Over at Luxist, Marsha Reid found a real power statement for the coming season. Check out Kate Spade’s Cantara Espadrille, with its 3 1/2-inch bright green lacquered cane heel set against a sleek slope of pink and accented by sequins. Let’s be very clear: this is not a shoe that speaks in subtleties. So step up and make yourself seen and heard this spring. You can grab it now for $325.

Ok, it’s a frying pan. What’s the big deal? Well, if it’s Le Crueset, it’s just about the best hand-made cookware you can own. These French pans are heavy, heat evenly, can be used in the oven and come in great colors like cherry red and kiwi. Whee! And they’re sans Teflon, if that latest scuff-up’s got you nervous. Get em at Chef’s Catalog, one of our favorite places to shop because you can filter your search by price, brand and type. FYI, Chef’s also carries Calphalon, Emerilware etc., and Anolon’s on sale with a bonus griddle for Anolon purchases over $100 through April.

New double-disc special editions of three classic, award-winning films hit stores this week. All the President’s Men, Network, and Dog Day Afternoon are available for purchase individually or together as part of the set Controversial Classics Vol. 2. These films feature stars Al Pacino, Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman, Faye Dunaway and Robert Duvall. The discs have exciting new special features: Commentary on Dog Day Afternoon and Network by director Sidney Lumet and commentary by Robert Redford on All the President’s Men, plus theatrical trailers, vintage featurettes and brand-new making-of documentaries with cast and crew interviews.

Jenny Cu over in the Yahoo! Shoposhere has rounded up some great kitchen tools. She found this cool silicone baking sheet from France that transforms any baking sheet into a non-stick surface. The manufacturer says the mat is reusable and withstands temperatures from -40F to over 550F. It’s available for just $14.99 at theKitchenStore.com.

Usually simple solutions are the best. That may well be the case with this cooler that features a natural filtration system. Featured by Robert O’Neill at productdose, this system employs gravity (eureka!) by pulling regular old tap water through “a dual micro-pore ceramic/activated carbon filter that removes 95% of chlorine, pesticides, heavy metals including iron, aluminum, lead and 100% cryptosporidium, giardia and sediment.” Works for me. The “filter and 2-gallon cooler go for $139 at GREENCulture. Drink it up.

If all that fast, downhill Olympic action has you thinking, “yes! it’s ski time,” well you’re in luck. Mid-February doesn’t just bring us the Winter Olympic Games, it brings us the REI winter sale. Even if you won’t hit the slopes till next year, it’s time to grab a coat or some equipment. For example, this 4-in-1 survival jacket (and who could survive without an iPod pocket?) is down to $170 from the original $250.