It’s like a badge of honor during Paris fashion week, high heels covered in dust.
You see them everywhere, and there is no discrimination. They could be Loubtouins, Lanvins, or Louis but dirty, dusty shoes only means one thing: that you’ve trekked the pebbles in Les Jardins de Tuileries to get to the Espace Ephemere, and that can only mean good things.
Only giant shows happen in that space. When I mean giant, I mean behemoth like Dior, Chloe and Valli. So if your shoes are covered that means you have probably just seen something awesome.
Unfortunately, random people don’t find this so cool. Once out of the fashion sphere, people just take one look and think you’re a hot mess.
We love seeing expansion in the fashion business anywhere we can find it these days. This sunny August morning it comes from Nanette Lepore who will be adding more shoes to her pretty party dresses come spring.
The designer launched a capsule collection a couple years ago, but this new range (via a license with Peter Marcus Group), will feature twenty-five styles featuring a range of heel heights and beading akin to what’s found in the collection, according to WWD.
Available at the regular department store spots and Nanette’s stores, the shoes will set you back from $195-$350. There are a ton of contemporary shoes out there to choose from, but we have high hopes for Ms. Lepore.
Have you made plans for the Fourth of July yet? We hope you’re going to be catching some awesome fireworks or grilling out at a sweet barbecue. The American patriotic spirit has even gone global, thanks to Obama-mania.
The latest in the ever-growing category of Obama-inspired fashion (see: Rodarte for Sonia Rykiel) comes from Italian shoemaker Cesare Paciotti - an Obama Tennis Shoe. It’s very simple: a white sneaker emblazoned with the good ol’ stars and stripes.
We don’t mean to be anglophiles, but in the past if we thought about wrapping a flag around our bodies, we’d usually choose the Union Jack.
But now we’re thinking twice about it thanks to Cesare’s cool American look. While the president served as inspiration, the flag detail pretty much embraces the whole country.
So come the Fourth, let’s wave—and wear—our flags proudly.
Before you balk at giving up your shoes, think of that hot pink pair of heels in the back of your closet that you wore to one party and haven’t touched since. Then, consider a good cause.
PUMA’s partnering with charity Soles4Souls, a charity that donates shoes to 125 countries in need, from June 15 to July 20. They’re asking shoppers to donate any lightly worn shoes at PUMA locations and receive 30% off for new PUMA kicks.
They’re even setting up two massive 10-foot tall donation boxes for people to donate their shoes and snag a pair of Soles4Souls flip-flops with their discount - one in Union Square on June 15 and the other on the Santa Monica Pier on June 23.
We’ve been having trouble closing our closet anyway, so needless to say, we’re in.
Can you tell we’re in a very shoe state of mind here at the office today? We can’t stop!
While Abby’s contemplating Birks, I’m feeling a very different shoe: the Adidas’ SLVR 106.
The mesh wedge sneaker has been around for a few months and getting a fair amount of attention. Both Queen Michelle of Kingdom of Style and Elizabeth of White Lightning have written them up. But even these two fashion forward ladies are skeptical in their admiration.
Personally, I love them. They’re fun and a nice combination (I think) of my two different favorite shoe looks - sneakers and heels. The wedge is orange, a color I’m loving right now. And it’s 4 1/2 inches high - perfect for a tiny girl like me. Plus (according to the website) they offer support and as some of us have foot problems, support with a heel could be a major plus.
Ed note from Abby: I fear looking like Victoria Beckham throwing out the first pitch of that Dodgers’ game on her show. But I fully support Amanda giving these a go.
For me, Queen Michelle put it best: “it’s OK to not be pretty, dammit!” Pretty can be boring, and safe, and these are, if nothing else, interesting.
The YSL Tribute sandals are a pair of shoes we have long longed to have in our closets.
The Tribs have been reincarnated several times by YSL—a pump, a sandal, a slingback, an ankle boot. The good folks over at Pollini obviously decided that they, too, should take a stab at reinterpreting the shoe.
The weaving of the leather straps on the toe of the sandal, the platform, and the ankle strap of this version available on Shirise for $760 have been almost exactly replicated.
The Pollini shoe was originally $515 at Shopbop, but is now on sale for $360.50. Perhaps they realized people would rather shell out another $200 for the real deal instead of a copy. Because adding some wood does not a new shoe make.
Though as always, the unfortunate thing about shopping on Etsy (or eBay) is that there’s usually only one size, and if it isn’t yours…tough luck. And these two? The Goldilocks dilemma: one too big and one too small.
So we got pretty excited when we saw Topshop has their own version. However, this is just a bit too woodsy for our tastes. Stuart Weitzman did a cork slingback two years ago (pictured) that we would consider rocking, so let’s hope that more designers get on board. Or that more vintage pairs flood the market.
1. Jimmy Choo and Hunter teamed up to make a pair of faux crocodile Wellies (at left), which will be featured on the last page of April Vogue for Last Look.
2. The Clue (at right) is far and away Jimmy Choo’s best selling shoe. “They are the most popular shoe for us globally. They sell 10 to 1 compared to the other shoes, if not more,” said Jimmy Choo USA President, Brian Henke. We asked what made the $700ish slingbacks so irresistible: “It’s the comfort,” said Brian, “the pitch allows you to walk in them all day.”
3. Tamara Mellon’s designed a line of makeup bags for Fall, which perfectly match the regular bags, possibly resulting in the cheapest clutches Jimmy Choo never intended to make.
4. It is illegal to import python commercially in the state of California.
5. It is totally appropriate to squeal “CHOOS!” in the midst of champagne, mini pieces of toast and the open invitation to try on anything in the store.
And now, we’ll just wonder why we never learned so much in a single day of school.
So I’ll be the first to admit that while I secretly love Britney, her fashion choices have always been a little… how do you say… off (head to toe denim anyone?)
But I just saw that her “If You Seek Amy” video came out and she’s wearing the Christian Louboutin for Phillip Lim S/S 09 heels! Yes, the amazing ruffled ones in that bright red/orange color. They show up at exactly 1:00 minutes into the video. Brit must have had a good stylist, or at least someone who knows incredible footwear when they see it.
Gareth Pugh’s been busy at work on accessories lines, including shoes and makeup.
Obviously, the shoes will be a hit - while not everyone has the courage to dress like a life-size Lego girl, almost everyone has the guts to tack on some serious shoes at the end of an otherwise plain outfit.
And the makeup? We’re hoping it’ll be more than just Urban Decay-esque dark shadows with a coating of green glitter - though a fragrance by the name of Pepe la Pugh might fare well.
No word on exactly when - or if any of this is even definite - the lines hit stores, but it’ll be very interesting to see who licenses all of this…
Those of you still worried over the Mike & Chris-going-out-of-business rumors from late last year can finally rest easy.
Not only does WWD have the scoop on the husband-and-wife designer label’s new line of shoes for Spring (Shopbop, soon), but the LA-based brand is set to debut their first full line of bags for Fall 09, too.
During a high school field trip some years ago, I noticed that one of my classmates had two different sneakers on. As in, her left sneaker was from one pair, and her right from another. When I asked her about it she looked down, laughed, and said she’d overslept and literally gotten dressed in the dark and didn’t notice, and maybe wouldn’t have, until I asked her about it.
I hadn’t seen anyone else pull the two sneaker move until I saw this picture of Chris Benz from the He’s Just Not That Into You premiere.
A part of me really likes this idea - on the right person, it’s kind of funny, like a nod to junior high fashion antics. But on the wrong person (read: almost everyone, and definitely me), it would look a little like a move made to fit in with the art kids (read: juvenile).
It works on Chris, but Chris is also a tall, thin, cute boy, and it did work on Carrie in that LA episode where she wears different colored Louboutins, but the shades were complementary and designed to be so - plus, it’s TV.
So would you ever try wearing two different shoes at the same time? Or is this a sartorial switch that should only happen by accident?
According to WWD, the Ugg boot may be saving the holidays.
Apparently, “everybody” is still looking for them, and some stores are even reporting higher sales of the shoe marshmallow as compared to this time last year.
But my first thought was, “Really? Because I never see them.” Actually, that’s not true. I saw a pair yesterday, ending an outfit which consisted of a ripped denim miniskirt and layered tanks from Abercrombie, at the Key West airport.
So my question: Is this a regional thing? Because even though I still see Uggs in the city sometimes, they’re usually beat-up, stained, and relegated to Whole Foods shopping in the snow.
So please, if you’ve purchased a new pair of Uggs this year, tell us about it. Because we’re doing a highly scientific study here, in which we try to figure out where these purchases are coming from.
Answers in the comments section, if you’re curious, too.
Obviously, the recession is on everybody’s minds, and obviously, most talk here at the Fashionista offices usually turn to shoes. So here’s a thought we had this afternoon:
If one good thing comes out of this economic crisis, it could be the deafening pop of the what we’re calling the Shoe Price Bubble. Picture it:
Constant sales lead to constantly lowering prices. Constantly lowering prices could lead to stores beginning with more reasonable prices rather than suffering through crawling profits and an embarrassing stream of sales. Price adjustments could lead to stores pricing strategically, in order to get the most customers, which could ultimately lead to the general price of what we all know are stratospherically over-priced goods plummeting back down to a normal range of say, $400 for designer shoes, rather than $1,000+.
Because as it is right now, we’re living in a world where hundreds of extra dollars can be slapped onto something as some kind of name-association fee. But if brands want to survive, it’s getting to a point where everybody has to throw their hands up and just admit they’re marking things (and by “things,” we’re specifically pointing towards shoes, bags and denim) up because they can, and because nothing’s stopped then.
Until now. Do you think prices could start much lower for this Spring’s wares? Or could store’s conservative ordering keep the supply - and prices - as high as they’ve been?
That rumor we spread about Mark Fast doing a line for Topshop? It's true. And it's in last week's Sunday Telegraph magazine which means it was true before we even said anything and we've had it in our lap since... Read More
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It’s like a badge of honor during Paris fashion week, high heels covered in dust. 
![obamasneaker[1].jpg](http://fashionista.com/2009/06/24/obamasneaker%5B1%5D.jpg)
