Did you know that every week Ped offers a little something special to those who are wise to our ways? Look at the bottom of the box on the left of most Ped pages (click here for an example). See that golden “be sweet to your feet” looking cheerful down there? Mouse over it. Ta da! Like magic, it changes to “sweet treat“! (By the way, on Ped’s opening page, “be sweet to your feet“ is smack in the middle near the bottom, just above the grey bar.)

“But what does that mean?” you may wonder. Well, when you click “sweet treat,” you are transported to a special Ped item with the “Sweet Treat” designation in red below the name of the style. Then all you have to do is pop your size into your bag to receive 20% off automatically at checkout! How cool is that?

This week’s Sweet Treat is the knockout Chie Mihara Turn! (Yes, we *did* link to it for our example above–you are fast!) So: 1) Find and click “be sweet to your feet.” 2) When you land at the Turn with the red “Sweet Treat” designation, add your size to your bag. 3) Receive 20% off the Turn automatically at checkout!

The Sweet Treat changes every seven days or so . . . (admittedly, some weeks we’re a little slow on the uptake). Perhaps that gorgeous pair of Fiorentini + Baker boots you’ve been drooling over or that cool Cydwoq bag that’s been calling your name will suddenly be 20% off! So, don’t forget to check the Sweet Treat every time you visit the Ped site. You never know–it just might be your lucky day! Sweetness is as easy as 1, 2, 3!

The time has come, Ped fans, to see what marvels Chie Mihara has whipped up for fall! Everyone’s favorite Spanish sorceress of style has once again designed heels to make you happy in leathers to make everyone look.

So pour yourself an ice tea or a cocktail and prepare to scroll through beauty!

The title of this post is a play on one of Chie Mihara’s most playful leather techniques this season, checkerboard weaving, which looks especially sassy on the new Uptown oxford:

How fun is this lace-up??? We especially like how the caramel leather back and dark brown leather toe complement the Uptown‘s green, cream, and chocolate checked midsection!

Chie takes her checkered ways a little higher and amps up the femininity in the gorgeous Genesis:

Ooh la la, so chic! The leather colors are eye-catching and unusual (that’s a pale sage interwoven with black in the midsection). Even though the heel is a statuesque 3″, you can comfortably wear it all day long because Chie has cleverly hidden a .5″ platform under the toe, bringing the pitch to an easy 2.5″.

The always imaginative Ms. Mihara moves her checkerboard technique in a new direction on the Dalatchi, which weaves together wool and leather:

If ever there was a bootie to stop traffic, this is it! Below the stunning woven shaft, black matte leather adds a luxe element, while the 3″ sculpted wood heel is architecturally interesting. Sister, trust us, the Dalatchi is GO!

But Chie’s checkerboard weave isn’t the only trick she has up her design sleeve this season. Take a gander at the flocked leather on the Jan:

We swoon every time we look at this modern Mary Jane! The flocked leather on the toe, which feels like suede and looks like a mini-cheetah print, is the show stealer, but also adding fuel to the fire are the Jan‘s slightly flared heel and beautifully constructed buckle strap!

Chie Mihara has the deftest touch when it comes to creating understated designs that still let your flair fly, like the Ozana:

Perfect for arguing a case in court or holding court at an art opening, the Ozana‘s luxe grey suede is subtly sexed up by its ankle strap and teeth-like fringe! Sharp and chic!

Another bold detail that’s just right without going over-the-top is the bow on  Chie Mihara’s Zulema boot:

All the lines are lean and clean, allowing the bow to be at once fem and and badass! Zip up the Zulema, and put some girly zing in your step!

But when going over-the-top is exactly what you want, we highly recommend Chie Mihara’s knockout Wiuda:

Holy hot sauce, what a looker! This purplish-brown, croc-embossed leather lace-up, with its flared heel and pointed—yet still comfortable!—toe,  would have been beautiful on its own. But Chie embellishes it with a fringed and pinked-edge black leather flower to send this femme fetale into the stratosphere of gorgeousness! Wow to the Wiuda!

Chie Mihara shoes always make us want to cha-cha out the door and down the street, so everyone can admire our beautiful feet! Believe it or not, there’s even more Chie Mihara loveliness to admire at Ped, so click on through and put  some Spanish spice in your step!

(And don’t forget to snag a bag! This week’s Sweet Treat is the Trippen Carola, which you can get for cool 20% off by clicking “be sweet to your feet” at the bottom of the box on the left of most Ped pages. When you arrive at the Carola with the “Sweet Treat ” designation, all you have to do is add it to your bag to receive the discount automatically at checkout.)

Ped fans, today we invite you to get high—on sandals, people, on sandals!

For the final leg of our three-part tour through Ped’s strap-happy styles, we continue our ascent by sampling high heels and platforms! In short, it’s time to go tall!

When it comes to kicking things up a notch, Chie Mihara is the queen of adding height while keeping soles happy. Exhibit A: the Chie Mihara Alicante:

What a feast for your feet, from the green suede in back to the woven brown leather up front! And thanks to Chie’s understanding of ergonomics and anatomy, the 3.75″ heel is a treat for your dogs that will keep them from barking and whining, even after hours of walking!

Suede also plays a starring role in Chie Mihara’s well-named Amor! Buckle up and fall in love:

Ay dios mio! The Amor‘s heel is a statuesque 4″, but Chie’s signature footbed and the 1″ platform under the ball of your foot mean it’s a breeze to wear!

If you’re looking for a heel that’s a little less showy but still chic, perhaps the Chie Calenta could be your cup of tea:

This unusual lace-up is one of our personal favorites this season because it’s so versatile, plus the embossed black leather is gorgeous!

Of course, one of our favorite ways to add height without hurt is to step onto a platform, like Coclico’s Merin:

The leather is luscious, the cork is lightweight, and the look is urban without being pretentious! Best of all, because the platform slopes from 2.75″ in back to 1.25″ up front, the pitch comes in at an easy-peasy 1.5″.

Another Coclico wedge that’s won our hearts is the Mosaic:

Such sauciness! This femme fetale brings together the best of an ankle boot with the airiness of a summer sandal. We particularly like the little lip that rims the heel, which offers a little extra security and edge.

Fiorentini + Baker also works wonders with a cork wedge, as evidenced by the knockout Dany:

With attitude to spare, the Dany stops traffic with its be-studded brown suede that extends down over the the black leather-covered platform, which slopes from 3.5″ in back to 1.5″ up front. You don’t have to be a rock star to strut like one!

Finally, let’s again drink in the beauty of the Trippen Mikli, which we first oohed and aahed over in our post celebrating wood soles:

This show stopper is the skyscraper in Ped city, with its sculpted wooden wedge rising a full 4.5″ in back! The 1.5″ lift up front brings the pitch to 3″, and Trippen’s skill at sculpting the footbed to match your sole’s contours means the Mikli feels fantastic when you slide in and crisscross the ankle strap!

The Mikli also just happens to be our Sweet Treat this week, so you can rise and shine for 20% off by clicking “be sweet to your feet” at the bottom of the box on the left at Ped’s main site!

So ends our air-conditioned travels through the many sandals of Ped! We gave you the lay of the land from the flats to the heights, but we didn’t visit all the styles, so feel free to explore on your own at Ped! So many beautiful ways to let your toes play in the sun all summer long!

Ped fans, a sure sign summer is winding down is when boxes full of fall goodness flood the Ped warehouse. We’re adding new styles to the site every day, and wow, are they ever beautiful this season! We’re particularly charmed by several of the innovative heels, which let you add both inches and interest to your look.

Here are a few of our favorites:

Anyone who’s spent any time in a pair of Chie Mihara heels know that she achieves the seemingly impossible: combining high style with down-to-earth comfort! Often Chie gives the heel an extra flourish to let you flaunt those extra inches. Who can resist the 3″ checkerboard leather-wrapped heel on the new Tunisia?

As if the stunning heel weren’t enough, this lace-up’s teal blue leather looks good enough to drink!

Another knockout heel from our lady of Spain is the Chie Mihara Brizna:

Strut your stripes! We also love the flirty window below the lacing—something saucy to see in front and something sensational to see in back!

Wooden heels and platform soles are the height of style these days, and Chie MIhara goes with the grain, adding some interesting angles to her new Wespa oxford:

Chie is expert at amping up even simple designs, and the geometry of this 3″ heel is the perfect example! Plus, the Wespa‘s deep blue suede is to die for! (Not a fan of navy? We also have the Wespa in chocolate brown!)

Coclico also knows how to make a wooden heel into a sculptural work of art. Check out the lovely curve and subtle taper of new Vita bootie’s heel:

We absolutely love the silhouette of this boot! The inward gesture of the Vita‘s 2.5″ heel provides the perfect counterpoint to the outward flare of its top!

A Ped favorite year after year is Trippen’s t-shaped rubber wedge, which not only is über-comfortable but also adds arty edge to many of Trippen’s fun designs, like the new Calexico ankle boot:

Wow! Between the lace-up back, colorful exposed seams, and fantastic shape of the 1.75″ heel, people walking behind you will be so transfixed by your cool boots that they may stumble into poles, other people, or traffic. Be careful with your power to attract and distract when you step out in this beauty!

The 2″ resin heel that supports many of Cydwoq’s Vintage styles is also famously comfortable, and now and then Rafi gives it extra zest! Get an eyeful of the gorgeous etched design that spices up the understated pewter version of the Calamity:

The art-deco elegance of the heel’s pattern looks so lovely with the streamlined design of this shoe! Even when the occasion calls for “conservative,” the Calamity‘s heel lets you put a little “kapow” in your style!

We love a shoe that offers something to see from every angle! Want to heighten your impact? These heels have got your back!

(Speaking of things that are clearly something to see, this week’s Sweet Treat is Jamie Joseph’s spectacular Round Rock Crystal Ring! Ready to sparkle? Then click “be sweet to your feet” at the bottom of the box on the left of most Ped pages to land at the Round Rock Crystal Ring with the code that will magically bring 20% off at checkout!)

Shoes are our bread and butter here at Ped HQ, so we’re always interested when we run across news items focused on footwear (beyond what celebrity wore what because, well, ho-hum…). We thought you Ped fans might be interested, too, so we’re starting an occasional series about recent news featuring shoes, just in case you overlooked, er, overstepped it.

1) Hullabaloo over White House Counsel Kathryn Reummler’s Shoes

Question: If you were a White House lawyer in President Obama’s inner circle, what would you like The Washington Post to notice about you? Your impressive education? Your career path to the top? The legal advice you offer the leader of the free world? How about your shoes? No to that last one? Well, too late because Juliet Elprin already wrote an online piece all about Kathryn Reummler’s fondness for fancy footwear. Amusingly, the White House responded to the Post‘s request for a photo of Reummler’s shoes by sending over a pic of Reummler doing her job at a meeting in the Oval Office. Kudos, White House press office!

(Official White House photo by Pete Souza.)

To be fair, The Washington Post did publish this more journalistic profile of Reummler in the hard copy of the paper. Nevertheless, when has a newspaper ever deemed a male politico’s shoe choices worthy of multiple paragraphs? Quite a few outlets offered pointed critiques of the Post‘s sexist treatment of Reummler; two of the best are Irin Carmon’s take-down on Salon and Debbie Hines’ opinion piece on the Huffington Post.

2) Kinky Boots wins Tony for “Best Musical”

We are all smiles about the Broadway sensation Kinky Boots winning “Best Musical” at the Tony Awards on June 9, not only because Cyndi Lauper(!!!!) wrote the music and lyrics, but also because the show is a theatrical remake of the 2005 British film of the same name. If you haven’t seen either and you can’t get to NYC, by all means check out the movie because it is a hoot! The plot is based on a true story about a man who saved his family’s shoe factory by making boots for transvestites! It’s big fun! (And congrats on the multiple Tonys to Cyndi Lauper, playwright Harvey Fierstein, choreographer Jerry Mitchell, and lead actor Billy Porter!)

3) Graduate Student Finds Sole in Romance Novels

We first read about artist and grad student Rudi Bremer’s stunning shoes on Jezebel, but we got the lowdown (with lots of photos) at Smart Bitches Trashy Books, which aptly calls Bremer’s heels, “The Most Awesome Shoes in the Universe.” Bremer designed her decoupaged shoes, which feature steamy book cover art, to declare her identity as a lover of romance novels, noting,  “Often when people find out that I read romance novels they tell me I ‘don’t seem the type’ by which they mean I seem too smart/cynical/young/anti-cats to be a romance reader.” She calls her functional artwork, “The Sole of a Romantic” because she says, “I live for puns.” Shoes and puns?  She’s talking Ped’s language!

Rudi Bremer’s “The Sole of a Romantic.” (Photograph by Phil Verness.)

That’s a wrap for our first roundup of “Shoes in the News.” If you see something we should include in our next post, by all means, send us a link!

Step lively out there!