Spring 2009 Shoe Trends: Natural Textures

Hello warmer weather!

As we move into another spring season, certain classic footwear trends have re-emerged as if on an annual schedule. In this case, the trend is of rope-like espadrilles and cork-soled sandals. These continue to be casual warm-weather favorites.

This spring and summer it will be tough to go wrong style-wise if your sandals include a cork sole; or perhaps rafia, bamboo, or jute details. Natural textures, warm tan and brown colors, and an earthy, Boho vibe are making a huge appearance in stores this spring.

First up - Prada’s Rafia, Cork, and Bamboo Wedges:

Prada Raffia Wedge Sandals $650 at Saks.com

Prada Bamboo Wedge Platforms $695 at Saks.com

Prada Wedge Platform Cutout Sandals $750 at Saks.com

I’m not finding myself to be much of a fan of the rafia, and I can take or leave the whole cork thing, but the bamboo is pretty intriguing.

Volatile Shoes also has a few bamboo-wrapped offerings in their spring line-up (with more of a reedy effect): (more…)

Would You Wear Furry Shoes?

Ahhh yes, we all remember the scene in Sex and the City (the finely tuned TV show, NOT the less-than-stellar film) where Carrie tries to improve her sex life with that guy from Office Space by wearing furry shoes. Or more specifically, boudoir slippers with pom-poms that resemble recent escapees from Victoria’s Secret but which probably cost about a bajillion dollars.

That scene nauseated me a little bit.

Carrie expressed some conflicted emotions about wearing furry shoes. So the question is: Would you, the fashion-forward, strong-willed woman that you are, actually wear furry shoes? There are certainly a wide variety of them available.

Let’s discuss. In pictures, of course.

Furry house slippers are no new thing. Almost everyone has a pair. But what if they crossbred with a heel? I found these pricey Bettye Mullers at Gabay’s (an amazing New York secret shoe heaven) a few weeks ago. They are furry inside, similar to the things I curl up on my couch in to survive winter storms, but they are heeled! And bejeweled! On the Pro side, there is something very French Royal Court about these. For me they evoke Marie Antoinette much more strongly than the Louboutin ones that we recently discussed. For one thing, the heel height is in keeping with the era, also the decoration around the toe box is typical of court shoes. Besides, fur-lined shoes seem like the perfect thing to weather a winter in a stone castle with no central heating.

If the French Court isn’t your thing, how about putting a furry English Rose garden on your feet? The fur flowers on the outside of these are kind of strange, but they certainly bring a new light to our be-furred shoe conversation. These are the same brand as the previous set. What do you think? Do they have interesting texture or do they look like they’re molting?

Oddly enough, from my view the two pairs we already covered are the more practical of our selections today. I found these at Loehmann’s. For a cool $299 (marked down from $955), you can get the boudoir-esque, pom-pom bedecked variety that so aided Carrie in her nighttime pursuits. These are grey, while hers were pink but the whole sexy evening mule thing is the same. Do you think these are sexy?

For some real history and more research, I went to see the appropriately title “Seduction” exhibition at the Fashion Institute of Technology. I browsed through the seductively draped Halston gown, the John Galliano leather dress, and some and a ’58 Balenciaga, I came across the perfect addition to this post: these white silk Manolo Blahnik mules with burgundy ostrich feathers from 1998. There’s some real history for ya. Maybe not a long history, but history nonetheless.

I guess we can pretty safely say that furry shoes are a symbol of sensuality, or at least sexualty to many people. But sometimes accepted symbols start to lose thir meaning so I am very interested in what you guys think. In an interesting twist, I found that the quintessential movie moment to define the furry shoe question came not from Sex and the City, but from a much less likely place: My Big Fat Greek Wedding. In explanation:

“Give me a [shoe], any [shoe], and I tell you how that [shoe] is come from Greek!

(Members of the Greek infantry standing guard at the Monument of the Unknown Soldier in Athens.)

“There you go!”

Christian Louboutin Sale on Gilt Groupe TODAY

Ladies, do the words ‘Louboutin’ and ‘sale’ make your heart skip a beat?  If so, you’ll want to head  over to Gilt Groupe’s first ever Christian Louboutin sale where many classic styles, like the Decoltissimo are priced at over 40% off CURRENT sell prices.  The sale starts TODAY at 9am EST and judging from past sales of popular brands, the shoes will go quick.  So be prompt if you can.

Per Gilt, here are some price teasers (photos are clockwise from upper left):

Christian Louboutin Decoltissimo High Pump
MSRP $575(it’s actually $595 at NetAPorter)
Gilt Price $288

Christian Louboutin High New JS Pump
MSRP $775
Gilt Price $378

Christian Louboutin High Yoyospina Pump
MSRP $625
Gilt Price $298

Christian Louboutin Vizu High Bootie
MSRP $970
Gilt Price $478

Recessionista Shopping

And by shopping, I really mean swapping. The new in thing for fashion forward ladies who desperately want to shop, but have found themselves tightening their purse strings a bit lately, is the great Clothing Swap party. The concept is pretty self-explanatory. You and all your girlfriends sift through your wardrobes to find stuff that is still in good condition, but that you just don’t wear anymore. We all have that an item or two that was AWESOME in the store, but that has gone out on the town only once or twice in the last 4 years, right? Then you bring all your gently worn treasures to the clothing swap party, mix in some snacks and some alcohol, and commence the swapping!

I have to say it’s kind of strange to see your own clothing on another person.

I went to a fab clothing swap party last night and, in addition to some very cute duds, I also snagged these awesome summer sandals and all they cost me was some old clothes!

It’s kind of ingenious if you think about it: you get rid of all the stuff that’s been hiding out in your closet, you get to know that your things get a nice new home (anything with no takers goes to goodwill), and you get new stuff without spending a dime. I totally suggest throwing one of these together. Has anyone else scored anything awesome at a clothing swap party?

Shoe Poetry by Edward Monkton

Does your shoe collection sometimes leave you feeling whimsical about shoes in general?  Do you find yourself looking at shoe-themed decor for your closet?

If so, the poetry and art of Edward Monkton may be for you.

I was lucky enough to trip across the gift-sized (6.1 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches ) Shoes, Chocs, Bags, and Frocks(penned by Edward Monkton) sitting forlornly on the clearance rack at my local bookstore. This is a fun and fluffy literary indulgence for anyone passionate about shoes, bags, or chocolate; obsessions in which many women indulge with more than a twinge of self-conscious, guilt-wrapped pleasure.

Contained inside it’s pages are quirky poetic gems that, happily,  do not take themselves too seriously. With such titles as “The Beautiful Frock”, “My Chocolate Kingdom”, and “The Killer Heels”, this is poetry made to make women smile.

In addition to this and other  titles available at Amazon.com, a visit to Edward Monkton’s website  yields note cards for sale (such at ”My Killer Heels” shown above) as well as limited-edition prints of “The Shoe of Salvation” (£599).

This is a hand-pulled, 195-copy, silk-screened print that is float-mounted in a transparent box - perfect for any shoe-diva’s decorative splurge.