I have been hunting for some lace up shoes that will work better with my light summer color palette. I have plenty of brown, black, and olive green, and I am trying to phase them out and replace them with cool tone, fun colors and even maybe some funky styles to spice up my wardrobe.

I had no luck with two pairs of Aquatalia's ordered from Nordstrom: the blue Zifa, and the Oxblood colored Zandra. While they are both weatherproof, they both looked black, and I wanted them to look blue or red. I returned them, but they were truly beautiful shoes for anyone who likes a black shoe.

Instead at a local shoe store I found an AGL shoe in a rich maroon red. A perfect fit! (1)

Then I found a pair of Anyi Lu shoes in a combination of black and grey. I was trying to avoid black, but I loved the grey accents on these. Another perfect fit, plus the soles are perfect for our weather. (2)

I ordered a pair of Blue Loafers, and a pair of Stuart Weitzman shoes that I saw on Nordstroms site in black, but these will be a rich berry red.

Finally I purchased a pair of black Thierry Rabotin ballerina flats. I know I said I wanted to stay away from black, but I am strongly lured by comfort and these feel like slippers on my feet. I like them better than my AGL ballerina flats. I think these will look good either barefoot or with lightweight socks or tights. I also included a picture of my Topshop pointy toe animal print Ghillie's. They are fairly new from the summer, and I should be able to wear them this fall for transition.

I think one of the most important lessons from my shoe shopping experience is that I do best purchasing shoes locally, in a small specialty store with really good service. We don't have Nordstrom, and ordering and sending back shoes can be tough. If I find something online, my local shop can often find it for me, or something similar in a color I want.