Ped fans, today we invite you to get high—on sandals, people, on sandals!

For the final leg of our three-part tour through Ped’s strap-happy styles, we continue our ascent by sampling high heels and platforms! In short, it’s time to go tall!

When it comes to kicking things up a notch, Chie Mihara is the queen of adding height while keeping soles happy. Exhibit A: the Chie Mihara Alicante:

What a feast for your feet, from the green suede in back to the woven brown leather up front! And thanks to Chie’s understanding of ergonomics and anatomy, the 3.75″ heel is a treat for your dogs that will keep them from barking and whining, even after hours of walking!

Suede also plays a starring role in Chie Mihara’s well-named Amor! Buckle up and fall in love:

Ay dios mio! The Amor‘s heel is a statuesque 4″, but Chie’s signature footbed and the 1″ platform under the ball of your foot mean it’s a breeze to wear!

If you’re looking for a heel that’s a little less showy but still chic, perhaps the Chie Calenta could be your cup of tea:

This unusual lace-up is one of our personal favorites this season because it’s so versatile, plus the embossed black leather is gorgeous!

Of course, one of our favorite ways to add height without hurt is to step onto a platform, like Coclico’s Merin:

The leather is luscious, the cork is lightweight, and the look is urban without being pretentious! Best of all, because the platform slopes from 2.75″ in back to 1.25″ up front, the pitch comes in at an easy-peasy 1.5″.

Another Coclico wedge that’s won our hearts is the Mosaic:

Such sauciness! This femme fetale brings together the best of an ankle boot with the airiness of a summer sandal. We particularly like the little lip that rims the heel, which offers a little extra security and edge.

Fiorentini + Baker also works wonders with a cork wedge, as evidenced by the knockout Dany:

With attitude to spare, the Dany stops traffic with its be-studded brown suede that extends down over the the black leather-covered platform, which slopes from 3.5″ in back to 1.5″ up front. You don’t have to be a rock star to strut like one!

Finally, let’s again drink in the beauty of the Trippen Mikli, which we first oohed and aahed over in our post celebrating wood soles:

This show stopper is the skyscraper in Ped city, with its sculpted wooden wedge rising a full 4.5″ in back! The 1.5″ lift up front brings the pitch to 3″, and Trippen’s skill at sculpting the footbed to match your sole’s contours means the Mikli feels fantastic when you slide in and crisscross the ankle strap!

The Mikli also just happens to be our Sweet Treat this week, so you can rise and shine for 20% off by clicking “be sweet to your feet” at the bottom of the box on the left at Ped’s main site!

So ends our air-conditioned travels through the many sandals of Ped! We gave you the lay of the land from the flats to the heights, but we didn’t visit all the styles, so feel free to explore on your own at Ped! So many beautiful ways to let your toes play in the sun all summer long!

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again (and again): We love a beautiful wedge! Let us count the ways: 1) they give our height a boost; 2) they provide solid support; and 3) they’re easy to wear (no balancing act required)!

Now with the retro rage for all things 1970s, the wedge has gotten even better by extending into a full platform under the forefoot and toe. The lift up front offsets the inches in back, so you get all of the height without the steep pitch! High style + high comfort = A tall drink of happiness!

Here are just a few ways to step up this summer:

As we mentioned, most of the platform wedges rock the retro look, but Accessoire’s knockout Babeth exudes less 1970s glam and more 1940s Hollywood glamor:

The navy suede is positively luminous, and the tie at the ankle makes this sandal super chic! Can’t you just imagine a pinup queen like Betty Grable breaking hearts in this beauty? (In fact, check out the sandals in this photo of 1940s movie star Yvonne De Carlo!)

What would happen if a designer took the best of  the 1940s and mixed it with the boldness of the 1970s? Coclico has the answer: the Mori!

The design of the suede upper flirts with the ’40s, while the chunky yet lightweight cork platform echos the ’70s, all in one sweet modern package! We love the versatility of the taupe suede version pictured, but the Moris comes in a lustrous cobalt blue, too!

Coclico also uses this comfortable cork sole for the equally wonderful Melania:

The wedge platform slopes from 2.75″ at the heel to 1.5″ under the toe, making the pitch an easy-peasy 1.25″. If you’re looking for something a little brighter than this rich hazelnut version, consider the Melania in sunny dandelion!

Vialis adopts the same heel:toe ratio as Coclico for its two cork-soled lovelies. First up, the Vialis Jacinta:

How cool is this sandal? We can’t get enough of how the heel strap curves up from the inside arch and then laces diagonally through the two bands over the foot! Plus, the asphalt grey suede pairs easily with most any outfit.

The Vialis Francyn is also worth writing home about:

Several designers are extending the uppers down onto the soles this season, but Vialis goes one better by taking the suede down and around the back! (Not to mention the woven work on the toe band is magnificent!)

Wood also makes a wonderful wedge platform, as demonstrated by the Trippen Strahl:

So much to love here! From the twice-dyed leather to the rubber on the outsole that echoes the underside of the leather to the radiating strap design to the smooth sanded wood, the Strahl is a height-enhancing treat!

But perhaps our favorite platform wedge this season comes from those Italian shoe maestros at Fiorentini + Baker. Feast your eyes on the stunning Dany:

Now this is how to rock the ’70s retro look! The bold suede t-strap with its stud-a-licious good looks is guaranteed to make you the center of attention! The dark grey “asfalto” version pictured is both unique and versatile, but we also have the Dany in a winner-takes-all mattone red!

So many great ways to wedge your way into summer. Get high on shoes! Power to the platform, right on!

(By the way, don’t miss this week’s fantastic Sweet Treat: Fiorentini + Baker’s Nicky ankle boot! Just click “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of any Ped page to be whisked to the Nicky, where you’ll find the magic code that takes 20% off at checkout.)