Summer, summer, summer! Now that we’re adults, we work right through it, but we still have that kid feeling that school’s out, and suddenly, the world is full of freedom and possibility! And green is everywhere you look, which, of course, I love since it’s my favorite color!

Ped has lots of luscious green things, so you can remind yourself of summer any time of year.

It’s no secret that I am in LOVE with our latest boot from Fiorentini + Baker, the Eden:

Not only is it a tall drink of green (bonsai green, to be specific), it’s also so supple. I love the idea of this boot scrunched down and paired with a floaty summer dress.

Another recent addition to Ped’s green lineup is the wonderful Cydwoq Tourist:

Rafi at Cydwoq keeps refining the lace-up low boot, and this is his latest version! Perfect for walking and walking and then walking some more!

Trippen’s Octopus is another shoe designed to take you anywhere you need to go in cutting-edge, green style:

I love how the straps cross over your foot and then tie in a knot behind your heel! Trippen never fails to wow with its innovative designs!

If you’re a gal who prefers a heel, have we ever got a treat for you! The current star of the Ped warehouse: Chie Mihara’s Jupi!

Oxfords are IT for fall, and this is one of the prettiest we’ve seen. Plus, the forest green color is to die for!

Of course, green grows beyond merely shoes and boots at Ped. For instance, drink in the myriad greens in Pepita’s Giorgia necklace:

The way Pepita mixes antique hardware with soft beads is so unusual and fresh!

Speaking of fresh, Mia Zia’s Willow Scarf reminds us of sunny picnics and sweet-smelling grass:

The weave of this lime checked scarf is deliciously soft, and Mia Zia’s signature tassels automatically make any day more fun! (Plus, it’s on sale!)

Of course, there are more lovely green items sprouting all over Ped’s main site! So, spruce up your style with a touch of green and maintain a summery frame of mind all year long!

(By the way, this week’s “sweet treat” may not be green, but it’s named for something that swims in green water: Trippen’s Fish! Just click “be sweet to your feet” at the top of any Ped page to get to the discount code that will make this sweet shoe yours for a cool 20% off!)

One of our favorite things at Ped is receiving Tales of the Sole from customers. Every story is different, but they always put everyone at Ped HQ in a good mood! For instance, here’s what Heather wrote us on June 1:

Well Lovely Ped Folks, I am not sure if this qualifies as a tale, but its making has certainly been epic for me. I am pregnant with our first kiddo, due June 22nd. The first six months were no trouble in the style department, but boy howdy, when I hit the third trimester things got pretty boring in the sartorial department.

I have been pretty determined not to buy clothes that I know I’ll only need for three months, so the same handful of shirts it has been. And one might think that I could do a little spring sprucing with some of the fabulous shoes you’ve been getting in, but nope! I am one of those gals whose feet have gotten a wee bit bigger, so I knew that anything that fit now would not fit later.

What’s a girl to do for a little spring fashion under such circumstances? Buy the handbag of her dreams, that’s what! Last month’s sweet treat hooked me up with this gorgeous teal Cydwoq bag. I have been on The Bag hunt for, sheesh, years now, and it’s over. It’s the perfect size, wears delightfully over the shoulder or across the chest, the color is gorgeous, and the leather is super supple. It joins my ever growing collection of Cydwoq shoes, which have all aged and worn beautifully—I’m sure this bag will do the same!

Thanks for hooking a pregnant gal up just about when she lost her patience.

Heather and her Cydwoq Flap Bag---how to do nine months in style!

What a smile! Since she was due June 22, we hope congratulations are in order by now! Such a lucky baby to have such a beautiful mother!

See what we mean? Isn’t your day just a little brighter now? Thanks, Heather! For sharing her story, we’re delighted to send Heather $100 in Ped credit! (As a no-doubt exhausted new mom, she could probably use a little treat.)

Do you have a Tale of the Sole? Tell us—and show us (we LOVE pictures!!!)—what happened to you while wearing a Ped item, and you, too, might be the recipient of $100 in Ped credit. Each month we pick the most sole-ful tale to share on the blog. So, let us know what in the world you’ve been doing in your Ped!

(Did you notice Heather found her bag through the “Sweet Treat”? In case you don’t know, every week Ped chooses an item to offer at 20% off—and you never know what we’ll pick! So, when you visit Ped be sure to click “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of any page to discover the current “sweet treat” and receive the code for 20% at checkout. Sweet!)

Do you belong to the church of Chie Mihara? Because for anyone who has suffered through long hours in high heels, discovering Chie Mihara is like finding religion! This Spanish designer preaches (and practices) the gospel that beautiful and feminine shoes can also be comfortable!

Born in Brazil to Japanese parents, Chie Mihara studied fashion design in Japan and New York City before establishing her company in Spain. Her multicultural background comes into play whenever she designs a shoe: Brazil’s celebration of the feminine, Japan’s penchant for innovative design, the get-it-done practicality of NYC, and Spain’s appreciation of craftsmanship. Her vintage-inspired styles, embellished with playful details, all feature a footbed Chie designed specifically to accommodate a woman’s foot. And once you’ve walked a mile in her heels, you’ll never again be satisfied with anything less.

Our first shipment of Chie Mihara’s fall styles just arrived, and in a word: WOW! Witness for yourself:

Oxfords are all the rage right now, and Chie gives hers a feminine twist:

A blue leather lace-up with three rows of ruffles? Be still our shoe-loving hearts! The Chie Mihara Loti has us under its spell!

But maybe you’re a member of Team Mary Jane rather than Team Oxford (not that you have to choose):

Fact of life: You can never have too many red shoes! And when you find one as pretty as Chie’s red suede Nilon, why resist temptation? We guarantee you”ll have no regrets—only shoe-wearing joy!

You say what you really want is a gorgeous ankle boot? Chie, again, answers your prayers:

It’s as if Ms. Mihara has magically melded a Victorian lace-up with a riding boot and thrown in a little extra ‘zazz to create the Narista!

For those who like to amp up the volume both in terms of height and unabashed femininity, prepare to say oo-la-la:

Altogether now, “OOH-LA-LA!” The Vasca is the height of old-school Hollywood glamour!

We love that ocean blue leather, but some days we want to step into the world with bang-pow-razzle-dazzle-wow:

Hello, Veranito! This fringy, ruffled, fuchsia peep-toe is Chie’s gift to femme fetales everywhere! Go forth and be fabulous!

And there are five more equally amazing, new Chie styles at the main Ped site. So cast those misery-making, ankle-aching stilettos into the back of the closet, and shout, “Hallelujah!” because Chie Mihara’s heels are nothing short of heaven!

(And, just fyi, this week’s “Sweet Treat” is Trippen’s über edgy Stream sandal boot. Simply click “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of this page or any Ped page, and you’ll land at the Stream with the magic code to give you 20% off at checkout.)

Ped fans, did you hear about the discovery of the oldest known leather shoe? Archaeologists found it in an Armenian cave, and scientific testing has determined the lace-up bootie dates to 3653–3627 B.C. (holy cow!) and was worn by woman on her approximately size 7 right foot. Although its mate is missing,  there is no doubt a prehistoric fashionista wore this shoe because the sole bears the imprint of her big toe and shows evidence of having been repaired several times.

By Associated Press/Deptarment of Archaeology University College Cork. Provided by the Department of Archaeology University College Cork, Cork Ireland, this photo shows a well preserved and complete shoe that was recovered at the base of a Chalcolithic pit in the cave in Armenia.

This Armenian discovery is astonishing, but it doesn’t altogether surprise us. After all, Cydwoq founder, Rafi Balouzian, comes from a long line of Armenian shoemakers. In the early 1900s, Rafi’s grandfather was a renowned master shoemaker in Armenia, and Rafi’s  father also went into the business, establishing a factory that manufactured shoe parts.

After moving to the United States, Rafi himself went into fashion design, but left it briefly to pursue post-graduate degrees in interior architecture and environ- mental design. But the man is a walker, and, eventually, he walked right back into his  family’s shoe-making tradition, founding Cydwoq in 1996.

So, what do Cydwoq’s cutting-edge styles of today have in common with that Armenian shoe from 5600 years ago? More than you might think: Cydwoq’s handmade construction is all-leather, using carefully selected  hides that are vegetable-dyed and put together using water-based glues. And like the ancient shoe, all Cydwoq sandals, shoes, and boots conform to your foot over time for a custom fit. If you manage to walk through the sole or have any other problem, Rafi and his Cydwoq colleagues will happily make the necessary repairs.

Here are three of our latest Cydwoq additions, which showcase the long-long-long-long-long-established Armenian commitment to comfort, and durability, plus Rafi’s modern-day dedication to style.

Every time we look at Cydwoq’s gorgeous new Pi Bootie, we go a little weak in the knees. Fortunately, if we were wearing this beauty, we’d manage to stay on our feet because Rafi has placed the heel in just the right spot for maximum stability and comfort. Truly, the Pi is one for the ages—good design is timeless!

Another new style that’s captured our hearts is the Cydwoq Gamma:

What a great flat! Classic but utterly modern! Buckle up for a lifetime of easy walking.

Finally, here’s the Cydwoq Orient, which I think bears a slight resemblance to its long-lost ancestor:

Knit leather—could anything be cooler, both literally and figuratively? So fun to wear, this treasure will make you the talk of the town!

In The New York Times story about the discovery of the ancient shoe, Armenian doctoral student, Diana Zardaryan, who pulled the shoe out from its grass-lined storage spot, is quoted as saying, “To find a shoe has always been my dream.” We know just how she feels! Thank you, Rafi, for making our modern-day dreams come true.

(Incidentally, the “sweet treat” this week is another fantastic Cydwoq style: the Gaudi heeled sandal. You still have a few more days to click “be sweet to your feet” in the upper corner of any Ped page to reach the magic code that will give you a cool 20% discount on this summer stunner.)

Hey, Ped fans, we haven’t officially announced our summer sale yet, but we’ve  already started the price-cutting party—and, of course, you’re invited! The Ped warehouse is only so big, and since our fall shipments are due to arrive any day, we need to make some room! Now’s the time to grab a hot summer style at a deliciously cool price.

Here’s just a taste of what awaits you at the main site:

One of our favorite sandals this season is the Cydwoq Vintage Iron:

Cut with graceful precision, it’s the picture of artistic sophistication. Yet this flat is easy to wear anywhere! Lovely at $252, it’s even prettier at $199.

We’ve fallen in love with platform wedges this summer, and Accessoire’s Iseult is one of our biggest crushes:

All of the height with none of the pain, and such a gorgeous color! If you haven’t tried our Accessoire line from France, now is the perfect time to discover how deliciously comfortable their designs are. Wonderful at $292, the Iseult is even easier to slide into at $233.

Speaking of fabulous wedges, they don’t get any more fabulous than Coclico’s Whisp:

Between the lightweight cork sole, the zipper up the back, the sinfully soft leather, and the Whisp‘s works-with-everything color combo, there’s a lot to like! Sexy at $364, it’s even more seductive at $298.

Another sandal with smokin’ sex appeal is the Cordani Tia:

You’ll set the streets on fire when you step out in this sizzler, but your tootsies will stay cool and comfortable because that’s Cordani’s specialty! Worth every penny at $328, the “wow” becomes “WOW!” at $262.

There are plenty more wallet-pleasing reductions at the Ped site, so click on over and see what strikes your summer fancy. With deals so sweet, don’t your feet deserve a little sugar?

(Incidentally, we are offering the absolute sweetest “Sweet Treat” this week: Fiorentini + Baker’s Eternity Boots. For those who complain we never put the Eternity on sale—and you know who you are—here’s your chance to score a pair of the best boots ever for 20% off. Just click “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of any Ped page to reach the special discount code. But act fast because this super sweet treat will only last seven days!)