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!

Ped fans, we hear it all the time: “I love those shoes, but I’m not sure what I’d wear them with…” We understand—the last thing you want is to buy a knockout pair of shoes only to have them languish in the closet! But chances are even the most offbeat color or bold design is easier to wear than you think. Here are a few ideas for how to make things work.

On the other hand, you may prefer your style more muted. Even so, you can still wear a sandal boot and have it look smashing:

All these outfits were created at Polyvore.com, which offers a wonderful way to try out items together when you’re shopping online. It’s also just plain fun! So, if you fall in love with a shoe, don’t resist; in the words of Tim Gunn, you can “make it work.”

(By the way, we’re pretty sure you could make lots of things work with this week’s “sweet treat,” Cordani’s Erin. Just click “be sweet to your feet” in the top right corner of any Ped page to get 20% off this fresh espadrille platform!)

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.)

Blue skies. The deep blue sea. Bluebirds. Blueberries. Some of the most wonderful things in nature are blue!

Here at Ped, we have quite a thing for blue. We love how it’s simultaneously dreamy, peaceful, and uplifting. (Not to mention romantic—there’s a reason why brides carry “something blue.”) Shades like turquoise add a jolt of color! Others, such as grey-blues, are nearly neutral and quietly add style.

Here’s a juicy sample of the many hues of blue at Ped.

Cydwoq sandals are de rigueur for the summer because they’re artistic and supremely comfortable. This season we decided to offer Cydwoq’s Hook in blue:

I bought this sandal myself in brown  a couple seasons ago, but this new blue version has turned my head. If you’re looking for the perfect companion to take on vacation, the Hook makes an ideal sight-seeing friend!

Another favorite shoe that we’ve refreshed in blue is Chie Mihara’s Vaive:

A cluster of violet-blue rosettes blooming on a heeled lace-up oxford—yes, please!!! The Vaive is the way to take your style to work!

Maybe you want something that’s airier than an oxford but not quite as breezy as a sandal? Then drink in the lovely blueness of Cydwoq’s new Border:

This wooden-heeled beauty is sophisticated enough for serious occasions, but it still let’s you celebrate that it’s summer outside! You’ll be as pretty as a bluebell!

If there’s one thing on which all Ped fans agree, it’s the fabulousness of Fiorentini + Baker boots. Meet Eden, the latest member of the Ped F+B family:

This boot’s a slice of blue paradise! Imagine how great it would look with a white prairie skirt and camisole on a hot summer day! Although the Eden danced out of the Ped warehouse as soon as it arrived, we have more on the way. Let us know if you’d like to be notified when the next shipment of Eden lands.

But there’s more blue than just shoes at Ped. Drink in the beauty of the linen Seville scarf that just arrived from Sophie Digard in Paris:

A lacy wonder, this scarf’s sky-blue background makes all the other colors sing so harmoniously! As with every Sophie design, we suggest you zoom, zoom, zoom at the Ped site to appreciate the intricate artistry of the work.

One way to keep a blue sky with you, no matter what the weather, is to slip a Jamie Joseph ring on your finger. Then you can just look at your hand for a little pick-me-up. One of our favorites is her Rainbow Moonstone ring:

The stone’s depth and luminosity are so spellbinding!

Finally, opening your wallet becomes a much less stressful experience when it’s made of wonderful blue leather:

“Yvs Klein Blue” is our new favorite color for 49 Square Miles’ Clingy Wallet!

Oh, and by the way, you can get this week’s Sweet Treat—Cydwoq’s Flap Bag—in teal, which is the loveliest blue green!

Just click “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of this page (or any Ped page) to be whisked to the Flap, where a magic code awaits to enable you to knock 20% off the price at checkout.

So, head over to the Ped site to find your favorite blue to help you keep the blues at bay. Only blue skies for Ped fans!

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.