That Bootie Though

Every year around this time, I start fantasizing about summer. I start having idyllic visions of walking along the streets of downtown, taking in the beauty of local parks, and checking out adorable boutiques. However, since I live half an hour away from downtown in suburban quarters, I generally just end up staying at home doing nothing. I'm hoping this upcoming year will be different, and in anticipation of warmer weather activities, I've been daydreaming about new outfits to wear. For some reason, my latest daydreams have me focused on ankle boots, and I find myself craving the sensation of walking down the streets in a darn good pair of ankle boots (I'm not weird, I swear). To satiate my craving (or make it worse, rather), I took a scroll through ALDO's website. In the process, I came across some shoes I'd like to chat about:

DIGOSIEN
Let's start with ankle boots, since they seem to be the latest objects of my obsessions. These Digosien boots were the best pair of ankle boots on the site. They've got smooth leather, a gorgeously pointed toe, and a stylish heel with metal detailing. What's even better? Last time I checked, they were on sale for $56. I would seriously consider buying these, and coming from a self-professed window shopper, that is saying a lot.

QINIEL
I've wanted oxfords since high school, but back then, I had my eyes set on more feminine iterations. Now, as both trends and my tastes evolve, I really appreciate the appeal of something unabashedly masculine (over the summer, I wore a pair of black menswear-inspired shoes snatched from my mom's wardrobe). These Qiniel oxfords strike the perfect balance between feminine and masculine. I love the dusty shade and polished demeanor. Although I had second thoughts about the cap toe, I think it's subtle enough and adds authenticity to the oxford design.

NIKA

Oh boy. Where do I begin. Look, I like translucent heels, that's not the problem. The problem is the horrendous synthetic material. While visible steel rods can be a fun design element, when encased inside a plasticy heel, they only work to further emphasize the questionable material. The coloured sole makes me a little queasy (these are certainly not Louboutins we're talking about here), and the fact these heels also come in bright red and highlighter yellow is unsettling. A shoe with a design so dependent on material and crafted in such a bold colour should not be skimping on quality - it just looks awfully tacky. Want to see a shoe like this done well? Check out Christian Dior.

ALIZE
Ah, the trendy lace-up flat. At first glance, I thought these Alize flats were great. It had a gold heel against pale leather (they reminded me of ALDO's Nydellan flats, which I almost bought one time), and appeared to have a flattering shape. Yet on closer inspection, I noticed the eyelets along the edge. They ruin the shoe for me. If I were to buy a pair of shoes like that, I would prefer to do without the sneaker-inspired lacing. Close, but no cigar!

Image Source: Aldo