Buy By Night

Posted by Katie, Fashion Editor

I’ve been having insomnia lately, and I often pass the hours looking at shoes online. This wouldn't be so bad if I weren't so open-minded when it comes to footwear. Cheap, or expensive? Sure. Flat, or towering? Yes! Simple, or completely insane? Again, both work for me.

Thus, I’m expecting quite a few deliveries this week, and we’ll soon see just how good my judgment is at 3 a.m. In the meantime, I'll recount some of my more memorable steps.

First there's Lori's, where I came across a shoe brand, Progetto, that I had never heard of (a rare thrill these days, since it’s my job to hear of them).

I had to order some because the promise of a leather sole at this price ($88) was too hard to pass up. The site also stocks lots of my favorite reasonably priced brands, like Dani Black, Jeffrey Campbell, and Dolce Vita.

Other new-ish brands have been catching my eye as well. I’ve fallen in love with Nicole Brundage’s spring/summer shoes, which, thankfully, I can't buy on her website. The bad news: They carry them at Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom. Check out the "Jane Bond": 

When I'm daydreaming about harder-to-find designers -- like Pierre Hardy, Dries Van Noten, Alaia, and Yohji -- Mona Moore is where I go.

More bad news: Marni has a virtual store. But word to the wise, I believe they run a half size small. Or maybe I’m just one of those women that shoe salesmen talk about, in denial about the real size of my feet. I’ve never thought I was, but I’ve had egg on my face a few times recently. 

To make matters worse, I think I might now be in a race with Page (our home editor) to buy these Loeffler Randall wedges from Shopbop.com. 

It's a great website for young designers. I also love the Joie “Shout” sandals -- we've wanted to shoot them, but were never able to for logistical reasons.

Oh, and Shopbop also has the best gold pumps from Jill Stuart. I believe I sold a pair to my friend Kerstin Czarra (our resident web expert) for all of her summer weddings.   

Meanwhile, I've ordered some Greek sandals from melissinos-art.com. At less than 50 U.S. dollars, I'm betting they’ll be worth the wait (shipping from Greece -- I’ll let you know how long it takes). I’m into the "Plato" and "Socrates" styles. 

Another authentic-shoe tip: A company called Remix Vintage is reproducing some pretty cute vintage styles;  check out the “Dara” wedges and the “Claudette”: 

I am very tempted to name the names of designers who have clearly visited this website recently. These two styles, in particular, remind me of shoes I’ve seen at Barneys lately. 

Well I should sleep well tonight from the sheer exertion of compiling this post. But I'll be back with the second installment (yes, there's more) of my online shoe finds tomorrow. Until then, happy shopping.

Comments

[M.]

Do you know if the Nicole Brundage shoes are for sale online?

Love your blog.

[Abbott]

I hear you about designer sizes running small...the best site I've found for getting brands like Loeffler Randall, Jeffrey Campbell, Dolce Vita, and Kate Spade plus tons more is http://www.barefoottess.com.
They have an amazing selection of designer shoes that go from sizes 6 all the way to 14! Plus, they often have amazing discounts, like 20% off all stock. It's too good to be true

[Anita]

Thank you so much for the scoop -- this is definitely above and beyond the call of duty! You are a true sole sister.

[Blueprint]

Anita: OK, here's the deal. That Progetto shoe is called the Glam (7262), and the color is Cuoio. They pulled it off the site because they're down to 3 pairs. They can't order more -- but if you happen to be a size 8.5 or 9, you can call and try to get one of those last pairs: 888-334-SHOE, press 0. If all else fails, the parent company is Alto Gradimento, and maybe you can find 'em elsewhere online. Good luck!

[Blueprint]

That shoe seems to have disappeared from the Lori's site. Maybe it's sold out -- we emailed them to find out!

[Anita]

What brand are the orange/brown flats in the very top pic? I love them, but can't seem to find them at Lori's!

[Cirilia]

Oh, do tell! After stalking and posting about Remix for months I finally caved and bought the Dara sandal in highly non-neutral yellow. I can't wait for them to arrive!

[Chelsea]

I always regretted not buying sandals when I was in Greece, now I know how to get them. Perfect finds!

[sami k]

ohhh baby. if i hadn't just spent a couple hundred dollars on deeply discounted designer boots, i'd probably have to buy the wedges, and these:

http://lorisshoes.com/product.asp?lt=c&catid=4670&pfid=LDS03257

*heavy sigh*

[chez shoes]

Sorry about the insomnia, but appreciate the links! While it's not my job per se to know about shoes, it is my calling :) Yet I hadn't heard of Lori's either, or some of the reasonably-priced brands on that site.

Another recent discovery for me is Emma Pink, which has a large selection of cute, reasonably priced flats, among other things.

[Victoria E]

Ah, tis such a great variety of shoes in this land. My latest favorites have been from http://formandfauna.com/