Here at Ped, we love organic materials—leather, wool, cotton, wood! Plus we we have a sentimental soft spot for clogs. But old-school clogs with wooden soles, are often, um, how shall we say, frumpy? And, as Ped fans know, “frumpy” and Ped simply do not mix!

Fortunately, some of our favorite designers have taken a new turn with wood, creating shoes, clogs, and sandals, where the only adjectives beginning with “f” that spring to mind are fantastic, fabulous, and FUN! Of course, each sole is meticulously cut, sculpted and sanded by hand for maximum comfort and pizazz! Behold a few of our woody favorites:

Proving a wood sole can be unbelievably chic, Ellen Verbeek’s Caressa is a total knockout!

Ellen Verbeek perfectly balances the elements—the mix of colors, the lacing in the back, and the cutout wooden wedge—for maximum impact! We especially love how the black strap circles through the cutout under the instep. So cool!

Another sexy heeled sandal with an ingenious design is Coclico’s Lucifer:

Notice how the bottom strap is actually a t-strap that ducks under the others to meet up with cutout straps at the ankle! For you gals who love adding a few inches to your height, the Lucifer‘s 4.25″ wooden heel lets you rise above the crowd, while the 1″ wooden platform up front keeps the pitch comfortable at 3.25″.

Ped’s newest line, Vic Matie, takes things in a slightly different direction by combining wooden soles with leather-wrapped heels. A beautiful example is the Allegra:

So sophisticated but also versatile, thanks to the Allegra‘s slate grey color—an ideal summer neutral. The hand-sculpted and sanded wooden sole feels wonderful against your bare skin!

Experimenting with more traditional clog construction while creating fun, kick-around-town styles, Vialis has the hippest wood in the house this season. Check out the Gabriela:

The way this sandal clog’s straps weave in and out over the toe calls to mind a fisherman’s sandal—if a fisherman’s sandal were super-stylish and sassy! Another thing we love is the meticulous way the leather is stapled to the sole. Craftsmanship!

If you prefer nails to staples, then take a look at Vialis’s cute-as-can-be Delfina slingback:

So much to love from the sweet lacing to the “asphalto” suede (a stellar greyish brown with just a smidgeon of green) to the padded insole! The Delfina is ideal for wearing with summer skirts and walking shorts!

Of course, if you’re looking for the ultimate clog, one that pays homage to the classic style while taking it to a new level, then look no further than Fiorentini + Baker’s Zilla Clog:

Wow. Just wow. Ever fabulous, Fiorentini + Baker has taken the basic architecture of an old-school clog and made it irresistibly sexy and sophisticated! The Zilla‘s brass studding is simply to die for! Wow.

As always, there are plenty more wood-soled beauties to admire at Ped’s main site! So, wouldn’t you like a wooden shoe?

(Psst, this week’s Sweet Treat is also as comfortable as they come: Trippen’s foot-loving Casanova! Simply click “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of any Ped page to land at the Casanova with a discount code that will romance you with 20% off at checkout. Why not give in to Casanova’s charms?)
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Let’s face it, Ped fans, wearing heels can give you a boost beyond just a few inches in height. Heels are authoritative and at the same time feminine and glamorous. Plus, they make a gal’s gams look fantastic! “Sure,” you say, “but who wants to teeter with every step when our lives demand we go, go, go?”

Enter the wedge! Solving the problem of comfort and balance, while still maintaining the advantage of wearing a heel, the wedge is the answer when you want your style to stand out and stand up. And do we ever have wedges that wow this season! Take a gander:

We all agree the French know a thing or two about looking chic, so, of course, Accessoire’s wedges are magnifique!, like this Papaye:

How stunning is this sexy peep-toe? How luscious is that tulip pink? Every time we look at the Papaye, we fall in love all over again! (And for those of you who insist on black, Ped also has the Papaye in your favorite color.)

Another winning wedge from Accessoire, the Nairobi, has a lower profile, but is no less beautiful:

If you’re looking for one sandal to do it all— walk the dog, attend a meeting, go out to dinner, and jet off for a weekend in Madrid— the Nairobi is up to the challenge! And your feet will thank you because they’ll be sooooo comfortable!

Speaking of Spain, both Argila and Chie Mihara, our favorite Spanish designers, have lovely wedges in Ped’s lineup. First up, Argila’s Eliana:

This go-with-everything wedge is back by popular demand, and it’s just as fresh and sexy as ever! We love the buckled wrap at the ankle, which is so of the moment!

As only she can, Chie Mihara brings rich color and femininity together in one glorious wedge she calls the Ruala:

Illustrating how less is more, this sandal’s minimal design is dazzling! Plus, the marine blue hue is so deep and delicious you’ll practically want to dive into it!

You say you want a funkier edge to your wedge? Then Ellen Verbeek’s Elka is right up your alley!

We are down for the count when it comes to this beautifully made shoe!!! Inspired by a bowling shoe, this lace-up peep-toe is striking! (Okay, yes, that was a bad pun—but a bad pun about a gorgeous sandal!) And Elka’s edgy wedge is wooden!

Of course, if it’s urban artiness you’re after, Trippen has just the ticket in the Airy!

The design is deceptively simple, but the bold cut of the straps and studding over the ankle make this sandal super hip and modern! Trippen’s t-shaped wedge sole, however, is what will win your comfort-loving devotion.

And there are lots more wedges to help you step up your style over at Ped’s main site! Slip one on and find out what it means to be well-heeled!

(By the way, this week’s Sweet Treat is also funk-a-licious: Couple Of’s cutting-edge Zebra sandal! Click “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of any Ped page to land at the Zebra, with the discount code that will bring 20% off at checkout. You’re guaranteed to be all the buzz!)

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As much as we enjoy our winter woolens, we also enjoy putting them away when spring sails in with warmer weather! Nevertheless, we still need a little coziness in the early morning and after the sun goes down. Plus, it’s nice to to spice up a summer outfit with an extra dash of color and pattern. Just in time to fulfill both needs are the latest scarves from Epice and Sophie Digard!

Designed in Denmark and handcrafted by master weavers in India, Epice‘s gorgeous scarves are meticulously loomed from fine cotton and linen. Each is also wide enough to wear as a shawl when your shoulders get chilly. Meanwhile, Sophie Digard, the inimitable Parisian queen of crochet, always wows us with her linen creations that are light and soft wearable works of art!

Below is a sampling of our warm-weather favorites from Epice and Sophie!

Epice is famous for their imaginative use of color, exemplified by the bold, tropical palette of this new Casablanca Scarf:

Carmine, turquoise, yellow and khaki look so lively—it’s impossible to be in a bad mood when you have this fun linen and cotton scarf wound around your neck!

But if you prefer to make a quieter style statement, see what you think of Epice’s 100% linen Parisian Spring Scarf:

Graceful arabesques in cream dance across a warm gray background, perfectly accented with a patterned aqua border. So pretty!

Another Epice style that makes us sigh with delight is the Indian Summer Scarf:

A stylized floral pattern is interpreted in three different color combinations: cream and blue, grey and citron, and brown and turquoise. The ultralight fabric is 70% linen and 30% cotton, yielding a drop-dead gorgeous scarf that’s an ideal summer weight!

Of course, Sophie Digard knows to how thrill with flowers, too! Check out the sweetness of her new Love & Chance Scarf:

Handmade velvet posies scatter across this grass green linen scarf—the very essence of summer!!! As you know, I have a weakness for anything green, but Ped also offers the Love & Chance scarf in ecru for those of you who love all things cream.

Needless to say, Sophie  has created a slue of new crocheted designs in lovely linen. One of the loveliest is the Confetti Scarf!

We keep picking up this scarf because its pattern of small diamonds interspersed among larger concentric circles—each with a tufted velvet center—is so mesmerizing. The variation in colors is delicious against a background of pale blue. (Use the “zoom” tool to fully appreciate this beauty!)

But perhaps our favorite of all the wonderful scarves this season is Sophie Digard’s super-super-super-cool Ecouter Summer Scarf:

The design of this scarf is so innovative!!! Sophie crochets an open honeycomb in a juicy summer palette of pink, turquoise, red, mustard, blue, and more on one half of the Ecouter’s length; on the other half, she uses the same palette to create tiny parallel stripes that separate and twist into fantastic fringe at the end! Did I mention the Ecouter is super cool? It’s SUPER COOL! (We also have the Ecouter Scarf in a springy pastel palette.)

And there are more designs from both Epice and Sophie Digard to dazzle you at Ped’s main site. Whether you’re looking for a light wrap or a beautiful and unique accessory to enliven your wardrobe, Epice and Sophie Digard have you covered!

(Psst, you have just one more day to enjoy a 20% discount on Chie Mihara’s Lorensa as this week’s sweet treat. Click “be sweet to your feet” in the top right corner of any Ped page to reach the Lorensa with the discount code that makes the price extra nice at checkout.)

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Ped fans, you may remember last fall I returned from the European shoe shows all excited about a new line I’d found for Ped: Vic Matié from Italy. I was impressed that Vic Matié’s shoes are created start to finish in a small-town factory by a dedicated group of designers and craftsmen who work collaboratively to produce beautiful shoes of first-rate quality and first-rate comfort.

Well, good news, they’re finally here!!! And were they ever worth the wait! Behold the fabulousness of Vic Matié!

We immediately fell for the charms of the sexy Belladonna sandal! This season it’s all about the ankle, and this strap-and-buckle sandal will make the most of yours! Add in the 3.5″ heel and the seductive zipper up the back, and you’ve got deadly style!

Sandal boots are another look we love—so modern and chic! Vic Matié’s Luisa is one of our favorites:

The contrast of the soft suede shaft (which feels wonderful against your skin) with the matte leather straps is so delicious! Pair the Luisa with a floaty feminine dress, and you’ll look like you just stepped off a European runway.

Another ultra-edgy flat sandal that will inspire shoe envy in everyone who sees you is Vic Matie’s Elda:

Composed of countless rolled-leather straps, all meticulously made, the Elda is unlike any other sandal you’ll see! So stunning and so comfortable—this zipped-back sandal’s leather sole molds to your individual foot with wear.

If you’re looking for something a little girlier, perhaps with a wooden sole (another current trend we love), then feast your eyes on the Allegra:

We think it’s so cool how Vic Matié has combined a wooden sole with a beautifully contoured wrapped-leather heel! Every aspect of this sandal is gorgeous, from the silver rivets that attach the upper to the sole, to the thong that artfully laces the front section to the back, to the go-with everything slate-grey leather!

But if you’re in the mood to stop traffic—and we mean bring it to a screeching halt while drivers and pedestrians all rubberneck to get a better look at your cool shoes—then Vic Matié’s Sienna is the ticket!

This sandal is so devastatingly sexy that perhaps it should come with a warning label: “May cause cardiac arrest in those who see the wearer.” The wooden sole, the zipper up the back, the cage-like leather straps, and leather-wrapped heel—what a knockout combo!

Now you understand why I was so thrilled to add Vic Matié to the Ped family—even if the inherent hotness of the styles raise the temperature in the warehouse by a few degrees! Summertime is going to be that much sweeter when you sashay through it in a pair of Vic Matié sandals!

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We’re hearing from many Ped fans that spring is teasing them this year! Just when they think it’s all green grass and tulips, along comes another snowstorm to bury the tender buds in the garden (and their sunny moods).

Ped understands, which is why we’ve put all our Karin Wagner jewelry on sale—so you can have flowers in your life that will never wilt! Hand felted in Switzerland, Karin’s wool pins, rings, and vines bloom with unique style that is always fresh.

Even if your jonquils are suffering from frostbite, you can still get a dose of yellow-flower joy with Karin Wagner’s Daffodil Ring:

Like a sunny day for your hand, this ring was pretty at $98, but it’s even lovelier at $79.

Karin’s Lilia Ring also sings, “Spring!” in a big, beautiful way!

We love the sheer drama of it! Plus, the diamond cutouts on the petals are so unusual (not to mention a true handmade labor of love). Terrific at $178, it’s an even bigger wow at $139!

If you like rings but prefer to make a quieter statement, Karin’s Anemone Ring talks a little more softly.

Tempting at $48, it’s even more inviting at $38.

Perhaps you prefer the versatility of pins—after all, the placement is up to you! We love Karin Wagner’s Rose Brooch for just that reason!

Pin it anywhere and instantly become a femme fatale! Stunning at $124, it’s truly stellar at $98.

The ways to wear Karin Wagner’s works of art are endless. Why not use a pin as a barrette, as we’ve done with the Clochette Brooch?

We guarantee you’ll have the prettiest hair wherever you go! Wonderful at $104, this little bouquet is even better at $79.

Speaking of versatile, Karin Wagner’s vine necklaces offer lots of options—drape one around your neck, entwine it in your tresses, or perhaps wind it around the strap of your handbag!

What could be fresher any day of the year than this Daisy Necklace? Worth smiling over at $164, it’s even more cheerful at $129.

One of our all-time favorite pieces here at Ped HQ is Karin Wagner’s Magnolia Vine:

What a show stopper! This necklace is so pretty you’ll want to keep it out as art even when you’re not wearing it. Smashing at $182, it’s irresistible at $139!

And there are more wonderful Karin Wagner pieces blooming at sweet prices at Ped’s main site! Go ahead—pick the flowers!

(Speaking of sweet, Ped’s sweet treat this week will make you want to eat dessert before dinner! It’s Fiorentini + Baker’s fabulous Mike Boot!!!! Click “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of any Ped page to land at the Mike Boot with the magic discount code that will bring 20% off at checkout! DELICIOUS! And style nutritious!)
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