I actually have no idea what the groundhog said yesterday, but I have been outside lately and I can tell you with confidence that spring is coming early this year. The number one perk? We can wear flats! Every winter, I place my flats despondently on the back-of-the-door rack of my teeny tiny bedroom (New York real estate!) around November 1 and I don’t take them down until  mid-April. Well, I’ve been wearing them all week and it’s February. Don’t get me wrong, I still like my boots, and soon boots will be on sale and I’ll go around buying way more than I need and they don’t even fit on the back-of-the-door rack, so it’s really problematic. But anyway, nothing compares to the flat. They’re slim and trim and delicate and feminine. They look perfect paired with my skinny cords and fur vest. My favorite new flats this season will transition effortlessly from “winter” to spring to summer.  And I can already tell they’ll be a staple– I’ll be wearing them with my yoga clothes and sundresses and cut-offs alike.

Oscar noms are in and for the most part, they’re as everyone expected.  I think some really good movies (Margin Call) got slighted and also Tree of Life was super boring…like even the trailer was boring. But this isn’t a catty film blog and what do you care what I think about Money Ball? (Rent it.) Me telling you what I think about movies (Young Adult was perfect) would be like when celebrities get involved in politics (Woo, Obama!) and you’re like, “Shut up! Tell us about that new rom-com you’re in!” So I’ll stick to what I really know– shoes! Here are the nominees for best picture, and of course the shoes to match each film!

Once winter comes, I don’t want to wear anything but thick socks and boots.  I miss my Supergas and my ballet flats dearly, but it’s just too cold and too wet to let them out of the house. This becomes a particular pain when my outfit doesn’t want to be paired with a riding boot or a motorcycle boot. It needs something a little more delicate.  Additionally, sometimes my outfit is busy or I’m wearing a long tunic and cutting my legs off with a taller boot is simply not called for.  This is where the ankle boot comes in.

Ankle boots can be paired with anything for a sleek and modern update. Lots of them have hidden wedges as well, and we all know how flattering those are– VERY.

We love catching glimpses of our favorite women of Hollywood skipping around LA and New York in their “regular people” clothes. Some of them actually have terrible style, but here are some who look fabulous as always.  Getting their look would be pretty simple, especially considering you can get shoes just like theirs at Barefoot Tess!

Sarah Jessica Parker

Miz Mooz ‘Renee’ ($119), Bloch ‘Arabian Ballerina’ ($119), Miz Mooz ‘Renee’ ($119)

Eva Mendes

Matisse ‘Grifter’ ($269)

Jessica Biel

All Black ‘Banded Flat’ ($49)

Beyonce

Gwenyth ‘Paisley’ ($149)

Frieda Pinto

FSNY ‘Brickle’ ($219)

Let’s face it– it’s getting chilly.  We can pack our sandals away for good and pull out our tights and our scarves and our leather jackets.  I’d say give it another week and a half and the coats will be out too.  So once it starts to get cold, a lot of us are inflicted with what I call “Cold Dread.”  Cold Dread is that feeling you have in the morning when you’re getting ready or in the evening when you’re leaving work or school and you know it’s going to be colder than it was when you came in.  You just don’t want to go out there.  You know the chill in the air is going to cause you to brace yourself and feel uncomfortable until you get into the next building and warm up for at least seven minutes.  Oh, Cold Dread, you are the worst.

Now you could bundle up in fleeces and parkas, but that would be uncute and then you’d just have “Uncute Dread.” So scrap that idea.  The answer to Cold Dread is to have pieces in your wardrobe that are beautiful and are also going to keep you very warm.  Chic scarves and those hats everyone’s seeing in stores but hardly wearing this season will help you out, but what will really do the trick is a pair of boots with fur.  They’re exceptionally warm and exceptionally glam and they’ll solve all of your problems. Well, at least the ones related to Cold Dread and Uncute Dread.

Check out some of BFT’s best fur boots!

There are those plain shoes that are meant to match the complicated clothing you’ve assembled into an outfit.  And then there are those beautiful, stand-out conversation-piece shoes that are the outfit. The second you slip them on, you’re instantly looking fabulous. People can’t help looking over and saying, “Now she’s got great shoes.”

The advantage to a shoe like this is that you could wear black head to toe or jeans and a white tee or a simple monotone shift dress and once you put the shoes on, you’re all glammed up.  Irregular Choice has mastered this shoe, which is an essential in any wardrobe by the way.  Check them out paired with outfits they’re totally rescuing.

Dressing for work can be fun, but we all know it’s a pain sometimes.  If you have an office full of people that appreciate cool outfits, it’s easier to be inspired, but most people don’t have that luxury.  The thing we all have to remember though, is that if you like you’re outfit, you’re going to have a better day.  That sounds extreme, but it’s true.  If you feel good about the way you look, you give off a totally different vibe.  You’ll be more likely to get promotions and raises– it’s true.  Additionally, you’re likely not going straight to work and back home every day, and even when you do, you have to be out and about in the process of getting there.

Where you work presents another problem– you have to obey the dress code.  No matter what the dress code though, you can still look totally cute/great at work.  Check out some suggestions from Barefoot Tess. And remember that a beautiful pair of black pumps are never wrong!

Everyone has those days when she looks in her closet and thinks, “Ugh, I hate everything I own.”  So she dresses herself in something plain and unexciting and trudges out the door like she hasn’t much to live for that day.  And then the day itself is bad.  The subway leaves just as she gets onto the platform.  The salad place runs out of her favorite topping.  And then it starts to rain. You know she doesn’t have an umbrella.

You know what would have spiced that plain outfit right up?  A pair of patterned accent shoes.  They’re a little wild and you might think, “what am I going to wear those with?” Basic shoes are great, but accent shoes will save you outfit and your day.  Pair them with a basic outfit and they’ve made your look.

Check out some of BFT’s best accent shoes paired with basics.

There are some stars whose style is just so-so.  They are celebrities after all, and so we look up to them style-wise, but it doesn’t make them fashion icons.  For instance, I don’t run and put on cropped leggings and Asics every time I see a picture of Hillary Duff leaving the gym in US Weekly.  Similarly, there are also some celebrities for whom this is true: Every time I see her, I want everything she’s wearing because not only is each individual piece amazing, but she combines them in creative and inspiring ways.  Often I feel this way about Blake Lively.

Topsides have long been on my must-have list for this spring. Seeing Blake in them affirmed my conviction that indeed, I must have them.

Luckily, these versatile boat shoes have just become available at Barefoot Tess. P.S. Blake is a tall girl with (probably) big feet, so I feel especially proud introducing them to the BFT crowd.

These gamine-chic wedges are ideal for riding your bicycle around Paris with flowers in the straw basket and the Eiffel Tower in the background. Très jolie!