Ireland’s ancient colors are St. Patrick’s blue and saffron, as seen in the blue background and golden Gaelic harp of the Irish Presidential Standard.

Sick of the St. Patrick’s day color rules all together? Wear orange.  Some Protestants wear orange on this day as a sign of defiance, a practice that dates to protestant William of Orange’s defeat of the catholic King James the II near Dublin in 1688.

If you’re a vexillologist, you’re probably wondering why such a historically charged color as orange is now included in the Irish flag.  Like many national flags, the Irish flag attempts to acknowlede and unify the many cultures inside Irish borders.  By featuring orange, the Irish flag represents the country’s Protestant minority.

So, in celebration of the many cultures of Ireland, I’m featuring green, blue, and orange shoes.  The green selection is at top: Christine by Miss Sixty is a lovely combination of dark green, gold, and suede, all wrapped into a chic pump.

For all you rebels out there, may I suggest Gypsy by Charles David?  Shown at right, Gypsy is a platform pump with an artsy cutout heel.  Gold rivets and delicious contrasting stitching make for a sexy shoe.

For a cornucopia of blue shoes, check out Shoefly’s entry on 13 Blue and/or Suede Shoes.  Happy St. Patrick’s day, everyone– best of luck to all Shoeflyers!

Low Arald by Miss Sixty

especially in today’s tottering economy. I’ll just stash this pile of golden rings in that jar in the back of the cupboard and stabilize myself for the end of capitalism as we know it….

Just kidding. These golden rings aren’t meant to caress your finger, since the song isn’t referring to jewelry, but BIRDS. (And you thought we were finally finished with the menagerie!) As Wikipedia states, “golden rings” refers to “ring-necked birds such as the ring-necked pheasant.”

So, unless you’re hoping to stir South Dakota pride (the ring necked pheasant is South Dakota’s state bird), best to interpret this line differently. The Low Arald shown above are a wonderful present for a lady of any age. They’re sure to outlast this season’s craze for metalics, thanks to their graceful, flattering design. Pair these with a gift card for a manicure, and you’ve got a lovely gift for your favorite princess.

Alright, so I sort of have a beef with the designers at Miss Sixty, actually, my beef is only with the designers of Miss Sixty shoes. The problem I have comes down to inconsistency; sometimes Miss Sixty’s designs stand at the forefront of designer footwear, while other times they’re rather disappointing.

Compare for example the Miss Sixty cool and casual trainer with the Miss Sixty boots and heels seen in the Fall, 2007 collection. I will agree that the Miss Sixty casual trainer is cute and fun looking given its purpose, but it seems too far off from what Miss Sixty does best. If there’s anything I know about designer fashion
brands, it’s that you can’t be everything to everyone. Meaning Miss Sixty should focus on its core strength of providing women with designer fashion and leave the athletic shoes to Diesel.