Spring Shoes on Sale!

Looking for dress shoes for your kids and self this spring? You're in luck because online shops are having some fabulous sales. Skip the mall, measure your kids at home and check these out.

GIRLS

White, Cream, Pink or Black Patent Leather Mary Janes with Bow for Little & Big Girls by Mootsies Tootsies
$19.95 (originally $24.95)
The perfect spring holiday and party shoe. Animal-free materials make up this Mary Jane that's the perfect match for frilly, girly dresses. I still remember the year my mom let me choose PINK patent shoes for Easter...think they come in a women's size 10?
This shoe is eligible for the $15 off a $75 order deal at Endless.com - perfect if a lot of kids need spring shoes!




White, Pink or Black Slip-On Ballet Flat by Buster Brown
$19.95 + free overnight shipping
No straps, slip on and go, no one's late! This ballet flat from Buster Brown is super cute while its comfortable cushioned footbed and non-slip sole is totally practical.



Black Mary Janes for Little Kids & Big Kids by Nine West at Endless.com
$19.95 (originally $37.95) - clearance
Even in spring and summer, I love classic black Mary Janes because they don't show scuffs and still go nicely with light colored dresses. This classic black Mary Jane has an easy Velcro hook-and-loop strap, a thank-goodness-flat-not-high-heel and a rubber no-slip sole. The square toe equals maximum comfort and ensures your little girl won't grow out of it in one month. This shoe is eligible for the $15 off $75 deal at Endless.com - perfect if a lot of kids need spring shoes!




For Baby Girls
See Kai Run Leather Adorableness at The Pajama Squid
$30ish
Tiffany has stocked the best of the See Kai Runs for spring online and in-store. There's sure to be a style that matches your child's perfect little dress or spunky personality. I love these lavender Alina Mary Janes, or the green & cream Holly, for baby girls.




BOYS

Perfect Penny Loafer by Kidlooks
Only $14.99!
Always a classic, works for every season, abides by some school uniform dress codes. Good boys' dress shoe, but can be hand-me-downed to both boys and girls for that preppy casual look.







"Fancy" Tennis Shoe/Lace Up sport Oxford for Little Boys & Big Boys by Buster Brown
$19.95 (originally $34.95 - 42% off) + free shipping
Might as well get your active guy a dress shoe in which he can run and play! And this lace up sporty but still fancy oxford is the perfect compromise...and it's on clearance in all sizes! The brown color and beige stripe is the perfect match with khakis. Infant sizes too.



Nubuck Oxfords for Little & Big Boys by Hush Puppies in Light, Tan and Dark Brown
$34.95 + free overnight shipping
If you know of anything cuter than a little boy all dressed up in bucks, it probably involves baby lambs eating clover on a unicorn. Just make sure you get some waterproofing spray before your kid runs through the freshly-mown grass.




For Baby and Toddler Boys
See Kai Run Leather Sandals and Fancy Spectator Sneakers at The Pajama Squid
$30-40
For boys you can't get much sweeter than the Ainsely brown sandal, the Chase brown & cream spectator/sneaker or the very posh looking big boy Grayson sandal pictured here. The Spencers single-handedly make me want another baby NOW.




WOMEN
Does Mama need a new pair of shoes? Here are my recs for spring shoe nirvana if you're looking to treat yourself. As long as you have hot shoes, those old dresses in your closet will be reborn.


Ralph Lauren Women's Aela Sandal at Amazon
$27 - $92 at Amazon, depending on color
But if you wear a size 10 like me go here to Endless.com for best price $45ish now, I got these last year for $80
The Ralph Lauren Aela is THE hottest high heeled sandal I've found in ages. Perfect height and strap placement to make your legs look super skinny. This shoe is totally flattering on even a Sasquatch-big-calved chick like me who should be paid to always wear pants. Seriously. The cushioned footbed makes them actually comfortable, allowing you to make it through that wedding or event without removing them under the table.


Black/White Open Toed Wedge by Lifestride
$44.95
Yup, you can wear that good ol' black dress for spring events and all summer, just add a touch of white with these comfy spectators. The wedge heel makes these walkable for high holidays...if you don't mind showing your toes. This shoe can either go dressy or casual with capris, jeans, pants and bermuda shorts too.






Nine West Aura Pump in Natural
$33
This expensive-looking but dirt cheap buff-colored all-leather pump MATCHES EVERYTHING. Floral prints, wrap dresses in bizarre colors, brazen color pairings all work with this neutral, comfortable shoe with a closed heel and full toe to hide how long it's been since your last pedi.




Charles Albert Black Patent Flat
$19.95
The fashion mags say that flats are still cool, and there is rejoicing throughout the land. Even when it's 100 degrees I still love black, it goes with everything, but patent leather = summer so there's my seasonal nod. These are comfy comfy cute and look good with a fancy dress, leggings, capris, jeans, you name it.





That's all I've got, I don't know men's shoes. Chris is a male clothes horse, so if you need I can have him post his own recs later. He does well with Italian names and Kenneth Cole finds at the DSW in downtown Silver Spring or the Nordstrom Mens Half-Yearly sales in June and December (Women and Kids Half Yearlys are in May and November, fyi.)

But I say if the dude in your life needs dress shoes, just throw a tin of polish at him, remind him of the recession and oh CHILDBIRTH and then get some for yourself.

xoxo APISS

20% Off All Lands End Purchases for APISS Readers

This Sunday and Monday, APISS Readers receive a special 20 percent off your entire order at Lands’ End. For two days only, that's 20% off all merchandise for women, men, girls, boys, swimwear, home and travel (excluding overstocks, shipping and services.) The deal starts 12:01am Sunday Feb 15th and ends 11:59pm Monday Feb 16th.

Simply enter the promo code: AMERICA and pin number: 6289 at at checkout on www.LandsEnd.com and you will get 20 percent off your entire order.

Right now they're having awesome sales on basics like cardigans, canvas totes, cute jersey tees, kids clothes, swimsuits for the whole family, so happy shopping!

Giveaway: Lands' End Makes Us Feel Like Dancing!

Lands' Ends is offering the comfiest, coziest holiday gifts, perfect for snuggling 'neath the tree or in front of a fire. Or dancing to retro Christmas tunes, as exhibited by my children in their angel fleece pajama sets in the video above. The kids' giddy delight over these new supersoft jammies is almost equal to the adoration my husband and I feel over the toe warmth and comfort of our new Lands' End slippers.

I love the pretty but serviceable (no slip soles, comfort-enforced padded footbed for arch support) women's terry travel slippers. They came with their own cute bag, making them just a perfect girlfriend holiday gift. My husband loves that I literally brought him his slippers through this review, and the minute he gets home from work he dons his men's low shearling moc slippers. Slippers are one of the few ways one can truly pamper a guy, and these are the masculine version of the home spa in their warmth and thick shearling lining.

Each of these gifts from Lands' End is reasonable in its price but extravagant in the comfort department. And one lucky A Parent in Silver Spring Reviews reader will get to choose the girls/boys fleece pajamas, women's terry slippers or men's shearling slippers for themselves. Just leave a comment here and I'll draw the lucky Lands' End winner in one week on Friday, November 28.

Which one of them would you like?

Boys angel fleece pajamas $29.50
Girls angel fleece pajamas $29.50
Women's terry travel slippers with monogrammable matching bag, $25 (monogram extra $5)
Men's low shearling moc slippers $45

Thanks Lands' End! 

Disclosure: My family was provided with two pairs of slippers and two pairs of pajamas for review purposes by Lands' End. No monetary compensation was provided for this review. All opinions expressed are my own. No professional choreography of childrens' dance above was provided. 

GIVEAWAY: JCPenney Has The Best Winter Coats

UPDATE: The winners of the coats are Katie, Jen Lee, Rachel and Jennifer. Thanks everyone for playing and THANK YOU JCPenney!!

It's nearly November, the beginning of serious coat season and when many stores are advertising outerwear sales. After the eye-opening experience of realizing that I could find a seriously hot dress at JCPenney rather than enslavement to boutiques, mallratdom and premium department stores, I wondered if the same quality and discounts applied to coats. I set out to research the styles and prices of coats at the stores where I have previously shopped for fall and winter outerwear, and compare them to the quality and appearance of the items at Penney's.

I contacted the folks at JCPenney and they were extremely excited to help in this experiment. JCPenney loves their mom shoppers so much that they sent me samples of new coats to review and GIVE AWAY to four lucky readers. I also took some research trips to J. Crew, Banana Republic, Macy's, Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, Talbots and Ann Taylor Loft. I examined fit, linings, quality of materials and found that the coats at Penney's were every bit as fashionable, well-made and fit as well as the coats at these other, supposedly "cooler" higher-end stores.

And the price differences for nearly identical coats? You will not believe what I found. So I'll just show you. Try and guess before reading which coat in each set of pics is from JCPenney.

JCPenney Worthington Belted Houndstooth Coat (left)
$64.99 on sale
vs.
Michael Kors Belted Houndstooth
(right) $199 on sale

JCPenney Worthington Wool-Blend Jacket in green (left) $44.99
vs.
Juicy Couture Wool-Blend Jacket in green (right) $398

JCPenney Worthington Cashmere Peacoat (right) $99

vs.
J.Crew Double Cloth Marie Coat (left) in bright berry $330

JCPenney Worthington Fashion Trench
(right) in black $119
vs.
Banana Republic Classic Trench (left) in black $225

JCPenney Worthington Boiled Wool Capelet Jacket (left) $29.99-54.99
vs.
Nordstrom Boiled Wool Cape (right)$198

JCPenney east5th Cashmere Blend Coat (left) in red $129.99
vs.

J.Crew Double Cloth Madeline Coat (right) in red $298

JCPenney Capelet (right) $39.99
vs.
Talbots Capelet (left) $248

JCPenney east5th Herringbone Wool Tweed Coat
(right) $99
vs.
Ann Taylor Loft Herringbone Tweed Coat (left) $179

And I could keep going. Seriously. The coats at JCPenney are just as beautiful from collar to hem and each and every stitching and button detail. They're also every bit as fashion-forward.

I have FOUR different coats to give away to lucky readers:
JCPenney Worthington Belted Houndstooth Coat in misses size small
JC Penney Capelet in light grey, misses size medium
JCPenney Worthington Boiled Wool Jacket in royal blue, misses size large
JCPenney Worthington Fashion Trench in black, women's 1X

Please leave a comment before midnight Tuesday November 4th indicating which one you would like. One coat per winner, one comment per person please.

Have fun shopping this winter and be sure to visit online or in store JCPenney, where select styles of coats are now 20-50% off and ALL items are a DO for your wallet and your wardrobe!

Hot mama clothes at J.C. Penney

Yes, I'm serious, Penney's!

I'm over on We Covet today talking about how I found a dress at the Wheaton Plaza J.C. Penney's this weekend for $45 that was every bit as cute as this one at Macy's for $168.

And in case you're wondering, I am not one of the lucky blogging chicks that has been commi$$ioned to write about or shop at J.C. Penney. I'm just proof that the marketing strategy is working.

In my opinion, any way to save a buck these days is high style.