It is that time again, yes.  Paris fashion week for the couture labels.  Oo la la.

It wasn’t my favorite collection this time around.  A little on the snoozy side.  Couture is where you can really go for it, you know?  And these… well, mostly not so much with the going for it.

Armani Privé did some variations on this d’Orsay pump.

I’m not terribly impressed.  It’s nice and all, but a little *yawn* for a couture show.

Though, this combo of dress and shoes was a knock-out.

Chanel was also feeling the sparkly appliqué trend.

*thunk*

What?  Oh… sorry… dozed off there.  My head must have hit the desk.

Let’s see… I’m still nodding off over blah beige numbers from Christian Lacroix (left, which makes the models look like they’ve got coral sprouting from their ankles) and Elie Saab (right, which seriously interests me in absolutely zero ways… zero).

Can Givenchy wake me up?

Wow!  No!  In fact, those look disturbingly like hospital-wear or slippers or something.  Something that’s NOT going to make me more alert.

Valentino?  Nope.  Any shoe whose separated-at-birth twin is one of those hideous shell-covered mirrors doesn’t wake me up.  It just makes me want to sleep through the tackiness.

Jean Paul Gaultier perked me up a little bit.  Sure, the structured, mostly-monochromatic thing isn’t necessarily brand new for him, but he did some interesting amendments with more feminine flow and flashes of color, and you know I love me some shoes that come with their own built-in fishnet hosiery.

But, not surprisingly, it was John Galliano who gave me the jolt of caffeine I really needed.  His Dior shoe (it was just the one shoe, really, but in lots of different colors) is fabulously rococo, which only made it that much better to see him bringing in things like Delft tiles and Renaissance portraiture and even a cracked-out Little Bo Peep number.  Love!

I suppose I will just have to sigh and throw my hands up at this season’s couture shoes and hope for better luck next time.

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The Spring 2009 Christian LaCroix show was amazing, extravagant, playful, feminine, and most of all, beautiful.

Everything was adorned with bold and unashamedly feminine details from the clothing, to the jewelry, the handbags, and the shoes.

Oh yes, the shoes - delicate chain and ribbon creations that stand as jewelry all on their own. This was candy for your feet. Delightful, delicious and decadent sandals that will make you feel like a princess every time you wear them, whether paired with an evening gown or denim. The attached anklet ’strap’ nicely manages to avoid being cliche. In addition to this bit of sparkle, I am particularly fond of how the graduated coloring of the ribbon straps bring a subtle and stylish ombre look to the whole shoe. These certainly fall under the category of Art to Wear.

[Photos Via Style.com]

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Christian Lacroix knows how to do feminine footwear. Often the sparklier, the better.

But I am drawn to these natural woven leather heels, which for Lacroix, are downright conservative.

Zappos is down to it’s last size: 38.5 (US which certainly isn’t going to fit my foot. Perhaps a Lacroix fan could pick it up at the clearance price of 46% off its original price of $719.

Like the style but not the price tag? Oh Deer has their ‘PB&J’ which is a cork-styled shoe apparently inspired by the LaCroix original. At $120 it is a bit more appealing to the budget-conscious.

Available in most sizes from both Shoebuy.com and Shoes.com, among others. Don’t forget to check out our Deals and Steals area to see if there are any current coupon codes available.

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…Because we care deeply for how you show your true (patriotic) colors, here’s a shoe for you for this 4th of July:

Christian Lacroix wicker platform wedge with rope ankle wrap, now on sale for $210 at Zappos.  Ok, their French origin may make them a tad less patriotic, but I think the sale price compensates, n’est ce pas? Um, I mean, don’t you?

PS: Many thanks to our co-blogger Jitterbugbaby for suggesting the title of this post!

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Today’s Fall 08 couture shows included red carpet faves Chanel, Christian Lacroix, and Givenchy.

What did they bring us?

The Chanel show was a beautifully structured collection in shades of gray, black, and white.  I’m not always a huge Karl Lagerfeld fan, but this particular blending of classic Chanel styling (sportswear, suiting, etc) and daring silhouettes hit me just right.

The shoes were variations on this one (and by variations, I mean differing shades of grey, black, and white to match the outfits):

 Classic, elegant, with a slightly quirky heel.  Not the most fantabulous, but nice.

Fantabulousness was brought full on at the Christian Lacroix show, where the maestro (or perhaps I should say maître) offered up a wild riot of fabric and color and pattern that includes a whole bunch of dresses and shoes that look like they’ve come out of a Velazquez painting.

The shoes definitely belong on royal feet.  Dare I say they remind me of some of our previously posted Friday Shoe History Corner fashions?  I do.  I do dare.  Plus, the array of excellent tights was fun to see.  I’m coveting this red and white pair in particular.

And that leaves us the Givenchy show, which fell somewhere in between Chanel and Lacroix as far as color and pattern, and frankly has the least attractive clothes, in my opinion.  But as you know, I’m a sucker for shoe accessories and for spats, and a whole slew of the Givenchy models had these fabulous gaiters/legwarmers going on.  I would love me a pair of them.  Except not those crazy stiped ones, please.  In fact, that whole outfit makes me slightly dizzy.

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