1881 by Biviel

Spring Green: The 1881 by Biviel has an obtuse name, but a very direct look.

Maybe it's the color that made us choose the 1881. Green. The "it" color for spring. And is that any surprise? It's the color of everything that's going away -- our money, our environment -- and the color of everything coming up: foliage, warmth and color to our gray, salt-encrusted winter world. Perhaps it is just the pleasant shock of seeing such a vibrant hue on our foot in a sea of neutrals that made us choose it.

And vibrant it is! The deep, saturated viridian of this platform pump is beguiling; your inner girl can't help but stifle a squeal of glee. (Same goes for the yellow, the color of baby blades of grass or aspen leaves in the fall.) A 3 1/2" heel with 3/4" platform isn't too tall to teeter, and a well-padded footbed takes comfort to another level. The T-strap leads from an adjustable ankle wrap down to six perforated bands that have a slight future-jock feel, though we approve the texture. In any case it's mitigated by a solid, stacked-wood heel that keeps these pumps balanced between casual and forward. The highlight is the teardrop keyhole on top of the foot. It's decolletage for the foot! (At any rate it makes us want to cry ... )

We see the yellows paired with darker denim and the green with white: culottes or a throw-on white summer dress. Toss in some wilder hues like pinks and purples to sharpen the edge of your look. A splash of red in makeup or accessories can make the yellows really pop (careful to avoid ketchup-and-mustard syndrome). These shoes are brilliant and eye-catching; they will insist on being paired to an outfit equally as bold. Work them up with a confident summer ensemble and watch the passers-by give you that final reason green is the color of the season: envy.

Sarika by Calvin Klein

Off the Ssssscale: Petal snakeskin platform pump Sarika by Calvin Klein

Let's start with the obvious: this shoe is gorgeous. We see a lot of reptile patterns cross our floor and Calvin Klein, per usual, takes it to another place. The petal-colored upper with its easy contrast against the dark brown platform riveted us. (Compare it to the black to see how strong a difference a color maketh.) The silver leather lining works back to those surprise pops of color we've been harping on in recent posts. The overall color palette is soft and as ethereal as spring itself.

Another stand-out is the texture. The scales on this pattern aren't simply stamped into the leather for an ersatz embossed look, they are undercut and rough, giving the shoe a natural, organic feel, which taps into two more spring trends: a back-to-nature ethos inspired by green movements (and the recession?) and a recurrence of goddess trends (we're thinking more Athena than Gorgon, but whatever suits you). With a five-inch heel (and 3/4" platform), the Sarika lends you definite presence. The snakeskin and wood-dyed sole feels very dryad, very Ovid, very Hesiod to us.

It should be no surprise, then, that we want to work this shoe back to a satiny babydoll top or causal bubble skirt -- items with fullness, drape and volumes of fabric -- or full and long jersey pieces that have the flow and cling of a caryatid. One of the girls based her Valentine's Day outfit on this: worn with brown tights and a babydoll dress with some layered jewelry, she received compliments left and right. She also mentioned the shoe runs very slightly big, so order your true size, add some foot pads and float into spring on these unearthly heels.

Bianca by Pour La Victoire

Architectural Integrity: Pour La Victoire's Bianca builds up excitement for Spring.

As we mentioned in our blog the other week, the Bianca by Pour La Victoire epitomizes the platform pump trend this Spring as well as designs inspired by modern architecture. We are absolutely wowed by the crazy laticework uppers in black leather or dove grey suede. They are aggressive and forward while referencing work by contemporary masters like Koolhaas, Gehry, Calatrava and (our favorite) Le Courbusier (we're thinking Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut Ronchamp).

Another trend we heart is the use of brightly colored leather linings and other secretive pops of color on standard-issue blacks, browns and greys. There's an excitement there; this sense of something more than just the lines of the shoe. It's a secret surprise. Surely the woman who wears these has some tantalizing secrets of her own, n'est pas? While the black Bianca is lined in screaming yellow-lime, the grey is paired to a gentle aqua ... but the sole is sheathed in cobalt blue. These shoes reveal something new with each wear. It brings the structure inside. As a stained glass window builds a luminous image out of fragments, the Bianca hints at your character through color and shape, fullness and absence.

The Bianca is a very forward gal. She's complex and confident. Despite her architectural lines, some might call her mercurial (but we think she just takes time to unfold). Aggressive, but not easy. A bit of a wildcat and definitely a patron of the beautiful, this shoe requires a confident woman that can harness Bianca's energy. Otherwise you may just find that the Bianca isn't something you wear, it's something that wears you.

And we like a shoe that makes us work for it.

Belgium by Chinese Laundry

To the Point: The Belgium nicely balances several Spring trends.

The Belgium by Chinese Laundry caught our eye this week. It's a new arrival that embraces several prominent Spring 2009 trends, balancing them in a way that bridges styles from previous seasons while looking completely current.

Platform heels are showing up everywhere. We attribute the raft of styles to the ever-increasing elevation seen in Loubous and luxury lines where five-inch heels have become the new four. The Belgium hovers around the four-and-a-half mark, but the half-inch in the footbed provides a measure of stability. In the end: they are tall. Whereas fall's boots lengthened the leg with their long expanses of smooth leather, these platform pumps lengthen the body, lending shape to legs, behinds and backs. The cork heel reads as light and airy; we think it will give your look some floaty grace.

The Belgium makes great use of tribal tendencies. The upper, a leather strap at toe, arch and ankle, and heel are finished with a tight woven-reed diamond pattern. It works back to the African-inspired, crafty focus of this Spring, a look reinforced by the cork: simple materials used with sophistication. From a distance the pattern and the sheen of the reeds blends into a vaguely reptile pattern. This reference to the snakeskin of seasons past make the Belgian a great bridger shoe for early Spring. It has one foot in the past and one striding into the future.

We're of two minds on how to wear this one: short and flowing summer dresses or skinny jeans. Light, airy babydoll dresses in whites and creams will blend with the Belgium's neutral palette, becoming backdrops for bold handbags and big, bright gemstones. We can also see it as support for something in a bold, fun, punchy red. We're going to see a lot of interplay between neutrals and saturated color pops this season, making this pump a versatile basic that's far from plain. Under skinny jeans, the pattern takes on a funkier edge. Play up the boho look with big jewelry: hoop earrings, layered necklaces, jangly bangles. Blousy peasant tops. Busy, vintage-inspired patterns. Or make it young and laid-back with a tube top!

A buckle at the ankle is an apt touch: shaped like a Greek Omega, this shoe is the last word in adding verve to your spring outfits.