Ad Campaigns for Spring 2010

A ton of money goes into ad campaigns as the fashion industry tries to convince us to purchase their product.  The US fashion industry alone spent $144 billion on advertising last year.   Several lines have released some of their ads for Spring and Summer 2010.   Some are great, some are not. Let’s have a look.

Balenciaga

Cesare Paciotti

Jimmy Choo

I am weary of the pouting, leggy girl, wearing nothing more than lingerie, heels and a come hither look, sitting or laying on a sofa/chair, with soft focus.  Virtually every shoe, handbag, fragrance, lingerie, and cosmetic advertisement features at least three of these components.  Snore.

Alexander McQueen’s ad is visually striking.  It took me a while to find the shoes, then the girl.  It’s a great ad, but the only thing I see is snakes.

Humor in ads almost always attracts me, which is why this Giuseppi Zanotti is one of my favorites.  I can’t decide which is cuter, the boy or the shoe.

If the product is not attractive, such as the Alexander McQueen or Balenciaga shoes, then a striking advertisement will make no difference.  I’m not buying it.  With the Paciotti and Choo shoes, the ad is tiresome, but it does let me get a look at the shoes.  The Zanotti ad is able to feature a shoe and not annoy me.  That boy is SO cute.  It does it’s job.  Which ads work for you, which ones don’t?

Update:  Here’s Chanel’s Spring 2010 which was shot by Karl Lagerfield.

Balenciaga Spring 2010 Shoes

Balenciaga‘s runway shoes always leave me with extreme feelings – I either love the shoes or hate them, it’s never a lukewarm reception.   To understand why, just have a look at this compilation shirt of 9 Balenciaga runway shoes.

Some of the shoes Nicolas Ghesquière sends down the runway are downright hideous, like that lego colored shoe that Beyonce seems to favor.  Others are sheer genius (love the bottom 4 futuristic shoes).  For the spring 2010 season, these Balenciaga soles were seen on the runway.  Can you guess which extreme I instantly veered toward?

Images: Elle.com

If you guessed two thumbs way way down, you were right.  They even make the lego shoes slightly more palatable.   I have no love for the striped,  peep toe booties which Ghesquière joked were, “like Play-Doh” nor did I feel any love for the hand-knitted ankle boots.  Excuse me for being practical, but aren’t spring runway shoes meant to be worn for warmer weather?  A mid length ankle boot like this will only make a petite woman like myself look even shorter.

So what do you think about Balenciaga’s spring 2010 shoes?  Am i way off base here?

The Ultimate T-Shirt for Balenciaga Shoe Fans

For Balenciaga shoe fans, artist Brian Lichtenberg has a perfect t-shirt for you.  This shirt features nine Balenciaga runway shoes, including the much derided ones sported by Beyonce’s Lego shoes and Jennifer Connelly’s dizzy black and white pumps.

The shirt is available online through Blood is the New Black, a store that seeks to promote the talents of emerging artists.  At $42 a shirt, the pricetag costs much less than a single pair of any of the Balenciaga heels featured and is probably more comfortable too.

Shoe Showdown: Balenciaga Fall 2008 Shoe

To temporarily interrupt our holiday shoe broadcasts, here’s a more regular blog topic – our shoe showdown.

Tory Burch, Victoria Beckham, and Taylor Momsen have all worn the Fall 2008 futuristic Balenciaga pointy pump during a night out (albeit with reversed colors compared to the runway version).  For this shoe showdown, which gal gets your vote for rocking this industrial statement piece and why?

My vote goes to Victoria Beckham.  These shoes are the focal point of the outfit and the remaining pieces need to stay simple and understated.  Tory’s top and Taylor’s dress just were too distracting for me.

Image from Style.com, Celebutopia.net

Shoes as Microcosms of Art

I’m intrigued by strange beautiful shoes that speak to the illusion, the fantasy worlds that shoes can create, tiny little microcosms of shape, fabric, construction enshrouding your feet in mystery. Pierre Hardy is a designer who truly does that for me, going beyond pretty or elegant to bring attention to your gorgeous feet while also playing with hiding them, which isn’t that the most seductive?

I mean, what is this shoe, a reenactment of Where the Wild Things Are in shoe form or Monet’s Giverny garden topped by Basquiat’s crown? Pierre Hardy makes shoes that are the stuff of dreams.

And what is this, a ballpoint pen or a sleek black gun from a Bond film that can transform into a dagger, or is it an architectural sendup to Frank Gehry? Surely it’s not a shoe, because I can’t imagine that’s its only function.

This beauty speaks volumes to me, making me think of David Lynch’s film Blue Velvet instantaneously, and the soft-fabric-meets-hard-lines is a fantastic contrast.

I was a bit disappointed by Hardy’s shoes for the Gap, but it’s the Gap, so they were simple flats and platform sandals. I don’t know what I was expecting.

Someday, I swear I will own a pair of Nicolas Ghesquiere’s wild Balenciaga shoes, which sometimes reach that level of creating fantasy and strange shapes, especially in the case of the grey leather and rubber boot below. And I will learn to walk in them properly. My favorites from the previous season may someday be on sale online, but I’m not holding my breath since you seldom find them on sale. To look back at our post on wild Balenciaga shoes for Spring 2009, go here.

What are your favorite wild shoes? McQueen’s amber heeled high boots?

Marc Jacobs for Vuitton’s strangely attractive Native American feathered tasseled cutouts?

Scherer Gonzalez’ clear floral platforms?

Posh’s heelless Antonio boots?

Sometimes, I see the world through the lens of shoes, and that lens is definitely dreamy and rose-colored. But it’s just that great shoes transport you to another world where things aren’t so black and white! I’m on the lookout for the next impractically beautiful Pierre Hardy!