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.

It's always fun to add a splash of color or an interesting pattern with your shoes, especially in the summer when your legs tend to be more bare. And, as we've mentioned before, we kind of love a preppy plaid. So what could be better than wearing a fun, bright plaid as a shoe?

We love stumbling upon new and exciting products Dr. Scholl's Rub Relief Strips.

Okay, it's simply a cool dispenser for moleskin, but it's so cool that it makes moleskin seem fresh and useful all over again.

Yellow, as popular as it is this year, isn't always all that easy to pull off. While some folks look bright and summery, others look jaundiced wearing it. Such is life.

Fortunately, you don't have to deck yourself out in a bright yellow dress to jump on board with the trend -- accessories will give you a hint of that trendy color without anybody even thinking of Big Bird when you walk in the room.

We have a few months before we get to the truly tropical days of summer, but that isn't stopping us from outfitting our wardrobes now with beach-ready gear. How else do you expect us to be ready to jet off to Saint Tropez with a Sugar Daddy with but a moment's notice?!?!

Christian Louboutin's Ibiza Espadrille sends your tanned toned body up a good 4½" on a jute-covered wedge heel. With a 1½" platform in the front, walking along the pool (you don't think we'd actually go in the sand, do you?) will be easy, and the black and natural colored sandals stay on with ribbon to tie around the ankles. The sandals also feature the signature Christian Louboutin red sole.

Available from Bluefly for $264.

This season, we're going to be donning tribal and ethnic prints (among other trendy styles because that's how totally trendy we are), and what will we be wearing on our feet to go with all those dresses, pants, and tops? Things pulled straight from the jungle floor along with those prints, like snakeskin.

Michael Kors Michael "Dylan" sandals are snake-printed leather. They're a d'orsay (our favorite style), no need to wrap, tie, or buckle any straps. Because they're gold, they sandals will go with just about anything in your wardobe, and if you get your (safe) tan just right, will create the illusion of super long legs.

The sandals are a ridiculously good deal at Bluefly for only $71.

Spring is right around the corner, and I bet you're already eying those summery sandals. But are your tootsies terrific yet? Are your piggies perfect? Are your feet fabulous?

Now, if you have the means, getting a professional pedicure is a fun and easy way to get your feet ready for those strappy sandals. Of course, there are the basic rules for the ladies, like making sure you have no visible toe hair, but you also want to try to get the bottoms of your feet smooth and ready for sandal season.

Check out the above gallery for seven tips and trends to get your tootsies ready for a close up this spring:

Last year, Pierre Hardy -- creative director of Hermes jewelry and resident cobbler at Balenciaga -- created a "affordable" capsule collection for European Gap.

After much success, Gap decided to bring the shoes stateside. And last week, six different styles of sandals designed by Mr. Hardy hit 75 select stores.

Look, Gap. I know you're new to this whole high/low thing. And yo, recruiting one of the most influential shoe designers in fashion for your first accessories collaboration is quite impressive. But $98 for a pair of metallic three-strap sandals that don't even bare Pierre's name is kind of absurd.

That's right, people. The shoes don't even have his initials stitched on them. In fact, the shoes are being branded as part of Gap's Design Editions Initiative. WTF?

First of all, if you haven't yet visited Piperlime, I highly encourage you to do so. It's shoe shopping at its best -- thousands of fabulous styles, great designers, and searchable in a number of ways (by price, likeFantastic Finds Under $75; by style like Sandals, Flats, Pumps, etc.; and by designer). And, best of all, no snobby shoe salesperson making comments about your pedicure!

The site now has a new, fun way to search -- you can choose to browse through stylist to the stars Rachel Zoe's picks. Want to see what she picked? Check out our gallery and see if you agree with her choices. Maybe you, too, could be a celebrity stylist!

It's just a natural evolution. You start by making handbags, then move into something related.

Kooba, the handbag that I could never figure out, went a little extreme by going to leather jackets. Botkier has taken what seems a more traditional path, and after providing us with all kinds of pretty bags, has shoes. The strange thing is, it's difficult for me to "see the Botkier," in the shoes, if you know what I mean. They don't really have any Botkier signature features and the horseshoe on the sandal in the far right pictured above actually makes the shoe look like it could be by Ferragamo or Gucci.

The shoes aren't cheap. At Shopbop, the thong-style sandal is $225.

So, I was browsing the Ugg website, tittering quietly because I still can't believe they named them "Ugg", and I came across a button that said "Casuals" and a button that said "Boots".

Already I'm confused. Ugg boots are casual. Who wears Uggs with their cocktail dress? Who wears Uggs with their tuxedo? Even the Australians aren't doing that, and they're the ones who've cursed us with the squishy-comfy-I'm-walking-on-a-mattress-ugly-guilty-pleasure of their footwear. I give you full permission to slap anyone you see wearing Uggs at a formal event. That's right. I'm condoning violence. Don't hit too hard, okay? Maybe just a firm pat on the buttocks. With...wait for it...bazillion dollar idea...an uggsmack paddle.

I clicked the "Casuals" button. Know what? Some of these shoes are pretty cute! Some of these shoes are utter disasters. Most importantly, though, I have added the term "furry toehole" to my vocabulary. See at top right the women's Malta.

That is all. I'll be busy crafting a wooden uggsmack paddle to fit in my evening purse.

From the designer that I've always associated with "rocker chic," comes a sandal that's still got a lot of that rocker vibe, but still looks like a lady. Rock & Republic's Franchesca Stiletto Sandal is made of a chain-link print that has patent leather trim and silver buckle on the ankle strap -- that's the rocker part. The lady part comes in with the over-sized bow on the center of the vamp and the 4" stiletto heel.

Available for $355 at eLuxury.

If you're in need of shoe therapy like I'm in need of shoe therapy, then Bluefly is the perfect prescription. They're having a very good sale, with shoes that are up to 70% off. Seeing that discount alone before even looking at what's available is enough to make me smile, but landing on a pair of Dolce & Gabbana sandals? That pretty much put me on the fast track to recovery.

Dolce & Gabbana's Polka Dot Sandals are a little low in the height department with only a 3" heel, but the shoes make up for it with a grosgrain ribbon on the heel and as the straps that wrap around the ankle. The bed is quilted and the front part of the sandal features the cute polka dot print.

The sandals are $248, down from $495.

If this pair of shoes weren't made for all the holidays and events in February, I don't what is. Party into the night for Mardi Gras? Romantic dinner out on Valentine's Day? Okay, so maybe the red and bright fuschia color combination isn't right for the Super Bowl (both the Giants and Patriots are shades of blue and red).

Giuseppe Zanotti's Rose Bud Satin Mules have a fuschia satin upper and a matching color patent leather heel that stands at 4". Of course, the best part of the shoe is the enormous red satin rose. These are a great pair of sandals to "wow!" with a simple back dress, or add to an already colorful dress.

Available from Intermix for $595.

Granted, it's not exactly sandal weather right now. But spring is right around the corner -- so it's not too early to keep your eyes out for some warm weather footwear. And as long as you're at it, why not do a little something for the planet?

It seems that what supermodel Gisele Bundchen was thinking. She's not just wearing a new sandal designed to raise awareness about water conservation -- that's all she's wearing. The new Ipanema sandal (which Bundchen designed) was created to support a campaign called Y Ikatu Xingu, which is working to protect the Xingu watershed in the Amazon basin. And what's even more exciting, is that Gisele is featured on the website -- wearing sandals, some water, and her birthday suit.

After all, nothing gets people more pumped up about saving the planet than naked celebrities.

[via Green Daily]