It’s a nice day for a . . . White Bootie!!!

Don't call it a boot!

Alrighty, darlings. Brace yourselves: just when you thought the open-toe craze couldn’t get any more fabulous or seasonally relevant, out pops the beige bootie.

Now this is genius: there is absolutely no confusion as to whether we have accidentally worn last season’s footwear for Spring. The white pseudo-boot, as I am calling it (see CoutureCarrie’s March 19, 2008 post!), is the cleverest, chicest way to pick up on this trend and still sashay swimmingly into May without looking overly bundled up.

One thing I find notable and deviously delicious about these little booties is that, in order to market them for Spring, designers are calling them anything but "boots". As you will see below, remove the toe (and oft the heel) and the boot becomes a "pump" or "sandal". You say tomato, I say BUY THESE BABIES IMMEDIATELY!

I absolutely ADORE Givenchy’s knee-high gladiator sandal (shown on the runways in beige, black, and baby blue, and featured prominently in all the go-to glossies), but who can afford those?

Better options include Chloe’s Patent Triple Strap Zip Back Sandals (top right). In searching for this picture on line, I realized how difficult these are to come by!! I finally found them at the Intermix.

In addition to our tried and true designers, there are some new footwear designers out there who are really shaking things up and impressing the hell out of us! I am totally enamored of Camilla Skovgaard and her Ankle Strap Bootie. So sexy! I love how the strap hovers above the top of the boot and can be adjusted to really hug the body, for that soft bondage effect.

See also Derek Lam's Aurora Tie Front Open Toe Pump (the warm-weather take on last season's spectator bootie, pictured at top left), and Banfi Zambrelli's Kelsey Teardrop Open Toe Pump, with yellow patent leather covered cone heel.

Fashion credits: all of the above except Chloe Boot available at shopbop.com.