People Magazine’s Haute List:

“10 Best Dressed Stars of 2008″

As the saying goes, fame is measured in column inches. People magazine’s coveted list of “10 Best Dressed Stars of 2008″ applauds celebrity fashion from hippie chic to hip-hop couture.  But what about the shoes?  The glorious, glorious shoes!  ShoeMinx singles out the stars’ best shoe moments of the year for applause (and envy).

Michelle Obama

Wife of presidential candidate Barack Obama

Mrs. O dresses her classic Talbots look with pearls and coordinated heels or flats that bring to mind another famous first lady. But we suspect that there’s an inner stiletto girl yearning to burst free.  Dancing at the inaugural ball with her newly elected presidential hubby would be the perfect occasion to step into a killer pair of heels and her new role as fashionable first lady.  And in the race to the White House, the democratic first-lady-in-waiting leads in fashion polls, topping Cindy McCain two to zero in best dressed wins.

Sarah Jessica Parker

Actress, Sex and the City; Bitten clothing designer

We love it when life imitates art. Just like her wildly popular Sex and the City character, Carrie Bradshaw, Sarah Jessica Parker has a serious addiction to shoes. When asked about Carrie in a recent interview, SJP says, “She could probably count on a Manolo more than a man. So is it better than sex? Yes!” Hmm, what does that imply about hubby Matthew Broderick? And also says she has no problem walking in towering stilettos, “I could run a marathon in heels, wake up the next day and run another one.”

Charlize Theron

Oscar-winning actress, Monster

“If they ever do my life story, whoever plays me needs lots of hair color and high heels.”

Rihanna

“Good Girl Gone Bad” singer

After a style “SOS,” the Barbadian beauty transformed from a generic PG cutie to a funky R&B princess with an enviable look from the top of her punky hairdo to the bottoms of her architectural shoes. From DSquared tricked out booties to Balenciaga gladiators with shin-guards, one thing you won’t find in her ever-rotating shoe wardrobe: boring black heels.

Anne Hathaway

Actress, The Devil Wears Prada

“Shoes are it for me . . . A designer can have 12 completely different pairs of shoes within a season so you really just need to go by the individual shoe, but I do love Marc Jacobs for shoes a lot.”

Eva Mendes

Actress, The Women

When asked if she were to sell her soul, and what would it be for, the sultry actress quipped, “A billion dollars and I would buy lots of shoes!”  ShoeMinx is pretty sure Giuseppe Zanotti and Salvatore Ferragamo would give them to her gratis.

Gwyneth Paltrow

Oscar-winning actress, Shakespeare in Love

After Madonna’s gal pal traipsed red carpets across the globe for “Iron Man” press junkets in a selection of vertiginous skyscrapers from Alexander McQueen and Giuseppe Zanotti, she can officially be nicknamed: Queen of the Sky-high Stilettos.  The “Gwyneth effect” caused a huge surge in the sale of the fetish style shoes, especially the pair she wore to the London premiere. Super-high heels by the likes of Balenciaga, Christian Louboutin and Yves Saint Laurent also got the Gwyneth bounce in sales.

People’s fashion favorites also include My Best Friend’s Girl star Kate Hudson, “Project Runway’s” Heidi Klum, and “Dutchess” singer Fergie.

No best dressed look is complete without Christian Louboutin’s signature red sole. Shop for covet-worthy Loubs to go with your LBD here.

ShoeMinx Loves Leighton… Do You?

Leighton Meester is the new Shannen Doherty. Without the whole “everyone hates working with her” thing. So far. But unlike Brenda Walsh, a victim of cookie-cutter ’90s fashion, Blair Waldorf’s iconic style (really, why else do people watch Gossip Girl?) is helping catapult Leighton into fashionista-in-training status on the red carpet. Almost the way Carrie Bradshaw turned Sarah Jessica Parker into a designer’s muse. But not quite. Because Carrie is untouchable. Remember that.

And because the starlet knows that you can’t go wrong with Dior, she rocked their bold black and white Mary Janes at the Longchamp 60th Anniversary Celebration in New York with her classic BCBG Max Azria little black dress. We absolutely adore this shoe and dream about picking up a pair in this deliciously sophisticated peacock blue hue:

And we have to say, Diane Kruger is right on message for a Longchamps party - if she wants to court a sponsorship deal, that is. Diane looks fashion-forward, but what’s with the lost opportunity with the shoes? The girl either needs a better tailor or a fierce pair of red carpet Booties! And we’ll always vote for Gucci.

Also at the party - the stunning Susan Sarandon and her daughter Eva Amurri. We love Amurri in Saved! with Mandy Moore and Macaulay Culkin, and look for her to take on larger roles.

Back to Leighton. ShoeMinx just can’t get enough of this girl. This past week, Meester’s been pulling off black-and-white perfection, coyly posing for the flashbulbs as if unaware of her beauty. Believe us, she knows she’s all that. Pretty in paisley in a Giambattista Valli dress and Dior sandals.

Do we envy? To the point of secretly wishing she’d trip over those magnificent creations? We believe that’s the point. After all, it’s not called Friendly Girl. Shop for Leighton’s Dior shoe styles here.