Baby it's cold outside

It's a nice day outside today, but I can feel the open-toe weather dwindling. Maybe in different regions one can get away with open-toe year-round, but this side of Pennsyltucky doesn't really lend itself to grin and bearing it when frost-bite is an issue.

When DSW first started carrying "luxury" shoes on their website, they were pretty cheap. Well, considering anyhow. These shoes showed up on the website 80% off retail, despite the fact they were still full-price on many websites and in-store. Never having tried anything by this brand, I decided to take a chance and hoped I would hate them in person, because I didn't really need them. Are you surprised I didn't hate them in person? Yeah, me either.

Seeing a picture of these off the foot really doesn't show them in all their splendor. On the foot? Hello, gorgeous. Lace-up shoes that hit right at the (c)ankle can be difficult to pull off, but these shoes are so damn sexy I can't stand it. (Hold the phone - I know it's creepy when I talk about my own shoes like that)

These shoes aren't in most retailers anymore, but I've seen the leather version pop-up on eBay, and I'd also check discounters as I saw this style make most final cuts. They came in fuchsia and black leather as well as the lace. They came in two heel heights, 3.5" inches and 4.5". These are the lower-heeled version.

Givenchy Gillie Lace Sandal, S/S 09

Fit is small and narrow. The 36.5 was the only size available to me at the time, but a 37 would have been much better. The leather version may be more forgiving in terms of width, since leather tends to stretch, but the canvas/linen blend of the uppers on this version has no give whatsoever.