Every season it happens. Shoes we absolutely adore here at Ped HQ seem to go unnoticed and wind up sitting on the shelf rather than heading out the warehouse door on new adventures.

Often it’s because Ped fans can’t quite envision out how a certain style might fit into their wardrobes. We’re here to help! Below are some of our overlooked favorites put together with outfits that show off their potential! And did we mention that all but one are on sale?

First up, the fantastically comfortable Trippen Rom:

The Rom is bold and, yes, a little masculine, so it works especially well with relaxed feminine pieces, like a drop-waist sundress or an airy top and jeans. We added Sophie Digard’s Alpine necklace for extra fun! The Rom was great at $328, but it’s even better at $164!

Heading in a more feminine direction, Chie Mihara’s Calanta sandal has a dual personality:

This heeled lace-up is the definition of “versatile.” It looks sophisticated and urban worn with the modern outfit on the left but instantly becomes retro-chic with the vintage-inspired look on the right. We’ve accented the left ensemble with Epice’s Girasole Scarf and the right with Cydwoq’s Bright Bag (which would also look terrific with the outfit on the left). The Chie Mihara Calanta was gorgeous at $368, but it’s even lovelier at $184!

Another deliciously versatile sandal is the Argila Marisol:

 

Metallics are so of the moment, and the silver and black Marisol looks spectacular with lots of outfits, as demonstrated by its loveliness with the three different looks pictured! The Cydwoq Bright Bag in black is another goes-with-everything winner. The Marisol sparkled at $428, but it really shines at $214!

The cheeriest flat sandal in the Ped warehouse this summer is definitely Chie Mihara’s Elio sandal:

The curry-colored suede is fantastic, but it’s also what makes some would-be wearers hesitate. However, the Elios is not as hard to pair as you might think! It looks great with flowing feminine summer clothes, picking up any bit of yellow, but it’s also splendid with more structured casual wear, like this great plaid shift, with which it simply “goes.” Fun at $378, the Elios is a party at $189!

Speaking of color, some people think a red shoe, like the Trippen Zen, requires thought to wear, when they prefer everything to coordinate effortlessly.

What could be cuter or easier than these six pieces? The tops and skirts are completely interchangeable (mixing prints is on trend), and the Fine and the Trippen Carola bag match perfectly! The Zen was bliss at $248, but it’s heaven at $198!

Matching, however, is not necessary! As Stacy and Clinton used to say, “It only has to ‘go,'” which is demonstrated well by the unusual olivine color of the Trippen Magnolia:

None of the prints and colors above precisely match, but they all play well together, and the sweet Magnolia wedge looks stellar with both outfits!

As you browse through the ideas above, note that many of the shoes would go wonderfully with other outfits shown. We say if you love a shoe, you can make it work for you! Be adventurous and always have fun getting dressed!

The best way to make any outfit pop? A fab pair of shoes, of course! The second best way? Consider an eye-opening scarf! The best news is it’s not an either/or choice—in fact, we highly recommend both/and, i.e. great shoes, boots, or sandals AND a sensational scarf!

With the mercury on the rise, we’ve stocked up on lightweight cotton and linen scarves for the summer season. They’re airy enough for daytime wear but also ward off the chill after the sun sets. Let’s take a look!

The sunniest of our many sunny scarves is Epice’s Girasole Scarf:

It’s as if Epice took the spirit of a bright June morning and wove it into soft cotton to yield this featherweight confection!

If you lean away from florals and more toward bold geometrics, Epice’s super-chic Moderno Scarf may have your name on it:

Perfect for you Ped fans who love all things black, this scarf, which is wide enough to wear as a shawl, is a luxe blend of cotton and linen! (But if you want a juicy dose of color, we also offer the Moderno in a vivid green, which I love!)

Another wrap that dazzles with geometric abstraction is Sophie Digard’s Dream Scarf:

Truly a work of art, this 100% linen scarf is absolutely mesmerizing with its spirals within squares and tiny flower-like suns, all laid out in successive horizontal bands of color along the length of the scarf! Fantastic!

One of the many reasons we love Sophie Digard is her sense of whimsy, which is on beautiful display in the Puzzle Scarf:

We particularly like the unusual edge created by the interlocking puzzle pieces’ shapes, as well as the little open windows scattered across this linen masterpiece! Get ready for a lot of scarf envy!

On days when even a light scarf might seem like too much to wear, you cans still put on the charms of Sophie Digard, by slipping her Petal Necklace around your neck:

A garland of fun! Each linen and velvet crocheted flower on the necklace has a split personality (in the best kind of way) since the back and front offer two different color schemes.

Of course, this is just a taste of our textile delights. There’s more lightweight loveliness to feast your eyes on over at Ped’s main site! Entwine your neck with an airy scarf or necklace, and wrap up your summer style!

(Any one of the beauties above would look fantastic with this week’s Sweet Treat, the Cliff Dweller Emma sandal! Just click “be sweet to your feet” at the bottom of the box on the left of most Ped pages to land at the Emma with the “Sweet Treat” designation. Then pop the sandal in your bag to get 20% off at checkout!)

HAPPY NEW YEAR, Ped fans! Everyone here at Ped HQ hopes your 2014 is off to a fantastic start! Thanks to longtime Ped fan, Peggy R., ours certainly is!

Peggy’s Tale of the Sole is simply beyond wonderful to us—it’s like a giant hug sprinkled with sugar! Here is what she sent:

In 1998, I got my first pair of shoes from Ped, a pair of Giraudon oxfords, and I was immediately hooked on wearing cool shoes! Whenever we were in Seattle, we headed to Pioneer Square to visit Ped and, hopefully, make a purchase. There was just something about wearing great shoes that made me smile and feel so good! Once Dayna opened Ped online, it was hard to pass up the incredible styles. So…. I have a lot of fabulous shoes, handbags, and treasures from Ped!

Peggy’s first catalog from Ped! (We’re so flattered she kept it.)

I decided this fall to document my Ped collection on a daily basis. The challenge was to wear a different pair of shoes or something that I had purchased from Ped for the entire month of December. I called it “The 31 days of Ped.”

The first 12 days of Peggy’s “31 Days of Ped.”

Being a nurse, the workdays were a bit of a challenge—lots of Trippen, a few Cydwoq, and sometimes just my beautiful Antipast socks. Many of my coworkers, as well as patients and their family members, commented on my shoes. I’ve shared Ped with a lot of people!

Days 13-23 of Peggy’s “31 Days of Ped.”

On my off days, it was easier to wear my boots, heels and—thanks to the warm December we had in Sacramento—even a few of my sandals. And every day I smiled!

The final eight days of Peggy’s “31 Days of Ped.”

Dayna and I have had many conversations on the phone over the years. She knows what styles I’ll like and what shoes will fit my feet. I appreciate Ped’s quality and the incredible customer service—but mostly, I like knowing where to get the most fabulous shoes! Dayna has said to me, “Fashion starts with the feet.” And I believe it’s true! Thanks Ped for making me smile!

Oh, Peggy!!! Your smile can’t be any brighter than ours after reading your Tale of the Sole! THANK YOU for starting our new year off with a big burst of Ped love!

We’re delighted to give Peggy $100 in Ped credit as a small token of our HUGE appreciation!

Do you have a Tale of the Sole? Tell us—and show us (we LOVE pictures!!!)—what happened to you while wearing something from Ped, and you, too, might be the recipient of $100 in Ped credit. We’d love to share your sole-ful story on the blog, so let us know what in the world you’ve been doing in your Ped!

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, 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.)