Important EDIT: Christian Siriano just announced on Oprah that everything he has done for Payless is 50% off. Go to Oprah.com to find the Payless store nearest you and to get the coupon. There ARE a few things that might be nice but a smart shopper knows that even though something is suddenly only $15.00 doesn’t make it a good purchase if you still don’t love it. I suspect this coupon rouse might be because his items aren’t selling.

Christian Siriano is doing shoes for Payless, which is instantly a mood-lifter. (He was the winner of Project Runway, remember?) Except…well, until you SEE the shoes. I’m torn. First off, the shoes and boots Siriano has done look very much like the ones designer Rodarte did a while ago. But my biggest problem is that I’m not sure if many of these shoe designs are wearable for the every day woman. One might argue that the reason they’re so affordable (all of these shoes are under $50) but still funky is that you’ll buy them just for special occasions. And if you’re a younger gal in her 20′s then it makes sense to buy them. But otherwise, I’m just not so sure.

Siriano has also done handbags but I’m less impressed by them – I think they should be MORE out there, more SPECIAL! The purses for payless look like almost anyone could have designed them. And we want to buy them for Siriano’s MARK on them!

You can view all of the Christian Siriano handbags and shoes on Payless.com. There is definitely a tonal difference between what Siriano had previewed on the runways and what has made its way into the store.

(First shoe shown: Christian Siriano for Payless Carolina Pump $34.99. This is the one shoe I really do like by him here, I do think this one is wearable.)

Christian Siriano for Payless Patent Zipper Boot $49.99: Payless.com says, “Designer Christiano Siriano fuses some of fall’s hottest trends into one totally wearable boot.” The boot is CUTE but uh, NOT wearable in the snow and slush. Even in the fall it’ll make your toes cold. One of our She’s Smart Style Tips: Pass on something cute that isn’t really wearable. You’ll thank me later.

Payless Zippered Flat $29.99 – From the side these look ugly until I realize that flat gold thing is a ZIPPER. Well, I can dig that. And these ones are also wearable.

Strappy Sandals $29.99 – The way the top band is cut (and the thickness) is going to actually make your ankles look fatter than they are and give you cankles, rather than slimming them. BAD! Such a  rookie design move. If you’re a model who is size 0, it’d look okay. But uh, who is really a size 0?

Bottom line: These are mostly unrealistic shoes for women in the real world.

Wanted Frills Flat - Round-toe ballet flat

Okay, so ruffles are a major trend for Fall 09. I hadn’t realized it extended even to shoes, but apparently it does.  If I’ve learned anything from my sister, it’s that a serious shoe habit is hard to kick. So if you know that you’ll absolutely NEED to buy a new pair of shoes this fall, I think I’ve found the pair for you. These Ruffled Flats from PiperLime are versatile-but-special enough to fit all sorts of needs.

They’re not too ‘out there’ that you can’t wear them a lot, but you’ll definitely feel happy about them having a little bit of flair. Style Tip: I doubt you already own a pair of shoes like this. That’ll make you appreciate them all the more. They’re available in silver or bronze (I like bronze) so the metallic also gives it a nice little punch. Yikes!: Banana Republic offers a very similar pair of ruffled flats for almost twice the price!

American Eagle Eve Ruffle Ballet

I also like these pretty berry ballet flats from Payless.

Coconuts Holly are Earth friendly

Eco-friendly shoes named Holly at Piperlime.

Think you could try heels with ruffles? Just be careful.

Even though I’m talking about flats, it doesn’t hurt to let you know about a Style Tip from Renee at Beauty Fool, right? Have a bit of trouble shifting around in your heels? Guess what will fix that? Nope, you never will! But you already own it.

Get in on the bedazzled bandwagon and subscribe to She’s Smart!