Sole Searching: Seeing Red

I decided that my love of my shoes needed a bigger platform than just my internal desires, hence… a new blog feature, Sole Searching! (Big thanks to Kathy L. for the name idea, by the way!)

I'm aiming to post this series every Friday and it will simply feature awesome shoes. Trust me, they find me, I don't find them. It's like this horrible curse! Ok, well… that's maybe half true, but regardless, I feel it's only fair to share all of my toe tantalizing finds with you.

Some weeks it may just be one pair of shoes, other weeks it may tie in with a Shoe Review or I may include some outfit ideas. You know me, just goin' with the flow :)

For my first Sole Searching post, we're seeing red. If you're going to stray from black and brown when it comes to shoes, go red (or mustard, but that's another post!). You can't go wrong. Red compliments any skin tone and jazzes up just about any outfit you put on.

Shipwreck Wedge Sandal by BC Footwear

Find them at endless.com, $45 – $59

You may remember seeing these in a previous Couture du Jour post. I also happen to own them and also happen to love them immensely. These were kind of a stretch for me. I love wearing pumps, but have never been much a wedge girl. I was having trouble finding the perfect red shoe for the summer, decided to give these a try and ended up loving them more than expected.

They are very comfortable. The adjustable ankle strap keeps them in place and the sole is soft and a little cushy. The color is a nice, brighter red, which can sometimes be hard to find in a shoe. You more often see slightly deeper shades of red. I found them to fit true to size, not too narrow and not too wide.

Wanna hear the best part? They come in 6 other colors! I personally love the olive, but you'll also find basic black, white and a lovely cognac tan. Find them all here.

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Jiminy Tear Drop Peep Toe by Chelsea Crew

Find them at LuLus.com, $64

Chelsea Crew is one of my favorite brands. I've always been pleased with the quality and comfort of their shoes. I have these shoes with a slightly different cutout detail in a lovely butterscotch color that I purchased a few years back and I wear them all the time. They are a unique style, not to mention adorable, and they can be dressed up or down. It's taking all my strength not to snatch up a red pair. I'll probably give in soon…

The sizing is European, which can sometimes be tricky. Different charts will give you different conversions and sometimes it's a guessing game regardless. I most typically wear a size 8. Sometimes I need an 8.5, occasionally I need a 7.5, but usually an 8. Thus far, I have always fit well in a 39 in Chelsea Crew shoes.

So guess what? These also come in different colors! Find them in green here at Ruche or in red, green, black or nude here at DNA Footwear. If they don't have your size in the red at LuLu's or DNA Footwear, you'll also find them here at ModCloth.

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Renee Sandal by Miz Mooz

Find them at endless.com, $79 - $99

This pair and the pair below kind of go hand-in-hand. They are both made by the same designer and I love them both to pieces. I did try them both on, and as frivolous as I can be about shoes, even I couldn't justify more than 2 pairs of red sandals and ended up going with the BC wedges above and some Clarks that are now sold out.

These shoes are fabulous, if you like the wooden sole platform style. They are hip, fun and adorable, but they were a little too much for me for the day to day wear I was looking for. Plus, being over 5'8", I don't really need all that extra height.

The pros — great color, a rich cherry red, and they were very comfortable. I'm also a big fan of ankle straps, because your feet don't slide around as much. One con, the rocky toe. I've yet to figure out why this is done on certain shoes, but you may have seen it before. The toe points up a bit and you feel like a rocking chair when you walk. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does take some getting used to and I could see how people wouldn't like it. They do run about 1/2 size small. I needed these in an 8.5, versus my normal 8. All in all, if you're looking for a chunky, funky red shoe — try this one!

Other colors? Of course! Along with the red, you'll also find black, cognac and ice at endless.com.

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Heather Sandal by Miz Mooz

Find them at endless.com, $109

This pair is very similar to the ones above, yet I'd call them a little 'tamer', if you will. The platform and heel is lower and the overall design is a little more subdued. I preferred this design over the Renee Sandal.

From the photo, I thought the cut of the front might look matronly, but I loved it and found them flattering. The color was a little darker, and darker than what I was looking for, but they were also very comfortable and did not have the weird rocky toe.

These fit true to size, my standard size 8 fit me well. They also come in the same variety of colors — red, black, whiskey and ice, all available at endless.com.

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Now if you like those Miz Mooz Sandals, there are two more styles I love: The Hype, which has a cute buckle accent, and the Yvonne, which was a wedge heel. Both also come in a really awesome shade of green!

So, I'll finish up this first Sole Searching post with a few more pairs of fabulous red shoes that I've come across in my internet travels. Happy sole searching!

Zacatecas Heels

Find them at Anthropologie, $138

Breen Sneaker by DKNY

Find them at endless.com, $69

Fiddle Scroll by Clarks

Find them at Zappos.com, $79

Helen Palmira Sandal by Eric Michael

Find them at endless.com, $89

(p.s. These shoes come in 14 other colors!)

Sissy Platforms by Dansko

Find them at Zappos.com, $115

Makana Cutout Wedges by Merona

Find them at Target, $23