Ah, summer time. Cookouts. Weekend afternoon parties. Long, warm evenings in friends' backyards. It's the season for sundresses, bare legs and pretty pedicures.

This adds up to a deep need for new sandals.

A sensible woman would get something neutral and comfortable, a pair you can wear anywhere, with anything.

Yeah. Well, good for them.

We want these crazy 4" 4.25" high, green, wooden wedge heels with a hole in the middle of them. They look moderately uncomfortable and totally hard to walk in. L-o-v-e at first sight.

They live at Target, and will come home with us for $19.99. At least we won't need to use rent money to pay for them, unlike the $700 peach suede Prada sandals smirking at us over at Neiman Marcus.

Tweed is so very, well, autumn/winter, yes, and I don't know where you are, but the weather here in LA has been teasing us in and out of Spring for the last few weeks. However, with a tiny little peep-toe and flower detail at the front, the Zinc Missy pump is the perfect shoe for the transition into Spring! It's the perfect shoe to go with all that menswear-inspired garb on which you stocked up in the last few months and need to wear to get your money's worth before it gets too warm. The chunky heel stands at a modest 3¾", but eases up with a 1" platform in the front.

The Zinc Missy pump is available from Endless.com for $88.95, and since it's free overnight shipping, you won't feel bad when you only get to wear these shoes for a few more weeks.

When it's gray, gloomy and cold, there's nothing else I'd rather do than cuddle up in a soft, warm blanket in front of the fireplace with a glass of sparkling wine and good book.

Jonathan Kelsey's Peep-toe Pumps are about the same thing in the form of shoes. Your feet can curl up in the supple suede upper that's accented with shiny gold around the peep-toe and wrapped around the 4½" heel. There's a slight platform in the front, so if it's raining outside, you might not get your toes too wet.

Available from Saks Fifith Avenue for $695.

In sunny Southern California, we could probably get away with wearing espadrilles in January, but everywhere else, we save the woven-base sandals that tie around the ankles for summer time. Of course, if you happen to make January your resort season, then Kate Spade's Striped Espadrilles are perfectly fine. The open-toed shoes with a 4¾" heel feature a striped pattern on the fabric upper and a small coiled rope adornment on the vamp. Rather than the typical ribbon straps, Kate Spade's espadrilles use thin rope to tie around the ankles.

The espadrilles are available from Zappos.

We often refer to "skyscraper" heels here at Styledash, and when we do, we're usually just talking about stiletto heels that send your long, lean physique towering. However, this Spring, "skyscraper" is taking a truly architectural bent in shoes that not only feature high heels, but hard-angled designs that could look like you're, well, wearing little buildings on your feet. Now we're not saying we necessarily love the look of these super clunky shoes, but they were featured on the runways for Spring '08.

The shoe show is Giuseppe Zanotti's Cream-colored "wedge" sandal that has a 6" heel (we love that height!), but a 2½" platform, so you feel like you're sashaying on a mere 4½". The 100% leather shoes feature an oversized adjustable buckle on vamp, and ankle strap with an adjustable buckle, and contrast stitching.

Available at PiperLime for (sit down for this) $750.

If you're one of the O-sciples -- that's "Oprah's disciples" -- then you know that everyone (who can afford them) and their mothers will be hot on the heels (pun absolutely intended) of Christian Louboutin shoes with the signature red bottom. Of course, if you're a stylista, you've probably been rocking a pair of the shoes for the last two years.

We love Christian Louboutin's Catenita, which, upon first look, doesn't look too different from any of the many other platform, peep-toe slingback styles from the designer. However, the Catenita is not only a platform in the front that's covered by the upper, but it's a double platform. Though the heel doesn't go any higher to match the platform in the front (it's still only a 4" heel), we'll take the break that gives to our feet and lower backs.

The Catenita comes in black leather and cork, available for pre-order at Saks for $830.

Given that party time is fewer than two days away, we're picking shoes from Endless.com, which will do overnight shipping, ensuring that your brand new party shoes will get to you in time to watch the ball drop.

Report Signature's Gala Pump is all about "party time" with a slingback style, the snake embossed leather, a daring platform, and a high heel that towers at almost 5 inches. Both upper and sole are made of leather.

The Report Signature Gala Slingback Pump is available from Endless for $151 and also comes in "Blush," (a patent leather pale pink purple), and snakeskin.

The perfect party shoe to ring in 2008 is the one that you can wear around the house as you entertain your guests, and wear downtown when you make a short appearance at the black-tie ball, and hold up the rest of the night as you dance into the morning at the club.

Giuseppe Zanotti's Black Satin Platform Pump is just that one. A sweet, rounded peep-toe lets it work the living room at your home cocktail party, the sparkling crystal brooch dresses is up for the black-tie affair, and the 4¼" heel is slightly offset with a ½" platform in the front so it won't be backbreaking when you're letting loose on the dancefloor just past midnight and beyond.

Available from Bluefly for $500..

Can we say we are having a bit of a love affair with sassy, saucy Miss Dior? Can we? Can we say that it is absolutely possible to have those kinds of feelings for shoes?

Of course we can, and could you blame us after seeing the Plisse Platform Pump? The shoes calfskin shoes feature a rounded toe with metallic stitching details on the vamp, sides, and even on the heel as well as a towering 4.75" stiletto heel that compromises with a 1" platform. It might not be quite worth the $990 price tag, so it's a good thing these babies are on sale at eLuxury for $594.

For some reason, it doesn't seem to write a blog post right after a post about a dress and not have the shoes actually match the dress! Though the Guarda Pump by Report Signature is a lighter gray than the sheer gray silk of the Rory Beca Lupe Tunic, the rounded-toe and T-strap styling seem to go so well with the minidress. With such a short hemline showing that much leg, you definitely want to make the most of it with height in your shoes. The Guarda pump has a 4¾" heel with a platform in the front (so it feels like a 4" heel). It also comes in black.

Available for $194.95 from Endless.com (which also has this girl's dream-come-true of overnight shipping).

Not that eelskin was ever "in" to go "out," but I do remember a point some time during my late elementary school days when every wallet, handbag, belt, and briefcase was made with eel-skin. I am not sure if it had something to do with the fact that my parents were going overseas a lot and coming back with eelskin as gifts from Asia, or that it truly was a fashionable material at the time, or that it was a cheaper way to luxe animal skins, but I just remember thinking "Gross. Eels."

I hadn't seen eelskin on anything in almost 15 years until a few days, while shopping around for shoes. I came across Pelle Mode's Xcite Pump (a total Louboutin biter, of course) in a nude colored eel-skin. I think I might have *gasp!*-ed at the sight, but realized that eelskin is...pretty hot. As much as you all may laugh, I went back to my closet, dug out an old suitcase, dusted it off, opened it, dug through all the things I have kept for over 15 years insisting that perhaps someday I will be able to use/wear it, and pulled out an enormous eelskin bag.

You better believe my "vintage" eelskin bag will be seen on the streets this Spring.

I came across these boots recently while doing a little online browsing. Who could wear these boots? My boyfriend and I came up with a short list:

• Marilyn Manson
• David Bowie (but only in the Ziggy Stardust era)
• The Spice Girls
• Jake Shear of the Scissor Sisters
• RuPaul
• Amanda Lepore

Notice a trend here? Basically these boots seem to cry out for a gender-blurred, fabulous wearer. At $745, you could probably replicate the look of these Biba Platform boots for a lot cheaper with a pair of Payless boots and a can of spray paint. But perhaps I'm wrong. Let me know how you would wear the gold boots. With skinny jeans? Short skirt and tights?