Dsquared2: Ultimate Rocker Pumps

Apparently, mere names were inadequate to describe these shoes; they have but a lowly stock number identifying them on the Zappos website.

Dsquared² ‘S 10A002002 29′ $789 at Zappos.com

These shoes so utterly rock.

Behold! Studs – not just on the heel -  but also on the sole, attached under the arch of the foot.

O. M. G.

Enough said.

Sneak Peak: TOMS Shoes in Wedge

TOMS Shoes is a footwear brand with a humanitarian angle.  For every pair of shoes purchased, TOMS donates a pair of new shoes to a child in need.  The company’s motto is “One for One.”   But let’s face it, up until now, their classic shoe styles (covered over here) haven’t exactly made the cute, stylish or trendy category.

With the launch of TOMS Shoes in a wedge silhouette, that has changed.  Now you can look good and feel good knowing you are giving a pair of shoes to a child in need. These shoes are perfect for spring/summer and are affordably priced at $69.  The wedges will be sold on TOMS.com and at retailers around the US.

More colorful sandals options for Spring 2010

So,  yesterday I was all about Georgina Goodman and her colorful and playful shoe offerings.

Today,  I just wanted to expand on that whole idea of spring colors. It’s not just Georgina Goodman who is producing colorful styles amid of sea of 2010 neutrals. Among these are Dsquared², Dolce & Gabbana, and Marc by Marc Jacobs.

Here are the top styles that caught my eye.

Dolce & Gabbana DS1847 E7218 sandal $975

Dolce & Gabbana DS1784 E7093 sandal $660-$664

Dolce & Gabbana DS1794 E7218 $409

Dsquared²  hiking sandal $596

Dsquared²  ‘Chiringuito’ pump $736

Marc by Marc Jacobs ‘Gommone’ platform wedge $495

As always, adding vibrant color or color-blocked accessories makes any more conservative outfit ‘Pop’….. Keep the rest simple if the shoes are speaking.

Styles like these are not for wallflowers or those unable to bask in the occasional, perfect,  moment of sheer fashion fabulousness.

Remember, everyone deserves to be fantastic every now & then.  Shoes like these are simply tools to help you find your inner diva and let her out.

Georgina Goodman’s playful pop of retro-80′s color

If you are young enough to have missed the last round of neon and ultra-brights the last time they visited the fashion scene (not counting the rave/club scene) , you are probably the perfect age to enjoy Georgina Goodman’s colorful and funky shoes.

And, with the resurgence of,  guyliner, 80′s reminiscent fashions from leggings to lace & underwear-as-outerwear, puffer vests, and multicolored/new new wave/emo mullets that would do Flock of Seagulls proud, such brilliant, neon colors feel entirely at home added to the mix.

One caution: If you, like me, are old enough to have rocked any (or heaven help us, all) of the above fashions for any length of time during your personal high school or college jaunt through the  80′s, there is a good chance you should not attempt to do the same today.

But, if you must imbibe of the fountain of the 80′s, these Georgina Goodman’s are a low-risk way to, rather literally, dip your foot into the water of memory lane….How’s that for painfully mixed metaphors!?

Georgina Goodman ‘Harlow’ $289.98 $725

Georgina Goodman ‘Elisha’ $211.98 $530

Georgina Goodman ‘Inga’ $235.98 $590

Georgina Goodman  Rowan $309.98 $776

Georgina Goodman ‘Jackson’ $555 $740

Georgina Goodman ‘Leon’ $920

Georgina Goodman ‘Pierce’ $875

Georgina Goodman ‘Noah’ $581.25 $775

I have to tell you. Those sandals with the color blocks of black, pink, turquoise, and yellow up there? They bring back fond memories of my first real ‘teenager’ outfit. Oh yeah.  This was no hand-me-down -  a common occurrence in a family with 4 older sisters. This outfit had not a single touch of little-kid frou-frou detail on it anywhere; it was just super-cool 1980-something goodness: a black button-down top with a turquoise collar, a just-at-the-knee colorblocked black, pink, and turquoise skirt, a pair of shockingly vibrant turquoise tights, and my first pair of ‘adult’ patent kitten heels with a bow over the vamp. Oh, baby.

I had those pumps for years.

Oh, yeah, good times & good memories.

These Georgina Goodman’s are just waiting to be made into somebody’s current fashion love and future fashion memory.

Let the good times start for both young and young-at-heart shoe-lovers.

Sigerson Morrison reflects the evolution of the gladiator sandal

I’m not a fan of gladiator sandals and boots. I’ve tried to like them and just can’t seem to find any gladiator love in me. Something about the entire open, caged, flat-soles of the core gladiator sandal style just leaves me cold.

Sure, there are some super skinny, super tall, young ladies who can wear this style without looking stumpy.  I am currently none of these things, so perhaps that is part of my bias.Preview

Whatever the reason, I have no love for the basic, flat gladiator.

Over the last few years, as gladiator sandals have become a  spring and summer shoe-staple, the closest I have come to the gladiator styling are these Chie Mihara’s I picked up about 18 months ago:

And, honestly, these barely give nod to the whole gladiator trend.  Plus, they evidence what occurs when you add a heel to a strappy-styled flat. The original trend concept starts to change…which we have been seeing in action over the last year in the morphing of flat gladiator styles into caged sandals, openwork boot, sandal boots, hybrid boots, and an increased availability of open-front boots and lace-up styles at retailers.

To demonstrate how drastically heels affect gladiator styles, let’s look at Sigerson Morrison.

First, the basic gladiator:

Sigerson Morrison ’9879′ $499.

Now,  add a heel to that:

Sigerson Morrison ’9880′ $654

Look at how the whole silhouette changes. Yes, some people will like the first sandal better. But for me, the overall  lines of the second sandal are just more beautiful. Sure, it’s an individual aesthetic judgment, but there it is.

Another Sigerson Morrison example:

These:

Sigerson Morrison ’9829′ $485

Sigerson Morison ’9828′ $795 $556.50 at the Sigerson Morison website.

Vs. these:

Sigerson Morison ’9873′ $695

Sigerson Morrison ’9804′ $1204

I really, really, don’t like the  flat versions of this style.  The buckles feel incongruous and out of place on the more faithful, flat,  gladiator style. But, on the heeled version, the package as a whole works for me. Rather than feeling like an overworked gladiator, the heel takes this into the level of modernized granny boot with an attitude. The word ‘gladiator’ does not even come to mind when looking at them.  The only thing that I might have changed on these would be to have them on a slightly shorter, stacked heel. These are already channeling a retro-modern weird west vibe, why not go the whole way and keep them at an easy walkable height?

Maybe that’s not the only thing I’d change. I’d also want these to be in a price range that I could afford. Alas, such is not the case . And so, temptation is averted by cold, hard, economic realities.

Others will disagree with me and continue their flirtation with the classic gladiators that drive me nuts.

But, that doesn’t change the inevitable movement of fashion that, thankfully, constantly reinvents itself to help all of us find styles that we can love.

I see the gladiator-sandal trend in the process of merging into other silhouettes – from strappy sandals to ankle boots – and coming out on the other side as something a bit more classic and refined.  I suspect we will see a modern take on more conservative or classic boot styles in full force come fall; ranging from fairly faithful, granny-inspired boots to sleek, open, cut-work hybrids. True lace-up and button-detailed boots will easily blend in with these other silhouettes. I have to admit that after almost two years of studs, zippers, et. al. attached to every visible surface of a shoe, plain old leather with brass highlights seems positively retrained.

*Note: I chose Sigerson Morrison by way of illustration because they have so many excellent examples of what I wanted to talk about contained within one brand and season. Plus, I love the 9804 boot and would have found a way to share that with our readers one way or another. We generally do not receive compensation for our posts from any brands mentioned in the blog, and will specifically mention if such a relationship exists.