Ped fans, you know we are all about beautiful, fun, artistic and comfortable shoes, but style cannot live on shoes alone. It needs a few other items to make it zing—like zesty socks or an eye-opening scarf or the perfect bag!

We’ve already introduced you to our fresh line of Bon Homme socks, but we have new goods in the Ped house from Antipast, Epice, Sophie Digard, and Trippen, too, to amp up your flair as the temperature drops. Let’s take a look!

As always, Emiko and Junko at Antipast have made it easy to walk through fall and winter with a smile, thanks to their always-fun sock designs! Even if you’re not quite ready for snow yet, who can resist Antipast’s Snowball socks?

We love the shift in color and dot size from top to bottom!

Snow also inspires  the charm of Antipast’s Winter Skier Socks:

These sweethearts have everything we like: stripes, dots, colors, and a fun narrative! Prefer your socks longer? You’re in luck because we also have Winter Skier Knee Highs!

On the other hand, maybe you’d rather have your woolies remind you of warmer days, in which case the Antipast Spangle Knee Highs are singing your song:

Birds, beasts, and blooms—it doesn’t get any better than these beauties! By the way, we also have trouser-length Spangle Socks.

Now that your toes are toasty, let’s sample a few lovely ways to bedeck your neck! When it comes to exquisitely loomed textiles, Epice has our hearts! The new Licorice Scarf  is the sweetest way to spice up an overcast day:

A solid-color wool coat becomes infinitely more interesting when you add a lick of Licorice!

If you prefer to keep cozy in a more understated way, perhaps Epice’s Lunares Scarf will light up your sky:

Luminous ivory moons dot the charcoal background, all sweetly bordered by ivory and periwinkle stripes. (We also have offer this woolen beauty in royal blue with golden lunettes.)

Sophie Digard also has moons on her mind this season! Bask in the dazzling glow of her Velvet Lune Scarf:

Soft velvet moons shine from within hundreds of hand-crocheted merino wool squares! Your fans will be starstruck when you wrap this gorgeous scarf around your neck!

Another multi-textured masterpiece is the Sophie Digard Manouche Scarf:

Velvet and wool squares of all sizes mix it up in this wearable work of art!

Perhaps our favorite of the new Sophie Digard scarves, though, is the Cercle Pop Scarf:

We adore the fresh colors of this crocheted mosaic of joy, guaranteed to make winter days a lot more fun!

Your ankles are covered, and your neck is nice and warm, so all that’s left is to find a stylish way to carry your essentials! Happily, the genius German shoemakers at Trippen have now ventured into designing fantastic bags! Need to haul a lot? Check out the spacious Trippen Claudia Bag:

You can tell how buttery the leather is just by looking at it! Choose either the black version of the Claudia pictured here or the equally beautiful and versatile brown version.

Need to carry a little less? Then sling the Trippen Carola Bag over your shoulder:

We love this boxy little bag—so streamlined and modern!

Of course, there’s still more to see over at Ped’s main site. So rise up and accessorize—it’s the easy way to add soul to your soles!

(Psst, the Sweet Treat this week is the Argila Madrid boot. Let your inner cowgirl kick up her heels by clicking “be sweet to your feet” at the bottom of the box on the left of most Ped pages, which will take you to the Madrid’s page, where you will find a magic code that will bring 20% off at checkout! Yee-ha!)

Ped fans, it has been quite a while since I’ve gotten swept away by a new line! But off my heart went when I discovered Bonne Maison at the Paris Accessories show last March! Truly, love at first sight!

French for “good home,” Bonne Maison offers socks that give your toes a beautiful place to live! Using the finest Egyptian cotton, spun and dyed in Italy, Bonne Maison creates the loveliest patterns to liven up your legs, all produced in a small family-owned factory in France. Here are a couple photos to give you an idea of their headquarters:

A worker overseeing a Bonne Maison knitting machine. (Image courtesy of Bonne Maison.)

Beautiful yarns about to become beautiful socks. (Photo courtesy of Bonne Maison.)

Ready to see the textile wizardry worked by these machines? Get ready to ooh and aah!

The way to get any day off to a good start is to put on Bonne Maison’s Colorful Bird socks. Talk about an instant pick-me-up!

Perhaps you’re more inclined toward geometric rather than representative patterns? Check out these sweet Peas socks:

Bold and fun, these dot-a-rific socks are easy to wear with almost anything!

“Flowers, give me flowers,” you say? Done and in the prettiest way:

The pattern and colors of these Autumn Flower Knee Highs are soooooo luscious! (Don’t be surprised when you find yourself building outfits around your socks!)

Ped fans, you know how much we love a good stripe! Bonne Maison clearly has our number:

Bonne Maison calls these Calm Stripe socks, and although they’re understated and soothing, they still have just the right zest! We adore the contrasting toe, heel, and top band!

We’ve saved our favorite pattern for last. Who can resist the charm of Bonne Maison’s Rabbit Knee High?

Every time we look at the tiny bunnies hopping amid the flowers, we go weak in the knees! Sweet for your feet, indeed!

Such soulful homes for your deserving soles! You may find yourself living in beautiful Bonne Maison.

Photo courtesy of Bonne Maison.

(Yes, we DO have the fantastic Diamond Socks pictured above—now you just need some lemons to accessorize…)

(As long as we’re making parenthetical statements, you still have a couple days left to snag this week’s Sweet Treat, the chic and edgy Coclico Tecla! Just click “be sweet to your feet” at the bottom of the box on the left of most Ped pages to land at the Tecla with the discount code that will bring 20% off at checkout!)

As daylight dwindles and the mercury sinks lower, the sock drawer once again opens. Yawn.

Wake up! If you think putting on socks is as exciting as watching paint dry, you clearly need to sass up how you warm your toes! Pulling on the woolies can be wonderful with a little help from Emiko and Junko, the Japanese mother-daughter team behind Antipast!

This season’s shipment of Antipast goodies just arrived at the Ped warehouse, and every whimsical pair puts the “fun” in “functional” and brings out the “win” in “winter”! Take a look:

When the days go grey, what we really crave is color and lots of it! Antipast to the rescue:

We are mad for all things striped, so these Gradation socks are just the ticket! We think their architectural pattern is reminiscent of the window-paned walls of Mies van der Rohe’s buildings. (Like knee-highs? You’re in luck!)

Stripes are terrific, but we also love dots. Put the two together, and you’ve got a party down below! Behold Antipast’s cute-as-can-be Candy Knee Highs:

How fun are these? Imagine how jazzy these sweethearts would look with short-ish skirts and mary janes or ankle boots! (Prefer trouser-length socks? You can still have your stripes and dots!)

Stripes also add a dash of fun to Antipast’s Cokrico socks:

We love wearing florals in winter because it reminds us of spring. The bouquets on the Cokrico are like a garden party for your ankles! (Want even more flowers? Pull on the knee high version!)

Need something a little more subdued (though never boring)? How about Antipast’s Pearl Shower Knee Highs?

Strands of pearls cascade from a central medallion, draping across a geometric diamond pattern. The toes, heels, and top band provide a pop of brilliant color. (You can also go luxe with a trouser-length sock.)

Another “quiet” Antipast lovely is the Diamond Flower sock:

So pretty! Stylized clusters of flowers drift like colorful snowflakes across a subdued diamond-patterned background. (Yes, we have knee highs in this pattern, too!)

Sometimes it’s kind of a shame shoes and boots inevitably cover up Antipast’s artistry. Case in point: this season’s beautiful Peace Bird socks:

Yes, the spectacular peacocks spreading their colorful tail feathers are the stars of the show, but the chevron stripes and windowpane pattern over the foot are stunning! (It can be your little art secret!)

We’ve saved the most eye-popping Antipast sock for the finale (and it’s our favorite): the New World Knee High!

Colorful camouflage? Look closer! These knee highs are alive with fantastic landscapes, rolling with woodland hills and pastures dotted with grazing cows. Stuck in a boring meeting? Just look down at your legs for a pick-me-up! (We also have trouser-length New Worlds!)

Who knew keeping your tootsies toasty could be so much fun? Just think how many people’s days you’ll brighten simply by wearing your Antipast out and about!

(Any of Antipast’s knee highs would look fantastic topping off this week’s Sweet Treat, Cydwoq’s Pilot Boot! You have until Tuesday to take 20% off by clicking “be sweet to your feet” at the top of any Ped page, which will whisk you to the Pilot, where you’ll find the magic code to enter at checkout.)

We love shoes at Ped—no surprise there!—but we’re also crazy about accessorizing them with socks! Sure, Ped’s shoes are comfortable barefoot, but pairing them with the fun funkiness of a pair of Antipast or Mia Zia socks gives a whole new twist to their personalities! And socks aren’t just for chilly days anymore—wearing a cute pair with sandals is all the rage on the runways this year!

Think how sassy any of the following would look with, say, Fiorentini + Baker’s Eliza Oxford, Vialis’s Eloisa, or even Chie Mihara’s Yoisho (for those of you who like to go bold with your style)!

It’s always a party at Ped HQ when we get a shipment from Antipast! Mother-daughter team, Emiko and Junko take such a playful approach to design. One of our Antipast favorites this season is the La Vie en Rose ankle sock:

A garden of flowers bloom across this sweet number, but what makes it really special is the sheer area just below elastic ruching at the top! Innovative and eye-catching!

Another dazzler, which looks particularly great with a knee-length or shorter skirt, is Antipast’s Spangle Knee High:

Fun and bubbly! We smile every time we look at the way the looping part of the pattern combines with the ruffly top! (We also have Antipast’s Spangle goodness in a trouser-length sock.)

An even more colorful, bubbly style is Antipast’s Puzzle Dots Sock:

There’s an ongoing debate in the warehouse about whether this trouser-length sock looks more like lollipops or a colorful honeycomb. One thing we all agree on, though, is how fab it is! (Ped also has the Puzzle Dots pattern in a knee-high.)

Everyone knows how much we go gaga for stripes. Happily, both Antipast and Mia Zia have satisfied our stripe craving this spring! First, Antipast’s Beach Chair Knee High:

This zesty knee high is perfectly named because its stripes recall those great canvas chairs we love to lounge in by the sea! If you like your socks on the shorter side, though, the Beach Chair stripes are also available in trouser-length.

Mia Zia also has stripes galore for adding zing to your spring and summer:

For stripe lovers, it doesn’t get any better than Mia Zia’s cottony-wonderful Mini Stripe socks! (They also come in a knee-high version.) Here’s an idea for a modern look:

That’s Mia Zia’s Mini-Stripe sock in Olive paired with the Vialis Eloisa.

For sheer, unabashed fun, though, the hands-down (feet-down?) sock winner is Antipast’s Jungle Check Sock:

Only Antipast would think to mix a cheetah print with a gingham pattern in summer colors! We are smitten! (Want even more? There’s a Jungle Check Knee High!)  If you feel like pulling the stops out on your style, then how about this combo:

That’s Antipast’s Jungle Check in purple paired with Chie Mihara’s Yoisho! We admit it’s a “lot of look,” as Tim Gunn would say, but it’s also crazy, flirty fun!

Whenever an outfit needs a colorful pick-me-up, our best advice is to rock the socks!

(By the way, this week’s Sweet Treat is Coclico’s sizzling Lucifer heeled sandal! Just click “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of any Ped page and be transported to the Lucifer with the magic check-out code that will let you set the world on fire for 20% off!)
Tweet

Everyone at Ped HQ is glad the days are finally growing longer here in the northern hemisphere, but it will still be a while before green leaves deck the bare-limbed trees. Which is why we love anything and everything floral this time of year! A few blossoms here and there remind us that, no matter how gray the wintry day, spring is not too far off.

So, even when there’s snow, here are a few ways to still have your garden grow.

Swiss textile artist Karin Wagner understands the power of the flower, and her hand-felted accessories are guaranteed to make you (and everyone around you) smile!

What could be more welcome than Karin’s cheerful Daffodil Ring on an icy day? Having a yellow flower blooming on your hand is just the tonic for the mid-winter blues!

If  rings are not your thing, you can always pin a bold flower, like this Edelweiss Brooch, to your winter coat:

What a way to start a conversation! Get ready to hear the following over and over: “I love your pin! Can I ask where you got it?”

Sophie Digard, that Parisian queen of crochet, has also created a wonderful sprig of flowers to enliven your woolen sweaters:

We love Sophie’s whimsy in including a striped linen blossom in her Three Flower Brooch.

Several of Sophie Digard’s cozy scarves are also abloom with flowers!

The tufted velvet centers of the one-of-a-kind blossoms strewn across this smokey lavender wool Wildflower Scarf are so charming. (This beauty is also available in a sassafras green linen version).

Another wonderful floral scarf is Epice’s Lake Como Scarf:

The orange border on this finely loomed wool wonder gives it such zest, plus the Lake Como Scarf is wide enough that you can wear it as a shawl—a garden for your shoulders!

Or you could let Antipast’s flower-decked socks sprout on your legs!

These over-the-knee Source of the Earth cuties would look terrific with a short skirt and a pair of oxfords or ankle boots! They’re guaranteed to put a springy spring in your step!

Of course, when I think of fun flowers, my mind always turns to Pepita’s Florinda necklace:

My love affair with Pepita’s fantastic jewelry began with this necklace. As soon as I tried it on, it had to be mine! I still smile every time I wear it (which is often)!

So, don’t let winter’s barren landscape get you down—plant your own garden of style and let the sunshine in!

(And, hey, if you’re chilly, have you checked out this week’s “sweet treat”? It’s Epice’s sinfully soft Chevron Scarf loomed from cashmere and wool! Mmmmm! Just click “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of any Ped page to land at the Chevron Scarf with the magic code that will bring you a 20% discount when entered in the box at checkout. De-lish!)