In our last post, we showed you a few options for taking boots as low as they go. Today we move on to ankle boots that stand a little taller, peaking just above the ankle bone. It’s a height we love at Ped because it looks fantastic with skirts and plays nicely with jeans (without having to confront the over-or-inside-the-boot dilemma).

First up, one of our favorites this season,the Coclico Willa:

In a word: YUM! The gorgeous Willa is on trend with its laceless good looks, yet it’s streamlined and classic, so it will never go out of style!

Of course, laces also have their place, as illustrated by Argila’s Lauren:

This suede and leather beauty checks three things off the au courant list in one easy sweep. Wooden wedge? Check. Oxford styling? Check. Ankle boot? Check! And scene (or should we say “seen”)!

Taking things in a more mod direction, the Artisan from Cydwoq has everyone at Ped HQ swooning:

Wow. Just wow! The brown leather lattice over the textured metallic leather, sparkling with a subtle plaid pattern, is FAN-TAS-TIC! Can’t you just imagine Megan on Mad Men wearing this with a micro mini ? (Don would be a helpless drooling puppy.)

Looking for something a little less overtly feminine?  Then get your attitude on in the Trippen Fence:

The sliced-up and laced-up (in back) Fence has held court at Ped for several years, but it still looks fresh and futuristic! Great barefoot but also sensational flashing colorful tights between its straps, the Fence will make friends everywhere you walk because everyone’s going to ask where you got your boots!

There are plenty more ankle-high ankle boots to tempt you over at Ped’s main site. (And just to ring the Fiorentini + Bell one more time, the new Pansy is super juicy!)

Stay tuned because we’re about to heighten the boot interest again in the next day or two.

Ped fans, let’s all take a minute to appreciate that fate brought together Italian interior designer Gianpaolo Fiorentini and British shoe virtuoso Deborah Baker! Their combined genius created the powerhouse that is Fiorentini + Baker, everybody’s favorite bootmaker!

And with good reason—F+B uses old-school Italian cobbling techniques to turn leathers and suedes of the highest quality into timeless styles with a modern sensibility. Fiorentini + Baker pays close attention to every detail of every design, and does it ever show! Better still, F+B’s meticulously crafted boots feel as wonderful as they look and last a lifetime.

This fall Ped adds three new styles to our expanding F+B family, and we’re offering several longtime favorites in fresh colors! Bella, bella, bella!

We humbly suggest you consider F+B’s new Pansy your new BBF (Best Boot Friend):

So simple in its design yet so breathtaking in its impact, this gorgeous suede number looks smashing with any length skirt, and it’s just as fab with jeans! The Bordeaux wine shade of the suede is delicious, but we also carry the Pansy in a rich brown—utterly beautiful!

A perennial question we hear at Ped is, “Do you have cowboy boots?” Thanks to Fiorentini + Baker’s new Enola, we can finally answer, “Yes, ma’am!”

The classic ranch style has undergone an Italian makeover to turn it into an urban knockout! The flirty Enola is crafted from the supplest suede to give it a sexy slouch! Here’s a happy conundrum: How to choose between the grey ice (pictured) and dark brown versions?

Looking for something with a little attitude? Let your inner rocker chick out to play in Fiorentini + Baker’s new Celia:

The brass studs arcing across the buckle strap drive home the Celia‘s take-no-prisoners approach to style! What a kickass way to become the talk of the town!

Now that you’ve met our three new boot beauties, say hello to several old friends in new colors!

Look how lovely the double-buckled Emmy is in Bordeaux wine:

Of course, we also have the Emmy in black, blue moon, anthracite (Laura’s fave!), and sand (which is currently on sale—act fast!).

We’ve also added a luscious grey suede version of F+B’s ever-popular Eternity boot:

Don’t worry, purists, we still have the Eternity in black and brown, too.

Speaking of black, we’re introducing a black edition of Fiorentini + Baker’s Edel (the tallest boot we carry):

We also carry the Edel in dark brown, the version that won everyone’s heart!

And there are several more new F+B color ways awaiting your discovery at Ped’s main site! If you’ve yet to experience Fiorentini + Baker’s Italian charms, why not take the plunge? We guarantee you’ll instantly become a card-carrying member of the F+B fan club!

Ped fans, you know how it goes: you’re window shopping on the Internet when you run across a shoe or a bag that makes your heart beat faster. You think, “Oooh, I LOVE that!”  Then you quickly rein yourself in with the follow-up question, “But what would I wear it with?

We know certain styles and colors may seem daunting. Chances are, though, they’re easier to wear than you think! To help you see the possibilities and spur your imagination, we offer a few visual prods below.

All the gals at Ped HQ are committed to ease—the less fuss in getting ourselves out the door, the better. With that in mind, each of the following five ready-to-go outfits consist of only four elements.

Here Vialis’s Claudette peep-toe clog offers an ideal complement to the the textural interest of the drape-y top and skirt. Add the Cydwoq Cedar Bag in turmeric, and all the colors become richer! Easy and elegant.

Maybe you want to incorporate a mod Mad Men-esque look into your wardrobe?

It’s all about geometry and balance! We love the chunky-heeled Coclico Vidal paired with this fun shift dress! Square everything up with Fiorentini + Baker’s sleek Milano Shopper and Jamie Joseph’s Smoky Quartz Ring. (Did we mention every Ped item in this look is on sale?)

If you have a penchant for black and your aesthetic trends toward urban sophistication, why not give it an artistic edge?

Riveting (literally)! Cydwoq’s versatile Bright Bag and Trippen’s fantastic Agave sandal boot anchor the dazzling patterns of the skirt and jacket. Sure, it’s “a lot of look,” as Tim Gunn would say, but it’s a lot of look we like!

What’s that? You say you simply want something comfortable to dash from class to lunch and then off to run errands? No problem!

Easy as pie and just as tasty! Fiorentini + Baker’s Ding Clog‘s fringe echos the movement of the striped skirt, and the Dean Towner Bag makes an ideal everyday satchel.

Maybe you’d like to amp up the femininity for a garden party or date night? If so, florals and jewel tones are your best friends!

Although not exact matches (that would look twee), Dean’s green suede Thimble Bag, Jamie Joseph’s Orange Chalcedony Ring, and Accessoire’s Sagan in the prettiest shade of dahlia all work with the dress’s colorful palette!

And to demonstrate the versatility of these styles, imagine how terrific  F+B’s Ding Clog from outfit #4 would look with the shift dress in the second outfit, or how beautiful outfit #1’s Vialis Claudette would be with the skirt in outfit #4. Feel like creating edgy contrast? Then envision pairing the Trippen Agave from outfit #3 with either outfit #1 or #5! Fun and unexpected!

A great way to figure out how a tempting shoe or bag might work with your wardrobe is to play around—like we did—at Polyvore!

(Speaking of tempting bags, this week’s Sweet Treat is Cydwoq’s Flap Bag! Get Flap happy for 20% off by clicking “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of any Ped page, which will take you to the Flap Bag with a magic code to enter at checkout.)

School’s out. The grass is green. Fireflies light up the evening. There’s so much to enjoy in June! So we thought we’d do our part to fuel the June love by kicking off the Ped Summer Sale!

Had your eye on a sweet temptation? Chances are its price just got nicer! Behold a sample of the sunny bargains:

Accessoire has such a colorful way with suede! We especially love how they tie everything up with a bow on the vintage-inspired Sagan:

Beautiful at $328, it’s even lovelier at $262!

Speaking of vintage looks, you can rock the retro in an ultra-modern way by buckling up Coclico’s Valencia:

Patchwork leather? Sculpted wooden heel? Far out! Swinging at $358, it’s even more righteous at $286!

If you prefer to keep your heels on the ground, one of the best flats this season is the Cydwoq Malba:

Talk about an ankle of interest! Delicious at $246, it’s even tastier at $196!

Another sassy ankle-strap design from Cydwoq (with a little more “lady” to it) is the Volcano:

The textured leather is fantastic—what a way to express artistic style in any situation! Hot lava at $298, the Volcano is positively explosive at $238!

Taking things a little higher, a neutral that’s sexy as all get-out is Fiorentini + Baker’s Nene:

Here’s a guarantee: all eyes will be on you in this suede knockout! Glamorous at $498, the Nene‘s star quality shines even brighter at $398!

Looking for something more everyday and more go-everywhere? Consider the Vialis Claris:

So much more than your average clog, this streamlined Spanish beauty will work with everything in your wardrobe. Fab at $198, it’s even more of a treasure at $158!

As dessert to this smorgasbord of sale delights, behold one of our favorites of the season: Fiorentini + Baker’s luscious Floss!

Supple green leather in a retro-licious style crafted by those Italian masters at F+B—GORGEOUS! Every head will turn! Worth every penny at $398, it’s a green dream at $298!

More wonderful styles at fresh prices are flying out the door at Ped’s main site. So snag a deal to keep your sunny side up all summer long!

(And don’t forget about this week’s oh-so pretty Sweet Treat: the Cydwoq Climax! Just click “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of any Ped page to land at the Climax with the magic code that will bring 20% off at checkout! )

Ped fans, it’s been far too long since we’ve said thanks for the wonderful attention other blogs and sites have paid to Ped! Discovering someone has featured a Ped item or said something nice about us always lifts everyone’s spirits here at Ped HQ. It’s the equivalent of walking down the street and having a stranger say, “Cute shoes!”—and you know we all love that!

Here are just a few of the sites we appreciate (and if we missed your recent kindness to Ped, let us know in the comments because we’re definitely grateful):

• At the hilariously named Little Fascist Panties, Emily Louise, who describes herself as “visual artist, cyborg feminist, licensed hysteric, post90s riot grrl,” blogs about all things well-designed. She served up some enthusiastic (and funny) love  for the Trippen Strahl.
• Megan Mae Daily (MMD) is the eponymous style blog of the truly stylish Megan Mae! It doesn’t get any better than this unsolicited review she recently wrote about the Trippen Army! Doesn’t she look fantastic wearing them?! (Plus, she has seriously cute kitties!)
• Lucky Girl Shoes is the blog of a podiatrist in Portland, Oregon, who posts shoes she deems cute, comfortable, and walkable. We’re delighted she gave the thumb’s up to the Cydwoq Samba!
• The Fashionable Bureaucrat is the personal style blog of Megan, a self-described “middle manager in government.” What a breath of fresh air she must be in her office! She recently showed off her Cydwoq sensibility, giving Ped a credit.
• At Pretty Neat Designs, Cindy blogs about all manner of things that interest her. She happily declared the Chie Mihara Guinyo to be “like a party for your feet”! (And she called us “fine purveyors of shoe candy,” which we love!) Be sure to check out the Pretty Neat Designs Etsy shop, where Cindy sells stitched stationery goods.
• East Side Bride, “an evil club of mean hipster brides,” is a blog that offers straight-forward advice with attitude to women who are about to walk down the aisle. Although we have to disagree with the blogger’s response, we were happy to discover the question from a bride who was trying to decide between wearing the Cydwoq Tomcat and the Cydwoq Naked as her wedding shoes. (The comments were also big fun!)
• Ped was featured as a “Gloss Find” on the site myGloss: What Women Want to Know. So nice!
• The design-conscious Michelle Taylor at Blue Moss, a blog of beautiful things, decided Fiorentini + Baker’s Floss was worthy of notice. She also makes wonderful jewelry from vintage baubles, which she offers in her Etsy shop.

A big virtual bouquet of roses to all of these blogs and sites!!! We love what we carry here at Ped, and it’s always thrilling to find out others do, too! THANK YOU!

Lulu and Ella wag their tails for all the virtual Ped love!

(By the way, this week’s Sweet Treat is the Trippen Sinus! Find out why everyone’s wild about Trippen’s wedges by clicking “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of any Ped page, which will take you to the Sinus with the magic discount code that will bring 20% off at checkout.)