The Shiny Legwear Craze

Who doesn’t love New York Times street style photographer Bill Cunningham? Personally, I would kill to be walking around my beloved New York streets one day and hear a bike whizz by, then screech to a rubber-burning halt because Bill Cunningham wants to photograph me in some chic outfit (unfortunately, I would probably be wearing schlumpy yoga pants and sneakers if he went by). How cute is it that this fashion-loving man rides his bike around the city taking photos of daring-looking ladies? Unfortunately, he seems to mostly photograph rich ladies in midtown, in the land of the quadruple B’s, i.e. Bendel, Bergdorf, Bloomingdale’s and Barneys, not below 14th Street or in Brooklyn where youngsters like yours truly can be found bargain hunting. (Please ride your vintage cruiser over the Williamsburg bridge and do a special on wacky Williamsburg styles, Bill!)

Bill recently did a series of photographs and this fantastic video on the fashionable legwear at the Paris shows. Well, what are you going to see when you see legwear? Shoes, of course! And one of the pairs that Bill comments on are the famed Dior Goddess heels. Yes, apparently people (are still) really wearing those things. Here they are to refresh your memory.

What does everyone think about the trend of shiny patent leather/latex-looking leggings? I, for one, am NOT a fan, and I was born in the 80′s! I just think it’s not the right look for most of these ladies. I think it looks confusing with all the other bling going on with shoes or they’re too tight or both. I’m all for patterned, embellished, colored or seamed tights, but the supershiny ones are a bit too reflective for me. Whether latex or leather or nylon, I just think they’re too tight to be used as pants. Less tight ones look less Catwoman-y and foolish. Latex is for superheroes, not mere mortals.

Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, Lindsay and Rihanna can’t even seem to make them look right, just throwing a black top on with them that sort of vaguely hangs over their crotch area. Awkward!

As the infamous mean girls said in Gossip Girl World, it’s a cardinal sin to mistake tights for leggings. I just think those shiny puppies should stay under the wraps of boots and skirts, with an occasional peekout. A rockstar and occasonal fashionista like Chanel Iman can really make them work with leather Louboutin Ariella boots, but I think it’s 80s fashion disaster for most of us. Not every girl can rock it like Pat Benatar, after all.

And even worse, don’t end up looking like a gold 70s American Apparel disco disaster.

Walking Tall in Lash Stiletto

This might not be about shoes per se, but I have a little beauty-related journey I’d like for you readers to go on with me.

I’ve always had an antagonistic relationship with mascara.

I have the kind of lashes that are so short they’re almost microscopic. “Oh, you have lashes?” friends have been known to say when we’re putting on makeup and getting ready to go out. “I didn’t see them.”

Thanks guys. Well, my lashes are not only short, but they also point inward toward my eyes, seemingly. They’re impossible to curl without poking myself in the eye (trust me, I’ve tried). Curse from the beauty gods above. This means that any time I DO apply mascara, it immediately smears, even if I try to give the mascara time to dry. I’ve tried so many brands, waterproof or not, and I always end up with unintentional raccoon eyes by the end of the night. I’m that girl always ducking into the bathroom to check her eyes at the bar.

What is it that you love about your favorite black stilettos? That they’re foolproof, right? They’re the perfect exclamation mark on your outfit, bringing everything to a point.

I’ve finally found a mascara that’s foolproof, and it’s called Lash Stiletto, with killer smart packaging (who doesn’t want to look at a pretty container for their goods?) and the goods to deliver inside. Of course, seeing the advertising associates Pavlovian good feelings with the mascara already, since there are hot stiletto boots. It makes sense that the kinda gal who has sexy shoes wants sexy lashes.

I’ve been wearing it every day for a couple weeks through a sweaty music festival and intense traveling, and there are no signs of it failing to put killer stiletto points on each lash without clumping. A lot of mascaras just seem to make your lashes heavy with big clumpy pieces. Yes, they’re more visible, but they look intensely fake. Not so with this one. I’m sincerely happy. I’m blissed out actually, that I don’t have to turn in desperation to Japanese lash perming (yes, such a thing exists) or falsies. Who makes this magnifying miracle worker, you ask?

Not Lancome. Not Dior. Not Chanel. Maybelline!

The drugstore is a girl’s best friend in hard times. That and online drugstores. You can find Lash Stiletto at Drugstore.com for $7.49. What a lovely number. It has kind of a ring to it, doesn’t it? $7.49, less than a third of the price of upmarket label mascaras.

It must be the ingredients, because I think they really tested this one out on real ladies with problem lashes. There’s beeswax, carnuba wax, jojoba oil, palm oil and hydrolyzed silk (yes, there are crazy things in mascara). I’m guessing the wax makes the mascara stay on appropriately, the oils keep lashes moist, and the silk keeps it smooth.

Whatever they do, this stuff has worked for me while magnifying and lengthening to the point where I saw my lashes in a face photo of myself and a friend. That’s more than enough for me! Lash technologists, I thank you.

If you try Lash Stiletto, please tell me what you think of it and what kind of lashes you have. If you have another (especially low cost, but the high cost ones too) favorite, please share.

Win a pair of Nina Shoes

For spring, we’ve got a great shoe giveaway to spruce up your warm weather wardrobe and to help you accessorize for the proms, graduation parties, and wedding parties you’ll be attending so you’ll be the most glamorous girl there.

Our generous sponsor, Nina Footwear, is donating a pair of fabulous Nina shoes of your choice.  If the brand sounds familiar, that’s probably because Nina is a shoe brand that’s known for having glamorous-looking shoes at accessible prices, like these cream Nina Cathie shoes, which can be had for $102.

Nina shoes have also been featured in wedding movies like 27 Dresses and more recently in the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic (see those shoe boxes with an “N” on the right).

To enter to win a pair of Nina Shoes, leave a comment with TWO things.

1. As a shopaholic, share with us your favorite shopping moment.  The founder of Net-a-Porter, Natalie Massenet, found an authentic Hermès Kelly bag for $10.  What were your great finds? Bonus points will go out to those that email us at admin@shoeblog.com with a picture or video, but leaving text is certainly alright as well.
2. Visit the NinaShoes.com website and tell us which pair you want to win. The winner of the contest will get the pair of shoes they selected or an alternative choice if their size and style isn’t available.

Nina Shoes will pick the winner based on the response they like the best.  So now what are you waiting for, enter the contest by 5pm Wednesday April 15st PST.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Paris Fashion Week 2009: Epilogue

Though the assorted Fashion Weeks for Fall 2009 have come and gone, I have decided to do one more designer specific post. Louis Vuitton (which is to say, Marc Jacobs and his specific brand of Frenchified crazy) showed at the very end of Paris Fashion Week. Initially, I was not going to post about the shoes, but then, like the Kylie Minogue song of the the same name, I just can’t get ‘em out of my head. And since misery loves company, here’s a bit of my obsession comin’ atcha.

The source of my obsession are the “hourglass heels” (see my fancy made up wordage?) on each shoe.

Exhibit A:

This pair in particular eez so Freaaaanch, non? With the velvet bow, red and black motif, beads, and a bit of sparkle, that there is a can-can dancer reincarnated as a shoe. But I digress. So often, the heels that designers stick on shoes are pure shock value all the way. Often, it’s fabulous. Don’t stop, designers! You would leave we shoebloggers with significantly less to write about. However, here is an unusual heel on an awesome shoe that seems like it would help rather than hurt the wearer. I mean just look at it. Increased groundage-to-heel ratio = more practical shoe. And that’s jut a mathematical fact.

The other thing I think is awesome about these is this entire power play scenario that I developed in my head where you got bigger beads on your hourglass shoe if you were a more “popular” model. Like if a model books a big job, she gets to trade up her bead size or something. It’s like in middle school, where the popular girls had progressively fancier and fancier friendship bracelets. But that’s clearly just in my head OR IS IT? Look here:

HER BEADS ARE BIGGER THAN MINE!

Sheesh. Now I’m not digressing, I’m regressing.

This delightful motif also showed in the super dramatic thigh-high boots that Marc showed. Some were metallic, some had full-on patent leather lace up (dominatrix whip sold separately). Here are some more photos.

I WANT the white ones more than I want to breathe. OK, that’s a smidgen of an overstatement. So do these babies get you guys all choked up inside the way they do me? Or have I finally gone off the deep end. (Mind you, positive answers to both questions will be accepted.)

Phootlery… Not Just a Fun Word Anymore

A while back, I was invited to the showroom of a woman with a brilliant idea.

What if you wanted to go travelling and didn’t want to fill up your suitcase with heavy, bulky pairs upon pairs of shoes?

Not surprisingly, the answer she came up with is shoes with interchangeable uppers.  We’ve talked about this idea before, but Phootlery’s offering is a particularly smart and stylish way of going about it.  Instead of a clunky or challenging method of swapping out your uppers, these different strap combinations hook onto the sole with the ingenious idea of little lingerie hooks that you insert into elastic loops on the sole.  It’s a delicate, discreet way of jazzing up your footwear that won’t fall apart on you, either.

With Phootlery sandals, you start with a choice of sole: silver, gold, or chocolate (all leather) and flat or low wedge (so you’re comfily set up no matter what you pick).  The soles have a bit of padding and are made of Italian leathers and trust me—I tried a pair on—they’re comfortable.

OK, got your sole chosen (they cost $100 and run from EU 35/US 5 to EU 41/US 11)?  Here’s the fun part.  Time to pick out your uppers.

Black crocodile embossed gladiator style?

Intertwined lemon-yellow and snakeskin ankle strapping?

There are bunches of options.  Here are only some of the ones I got to see to give you some idea of the variety you’ve got at your fingertips.

And the New York Times has just featured Phootlery in its TMagazine, so I imagine the order volume will be jumping.  Get in on this one early.  These are winners, especially in a time where many of us are worrying about spending tons of money on more and more shoes.  How about getting just the one sole with a few different uppers instead.  Change up your sandals without doing too much damage to your wallet.