Shoesday... Thursday? **UPDATED- Scroll Down**

It's not Shoesday Tuesday, but I never made it a rule to discuss shoes ONLY on Tuesdays, so... today I want to talk about Shoe Dazzle. Have any of you heard of this site? My roommate told me about it the other night and she recently signed up for it. Kim Kardashian is the founder and chief stylist of the company.  

Anyway, here's the basic idea:

Cost:
$39.95/month with no obligation- I'll explain more about the cost in a bit.

Concept:
Once you have registered with the site, the "World's Premier Shoe Society," the stylists of Shoe Dazzle will select 5 pair of shoes per month specifically for you. You select your favorite of those 5 shoes and in 2-5 business days they are on their way to your door. Shipping is included in the monthly fee. (Return shipping is also free, however, they do charge a small re-stocking fee for returned items.)

Participation:
Step 1: Complete a fashion/style survey on the site. You'll be asked to choose your favorite photos of outfits, shoes, even between different designers and celebrities. This is to determine your own personal style. Next there are some basic questions about your age, shoe size, what you do in your free time and also a question asking you to rank your favorites- red shoes, black shoes, white shoes, gold/silver shoes and pastel shoes.

Step 2: Next you are asked to register with the site. According to thewebsite FAQ's, there is NO obligation to purchase, and your credit card will not be charged until you select a shoe, however, you are asked to input the credit card info.

Step 3: Wait for your selections. They will arrive monthly.

Seems simple, right? The key for me was the "no obligation" aspect. If I don't want any of the shoes they've selected, I can do one of two things. First, I can pass on them all and skip the shoe purchase that month. Provided I choose this option no later than the 5th of the month, my credit card will not be charged. The second option is to request a different set of shoes. According to the site, if I do this, I'll be asked a few more questions about what I'm looking for in a shoe, so that the next set of selections is more in line with my wants/needs.

I signed up for the service mostly to see how good the stylists are at selecting shoes for me. I'm keeping an open mind, but I think the "survey" was a bit bare bones- there were hardly any questions about lifestyle, much less about profession or what type of shoes you hope to gain from the service. Time will tell. According to the site, once registered, it may take a few days for the first set of shoe selections to come through. I'll be certain to keep all of you updated. And maybe my roommate will offer her opinion on the service as well. (Whaddaya think about a guest post, Meg?)

Leave a comment if you've used Shoe Dazzle before, or even if you haven't. For me, shoe shopping is all about how great I feel in the shoes once I try them on. I'm not sure online shopping for shoes will ever make me feel that way. However, if Shoe Dazzle is able to offer shoes that are unique and not available elsewhere, maybe they'll be quite a success. Who knows- maybe they already are a smashing success and I'm just not that "with it" because I'm only hearing about them now! I emailed the company with a handful of questions about the process, the stylists and the society itself. Hopefully they'll get back to me and of course once they do (if they do), I'll pass all that information along to you.

Have a fabulous Thursday, everyone!

UPDATED:

So, even though they said it would take several days, the Shoe Dazzle stylists got my "March Showroom" ready in a matter of hours! Nicely done, Shoe Dazzle! Here is what they included in my showroom:

None of these shoes really speak to me, at least not for $39.95 (even with shipping included). I've said it before and I'll say it again- I'm a cheapskate! None of the heels seem special enough that I'd make an unplanned purchase for them and I'll be totally honest about the flats- I go through them so fast that I buy 'em cheap and often. There's no way on earth I'd EVER spend forty bucks on a pair of ballet flats. I was just about to click "Send Me New Shoe Options" when I happened to scroll a little further down and I saw a section titled "Member Favorites" and included were these:

If this shoe isn't ME, I don't know what is! The shape, the print, the color- I love them! The heel height is a tad extreme for my daily lifestyle, but I am really diggin' these little babies. So, here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to bookmark these, but I'm also going to click "Send Me New Shoe Options" to see what they send me and also to experience that element of this "Society." If I don't like the next round of shoes, I'll consider getting these ones, if for no other reason than I absolutely LOVE them! But also because it's research gosh darnit! And you ALL deserve to be educated consumers, right? Call me a martyr if you must, but I will continue to "research" beautiful shoes until every single one of you is satisfied! Check back soon for an update!