Wedge yourself into spring (for less)

Bolivar Wedge by Lela Rose, $49.99 at Payless Photo courtesy of PaylessSpring is almost here, and that means I'm thinking about one thing: wedges. No, not polyhedral solids defined by two triangles and three trapezoid faces (I already told you, I don't do math). I'm talking about shoes!

We females are pulling off the socks, we're airing out those in-need-of-a-pedicure winter feet, and we're stepping up onto our pedestals, er, platforms. Doesn't it feel good? 

What feels even better is finding fab wedges at wallet-conscious prices. 

I set out on an expedition to find extraordinary wedges that cost less than $50. The results? I wouldn't classify my findings as Columbus discovers the New World (although I loathe math, I've got mad respect for American history and couldn't possibly compare shoes to it). The findings were more Disney's Aladdin and Jasmine sing about a whole new world while riding on a magic carpet--fantastic!

And, yeah, out of pure happiness I might have sang a verse or two of the song when I saw the Bolivar Wedge by Lela Rose (pictured, above right). This shoe is retro chic with its teal, fabric upper and its zany, black-and-white bottom. Where did I find it? Payless. For $49.99.

This spring, Payless is not only featuring shoes by Lela Rose, it's also selling designs by Isabel Toledo and Christian Siriano (of "Project Runway" fame). I like Siriano's 4.5-inch, snake print Zanzi Exotic Wedge (also $49.99).

Over at Nordstrom, I spotted the Volatile "Sling Shot" Wedge with black, stretch-fabric straps for $49.95. A similar strappy, criss-cross look by Stuart Weitzman will cost you nearly seven times that price. And I've got to be honest: It's not any more comfortable than Volatile's version. 

This last wedge is my favorite deal. With its double-buckle top, zipper back and basket bottom, the Dolce Vita Rope Wedge is four inches of brown genius. The price? $29.99. Yep, the universe is apparently rewarding me for something. Maybe it's for struggling through all those painstaking years of algebra and geometry. Or maybe it's for acing my choral class back in 1992 with my rendition of "A Whole New World" (and, yeah, I can still hit those high notes in 2011). Whatever the case, I'm going to get these shoes immediately, if not sooner.

Do you know of a super-duper deal on wedges? Tell me about it in the comments.