Shecky’s

Shoes, much like the ocean’s tides, are dictated by the gentle rolling in of fall/winter boots and the gentle rolling out (or at least rolling to the back of your closet) of spring/summer sandals. In preparation for this time-honored tradition, we thought we’d highlight some of the latest and greatest in a season filled with sexy thigh-highs, ornate cutouts, booties, and a bevy of textures and embellishments.

CUTOUTS: Designers have long relied on cutouts to spice up the leap between the seasons, but no one has done it with such subtle swagger as Vera Wang.

The Vera Wang Lavender ‘Verdi’ bootie ($495 at Nordstrom) combines ornate lace-like cutouts with a statuesque heel and platform, leaving this delicious little number teetering somewhere between elegant and fierce. A back-zip adds functionality, but delves back into sexy-land with an open heel.

WOODEN HEELS: We don’t know if it’s the awesome click/clack sound they make or the way each step feels like we’re making a statement, but we’re partial to the clog. So imagine our joy when designers started to incorporate wooden clog heels on fall footwear!

Steven by Steve Madden’s Strappy Clog Bootie ($229 at Victoria’s Secret Direct) combines this season’s strap-and-hardware-fetish with a natural and platform wooden heel. Available in a soft gray or black, this bootie will definitely be working overtime.

FALL FABRICS: As if Christian Louboutin’s signature red beacon wasn’t enough to grab our attention, he had to go and make this delicious bootie out of that most fall of fall fabrics…flannel.

Christian Louboutin leads the charge of military-inspired footwear this season with his Button Flannel Bootie ($995 at Neiman Marcus). If the covered platform and six-inch heel are the cake on this little number, then surely the shiny military buttons are the icing.

OVER-THE-KNEE: In our humble opinion, nothing is sexier than a boot that stretches up, up, up to the heavens!

Christian Dior’s Biker Over-the-Knee Boot ($1,290 at Saks Fifth Avenue) does just that with a shaft that measures a staggering 22 (!!!) inches. Designed with a pull-on style and a slightly slouchy appearance, this boot combines both functionality and sexy in one fell swoop of soft, thigh-high suede. The buckled riding straps around the ankle and back vent and the stacked wooden heel feel more horse than Harley…but all the same…We. Want.

FOLDOVER CUFF: And finally, a trend tailor-made to make a gal’s stems appear positively willowy (not to mention warm)—the fold-over cuff.

Sam Edelman covers his mid-calf ‘Zane’ Boot ($225 at Singer22.com) with a thick fold-over cuff that isn’t for the embellishment faint-of-heart. Designed in soft suede with a three-inch heel, Edelman’s ‘Zane’ carefully straddles the line between rock ‘n’ roll and functionality.

-Corrie Shenigo of Shop.com

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