Brian Atwood Balleto Platform Sandals
posted by: designer in Brian Atwood on December 27th, 2010
Brian Atwood Balleto Platform Sandals
Happy holidays, shoenistas! I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas, and that you’re looking forward to an awesome New Year’s Eve. If you’re still on the look out for some stellar shoes for the biggest party night of the year, you might want to turn your attention to Brian Atwood. His Balleto Platform Sandals ($1,042.50 at Net-a-Porter) are nothing less than stunning. I mean, wait until you hear the details on these heels, you’re going to flip your stuff. Best part? Net-a-Porter is still having a ginormous, ridiculously fabulous sale, so these are marked down from $2,085. You can save over a thousand dollars!
And honestly, these shoes are worth it. Brian Atwood is almost challenging some old school Alexander McQueen awesome sauce with these sandals. They are the epitome of cocktail couture, highly innovative and totally modern. Made of black leather and plastic, the clear material is beautifully embellished with studded crystals. These are like Cinderella’s glass slippers taken up an edgy notch – or ten – for 2011.
But I don’t think Cinderella could pull off these shoes. They’ve got a towering six inch heel (that comes out to 150 millimeters), although the heels are comparable to 5 inches thanks to a 1 inch, or 30 millimeter, platform.
Other details include a gorgeous and highly stylish almond toe, so you get something rounded and a little pointed as well. The heels are clear, but in a cool, classy way, and the fastening buckle is fully adjustable.
I’ve got a potentially loaded question for you, though. Do you hold with the idea that clear shoes are stripper shoes? Or do you think Brian Atwood’s done the look up with class?
Brian Atwood Balleto Platform Sandals, $1,042.50 at Net-a-Porter
3 Comments
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December 29, 2010 at 6:41 pm, galligator said:
I think these would be more successful with a slightly lower platform & a bit less focus on allover bling. Something closer to a zero sole or 3/8 platform would make these have less relation to exotic dancer heels; just a touch more moderation in the silhouette would do wonders to keep stripper references to a minimum. The allover crystals fight with each other for attention (to my mind); I would prefer to have the crystal focal details at either the heel or toe rather than both – giving a real statement contrast to the overall style. But, I do like the black contrast on these better than the all-clear Choos. These are certainly no worse than the chunky crystal perspex shoes Miu Miu had out a year or so ago.
And I do have to agree with Carol that when leather has gone by the wayside, the price of the shoe needs to be commensurate with the materials,- high end designer or no.(ie, probably no plastic shoe should run more than $500 original retail, and that’s still leaving a lot of leeway for markup and designer’s artistic vision in pricing). I suppose that I’m arguing that luxury prices belong on luxury materials. These are quirky & would work in the right setting, but plastics aren’t luxury materials & I resent the designers trying to convince us otherwise (which could lead me onto a rant about how overpriced leather goods have become over the last 5 years, but I will spare everybody the details on that soapbox.)
December 28, 2010 at 11:11 am, galligator said:
I think these would be more successful with a slightly lower platform & a bit less focus on allover bling. Something closer to a zero sole or 3/8 platform would make these have less relation to exotic dancer heels; just a touch more moderation in the silhouette would do wonders to keep stripper references to a minimum. The allover crystals fight with each other for attention (to my mind); I would prefer to have the crystal focal details at either the heel or toe rather than both – giving a real statement contrast to the overall style. But, I do like the black contrast on these better than the all-clear Choos. These are certainly no worse than the chunky crystal perspex shoes Miu Miu had out a year or so ago.
And I do have to agree with Carol that when leather has gone by the wayside, the price of the shoe needs to be commensurate with the materials,- high end designer or no.(ie, probably no plastic shoe should run more than $500 original retail, and that’s still leaving a lot of leeway for markup and designer’s artistic vision in pricing). I suppose that I’m arguing that luxury prices belong on luxury materials. These are quirky & would work in the right setting, but plastics aren’t luxury materials & I resent the designers trying to convince us otherwise (which could lead me onto a rant about how overpriced leather goods have become over the last 5 years, but I will spare everybody the details on that soapbox.)
December 28, 2010 at 6:01 am, Carol said:
Not all clear shoes are "stripper" shoes, but these definitely come close. I can't take this ride with you…do not like and I don't think they're even in the same neighborhood as "classy". Maybe if it were all leather and just the heel was clear. But I can't pay $1000+ for plastic shoes.