Sure, we love slides at Ped, and we adore boots with buckles. Nevertheless, a little lacing goes a long way in terms of adjustable comfort and style! Whether it’s a classic oxford from Fiorentini + Baker or an innovative flat from Trippen, we enjoy a shoe that ties things up with a bow or knot. So, allow us to present a visual ode to the lace-up in all its lovely variations!

First up, one of the cutest shoes on the block this spring—Trippen’s Fish:

Wonderfully light, this little brown flat is so flirty with the way its leather laces weave through the front and back before twining around your ankles. Tie them in front, knot them in back—Trippen leaves the choice up to you! What’s certain is how comfortable your tootsies will be skipping down the streets of Prague, Perth, or just your hometown in the Fish!

But if ankle wraps aren’t your cup of tea, then maybe Trippen’s ultra-innovative Pull will appeal to your love of lacing:

We love the crazy way the elastic lacing crisscrosses the front before winding up in an adjustable knot behind your heel. This great travel shoe comes in both luscious teal and cool jade green.

Another shoe with out-of-the-ordinary lacing is Cydwoq’s Proud:

With this flat, there’s nothing to adjust—just slide in your foot and the elastic lacing automatically creates a glove-like fit. So clean, so chic, so cutting-edge—but still so versatile because the Proud literally goes with everything!

Sometimes, we like to change things up! Lots of you know the Fiorentini + Baker Emma Boot laces in the back, but did you know Trippen’s cut-front Fence ankle boot also features lacing in the back?

In a word (and no offense):  badass!

Then again, nothing beats the classic oxford for lace-up goodness. We’ve got two new ones in the house. Giraudon’s Plug Loafer is actually an old fave from years ago:

We love this traditional black shoe because it’s thoroughly modern with its perforated leather over the toe and four-eyelet lacing.

If you prefer to juice up your oxford with a blast of color, though, get an eyeful of Fiorentini + Baker’s latest:

It’s got all of F+B’s famed Italian construction in a glorious green package (and it comes in blue, too) all tied up with a bow!

By the way, have you checked out this week’s “sweet treat,” Argila’s Zoe? It takes lacing to a whole new level of sauciness:

Just click “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of any Ped page (including this one) to get 20% off this flirty heeled sandal!

So, lace up, ladies—in any of these great shoes, you’re sure to have a string of admirers tied around your little finger!

When winter’s greys finally turn to green, our thoughts turn to sandals! Nothing’s more delicious than wriggling your bare toes in new grass, but pavement, hot sand, and the aisles at the grocery store require you to put a little something beneath your soles. It doesn’t have to be much, though, and it can feel almost as good as dancing barefoot across the lawn.

Behold a few of Ped’s light and airy treasures.

Hands down, one of the prettiest sandals this season is Coclico’s Victorae:

This sweetheart is so simple—the easiest of t-straps—yet it opens eyes with its vine of leaves running up the center. With a .5″ wedge, it’s not quite flat, but it’s as comfortable as a walk in the park.

When it comes to designing flats that keep feet happy, nobody compares to Cydwoq’s Rafi Balouzian. The man knows just what we like! Case in point, Cydwoq’s Attract:

Cut from a single piece of leather, the upper incorporates an ankle strap, which is so of-the-moment! We also love how the soft yellow color is unusual yet muted enough to go with almost everything in your closet.

Another favorite from Cydwoq is the Bare:

Sandals don’t get more minimal than this perfectly designed little number! When you can’t go barefoot, the Bare is the next best thing! (And how fun is that sassy red leather?)

When it comes to color, though, everyone knows I lean toward green. So, I swooned when I discovered Cordani’s Sarah:

The pistachio leather is so fresh I could almost bite it! But then my feet would be deprived of this flat’s supreme comfort. With a full rubber sole, the Sarah is perfect for navigating all kinds of terrain.

Another great travel sandal that offers a fresh variation on the gladiator look is  Cydwoq’s Mandarine:

Also available in black, this is the one sandal you won’t want to take off because it looks great with everything! (Your other sandals will  be jealous as they gather dust.)

Want your gladiator to have a funkier edge? There’s a flat for that! It’s Cydwoq’s Elect:

Super cute. Super cool. Super comfortable. Cydwoq does it again!

And, believe it or not, there are even more fantastic flat sandals at the Ped site just waiting to help your feet breathe easy!

(Psst, don’t forget this week’s Sweet Treat is Cydwoq’s Flap Bag. Get 20% off by clicking “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner on any Ped page.)

It’s no secret that at Ped we are big fans of wearing boots year-round. I’ve mentioned before how much I love the look of a breezy summer dress paired with boots. The only drawback is on days that are scorchers, your tootsies may feel, how shall we say, a smidge claustrophobic.

So, you can imagine how much I smiled when I discovered a number of our favorite designers created sandal-boot hybrids this season! What a great idea! The edgy look of a boot with the breathability of a sandal—what could be cooler, in every sense of the word? Below are just a few of the many variations.

No sooner did the Trippen Stream arrive in the warehouse, than it flew out the door! Fear not, though, because we just received our second shipment!

When you step out the door in this German head-turner, you are guaranteed to be the hippest thing on the street! Even better, you’ll be über-comfortable because the Stream features Trippen’s famous t-shaped wedge!

But if you prefer a flat with a closed toe, Trippen’s Omen may just have your name on it:

The style is cutting-edge, but the easy-to-wear grey color let’s you pair it with almost anything. For instance, how terrific would these look with a floaty, yellow cotton dress?

If you want to get even funkier, check out Argila’s Elizabetta:

Ped fans have snapped up this sexy-tough-grrl style, but we have more on the way from Spain, so let us know if you’d like to be on the list!

You say you’d like something that’s a little more sandal and a little less boot?  See what you think of Argila’s Jolene:

The airy leatherwork is amazingly intricate on this lace-up ankle “boot.” Also, the olive green color reminds me of Italian gardens. Gorgeous!

Perhaps the award for Most Balanced Blending of Ankle Boot and Sandal, though, goes to Giraudon’s Riley:

Oh my, this wooden-soled sandal (it’s really a sandal-boot-clog) is something else! The gold lining, the ankle lacing, the tiny square cutouts—there’s so much to love about this beauty! When you slip on the Riley, everyone’s going to want your shoes!

And  there are even more sandal-boots to consider at the Ped site. What a great way to amp up your style and flash a little summer skin!

Speaking of summer skin, have you checked out Ped’s “Sweet Treat” this week? It’s Fiorentini + Baker’s fabulous Tessa Sandal!

Not a sandal boot exactly, but a buckle-tastic, open-air cousin of F+B’s Eternity Boot! (It also comes in black.)

Unfamiliar with Ped’s “Sweet Treat”? Here’s how it works: Just click “be sweet to your feet” up there in the upper right corner of this page (or any Ped page), and you’re instantly transported to the treat of the week, where a magic code entered on the last page of checkout gives you 20% off! Just like that! Fun, eh?

The “Sweet Treat” changes every week. You never know when your favorite thing—you know the one you’ve had your eye on?—may suddenly be 20% off! So, be sure to click “be sweet to your feet” on every Ped visit to see what treat awaits.

Whoohoo—everyone is having such a blast in the Ped warehouse with all the new shipments arriving! It’s one thing to pick out what styles to offer from various designers, and it’s another to have them in our hot little hands! Every box that lands on the doorstep guarantees another round of oohs and aahs when we open it.

A running theme in this season’s sandals and shoes is a focus on the ankle. When I was little, I remember hearing people say a woman had “a well-turned ankle.” I always loved that phrase! So, it’s especially fun to know Ped’s customers are going to have ankles worth a second look this season! Whether wrapped in laces or encircled with sexy straps, the ankles of anyone wearing one the following numbers are destined to be “well-turned.”

Lots of Ped fans love Cydwoq’s Bare sandal. Well, Cydwoq’s Rafi has taken the best of the Bare and amped up the heat by adding an ankle strap. Behold the new Naked:

S-s-s-sizzling! Say no more.

Speaking of Cydwoq, the ever-popular Defend is back this year, sporting a sassy new copper color:

Two, two, two ankle straps are better than one! Well, for some gals, at least. (As Tim Gunn would say, “Chacon a son gout.”)

You say you want even more? Trippen hears you! Get an eyeful of the gorgeous Exotic wedge:

Now that’s a strappy ankle strap (don’t worry, it’s not as complicated as it looks)! And this peep-toe stands on Trippen’s oh-so-comfortable t-shaped wedge. Sexy and comfortable—that’s the way we like it at Ped!

But maybe you’re one of those gals who lives for clogs, in which case, Trippen hears you again! How cool is the wooden sole on Trippen’s new Ritzy?

We just can’t get enough of that window in the heel! We love how its airiness finds an echo in the way the ankle strap wraps.

Speaking of wrapping, Trippen also excels at designing styles with laces that twine and vine around your ankle. Case in point, the cuter-than-cute Fish:

We love how Trippen leaves the way you wrap this flat’s double laces to your whim—vine and tie them in front, twine and tie them in back, whatever you fancy.

If you’re a Fiorentini + Baker fan (and who isn’t?), you’re going to swoon over the gladiator-inspired Tessa:

Now that’s a sandal guaranteed to turn your ankle into an attention magnet! Wow–and it’s red, our favorite, although it also comes in black.

Still we know some Ped gals prefer to be a little more understated. Argila’s Elsie is demure without being a bit boring (it’s got that girl-next-door sex appeal going for it):

So pretty! Plus, it’s wonderful to wear and will go with pretty much everything in your spring and summer wardrobe.

These are just a few angles on how to enhance your ankles! Click over to Ped to find even more ways to get that well-turned look! We know you’re going to heat up the joint!

Happy New Year, Ped fans!!! Here’s hoping your holidays were everything you wanted them to be and more!

If you’re like me, though, after all the hoopla and good cheer, your wallet’s feeling a little lighter. Still, a gal’s got to have good shoes and boots to get through the chilly winter months! Don’t worry. Ped’s here to help by taking our prices down a notch, so they’re a little friendlier to soles in need. We bet you’ve been generous to everyone you love, so now it’s time to treat yourself!

Who knows, maybe those cute Chie Mihara’s Santa forgot to bring you are still waiting for you to slide in and step out on the town?

Ped blew through its first shipment of Chie’s knockout Ninke practically overnight and reordered, which means we just might have your size in this vintage-inspired heel! With it’s beautifully stitched and scalloped toe, it was worth every penny at $328, but now it’s super stylish at $262!

Or perhaps you’ve looked longingly at the Cydwoq Vintage Game Boot, but always heard your mom or maybe Sister Mary Francis saying in your head, “Tis better to give than to receive…,” and turned away with a sigh.

Well, turn back around, gal, and give yourself a break and a gorgeous pair of boots! I own these wood-heeled beauties and wear them all the time! Surely, your thrifty mom or penny-pinching Sister Mary Francis would approve of your skipping past the original price of $498 to a sweet $398!

Most people I know are always on the hunt for a shoe they can slip on to go grocery shopping or into the suitcase for a vacation of strolling and sightseeing. Our recommendation?

Cydwoq’s Tibet, which is equally comfortable walking miles through the narrow streets of Venice or the wide aisles of IKEA! Wonderful at $268, this go-everywhere ankle boot will have your feet and your bank account feeling healthy at $214!

And that’s just a smattering of the cool deals Ped has to warm up your winter! In addition to Chie Mihara and Cydwoq, all Argila, Coclico, Giraudon, and Swedish Hasbeens styles are now on sale. And if you’re jetting off on a tropical vacation (lucky you!!!), we have a few cute sandals left from last summer that will leave you with plenty of dinero in your pocket to buy froofy drinks on the beach!

Happy New Year! May 2010 be the best year ever!