There’s something to be said for not committing. Especially when it’s above 80 degrees in New York and still April. For me, keeping a handle on weather reality means abstaining from sandals just a little longer. It’s too soon to tease myself with a premature open-toe outing. Of course April or not, it is warm.
The solution appeared on the feet of a very stylish, tall stranger I spotted strolling in Brooklyn. She was sporting a thin pullover with slim, cutoff black jean shorts and sleek, black mules.
Mules, or clogs? you might be wondering. My research tells me that mules usually have a pointed toe and no back, while clogs get a chunky toe and can be open-backed or have a low back. Either way, not a sandal, but still less shoe than a sneaker or pump. Best of all, they’re easily slipped off in the grass. Since it’s already late in the season, eBay is calling my name with quite a few discount options.
The Cole Haan Kenna from ShoeMetro has a wooden heel, hot studs and a nude tan upper that will make any shorts-clad legs look sky-high.

Vintage Bastad clogs will never go out of style, especially with weaved leather uppers to keep you cool.

Antique brass hardware gives these new Charles David clogs from FashionAveMart a distinctly vintage feel.

Or for an easy eBay buy, head to the boutique Grapevinehill and check out the huge selection of luscious mules handcrafted by legendary Lucchese Boot Co. Here are a few of my faves (click a photo to link to an auction).

There are a few trends⎯leather motorcycle jackets, fringed moccasin boots, even cropped leggings⎯that I have resisted out of a sort of pigheaded pride.

It’s not that I think I’m above these pieces. It’s that when I first saw them, I gave them a season, maybe. I waited for them to pass. And like my attempts to take the bus rather than walk home on a rainy day, I’m left waiting but can’t budge because the longer I stand still, the more I have invested in the bus actually coming. Or in this case, the fashion don’t articles being written. Right?

Out of my many shortsighted restrictions, flat oxford shoes have been the hardest to resist. So when I opened May’s Marie Claire to see an adorable Rachel McAdams shot in even more adorable Christian Louboutin oxfords, I knew it was over. I’ve come crawling back to the oxford, tail between my legs, in the rain.

See the whole series at Just Jared: http://tinyurl.com/cfuryw

It wasn’t your fault, oxford, that a buyer at Urban Outfitters spotted you before I did. I shouldn’t have judged you so harshly. I should have believed in you. Now, with a degree of sureness that you’ll last another full season, I’d like to purchase you. Just not at full price.

I’m sheepishly headed to eBay store ShoeMetro for black Steve Maddens,

or Whochee Vintage for Kenneth Coles,or MrHaney4 for classic Cole Haans,

or Historic Images for crisp ivory Rockports.