Welcome back to Pop 5. This week, we're continuing our shopping series with one of my personal favorite topics: the best shoe shops in Chicago. (Don't miss our past lists of the best shopping streets and accessory stores in Chicago.) Check out the five best places in the city to put your best foot forward below.

  1. Akira Footwear (multiple locations) always stocks the latest trends, including some kicks that might make even Lady Gaga think twice. No matter your budget, style, or event, Akira will have the shoe you're looking for, including Jeffrey Campbell's Lita lace-up platform booties covered in glitter (shown above). Hello, New Year's Eve.
  2. Lori’s Shoes (824 W. Armitage Ave., 773-281-5655) is always my first stop when there's a shoe trend I'm dying to add to my closet, but I don't want to spend a fortune. Lori’s has one of Chicago's biggest selections of American and European designer shoes, including Vince Camuto, Frye, Jeffrey Campbell, and Dolce Vita (I'm loving the black-and-red Joanna platform, shown above). Lori's is also a great place to pick special-occasion shoes and accessories, but the biggest draw: all of those on-trend looks are 10 to 30 percent less than department-store prices. On Dec. 3, Lori's is celebrating almost 30 years of shoes with the unveiling of a capsule collection for Winter/Spring 2011–12. You can attend the launch by RSVPing here.
  3. Pump (1659 W. Division St., 773-384-6750) is one of those shops that you never leave empty-handed. In fact, I once stopped in while on a run and left with two pairs of shoes. (Don't you always exercise with a credit card for shopping stops?) The reason why: owner Maureen Longua Bueltmann stocks an incredibly well-edited selection of on-trend but classic designs that are too good to pass up. Great prices make stocking up even more enticing.
  4. 10022 Shoe opened in Saks Fifth Avenue (700 N. Michigan Ave., 312-944-6500, shown above) this year, much to every local shoe addict's delight. The name comes from the New York zip code that's home to the first 10022 Shoe shop, and the Chicago version is equally chic. The 3,300-square-foot space stocks a ridiculously covetable collection of shoes, including designs from Louboutin, Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik, and Chicago's own Brian Atwood.
  5. We fell in love with the clothing at Sarca (710 N. Wabash St., 312-255-0900), but the shoe selection is just as impressive. Exclusive-to-Chicago brands like House of Harlow, Jean-Michel Cazabat, and Tania Spinelli (check out her insane boots above) will keep you looking chic from head to toe.