ankle straps...not quite shoe jewelry...but almost

i've made fun of an old coworker jeff quite a bit (to his face) for his closet full of shoes with jewelry (e.g. gucci loafers with the metal embellishment on the front with no purpose). don't get me wrong, i love shoe jewelry for women but for men i'm a little sensitive about it.

that said and somewhat unrelated, i'm really into ankle straps on flats these days. shoe jewelry adds a nice flair but i think the addition of the ankle strap is also a great touch to make them a teensy bit sassier. oh, and i'm a little crazy about showing as much toe cleavage as possible. might be tied to my deep love for being barefoot. these are a few on my current wish list:

below: dknyc nell, on sale for $71 from $98. also in black.

below: gabrielle rocha neve, $79.95. grey suede pictured. also available in black, black patent, black suede, brown, leopard, navy leather, purple, red, red suede, teal leather and white leather.

below: gabrielle rocha myls, $59. also available in black.

below: these are my ULTIMATES and have been on my wish list since the beginning of this past summer. maraisusa prince wedge, $72. available in black, tomato, cobalt and eggplant. oh and the designers are super cute and live in brooklyn. read about them here.