Each fashion season, it’s always fun for me to see what the designers do to that shoe part called the heel. Paris Fashion Week tends to bring out the most beautiful and sometimes the most outlandish heels of all the fashion shows and Paris Spring 2009 was no exception. Here’s a quick retrospective of the heels. Which were your favorite?

John Galliano swirly metallic platform shoe

Alexander McQueen amber heel and tornado heel

Miu Miu and the painted wedge with burlap sack bow heel

Lanvin bejeweled heel

Chanel duster heel

Stella McCartney clear chunky heel

Dior fertility goddess heels

YSL and the wireframe heels

My personal favorite was the YSL wireframe heel above.
Photos from Style.com

2 Comments »

John Galliano’s Dior spring/summer 2009 ‘Tribal Chic’ collection is said to be heavily influenced by his travels to Africa. For me, that means ethnic prints sashaying down the runway. Galliano, who is decidedly more dramatic than I will ever be, had different ideas. I can just imagine what went through his imaginative head.

He probably came back from a safari, started unpacking the equivalent of a treasure trove of artifacts from his adventures, and spotted a wooden African fertility goddess figurine. Inspired by the abundance, he felt compelled to incorporate the likeness into the spring collection. But where would he put such a thing? Well, the heel of course. And while he was at it, why not make it shiny too.

But wait, John came back with a treasure chest of goodies, right? That means ample figurines left for tribal earrings and necklaces (though hopefully not made of elephant tusks).

Of course, no journey into Africa would be complete without a crocodile hunt. Afterwards, the hide would be great for making bondage-inspired cage shoes.

Photos via Coutorture.com and Style.com

3 Comments »

So maybe the real answer to the title of this post is a resounding “Both!” The question was inspired by her recent attire at the launch of the Beckham Signature Fragrance Collection at Macy’s Herald Square in New York City this weekend.

The Evidence:

I’m sorry, perhaps you did not get the full impact of this here photo. Take a closer look.

The Trial:

Defense: As you will see, Lady Posh has lifted an outfit entirely from the Antonio Berardi Fall 2008 runway line. It’s fits beautifully, because let’s face it, Posh can wear the hell out of outfits! And she is all about the crazy high heels!

Prosecution: But she isn’t wearing any heels! Those rubber stockings/boots (yes, they are connected!) have platforms, but are completely heel-less, giving the impression that Posh is balancing all her weight on her tippy toes. That’s not high heels; that’s just crazy.

Def: We of the defense are not the first to laud Miz Beckham for her courageous footwear choices. Let me draw your attention to her Elle editorial from 2008. Here are the shoes that she wore in the highly discussed spread:

Pro: Yeah…those were pretty cool. But wait - they have HEELS, albeit ones that don’t actually touch the ground! The point we are making here is that heel-free shoes are against nature.

Def: It’s not like she’s the first. Marc Jacobs sold a ton of those backwards heel shoes last season. (Still available on Net-a-Porter for the low, low sale price of $660)

Pro: Oh yeah - those were so cool. I mean crazy, they were crazy. I must stick to my guns…

Def: And Vogue’s Stephanie La Cava wore these fantastic Dior Couture uber-platforms to the Whitney Art Party in June and people are still talking about it. See how we are still talking about it?

Pro: I WANT those! Where can I get some. Wow - they look a lot like Posh’s Elle shoes. She’s such a trend-setter. I can’t believe you got to me like this. Ok, she’s crazy AND amazing. We should make a movie about her finely tuned sense of fashion insanity. Must…go…shopping….!

The Verdict: After long deliberation the jury has decided that Posh is both crazy and awesome. Sure we knew that already, but the evidence was too good to pass up.

3 Comments »

OK, so my Shoes of Project Runway isn’t nearly as exciting as Twinkletoes’ up-close-and-personal tale.

But nevertheless, there was PR this week, and I aim to find those Bluefly shoes, just like every other week.

So, first up, let’s look at Jerell’s winning outfit.  A) Deserved to win.  B) Totally perfect for the girl.  C) I WANT THAT CARDIGAN!!!  And shoe-wise, those feminine patent peep-toes are what would happen if the Stuart Weitzman Expump and the Kate Spade Lara had a secret love-child.

Ironically, the best shoes of the show last night were the ones worn with Joe’s Auf’d outfit (which was really atrocious).  Don’t know if the client girls brought their own shoes from home (which I suspect they did, actually… since none of the shoes from last night seem to have shown up on PR before), but that red patent pair of booties (although not on Bluefly that I can tell) is sharp!

My girl Leanne made an outfit that was, yes, perhaps too matronly for her client’s job as an elementary school teacher, but it really did respond to the request that she make something that’ll bestow an appropriate teacher-as-authority-figure aura.  The grey shoes are super cute and an excellent professional wardrobe option.  They don’t seem to be on Bluefly, but either the Christian Dior CD pumps (if you want to splurge) or the Stuart Weitzman Portal (if you want a more affordable option) would be fairly close.

If you’re after the pointy-toe ankle-strap look that Suede chose for his outfit (and frankly, the shoes are just about the only nice looking thing in that picture… except, of course, for the girl herself, who’s a total charmer), you could… well… Bluefly doesn’t really have anything super close to this to offer.  But they have tons of other black pumps to peruse.

If you want a fun pair of maryjanes like Korto’s model (whose jacket I totally covet), the Brighton by Dolce Vita or the  are nice-looking options.  And for only about $65-70, too!

And last, but not least, is Kenley.  *sigh*  Kenley, it is time for you to put up or shut up.  Actually, how bout putting up (as in, making something that DOESN’T come straight out of a 1950s pattern book) AND shutting up, because I can’t even begin to tell you how ridiculous you sound talking about how you’ve experienced hardships in your life by coming to New York with no money.  Honey, that’s not hardship.  It’s just poor planning.

The dress was cute.  I’ll give her that.  And the shoes, likewise.  Kudos if you can find em, because Bluefly doesn’t really offer up anything in the ballpark.  But the low heel and the little bow on the toes are both adorable touches.

No Comments Yet »

Project Runway 5.2 is tonight. (Season 5, Episode 2 for the non-PR junkie).

Reading Jitterbugbaby’s Project Runway 5.1, those Dior python shoes looked vaguely familiar to this small-town girl.

Dior Anniversary Python in Green:

(Discounted 40% to $834 off from Bluefly)

Maybe it was the glammed-up L.A.M.B. “Georgina”?

(Available in Grey, White, or Camel from Endless.com, Shoes.com, Zappos and retailing at just shy of $400; It is currently on various sales at Heels.com/$349.99, Shopbop/$197.50, and DJPremium/$266)

No, it was the Guess “Karavi” slingback:

(They are available in black, white, tangerine, pink, green, or espresso at Zappos/$114, Shoes.com/$110, Endless/$109.95, & Heels.com/$108.99 . However, you can steal these for $59.99 at Smartbargains.com).

And there you go. There truly is a shoe for all budgets.

2 Comments »