The time has come, Ped fans, to see what marvels Chie Mihara has whipped up for fall! Everyone’s favorite Spanish sorceress of style has once again designed heels to make you happy in leathers to make everyone look.

So pour yourself an ice tea or a cocktail and prepare to scroll through beauty!

The title of this post is a play on one of Chie Mihara’s most playful leather techniques this season, checkerboard weaving, which looks especially sassy on the new Uptown oxford:

How fun is this lace-up??? We especially like how the caramel leather back and dark brown leather toe complement the Uptown‘s green, cream, and chocolate checked midsection!

Chie takes her checkered ways a little higher and amps up the femininity in the gorgeous Genesis:

Ooh la la, so chic! The leather colors are eye-catching and unusual (that’s a pale sage interwoven with black in the midsection). Even though the heel is a statuesque 3″, you can comfortably wear it all day long because Chie has cleverly hidden a .5″ platform under the toe, bringing the pitch to an easy 2.5″.

The always imaginative Ms. Mihara moves her checkerboard technique in a new direction on the Dalatchi, which weaves together wool and leather:

If ever there was a bootie to stop traffic, this is it! Below the stunning woven shaft, black matte leather adds a luxe element, while the 3″ sculpted wood heel is architecturally interesting. Sister, trust us, the Dalatchi is GO!

But Chie’s checkerboard weave isn’t the only trick she has up her design sleeve this season. Take a gander at the flocked leather on the Jan:

We swoon every time we look at this modern Mary Jane! The flocked leather on the toe, which feels like suede and looks like a mini-cheetah print, is the show stealer, but also adding fuel to the fire are the Jan‘s slightly flared heel and beautifully constructed buckle strap!

Chie Mihara has the deftest touch when it comes to creating understated designs that still let your flair fly, like the Ozana:

Perfect for arguing a case in court or holding court at an art opening, the Ozana‘s luxe grey suede is subtly sexed up by its ankle strap and teeth-like fringe! Sharp and chic!

Another bold detail that’s just right without going over-the-top is the bow on  Chie Mihara’s Zulema boot:

All the lines are lean and clean, allowing the bow to be at once fem and and badass! Zip up the Zulema, and put some girly zing in your step!

But when going over-the-top is exactly what you want, we highly recommend Chie Mihara’s knockout Wiuda:

Holy hot sauce, what a looker! This purplish-brown, croc-embossed leather lace-up, with its flared heel and pointed—yet still comfortable!—toe,  would have been beautiful on its own. But Chie embellishes it with a fringed and pinked-edge black leather flower to send this femme fetale into the stratosphere of gorgeousness! Wow to the Wiuda!

Chie Mihara shoes always make us want to cha-cha out the door and down the street, so everyone can admire our beautiful feet! Believe it or not, there’s even more Chie Mihara loveliness to admire at Ped, so click on through and put  some Spanish spice in your step!

(And don’t forget to snag a bag! This week’s Sweet Treat is the Trippen Carola, which you can get for cool 20% off by clicking “be sweet to your feet” at the bottom of the box on the left of most Ped pages. When you arrive at the Carola with the “Sweet Treat ” designation, all you have to do is add it to your bag to receive the discount automatically at checkout.)

Ped fans, we are loving the current emphasis on COLOR—all the new shoe hues have the Ped warehouse looking bright and lively! It’s amazing how an infusion of color makes the daily grind less grind-like and more like a party.

Quite a few of you, though, are mystified by how to work the new shades into your wardrobe. It’s easier than you think! You simply need  to realize things don’t have to match as long as they “go.” In fact, matching too precisely can make an outfit look “twee,” as the British say. (Laura says a friend of hers calls it the “flight attendant look.”)

You’ve also told us you worry that you’ll only wear colorful shoes once in a while, with one specific thing. To demonstrate the versatility of some of our more show-stopping shoes, we’ve incorporated them into not one but two outfits, often quite different in tone and purpose, to help spark your imagination. Let’s take a tour, and along the way, we’ll offer a few colorful tips.

First up, the Trippen Calexico:

This fun boot offers a lot more options than simply wearing it with jeans! We love the Calexico with the easy day look on the left, but it can even go after-five when paired with the dress on the right. We’ve also included Jamie Joseph’s Round Rock Crystal Ring since it looks stellar with the white in both the top and the dress.

Another shoe that’s more than simply casual is the Cydwoq Lodge:

Sure, it’s great for weekend apple-picking in the outfit on the left, but look at the chic edge the Lodge gives the argyle sheath dress on the right! The Cydwoq Bright Bag also easily transitions from brunch casual to workweek sleek. OD-ing on all that red? Simply add the Epice Plaza Scarf to change the flavor!

Perhaps your personal style trends toward conservative, and although you like to browse at Ped, you can’t imagine how you’d incorporate a colorful style into your wardrobe. The answer is to let a shoe, like the Cydwoq Larkspur, punctuate your outfit, like a great piece of jewelry.

What a way to jazz up a suit!

Chie Mihara’s Tunisia is a shoe that immediately produces oohs and aahs, but the unusual color and patterned heel mistakenly lead people to think it might be hard to pair.

The key is not to worry about matching the color and instead simply let it “go.” The Tunisia‘s checkerboard heel echoes the black and white photo on the dress on the left and complements the variety of patterns in the skirt on the right. Since the shoe and clothes are doing the heavy lifting style-wise, it’s nice to go with a simple bag, like the Cydwoq Bright.

Sometimes it’s not just the color but also the cut that gives Ped fans pause when they think about how to wear a design. Case in point, the Trippen Drama boot:

A couple options: 1) contrast the Drama‘s fabulous flared top with simple straight lines up top, such as wearing it with a pencil skirt and streamlined top; or 2) let its shape play up the lines and movement of a flirty A-line dress. We tossed in Jamie Joseph’s round carnelian ring for a little extra red zing!

If you approach dressing with a sense of adventure, it won’t matter an iota if you don’t own anything blue to wear with the Trippen Tender:

When you want to reference the color of your shoe, accessories can work that magic. We like the contrast of the floral of the skirt on the left with Epice’s Baya Scarf, which includes a periwinkle color that calls out to, but doesn’t match the blue of the Tender. On the right, it’s fun to mix the squares of the dress with the circles on the Epice Los Lunares Scarf.

Finally, let’s consider  Chie Mihara’s Kalendu, which is simply too juicy to miss!

You don’t have to go be a girly girl to take advantage of its delicious greenness! The Kalendu adds such fun to the workweek look on the left (again without actually matching any of the colors in the sweater) and is utterly chic with the casual jeans and top on the right. We also like Cydwoq’s Bright Bag and Jamie Joseph’s Organic Circle Earrings with both outfits.

As you’ve probably noticed, many of the shoes above work equally well with outfits paired with other shoes. We hope these ideas bolster your confidence that colorful shoes truly can be your constant companions and not just once-in-a-blue-moon friends! Life is so much more fun in color!

(Psst, you only have a few more days to snap up this week’s Sweet Treat, the Trippen Yard. Simply click “be sweet to your feet” at the bottom of the box on the left of most Ped pages to reach the Yard with the code that will bring 20% off at checkout.)