Is Victoria Beckham Totally Crazy or Totally Awesome?

So maybe the real answer to the title of this post is a resounding “Both!” The question was inspired by her recent attire at the launch of the Beckham Signature Fragrance Collection at Macy’s Herald Square in New York City this weekend.

The Evidence:

I’m sorry, perhaps you did not get the full impact of this here photo. Take a closer look.

The Trial:

Defense: As you will see, Lady Posh has lifted an outfit entirely from the Antonio Berardi Fall 2008 runway line. It’s fits beautifully, because let’s face it, Posh can wear the hell out of outfits! And she is all about the crazy high heels!

Prosecution: But she isn’t wearing any heels! Those rubber stockings/boots (yes, they are connected!) have platforms, but are completely heel-less, giving the impression that Posh is balancing all her weight on her tippy toes. That’s not high heels; that’s just crazy.

Def: We of the defense are not the first to laud Miz Beckham for her courageous footwear choices. Let me draw your attention to her Elle editorial from 2008. Here are the shoes that she wore in the highly discussed spread:

Pro: Yeah…those were pretty cool. But wait – they have HEELS, albeit ones that don’t actually touch the ground! The point we are making here is that heel-free shoes are against nature.

Def: It’s not like she’s the first. Marc Jacobs sold a ton of those backwards heel shoes last season. (Still available on Net-a-Porter for the low, low sale price of $660)

Pro: Oh yeah – those were so cool. I mean crazy, they were crazy. I must stick to my guns…

Def: And Vogue’s Stephanie La Cava wore these fantastic Dior Couture uber-platforms to the Whitney Art Party in June and people are still talking about it. See how we are still talking about it?

Pro: I WANT those! Where can I get some. Wow – they look a lot like Posh’s Elle shoes. She’s such a trend-setter. I can’t believe you got to me like this. Ok, she’s crazy AND amazing. We should make a movie about her finely tuned sense of fashion insanity. Must…go…shopping….!

The Verdict: After long deliberation the jury has decided that Posh is both crazy and awesome. Sure we knew that already, but the evidence was too good to pass up.

This Week in Shoes

-It’s raining…shoes!!! [ShoeAholics Anonymous]

-Our presidential candidates know footwear choices can affect image. [MyDesert.com]

-Here’s a first look at Gola sneakers by Christian Lacroix. The sneakers have Nylon Mag all haute and bothered. [Nylon Mag]

-Manolo Blahnik receives the Walk of Style Award. For those females who might feel that spending $700 to $1000 for a pair of fabulous Manolo Blahnik shoes is beyond their financial means, the designer has a simple suggestion. Don’t try to be Carrie Bradshaw, with hundreds of pairs and no money in the bank.

This is my philosophy. It’s like funny, it’s stupid, but maybe it makes sense. I think women should buy one pair, just one pair, and that will last a long time. Invest in that one pair. This is the one thing people can do. [Fashion Wire Daily]

A Shoe Plea

Ok folks, in the midst of fashion week madness (we’re off to Paris next) I am going to interrupt with a personal plea for a little help in the shoe department.

This is the KORS by Michael Kors Brink Boot:

They are available in very limited sizes on bluefly.com in black and brown for $237 or 6pm for $195, a significant reduction from their original price of $395. These are my ideal winter boots. I absolutely love them and want to take them home with me and call them my very own. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find them in my size. They are actually from last year’s line of winter boots a la Lady Kors, so they are not easy to track down and a 9 or 9.5 has been completely unfindable.

So here is my plea: if you find them online or are in the greater NY area or even the greater San Francisco area (I’ll be there at the beginning of October) and your eagle eye spots these in black in a 9 or a 9.5, TELL ME! I know you shoe-lovers have a lot of secret hunting grounds that the average person does not know about. I am counting on you! (P.S. these boots run small, so if you do decide to pick up the remaining ones on Bluefly, be aware.)

If this post has given you an unsatisfied longing similar to mine, here is this year’s version of the boot, the Breck, also KORS by Michael Kors:

These are widely available at $425 (and unfortunately not on sale yet) in black leather, brown leather, and black patent. These are definitely awesome boots and would probably much more practical for the New York winter, but I never was a particularly practical girl.

Thanks in advance loyal shoeblog readers!

Phun with Baby Phat

Do you know what I have seen a lot of this Fashion Week season in New York, London, and Milan? Snakeskin shoes. Most of it has been fairly subtle: the texture has added an extra dimension to many of fine pair of footwear, but snakeskin coloring has been relatively scarce. Well, look no more! At Baby Phat, if you are going to do snakeskin, you are going to do it all the way.

Most of the looks in the show featured either a 70s, Austin Powers feel (the Heather Graham version, not the Elizabeth Hurley) or a luxurious Egyptian Queen motif. There was a lot of gold, a lot, of sparkle, and a lot of skin. The shoes were high and they were hot. Python trimmed in gold and bright bits of color. Here are some exclusive backstage shots.

These snazzy snakeskin heels were worn by the model that I worked with backstage. (The charming Hollis – check her out here)

This model is waiting to go on (and waiting and waiting – the show was announced as “starting” 3 times over the course of an hour)

And here it some more formal footwear. I love that pop of pink!

There was a very unusual vibe backstage at Baby Phat, during New York Fashion Week. I have worked at many many shows and I usually find that the primary overarching emotions are stress and outright exhaustion, especially in the models at the end of the week. The stylists and and Baby Phat folk were certainly stressed out (if you work for Kimora, I’m betting your anxiety is off the charts right before a show), but the models were surprisingly chill. There was music, there was laughter, there were many models laughing about the sheer quantity of skin they would soon be exhibiting before the world. The backstage area was dark and strobe lights from the runway filtered through as the base reverberated through the floors causing the clothing racks to rattle. So let’s see, loud music+dark, crowded room+pretty girls in tiny clothing = nightclub. So the verdict: All in all, it was pretty cool.

Sacha Baron Cohen’s Shenanigans

Would Borat be welcome at a fashion show? What about Ali G? Or even Sacha Baron Cohen without the costumes and with charming girlfriend Isla Fisher in tow? None of these characters were present at the Agatha Ruiz de la Prada show in Milan, but Sacha certainly made an appearance. Bruno, Cohen’s fashion-crazed, alter, alter, alter ego literally stormed the runway. He not only managed to get backstage, but onto the runway where he stomped down with the best of them before security got involved. (Given the nature of the show in question, I suspect it took viewers a few seconds to realize that Baron Cohen was not actually part of the show.

Eventually the lights in the tent were turned off and as media and onlookers called “Luce! Luce!” security grabbed Bruno and hustled him out.

But this is shoeblog, so what does this have to do with shoes? Look closely at Bruno’s self-made runway get-up. In addition to a cape and practically every piece of clothing in his closet, Bruno has tied what looks like a Mukluk to his left leg. Apparently, even he cannot escape the lure of the furry bootie.

 To check out the looks of Spanish designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada for the Spring 2009 show, go here. De la Prada’s candy-colored surreal confections are worth looking at for the sheer weirdness of them. Envision a brighter, crazier Betsey Johnson. (Difficult, isn’t it?) I’m betting that the outlandish nature of this designer’s aesthetic may have figured in Baron Cohen’s choice of ambushee.