Some say diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but I say it’s shoes –and you can never have enough. Anyone who cares about style knows that great shoes are essential: they will make, or break, an outfit. They also add mileage to your wardrobe, freshening up tired ensembles with jolts of excitement. (Not to mention how much they reveal about your personality!) Turns out, my passion for shoes is so great, it inspired a feature on SusanTabak.com called The Daily Shoe. Just as you’d expect, it highlights a new favorite every day. It debuted in November 2010, one year ago–and I’m thrilled to acknowledge all the positive feedback from readers and shoe fanatics around the world.

Manolo Blahnik pony skin sandal, left, and Christian Louboutin pony skin pump, right

Back in the day when the brilliant Manolo Blahnik was practically the only game in town, my closet was filled with his shoes. I still love my Manolos: they’re sexy, feminine and oh-so-chic. Then, when Christian Louboutin came on the scene, he diverted my attention–and I now have a fabulous collection of his shoes, as well. As luck would have it, I’ve also gotten to know Christian over the years: he’s a wonderful man, and I remain forever grateful for the charming prologue he provided to my book, Chic In Paris.

René Caovilla beaded sandal, left, and Walter Steiger satin sandal, right

But the list, of course, does not stop there. As my shoe fetish deepened (or worsened, some might say), I discovered René Caovilla, who became a new favorite. Then, with the launch of SusanTabak.com–and The Daily Shoe’s debut–my savvy editorial team went even further to discover some fabulous shoe designers (some of whom I’d heard of, many of whom I hadn’t).

Tabitha Simmons linen-and-silk sandal, left. and Ruthie Davis peep-toe pump, right

All of a sudden, we were presenting amazing shoes from an extraordinary range of designers: the forever-brilliant Walter Steiger, Rupert Sanderson and Laurence Dacade, plus a whole group of new créateurs like Sultan Al Darmaki, Burak Uyan, Nathalie Elharrar of LaRare, Ruthie Davis and Charlotte Olympia. There are far too many to list here–but followers of The Daily Shoe (and its archives) will discover all the talented designers who’ve caught our attention. Frankly, it’s slightly dangerous: when my husband and I renovated our apartment, we installed a special closet just for my shoes. He calls it the “Imelda Marcos Shoe Closet”–politically incorrect, perhaps, but accurate. Truth be told, my closet runneth over. What can I say? I love shoes!

Please join me in wishing a “Happy Birthday” to The Daily Shoe!

Photographs by Wai Ng