Summer is for Brazilians.

Didn’t your mom ever warn you about those foreigners? They’ll wine you and dine you right into ignorant bliss and before you know it, you’ve fallen head- over- heels for some greasy stud named Marco who would rather spend his days chain smoking by the promenade than actually doing anything with his life. Well, I hate to say it Mom, but it looks as though I’ve been suckered in yet again, except this time my Brazilian love affair isn’t going to walk away so easily… unless it’s on my feet.

I have this theory about shoes; the more you spend, the more you gain…in compliments. Of course, this isn’t always true as I’ve scored some crazy deals in my life as a shoe fetishist--deals that would make grandma proud--but even the “steals” have been so unique that they, too, have earned titles as prized contenders in my collection. With these sorts of standards you can imagine the difficulty I run into trying to find stand-out shoes that are not only compatible with my teetering credit score, but are also comfortable, multi-functional and, above all else, fashionable. This is precisely why the new shoes at SoHo are my latest must-haves. If you haven’t heard of Melissa’s before then pay attention, because this Brazilian design brand is one you’d be embarrassed to say is not in your closet. Apart from being eye-catchingly cute, they are also eco-friendly; each shoe is made from recycled plastic in which 100% of the materials are used in production--it’s fantastic!

While all Melissa shoes are equally (and ecologically) fabulous, my favorite are the grey LOVING heels; imagine Dutch girl meets ‘Mars Attacks’ and you’ve pretty much created the perfect shoe for fun modern gals like the women of SoHo. Not to mention the fact that they are unbelievably comfortable and quite versatile! My love for them even has me seriously considering dubbing grey the new black (or Brazilians the new Italians). The price is well worth it and they won’t even break the bank. Think about it. These shoes are an investment--timeless in their uniqueness and sustainable in their comfort. Does plastic ever go out of style? Is it damaged by water or wine (for those disco divas out there…)? And if heels aren’t your thing, there are plenty of Melissa flats recently marked down for the summer sale, so, who knows? Maybe you’ll be the next lucky gal to score a pair for your collection!