A Pair of Pairs of Shoes (does that even make sense?)

I was planning this post along with some JC reviews, but decided to bump it up based on Harvill's comment on my last post.

So a couple of weeks ago, I ran into snaphappy at my local DSW Shoe Warehouse, which I admit, I don't visit often enough. I'm trying to branch out a bit with the shoe purchasing...and trying to really find cute shoes that are actually not bad - or maybe even good - for my feet.

Only one purchase on that 1st trip, and did I mention I had a coupon for $20 off a $49.95 purchase? Naturalizer Cedra Patent Moc (#194610, $49.95) Ok, I did use the coupon and got them for basically $30, but oh yeah, these are definitely worth full price. First let's be shallow and go with looks. Brown croc patent? Too cute. Love the little tassel thingy. They are synthetic, but are so comfy that I haven't had any rubbing or blister issues. I got a 9 1/2. I agree with DSW's reviews that they do tend to run a bit short. I love how they look with jeans - that's probably how I will usually wear them. Being that they are by Naturalizer, you do expect the support and comfort, and I give them an A+ on that. (snaphappy got a pair of these, too.)

Now, you know I love my ballet flats and let's be honest...it's a lot easier to camouflage all that support and comfort in a pair of mocs than it is in ballet flats. Probably why I usually go with my cheapie Target shoes and a gel insole, since it's not like they're going to be *that* much more supportive if I spend more money... Well, I stand corrected. Some ballet flats can be a bit more supportive and comfy. And I would like to thank snaphappy because when we were at DSW the previous week, she said "Did you look at the clearance section?" I replied, "nope, never even got there." (thinking it would be all summer and I'm looking for fall/winter shoes)

Flash forward to this past weekend when my parents were visiting, my mom wanted to stop by DSW to look at some shoes. I honestly, truly I swear, rode along to get a bag of dog food at Petco right next door. (Lucy, now 9 months old and 48 lbs, goes through a 35-lb bag of food in 1 month. And folks, she's not chunky.) So I got my intestinally-friendly large-breed puppy food (yeah, I know, ridic, huh?) and wandered back to DWS to meet my mom. She was still browsing and I had pretty much seen everything on the regular rows, so with snaphappy's words in mind, I headed back to the clearance section...and fell in love.

Me Too Swann Cap Toe Ballet Flat (#177123, $39.94 online). I got it for $54.94, less 50%, so a wee bit less than $28. Again, score! And um, yeah, I probably would have paid the full price for these too. Yes, they are a bit of a Chanel knock-off, but what ballet flats aren't (other than the TB Revas, of course). So pretty - beige leather and black patent cap toe. Love! But the big news is how comfy they are. Without looking totally clunky. I did get a 9 1/2 in these as well, but probably could have made the 9's work. Except that my mom got the 9's for herself. I did add one of those back-of-heel cushions to help them stay on a bit better. Can't wait to wear these with most or all of my fall/winter sweaters. (And now I have a pic I can clip to Polyvore because I can't on the DSW site...stinkers.)

Here are my IRL pics of the 2 shoes. Pardon the mark across the top of my foot - I was wearing toe socks earlier today with my J Crew sneakers...and did a quick photo op of both pairs of shoes before swapping out for big comfy cozy socks.