Kate Spade Peep Pump

Ok, yes, it’s summer and we’re all wearing lots of sandals and flip flops. Unfortunately for some of us, those aren’t always acceptable footwear in the office, and as much as we’d like to still have a summer vacation, we have to work. At least dressing up for the office doesn’t have to mean a plain pair of boring black pumps. Sure, those are good sometimes, depending on what you’re wearing. And they’re a good go-to pair of shoes when you overslept and you’re in a hurry to get to work. You can just slip those on and be pretty confident that they go with whatever you’ve put on that morning. But if you put some time into assembling your ensemble, you can wear multicolored pumps and still look professional. Ok, so black and white isn’t the best definition of multicolored. But Kate Spade is the very definition of class, which always comes off as professional. So check out this Kate Spade Peep Pump.

Judging by the name, you’d think it’s a peep toe pump, but the shoe actually gets its name from the perforations that cover the cream-colored leather on the sides and vamp. Not only is it a classy, oxford-inspired look, they”ll help keep your feet cool in the hot weather. Covering the toe box, edges, and the entire heel is smooth, shiny black leather. The black leather is also cut with a zig-zag edge right at the toe, and all along the edges, which is a nice detail, but not frilly. The insole and outsole are both leather as well, so the Peep will conform to your foot for comfort, and after a little scuffing, will give you a little traction when you walk. At three inches, the heel is high enough to give your legs a long, lean look without being too high for the office. If you prefer, it’s also available in a blush option. You can seldom go wrong with Kate Spade shoes. The Peep Pump is $298 at Zappos.com.

Budget Saving Alternative 1

The more I see them, the more I’m starting to like Butter shoes. This Butter Singer Pump has a lot going for it, even with such a simple design. It’s a beautiful aloe color rather than black, white, or gray, but it’s not bright or garish, and fits great with the summer season. The pump itself is a classic shape, with a rounded toe, and 3.5-inch heel. The upper is made of soft Nappa leather, which has a bit of a sheen to it, and the interior is also lined with leather, so the shoe is sure to fit well and be comfortable. The best part, though, is the bow embellishment on the vamp. It’s a beautiful, feminine bow, made from velvet ribbon in canary yellow, which perfectly complements the soft green of the pump. The Singer also comes in camel leather with a black velvet bow, or a daring fuchsia and orange multicolored option with a white grosgrain ribbon bow. On sale, it’s marked down from $259 to just $142.97 at Endless.com.

Budget Saving Alternative 2

It’s funny that this shoe is made by Poetic Licence, because they really took a lot of license in making it. The Poetic Licence Playland Peep Toe Pump is…well…it’s hideous. It’s like they took a bunch of remnants that were sitting around the warehouse, and decided to throw them together into one fugly shoe. That whole recycling thing works well when Crayola does it with all the leftover colored wax to make black crayons, and it works really well when Dum Dums does it to make their mystery flavors from the remnants left in the machines after producing single flavor lollipops. But note to designers—leave the remnants on the floor and start from scratch because if this is the result, it’s not even worth the trouble. Not only would I not recommend this shoe for work, I wouldn’t recommend it for anywhere. Just to illustrate, I chose the black option, and if you look closely, you’ll see that the fabric is woven in a checkerboard pattern. The Playland could have actually been nice if they’d stopped there. But no, they decided to add on a translucent gold lucite heel, and then attached that horrible green and red cherry-looking thing to the vamp, which I guess is supposed to be whimsical, but just looks awful. But this isn’t even the worst one. The Playland also comes in brown, where the fabric is actually a checkerboard of brown and silver, with a red lucite heel and the same horrible cherry thing. But the worst one of all? The red one, which has a blue lucite heel, and blue leather trim all around the edges, which clashes with the green leather in the cherry bomb trim. The entire shoe is a bomb. Don’t let me catch you wearing it. I can’t even believe Poetic Licence has the audacity to charge $129 for this shoe at Endless.com. Maybe those aren’t cherries, but the balls the company has to try to pass this off as acceptable footwear.