As I mentioned in my last post, my favorite new look—so hot in Europe right now—is oxfords worn without socks and paired with either cropped pants or skirts! Simultaneously chic and casual! Of course, for lots of you the temperature is dropping, so you can always add funky tights or cozy socks to keep your ankles warm. The key ingredient is the oxford!

Happily, Ped’s designers have come up with endless variations on the classic menswear lace-up! Whether you like yours heeled or flat, embellished or plain, Ped is sure to have an oxford that’s right up your alley. Here are a few of our favorites this season.

The newest oxford in the Ped warehouse is Accessoire’s cutting-edge and comfortable Martial Oxford:

We love everything about this shoe from the inky blue color of the super-soft suede to the easy-going wedge sole (all the height and none of the hurt) to the subtle seaming over the toe and heel! The French always know how to turn a head.

Another especially arty oxford is Couple Of’s Shelly Oxford:

Now this is how to do black without getting boring! Couple Of excels at meticulously constructing a shoe with just the right details to take it out of the ordinary and into funky town! Cutting the outsole so it arcs over the toe and dips down behind the stacked-leather heel is pure design genius!

Of course, if you’re looking for a flat, no-nonsense oxford, there are still ways of doing that with style and flair. Presented for your approval, Fiorentini + Baker’s Eliza Oxford:

Although its design is straightforward, there’s something about this F+B classic that takes our breath away. Plus, we just received a shipment in our new favorite Rabbit Grey color (and it also comes in luscious Marine Blue).

You say like the simplicity, but you also appreciate a heel? Then Coclico’s got your number with the Bathan Oxford:

Between the fabulous chunky wooden heel, the sinuous curves and topstitching of the design, and the grey anthracite suede, there is just so much to like about this shoe! Just think of how many outfits it would enhance! (And, psst, it’s just about to become this week’s “sweet treat,” starting tomorrow, October 19! Be sure to click “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of any Ped page to get to the Bathan with the magic discount code that will enable you to get 20% off at checkout.)

Another great heeled number is Argila’s rocking Lucie Oxford:

The caramel color is so rich! But this beauty also comes in black for you noir fans! Such a wonderful way to turn up the heat with the sexy schoolgirl look!

Although we think all of the above offer a feminine twist on the menswear look, we know some of you Ped fans like things a little frillier. As always, Chie Mihara is the BFF of girly girls around the world. With her Loti, you can have your oxford and ruffles, too!

And, needless to say, the royal blue leather is to die for!

The “o” in oxford has zero to do with being old-fashioned and everything to do with being on the cutting edge (au courant, if you will)! So, lace up and step out!

Sure, ankle boots are all the rage this season (and Ped has some of the best), but the knee-high boot’s lock on style is still solid! A tall boot always adds extra “oomph” to whatever you’re wearing. At Ped, whenever one of us is scratching her head (Terry is exempt from this) about what would look great with a particular outfit, nine times out of 10, the answer is a full-height boot. Effortless but full of impact, tall boots instantly amp up everything, including our positive attitudes!

Here are a few of the to-the-knee (and over) lovelies currently enlivening the Ped house.

Our arty new line from Israel, Couple Of, has one of the coolest boots at the party:

This Elon embodies everything Couple Of does so well: a clean design with a few key details that escalate the interest, all packaged in a meticulously crafted boot that’s as wonderful to wear as it is to see. We love the faux split spat with its topstitched detailing. So cool! Plus, the washed leather and the discreet elastic insert on the inside of the calf make this boot easy on the leg.

If you like your boot to shout a little louder, then take a listen to Cydwoq’s Alpha!

Get down with your bad self—how kickass is this boot? We’re down for the count over how the six nickel silver buckles complement the marbled black leather of this knockout. And word to the wise: adjust the buckles to get an ideal fit for your calf, and then use the inside zipper to whiz in and out of this boot in a flash. (By the way, I bought this one for myself, and I’m going to rock it on the streets of Paris later this week!)

Perhaps you appreciate the take-no-prisoners style of the Alpha, but you want something a little more feminine with a heel. Presented for your approval, the Cydwoq Vintage Kappa:

Be still our boot-loving hearts, this one is over the top! The color—unbelievably beautiful! The design (especially the back)—drop-dead gorgeous! And because the Kappa is from Cydwoq, its heel is placed in the sweet spot directly under your weight for maximum stability and comfort. So much to savor!

On the other hand, there’s a place in every closet for a simple black boot with a sophisticated heel. This season, Coclico’s got just the ticket:

The Niben boot may be minimal, but it’s far from plain! The design is ultra clean, and the stained wooden heel and platform sole give this buffalo leather boot just the right kick. This is a boot to work many ways on any number of occasions, and you’ll always know you look spectacular!

Some of you Ped fans, though, enjoy the high drama, so we’ve saved our true boot diva for last: Fiorentini + Baker’s Beck boot!

Yes, applause, please! What a boot! This gorgeous black number looks terrific cuffed and laced behind your knee, BUT you also have the option of unlacing the back and unfolding the top to create a true over-the-knee boot! So saucy! And so beautifully crafted because it’s from F+B, the Italian wizards of boot-making!

As always, there are many more tall boots to choose from at the main Ped site. So, go get high—it’s perfectly legal!

(Although it’s not up to your knee, this week’s “Sweet Treat” is still delectable! Get 20% off Argila’s Josephine Boot by clicking “be sweet to your feet” in the top right corner of any Ped page, which will magically take you to the Josephine and the sought-after discount code! Laceless is riveting!)

August’s winning Tale of the Sole is a story we’ve heard many times, but we never ever get tired of hearing it! With each retelling, the details and locations change, but the happy ending stays the same. In this version, the cast of characters includes longtime Seattle Ped customer—and all-around great gal—Liesbeth R. and Fiorentini + Baker’s Paula boot. Here is what Liesbeth wrote us:

I ordered on Monday, and the shoes were here by Wednesday. Unbelievable! The boots smelled gorgeous opening the box. Outstanding! Amazing color and perfect fit. I can’t stand it!  This is one my all-time favorite shoe moments I have had and I, like your other fans, have had many shoe moments.

Liesbeth rocking the F+B Paula against the Seattle skyline!

I’ve been a customer since you opened the Seattle store, and I believe all of my treasured purchases from Ped are still happily in my wardrobe rotation, although my other shoes might be eclipsed by these awesome F&B’s. I’ve been looking for my perfect short boots for a few years and finally found them from Ped! Seattle summers as you remember are short and sweet, but I always get over the short part because when the cool marine air returns, out come all the boots. 🙂

Liesbeth looking smashing in her Paula boots, as photographed by her 12-year-old niece, Andrea (who clearly has a career in fashion photography)!

Thank you so, so, so much for giving me some Fiorentini & Baker insanity this week. I am one happy, rockstar boot-wearing customer. Thanks for all the shoe love!

You are more than welcome, Liesbeth. The feeling is mutual! F+B’s Paula may have made Liesbeth’sweek, but her story made our whole month!  To thank her, we’re giving her $100 in Ped credit!

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!

(By the way, the “Sweet Treat” this week is Cydwoq’s wonderful Tourist! Get 20% off this easygoing sweetheart by clicking “be sweet to your feet” in the top right corner of any Ped page, which will magically take you to the Tourist, where you will find the discount code! So, save a little money, lace up the Tourist, go off on an adventure, and then tell us all about it!)

So many beautiful fall styles are arriving in the Ped warehouse that we hardly know what to show you first, Ped fans! One definite go-to look this season is ankle boots worn with anything and everything. From shooties that hit right at the ankle to short boots that don’t quite reach the calf, there’s a bootie in the house for everybody’s style, from girly-girl to badass to fairly straight-laced (Ped never quite makes it all the way there, as you know).

Here are a few of the latest lovelies to inspire low-boot lust.

Topping the list, Fiorentini + Baker’s new Paula:

Wow, there is nothing like Italian ingenuity when it comes to craftsmanship and get-out-of-town style! With ruching down the front and a zipper up the back, this boot rocks out on a chunky 3″ heel! We love the deep blue color with contrasting off-white top stitching, but the Paula also comes in pure black. Every season, Ped’s Laura gets a mad crush on one style (remember, it was Accessoire’s Island this past summer?), and for fall, the Paula is IT!

Another F+B winner is the new Mix!

This gorgeous low boot is the love child of the Eli and the Mike; it’s got the Eli’s popular 6″ shaft height and single buckle strap and the Mike’s chunky, take-no-prisoners heel! What a kickass combination!!! Plus, we love, love, love F+B’s new rabbit grey color, which is a soft dark grey tinged with brown. But if you’re like me and can’t get enough green, the Mix also comes in lush forest green.

Speaking of green, if you’re looking for a flat, knock-around-town bootie, check out Cydwoq’s Tourist:

Cydwoq’s Rafi has passed on his design know-how to his son, Ari, who has been refining this style for a few seasons, tweaking this and that detail, all leading to the Tourist! The pebbled leather is luscious, and the exposed seams around the rounded toe are just the right detail. And if green doesn’t float your boat (how can that be?), this comfortable shootie also comes in royal blue.

Lacing is also used to good effect in Argila’s Olivia:

You can’t imagine how wonderfully soft this boot’s caramel suede  is! Talk about buttery! And the cuff at the top lets you unfold it for a little extra height, if you like. The crowning touch (well, soleful touch) is the chunky but lightweight wooden heel!

“That’s all very well and good,” you may be thinking, “but what about something sweet and girly?” As usual, Chie Mihara has your back, er, foot:

So chic, Chie’s new Crusade is a taller, flirtier version of last year’s Piet . A few gathers on the toe and a bow at the ankle are all you need to be a femme fatale!

Perhaps, though, you want  your ankle boot to make a bold, art-a-liscious statement. Look no further than Trippen’s Fence, now available in metallic steel leather!

So urban and edgy, this boot does the talking and the walking! As if its stylish good looks weren’t enough (did you notice it laces up the back?), the Fence stands on Trippen’s famously comfortable t-shaped wedge that let’s you walk all day, turning heads everywhere you go! (And, yes, it also comes in black.)

Those are only the beginning of the ankle boot options that abound over at Ped’s main site. (There are scads more!) So, this fall take it low, and you’re good to go!

(Although not an ankle boot, this week’s “Sweet Treat” is still super cute: Cydwoq’s emerald green Forbid. Look like a million bucks for 20% off by clicking “be sweet to your feet” in the upper corner of any Ped page to reach the magic discount code.)

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!)