Christian Dior Couture Spring 2010

OK, You all know I have a huge crush on John Galliano. 

 Well, maybe not a crush, but I find him interesting.  Here is what he offered in his Spring 2010 Couture line this week in Paris.

Here is the outfit:

Boot detail: 

Look number 2:

shortie boot detail:

Look number 3:

Shoe detail:  Notice the swirl in the heel.

One of the finale ballgowns.

I love the flowers and silk in the staging of this show.   The whole presentation was so Dior.  I can’t wait to see who will wear Dior for the Academy awards.

Sundance Boots: Trudging Through the Snow

My first night in Park City, Utah I decided that I had to buy new snow boots to survive the Sundance Film Festival. It was snowing and I realized that none of the shoes I brought were going to keep my feet warm and dry. I walked up and down Main Street checking out a few different stores, but most didn’t have a large selection of snow boots. This is surprising being that it is January in a city known for skiing.

Finally, I found the Baffin store and within 15 minutes walked out with a new pair of boots.

Baffin Snogoose boot $89.99 at Zappos

My impulse purchase was influenced by the brand’s use of the word “extreme” – as in extreme weather – and pictures of people in the arctic wearing the boots.

On the walk back to my hotel, I saw this pair of Gravis boots, and I immediately regretted buying the less attractive Baffin boots.

Gravis Camelia boot $89 at Zappos

But after three days of wearing the boots for 16+ hours a day, I could not be happier with the Baffin boots! Granted, they aren’t as cute as the Gravis boots, but they are the most functional snow boots I could have imagined. The black is rather nondescript anyway. While other people walk around the snow, slush, and puddles, I walk right through everything in my path. My feet are always dry and incredibly warm. The boots are very comfortable too. The only shortcoming is the weight of each boot – they are rather heavy.

The best part is that I feel very surefooted when walking on icy street. My two Sundance goals were to see James Franco (done) and to not fall and break a bone. I feel that the Baffin boots were integral to the latter, but I did wish I was wearing cuter boots when I saw James Franco!

In Your Shoe Closet

About a week ago, Brenda, PursuitofShoes, and GivemePlatforms were generous enough to allow us a peek into their shoe-closets.

I really loved seeing the variety, individuality, and hint of personality shown in each different closet.

This week, three more of our readers have sent us pictures of their unique shoe collections for our viewing pleasure.

First up, CF’s closet:

Next up. Sabrina’s closet:

And finally, Lori’s closet:

From one shoe-lover to another, I’d like to say thank you for giving us this glimpse at each of these lovely shoe collections.

Also, if you enjoyed these closets, don’t forget to browse our ‘Your Shoe Closet’ section in our Shoeblog forums.

As I noted last week, we can only continue presenting these periodic closet peeks with you, our readers, active involvement. If you wish to share your closet with your fellow readers, email your G-rated pictures to galligator@shoeblog.com. Larger photo file attachments may need to be zipped to be successfully received at this account. As a guideline for resizing, most of the photos in this article were sized to a width of no more than 450 pixels.

Shoe History Corner: Presidential Footwear

Shoe and lifestyle brand Johnston & Murphy (J&M) has the unique distinction of designing shoes for every president since 1850.  On ShoesofthePresidents.com, J&M has documented this rich tradition with fascinating presidential footwear factoids including:

• Abraham Lincoln had the largest foot of any US president.  He wore a size 14 shoe.
• Bill Clinton came a close second – he had size 13D shoes.  When he won the election, J&M crafted him a pair of blue suede shoes in recognition of his love of playing the sax.
• Rutherfod B. Hayes wore a size 7 shoe, which happens to be the smallest foot of any president.
• Herbert Hoover had the narrowest shoes – a size 11.5AA.
• For sitting President Barack Obama, J&M created a pair of oxfords and boots in size 12.  The oxfords were presented to Barack in a shoe box made of koa wood from his home state of Hawaii while the boots were inspired by the shoes that J&M created for Lincoln, Obama’s hero.

J&M Obama Shoe with koa wood box

Johnston & Murphy Obama Shoe inspired by Abraham Lincoln

Wonder what would happen if America ever elected a female president? I was happy to discover that J&M had the foresight to introduce a female line of shoes and accessories (more in subsequent posts).  So it sounds like J&M is well equipped to carry on their tradition of shodding presidents in all shapes, sizes, and genders. 

Fratelli Rosetti Spring Preview

In early January, Jack Minuk head of the shoe division of Nordstroms told Footwear News that, “The decline of the footwear manufacturing industry in Italy that operates mainly outside the designer segment was one of the low points of this past decade.”   I am just discovering just how nice non-designer Italian shoes can be. One of the largest Made in Italy shoe lines is Fratelli Rosetti shoes. 

 Fratelli Rossetti footwear was founded in 1953 by Renzo Rossetti and his brother Renato in Parabiago, Italy.  They have been producing shoes for over 60 years.  All Rossetti shoes, including the Fratelli Rossetti ONE collection, are entirely crafted in Italy.

Here is a sample of their spring shoes.  I really like this wedged sandal.

 When I look at the Rosetti website, men’s shoes may be their favorite.  Lots of their women’s shoes have a menswear feel to them.  While these are not my favorite, I like a lot of the menswear shoes for women on Zappos.

Fratelli Rossetti are available through Zappos and Fratelli Rosetti Boutiques throughout the world.