Ped fans, did you celebrate Earth Day this past week? We’re all “tree huggers” at Ped, so we certainly did! Ped is proud to sell only goods from companies committed to ethical production, both environmentally and socially.

You can rest assured that the woods used for the soles of our many gorgeous clog styles are selected and harvested from sustainable sources. The result? Beautifully grained styles that you can feel good about wearing!

We love the lightness of wood for summer, and the cool smoothness of its sanded surface against bare soles feels soooooo good! Here are a few of our woody favorites:

Coclico is here to set straight the myth that clogs lack sex appeal. Fact: there is no hotter tamale than the Coclico Fabiana!

Whew, somebody hand me a fan! If you want to make ’em sweat, the Fabiana is a sure-fire way to do it, standing on a take-notice 3.5″ sculpted wooden heel (made easy to wear by the .5″ platform under the toe). Deadly sexy!

Another wood-soled sandal that’s a guaranteed to turn heads is Trippen’s Mikli:

The Mikli is the tallest heel in the Ped house at 4.5″, but because its supportive wedge platform slopes to a 1.25″ platform under the toe, it’s easy on your tootsies! We’re crazy about the combination of the saucy ankle strap and the figure-8 construction of the toe strap.

Trippen also makes gorgeous use of a criss-cross ankle strap on the Ritzy, which has the coolest wooden sole under the sun!

The way the back strap loops through the window under your heel proves why Trippen wins prize after prize for its designs! So fun! The Ritzy also comes in black, but we especially like how the blue rubber outsole of the espresso version matches the blue underside of the twice-dyed leather!

If you’re looking for a more traditional clog, Fiorentini + Baker’s Lamu may just have your name on it:

Ped fans know how I heart all things green, so this clog caught my eye right away, and the flirty star-shaped cutout sealed the deal! (If green isn’t your scene, we also have the Lamu in a rich copper brown.)

Bringing things closer to the ground, Cydwoq also offers a sweet closed-toe slide. Feast your eyes on the Cydwoq East:

It’s a woven-leather wonder that stands on a perfectly placed 1″ sculpted wooden heel. The berry color pictured is absolutely luscious, but the East also comes in a neutral slate that will work with everything in your closet.

Once the mercury starts to climb, though, we want to get strap-happy and give the dogs some air! One of the best wood-soled ways is the classic Cydwoq Rebel:

The Rebel was one of Cydwoq’s original designs! Its wooden sole is perfectly contoured to follow your foot, and all those straps  are a single masterfully cut piece of leather! (Don’t care for the dark graphite color? You can still rock the Rebel in a brown crackle-textured version!)

Of course, for sheer summer simplicity, the lean and clean wooden goodness of the Trippen Zen is the answer:

No words are needed. The Zen is perfection. (By the way, this perfection is also available in an ideal red.)

Aren’t these woods good? And there are even more ways to gain the grain at Ped’s main site! So take a walk in the woods, and embrace your natural style!

Ped fans, have you taken a gander at all the beautiful socks we’ve recently received from Antipast and Bonne Maison? They are really something this season!

We realize embracing the socks-with-sandals trend is a stretch for many of you, but these sock-tastic designs really deserve to be seen! Plus we love the vintage sweetness of the look!

So without further ado, here are several ways to give your saucy socks air time!

The Argila Rosa is a lovely and understated neutral sandal on its own, but add some striped socks and KAPOW! Suddenly, it’s no longer shy but still oh-so chic!

We love the Rosa with both Bonne Maison’s Calm Stripe Socks in Grey/Khaki and Antipast’s Beach Stripe Socks in Ivory! Talk about pizzazz!

One of the prettiest shoes in the Ped house this season is Chie Mihara’s Amor. Why not take its femininity in a whimsical direction by adding even more flowers?

Bonne Maison’s Brocade Socks in Geranium Red offer a whimsical way to take the Amor‘s sexiness in a new direction! (The green toe is especially fun peeking out from under the Amor‘s rosette.)

Another unabashedly sexy sandal is the Coclico Shae. Give it a different twist by wearing it with Antipast’s Bubble Socks in Khaki, or go for full-on fun by pairing it with Bonne Maison’s Flamingo Socks in Honey.

Everyone will admire your bold style (and wish they knew how to look so edgy and cool)!

If you prefer wearing socks with a closed toe flat, but still want to show off, here are a couple of ideas for jazzing up the Cydwoq South!

If you’re feeling sweet and girly, tie up the South over Antipast’s Bouquet Sock in Beige. Feeling bolder? Then make it a luau with Antipast’s Lei socks in Beige!

Another skip-around-town style that looks terrific both barefoot and with socks is Fiorentini+Baker’s Leda clog!

Add Antipast’s Bubble Socks in Blue, and it instantly gets a jolt of juice! The bubbles look great effervescing through the Leda’s star-shaped cutout!

Many other possibilities for sassing up sandals with socks await you at Ped’s main site. So open your mind to summery socks with sandals and frocks!

Ped fans, I recently returned from my biannual pilgrimage to New York, Paris, and Milan to attend the shoe shows and catch up with old friends! It’s always a blast to combine shopping for Ped with sightseeing and people-watching—I learn so much from simply walking around these fashion-rich cities!

While I was in New York, my dear friend Kimmy became the most beautiful 50-year-old on the planet! It was fantastic to be able to celebrate with her and several of our longtime friends (including Nicole, who worked for Ped back in its Seattle days).

A collage of the big fun we had at  Kimmy’s birthday party!

Then I was off to Paris!

At the Parisian shoe show, the emphasis was on oiled and brushed leathers, and the big colors were red, grey, navy, forest, and mocha. Metallics were also still running strong, so you can expect a lot of sparkle next fall and winter! As for styles, the must-haves were ankle boots yet again, but they’ve become both sexier and more practical. One of my favorite trends was unusual color combinations—the Chie Mihara designs, in particular, really packed a punch, so get ready!

Of course, we can never get enough of Cydwoq:

So much beauty to look forward to! (By the way, the lovely gal with Rafi and me up top is Margaret, the proprietor of Traipse, a fantastic shoe store in Chicago.)

After hours, it was fun to talk shop over dinner with friends in the biz!

People I’m always happy to see: (l-r) Rafi from Cydwoq, Claudia from Trippen, Louise and Hailey from Gravity Pope, and Michael from Trippen.

After my brief sojourn in France, I flew to Italy for the Milan Micam show, which is one of the biggest shoe shows in Italy.

Booth after beautiful booth of shoes at the Milan Micam show!

While in Milan, Ped’s Fiorentini + Baker representative, Eliza, invited me to her home for a meal! One word: DELICIOUS!

This was just the beginning of our dinner. How come the tomatoes and burrata are so amazing in Italy?

After working two weeks straight without a day off, I finally took some time for myself. Milan is a wonderful place to roam around!

Various sights from my day of Milan meandering.

Then it was back on the plane to fly to home sweet home, Ped HQ!

In addition to lining up gorgeous new styles from all your Ped favorites, I discovered a wonderful new sock line while in Europe! Plus, look for the return of Vialis next fall! Such whirlwind traveling is exhausting, but I love finding things that I know will thrill you Ped fans. So stay tuned, there’s a lot to look forward to in the coming months!

Happy Spring, Ped fans! To welcome the season we’ve all been waiting for, we’re offering an extra delicious Sweet Treat this week,: Fiorentini + Baker’s Elios Boot! Just click “be sweet to your feet” at the bottom of the box on the left at Ped’s main site to reach the Elios, where all you have to do is add it to your bag to receive 20% off at checkout! Lace it up and play all day!