Marc by Marc Jacobs Gommone Platform Sandal

After last week’s wedding series of shoes and accessories, the blog’s looking a little blah. Yeah, white is normally the go-to color for weddings, but a lot of people are getting away from that. Heck, in China, the bride wears red. How kickass would a hot, red wedding dress look?! I think more people should do that. We get caught up in that need to look like a fairy princess or some crap. Like the episode of Glee where Emma walks into the room in the Princess Diana wedding dress? Good grief, how can people wear so many layers of flouncy lace and ruffles? And yeah, I’m making Glee references again. My addiction continues. Volume three of the soundtrack comes out May 18—w00t! Ahem. Anyway, so yeah. Right now the blog looks kinda like a polar bear walking through a snowstorm in the Arctic. We need some color, like this Marc by Marc Jacobs Gommone Platform Sandal.

I don’t normally go for things that are such a mish-mash of color and pattern, but this shoe caught my eye because the colors and patterns really work. I love Marc Jacobs designs, although I’m not so in love with Marc Jacobs himself right now. He apparently bought a New York bookstore that had been in the same location for 20 years so that he could open…wait for it…a bookstore. Um, what? I’ve seen designers and celebs alike expand their businesses into fragrance, makeup, accessories, and all kinds of things that in one way or another go with fashion and celebrity. But a bookstore? It does not compute. We’ll see what happens. Anyway, I love these shoes. The upper is made from a heavy duty ribbon, which is lined with leather to give it more stability and shape. The sole is also leather, with a rubberized heel. The ankle strap is braided fabric in red, orange, and navy to complement the vamp and heel, and it tapers off into red leather tabs. Woven rope covers the platform and heel, and includes multiple colored stripes for even more visual interest. The heel is 4.5 inches high, but it’s offset by the 1.25-inch platform. Test your balance for $370 at Endless.com.

Budget Saving Alternative 1

I wouldn’t normally be featuring anything from Stuart Weitzman as a budget saving alternative, but in this case, I can’t resist. The Stuart Weitzman Fez Espadrille has a nubuck leather vamp and toebox in a pretty salmon color perfect for spring and summer. It’s also lined around the edge with the same salmon leather, and has leather loops and tabs for the ankle straps. The heel is covered in basket-weave, natural-colored fabric, and the entire interior of the shoe is lined in leather for comfort. A 4.5-inch wedge heel is covered in braided jute, and the ankle straps are made from dainty, braided rope. A 1.5-inch platform sets off the heel, making it feel like just three inches. Similar to most Stuart Weitzman shoe prices, the Fez normally costs $375, but you can get it right now for just $150 at Endless.com. It’s also available in a gorgeous lilac nubuck for $195.90.

Budget Saving Alternative 2

You can still get the sexy, leg-lengthening look of high wedge heels, but without the designer price tag, even if it is just $150 for a pair of Weitzmans. The GUESS Jingman Platform Wedge Sandal has an upper made entirely of fabric. The interesting thing is, the fabric is an odd combination of animals prints and florals. It sounds weird, but somehow, it works. The overarching colors are black and white, but there’s quite a bit of red, blue, and yellow mixed in there. The platform, heel, and insole are all cork, which is really comfortable to walk on. Add to that cushioning in the footbed, and a textured rubber sole, and you may not want to take these sandals off once you put them on, even with a four-inch heel and 1.5-inch platform. The Jingman also comes in a printed blue, black, and white fabric upper, which I’m not really crazy about. Get it for just $90 at Zappos.com.