovas, Anna takes in the ornamental monkeys at the Tower of London. (Luckily, wire-mesh primates can’t get their paws on her Flap Bag!)

The Casanovas are a great shoe since they can be easily slipped on and off.  They are casual enough to be worn all day but can also be dressed up in the evening.

Anna’s Casanovas go for a whirl and take in the view on the London Eye.

I carried all of my essentials in my black Cydwoq flap bag, which was roomy enough to also store small souvenir purchases, maps, and, of course, snacks.  The leather and style of both the shoes and bag go with just about anything in my wardrobe!

London calling! Anna looks cracking in her Trippen and Cydwoq!

I received compliments from several women who teach fashion design in the University Arts London. They immediately recognized my Trippens and wanted to know where I got them (and, of course, I shared with them my source!)  Thank you, Ped, for keeping my travels fun and stylin’!

THANK YOU, Anna, for spreading the Ped love across the pond and making us smile!

As a token of gratitude for sharing her travel tale, Ped is delighted to give Anna a $100 gift certificate!

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!

So far, Summer 2013 has been a doozy, Ped fans! Chilly days! Sweltering days! Stormy days!

But here’s one forecast guaranteed to make you smile: sunshine and blue skies at the Ped Summer Sale! Those gorgeous sandals you’ve had your eye on since March? Chances are they now have an even prettier price!

Below is just a sample of the bargains currently bursting into bloom at Ped:

One of our favorite sandals this season is Accessoire’s Alabama because it’s vintage-girly and unlike anything else strolling down the street:

Everything about this comfortable sweetheart—from the combo of coral suede and printed leather to its air of 1940s Hollywood—is unusual and beautiful. Lovely at $358, it’s stunning at $179!

Another shoe that charms with a variety of leathers is the Chie Mihara Isias oxford:

The Isias is also available in a rosy version, but we’re fond of the mix pictured because a good metallic shines especially brightly in the summertime! Sparkling at $388, the Isias dazzles at $299!

If you fancy an all-metallic oxford, Fiorentini + Baker has your number with the Gip:

The Italian attention to detail is spectacular! lFor instance, the pinked edge of the tongue sends the Gip into the stratosphere of style! Fun at $458, it’s a party for your feet at $358!

Looking for an everyday shoe that’s more understated? Consider the streamlined beauty of the Cliff Dweller Norma:

When a shoe is cut to perfection, it doesn’t need bells and whistles to get whistles! Gorgeous at $238, the Norma‘s a knockout at $189! (It also comes in blue.)

If you like a run-around flat but long for a zing of color, say hello to the Vialis Pilar!

Simple yet saucy, the Pilar will instantly become your favorite! The only question is whether to pick cherry red suede (pictured) or curry mustard suede? Zesty at $212, the Pilar‘s spice is even nicer at $169!

Cydwoq has some particularly lovely flats this season, too, such as the airy Cover:

The holy grail of shoes, the Cover effortlessly goes from running errands Saturday afternoon out to a cocktail party in the evening! A find at $304, it’s a treasure at $239!

Of course, summer isn’t summer until your toes come out to play in a great pair of sandals! One of the best ever is the Cydwoq Copy:

Practical meets sexy in this fantastic sandal, which is also available in black. Bonus: its heel design makes the Copy an ideal traveling companion! Juicy at $216, it’s even more delicious at $169!

What’s that? You prefer a slide? Then perhaps the Cydwoq Hurricane has your name on it:

When you slip on this strap-happy and comfortable sandal, you’ll think, “This is the life!” (And you’ll be right!) Wonderful at $224, the Hurricane is a total pleasure at $179!

Even more fresh and breezy deals are waiting for you at Ped’s main site! Pick something pretty and let the sunshine in!

Shoes are our bread and butter here at Ped HQ, so we’re always interested when we run across news items focused on footwear (beyond what celebrity wore what because, well, ho-hum…). We thought you Ped fans might be interested, too, so we’re starting an occasional series about recent news featuring shoes, just in case you overlooked, er, overstepped it.

1) Hullabaloo over White House Counsel Kathryn Reummler’s Shoes

Question: If you were a White House lawyer in President Obama’s inner circle, what would you like The Washington Post to notice about you? Your impressive education? Your career path to the top? The legal advice you offer the leader of the free world? How about your shoes? No to that last one? Well, too late because Juliet Elprin already wrote an online piece all about Kathryn Reummler’s fondness for fancy footwear. Amusingly, the White House responded to the Post‘s request for a photo of Reummler’s shoes by sending over a pic of Reummler doing her job at a meeting in the Oval Office. Kudos, White House press office!

(Official White House photo by Pete Souza.)

To be fair, The Washington Post did publish this more journalistic profile of Reummler in the hard copy of the paper. Nevertheless, when has a newspaper ever deemed a male politico’s shoe choices worthy of multiple paragraphs? Quite a few outlets offered pointed critiques of the Post‘s sexist treatment of Reummler; two of the best are Irin Carmon’s take-down on Salon and Debbie Hines’ opinion piece on the Huffington Post.

2) Kinky Boots wins Tony for “Best Musical”

We are all smiles about the Broadway sensation Kinky Boots winning “Best Musical” at the Tony Awards on June 9, not only because Cyndi Lauper(!!!!) wrote the music and lyrics, but also because the show is a theatrical remake of the 2005 British film of the same name. If you haven’t seen either and you can’t get to NYC, by all means check out the movie because it is a hoot! The plot is based on a true story about a man who saved his family’s shoe factory by making boots for transvestites! It’s big fun! (And congrats on the multiple Tonys to Cyndi Lauper, playwright Harvey Fierstein, choreographer Jerry Mitchell, and lead actor Billy Porter!)

3) Graduate Student Finds Sole in Romance Novels

We first read about artist and grad student Rudi Bremer’s stunning shoes on Jezebel, but we got the lowdown (with lots of photos) at Smart Bitches Trashy Books, which aptly calls Bremer’s heels, “The Most Awesome Shoes in the Universe.” Bremer designed her decoupaged shoes, which feature steamy book cover art, to declare her identity as a lover of romance novels, noting,  “Often when people find out that I read romance novels they tell me I ‘don’t seem the type’ by which they mean I seem too smart/cynical/young/anti-cats to be a romance reader.” She calls her functional artwork, “The Sole of a Romantic” because she says, “I live for puns.” Shoes and puns?  She’s talking Ped’s language!

Rudi Bremer’s “The Sole of a Romantic.” (Photograph by Phil Verness.)

That’s a wrap for our first roundup of “Shoes in the News.” If you see something we should include in our next post, by all means, send us a link!

Step lively out there!

Ped fans, we know how it is. You fall in love with a pair of rockin’ shoes, sandals, or boots, but then you resist their siren call because you can’t envision what you’d wear them with—and who wants to spend money on something that’s lovely yet languishes in the closet?

Don’t despair, we’re here to help! Below, you’ll find ideas for how to wear several of our bolder designs this season. With luck, these outfits will jump-start your own creativity, and before you know it your imagination will be off and running with ways your sole desire would work with your wardrobe.

Not surprisingly, one of the most whimsical styles this season comes from Chie Mihara! Her Ingra is the essence of  “summer,” but its color palette may seem challenging at first glance. It’s actually more adaptable than you might think. Here’s one way we’d love to wear it:

This easy-going dress from Cotélac falls just above the knee, with a hint of a drop waist and a dash of 1920s pizazz, which works perfectly with the Ingra’s oxford sensibility. We’ve added Sophie Digard’s Etoiles necklace for added flapper-esque flair. Nothing here matches per se, but it all “goes” in a wonderful way! Sunday brunch, anyone?

Another Chie Mihara shoe that we adore is the Obara, with its mix of textures and colors. Don’t underestimate its versatility:

The lovely Accessoire Babeth is perfect for a night on the town, but it plays equally well as a casual day shoe:

We love the look of a wedge platform with cropped trousers—it’s the ideal antidote to frumpiness! We’re also all for mixing patterns! Combining Epice’s striped Montauk Scarf with the abstract floral of the Cotélac top creates a visual party that will have people smiling everywhere you go.

As every Ped fan knows, we advocate boots all year long, but we realize some people think boots and sundresses look a bit jeune. But they don’t have to, as illustrated by this use of Fiorentini + Baker’s Nicky Boot:

This is how to go retro-mod while still looking sexy and modern! The clean and bold lines of Cydwoq’s Bright Bag work beautifully with the dress and booties—three easy pieces for day-tripping in the city of your choice!

If your penchant for vintage runs to an earlier era, check out this idea for showing off the Vialis Zarita:

Red will always turn heads, especially when you look like a 1940s Hollywood starlet! (By the way, read this study of just how persuasive wearing red can be.) Just for fun, we’ve pushed the red envelope with Jamie Joseph’s knockout Round Carnelian Ring!

See? When you open your mind to the possibilities, every pair of Ped shoes becomes infinitely wearable! (Otherwise, we wouldn’t carry it.) The whole idea is to have fun with what you wear! Go forth and be bold with your soles!

It’s that time, Ped fans—our Spring Special is GO! Take 20% off any and all full-price goods by entering code “SPRING ZING” at checkout! The code expires at midnight PST on Friday, May 17, so you have four days to collect some spring treasure! On your marks, get set, shop! Most of all, have fun!

Clockwise from the top: Chie Mahara Sandia, Cydwoq Link, Accessoire Bonheur, Argila Delilah, Fiorentini + Baker Pilly, Chie Mihara Obara, Trippen Todi, Cliff Dweller Runner, Fiorentini + Baker Dina, Cydwoq Elect, Fiorentini + Baker Eliza Oxford, Vialis Zarita, Accessoire Bahia, and Cliff Dweller Mary.