Spring Eye Candy at Saks Part 1: My Favorites

The weather has turned warm in Northern California, I just got a pedicure, and I’m ready to wear cute dresses with adorable shoes to match! Saks Fifth Avenue totally has the best spring shoes! After spending hours looking online, I made my way to an actual store so I could be close to the shoes I’ve been loving online. Saks also has a “Friend and Family” 20% discount currently available (the code is FRIEND3). Some designers are excluded.

Here are some of my favorite Spring shoes currently available at Saks!

The feathers on these Diane von Furstenberg sandals are so fun! I like that a flat sandal can be a bit dressy.

Diane von Furstenberg Dahlia Feathered Flat sandals for $195 at Saks (also available in black).

Again, I’m really drawn to flat sandals that are not too casual. The zipper on these Belle by Sigerson Morrison shoes is so of the moment.

Belle by Sigerson Morrison Mini-Wedge Leather Cage sandals for $225 at Saks (also available in black).

My love of the Elizabeth and James Crochet Lace-Up Ankle boots is very intense! They are so fun, and I actually think rather versatile!

Elizabeth and James Crochet Lace-Up Ankle boots for $425 at Saks.

These Alexander McQueen peep-toe flats are so Rock n’ Roll. The could totally become my everyday shoes.

Alexander McQueen Zipper & Skull Peep-Toe flats for $570 at Saks.

And finally, a pair of shoes that is pure luxury! Silk tulle and suede – together! Fendi, you never disappoint!

Fendi Attraction Flat sandals for $410 at Saks (also available in black).

Alexander McQueen Fall 2010

PPR showed Alexander McQueen’s last collection in a private showing with controlled the photography.   They showed 16 outfits,  although I am sure there was more to the collection.  The theme was Hells Angels + Prolific Demons, which shows up in the patterns of his fabrics, one dress even has wings on the back.   He used beautiful fabrics and fairly simple design work, a formula that will never disapoint.  Have a look at what was shown.

Here are the gowns.  This is the first shown.  Love the leaves/feathers on the bodice.

This line is lovely.  I always have to see the McQueen collections without the runway theatrics because I am to busy looking at things like armadillo shoes, horn hair looking things, or skull caps with feathers on them.  When I see his dresses on the red carpet,  I see just how nice the dresses are.

There has been some discussion about whether PPR will continue the McQueen Design House, or not.  It is my opinion that they will have his clothes available, but will probably not invest in another designer to do what Lee did.  The line had been in the black for only two years.  If someone is good enough to carry the Alexander McQueen style and vision, that someone is good enough to have their own name attached to the clothing.

Neutral shoes don’t have to be boring.

We all love neutral shoes. Black, brown, tan, white…after all, these basics pretty much match everything in your closet.

But, do the true neutrals (notice I am not including red here), really need to fade into the background?  Chanel, with their contrasting cap toes and color-blocked shoes obviously doesn’t believe this is the case. They understand that understated colors are made fabulous by their details. And it looks like other shoe designers are getting in on the action with some show-stopping neutral-toned shoes of their own.

So far, these are my favorites so far for 2010; Neutral in color , perhaps, but not in style or attitude:

Maison Martin Margiela two-tone leather sandals $695 at Net-a-porter.com

Tabitha Simmons Bunty suede wedge pumps $1210 at Net-a-porter.com

Max Kibardian Dragonfly T-strap sandals $650 at Saks.com

Jimmy Choo Embellished ankle wrap sandals $1395 at Saks.com

Alexander McQueen cutout leather ankle boots $995 at Saks.com & Net-a-porter.com

Prada Multi-strap pumps $850 at Saks.com

I love each and every pair of these. They all have such individual personality and character – or is that too much meaning to invest into a simple shoe?

Nonetheless, swoon-worthy they remain, so there.

So, how do you feel about neutrals stepping into the role of statement shoe? Because these are so-called neutral shoes that will not allow you to stand in the background acting as a wallflower.

A trip to Paris with Christian Siriano

The scene outside Christian Siriano’s Fall 2010 show was chaotic. In the midst of the pushing and shoving, I took a moment to reflect on the meteoric career of this pint-sized fashion phenom. Project Runway has had 6.5 seasons of varying success. Siriano is the only winner to have joined the ranks of the fashion elite consistently showing in the Bryant Park tents and dressing the likes of Christina Hendricks, Mena Suvari, Victoria Beckham and Rihanna. In the Project Runway world showdown, Siriano is the clear winner. (Though I would like to take this moment to point out that Chris March did dress Meryl Freakin’ Streep for the Golden Globes!) His sharp upward trajectory is the stuff of highly unrealistic dreams for young designers the world around.

Inside the tents, the madness only got worse. A wide array of celebs were completely surrounded by reporters who camera flashes all but overtook the blue-tinged lighting design, as they practically killed each other to get to Mena Suvari, Amber Rose (sans Kanye, but clothed for once!), Veronica Webb, and Leigh Lezark. Once the crush settled and people finally got to their seats the show began.

The theme of this collection was an edgy, modernized 18th/19th century Parisian woman. (Yes, you heard that right. It was both modern and antique.) The shoes in particular included details that were reminiscent of the curlicues that adorn the often ornate furniture of that era.

Let’s start with the good.

Being a sucker for heel adornment, I love the webbing between platform and heel. It looks a bit more like a wrought iron fence that a Rococo Desk to me, but it’s still good. Also notable is that that ultra high heel with built-in platform is definitely sticking around. I like it.

I also liked these booties with their curlicue half-wedges. The texture on the bootie itself adds some visual interest, not to mention the pattern of the wedge. Chrome accents have been popular for quite awhile now and it seems that this trend will be continuing into Fall 2010.

There was some talk that Siriano would create his own version of the famed Armadillo shoe crafted by his former mentor, the visionary Alexander McQueen, (whose recent tragic death is an immense sadness and such a tremendous loss). No such shoe appeared on his runway. While these are certainly lovely for what they are (they have an antique table leg thing going on with the heel there), I wonder if perhaps these were meant to be a significantly more understated version of the other shoes that appeared on McQueen’s Spring 2010 runway. These:

Now that I see them side-by-side, I wonder if I maybe let my imagination get the better of me, but it could be possible. It could.

Siriano’s other two attempts at footwear were a bit less successful. The sandal/booties seemed a bit…familiar and I thought that though they supported the edgy/classy dichotomy he was going for, they seemed a bit awkward. Maybe it was just that they were paired with sheer hose, a trend with which I will never be on board?

The fluffy, blue heels that he paired with his gowns were ribbony and ruffly and a bit bridal. It would be a really cool wedding, but still a wedding.

Overall, I thought that Christian showed growth as a designer. It’s clear that salability was more important to him this time ’round, which makes sense in the current economy. And frankly, I was not the biggest fan of his claw shoes from Spring. The patterns I LOVED, the claws….not so much. It will be interesting to see how he scales these down for his Payless line in the fall. The beauty of these shoes is in the small details; he dosen’t have the kooky fabrics or novelty zippers to work with in this go-round so I have my fingers crossed that he will retain the romanticism of the originals without losing too much to the lower-priced materials. (Imagine those beautiful molded black heels in cheap plastic…Eek!) Siriano has made legions of Payless customer happy with his fashion-forward designs and it seems that, with these, he is poised to continue to do so.

Alexander McQueen Runway Retrospective

I am still stunned from Thursday’s news of the apparent suicide of Alexander McQueen. He was the one designer that caused me to start really paying attention to couture fashion and to hunt online to find more images of his designs.  For a designer who often paid homage to fashions of the past, his work always felt distinctly fresh rather than derivative.

I even remember the show that did it for me. Fall 2006. The internet had finally grown up; businesses and media had finally shifted to presenting useful content online rather than just having an information page at their reserved web addresses. And Style.com had gone so far as to archive their runway photographs with a handy look book feature that allowed me to pick and choose looks from any designer or show going back several years and save them for easy access later.

Sure, I had been aware of Alexander McQueen in general. But I was living in a small town about 12 miles from the Canadian border where even getting the twice annual runway highlight issues put out by WWD or Vogue was an iffy proposition.

This was the dress.

Simple, yet perfect. It still makes my heart skip a beat. I even went so far as to print out a copy to keep in the ‘inspirations’ sketch book that I use for my own, much less ambitious, personal dressmaking designs.  It reaffirmed for me that there were still individual inspiring designers that I needed to be watching. So much of fashion had become casual, repetitive and disposable. Alexander McQueen’s designs were anything but this.

After this, I never lost my love for his stunning designs and impeccable craftsmanship. Unfortunately, whether or not the House of McQueen survives his demise is a question none of us knows the answer to at this time. Plus, his vision was so distinctive and recognizable that finding someone to continue in his name and to be true to that vision may simply not be possible – it certainly would explain why I could not find a piece of McQueen left in stock in my price range when I popped over to Saks.com on Friday (although some of the pricier pieces are still available). The death of an artist instantly raises the value of any remaining pieces to those who wish to own a piece authentic to that designer; any chance at buying a ‘true McQueen’ at non-inflated prices will only last as long as current retail stock holds out (There was still a handful of McQueen shoes and accessories still in stock at Zappos and Net-a-porter when I checked a short while ago.)

So now, a retrospective look at an artistic career and life that ended much too soon, in runway photos:

(All runway photos are sourced from Style.com)

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