I am not usually a fan of logo shoes. They are not really my thing; too busy, too ‘advertisy’, among other reasons. I am one of those gals who doesn’t like paying $300 extra on a shoe simply to get a logo.

But, I openly admit that I am really fond of these.  They are a bit more subtle than most logo shoes I have seen.  All of the detail is in the heel, leaving the the classic peep-toe and slight platform in black leather to maintain a classic appeal and nice visual balance.  Of course, it doesn’t hurt that I love a beautiful stacked-wood heel. The addition of the logo in this case hints at leopard spotting from a distance, so the logo lettering seems more playful to me in this instance.

These would look fantastic peeking out under the right pair of black trousers or accompanying a sexy pencil skirt.

(Available at Saks for $640)

I’m growing very fond of the look of this particular shoe. What to you think?

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As usual, the NYT picks up on as few commonalities seen in a few more or less obscure places and turns it into a trend: this time, it’s fringe, baby:

The shoes you see in the picture are Paul & Joe Neo fringe high-heeled sandals, $600 at shopbop.com, and fringed gladiator sandals, $730 at Etro (NY store).

I trolled teh interwebs but found scant evidence about this so-called trend. Ok, here’s some: Candela “Flecos” fringe sandals, $225 at Intermix:

And Fendi peacock fringe sandals, $540 at eLuxury:

Prada did the fringe thing  a season or so back:

Personally, I’m not a big fringe person–but I’ll have to agree with the experts: if you’re going to wear fringe, keep it limited to one item on your body (no fringe shoes AND bags at the same time, or, God forbid, fringed suede jacket–brrrr!).

Whatever you do, however, don’t put any fringe in your step that looks like this:

…unless, of course, you wear them while doing your household chores, case in which we’re willing to look the other way.

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Prompted by a recent reader inquiry, I went over to Neiman Marcus’ Shoe Trend site, which I haven’t peeked at yet for this season. As per usual, I found plenty of tempting options. So, like any good blogger, I’m now here to spread the word.

Heel Detail

You may recognize a number of these from the runway shows, because they tend to go heavy on the dramatic flare. These Fendi cage heels walked the Great Wall of China and these Prada flowery sandals made an organic statement in Milan back in September. Now they can be yours for $690 and $790, respectively.

Metallics

Personally, I’m of the opinion that a metallic shoe is always a great way to spruce up an outfit. In any season. If you agree, you might want to snap up a pair right now, when there are so many options available. You can get your metallic fix in everything from a classic Kate Spade loafer to a pewter Donald J Pliner t-strap to a Valentino multi-tone platform.

Floral

What says spring more than floral-embellished shoes? Try a pair of cheerful Manolo Blahnik’s with the Marimekko patterns that we mentioned back here, or a pretty and understated Bettye Muller (whose designs we Shoebloggers always love), or–to be kinder on your tootsies–any color of these Costablanca suede thongs.

Woven

Here’s a trend we haven’t seen for a few years now, and I’m glad it’s back. Woven shoes have an earthy, organic sort of look that I always like for the warm weather months. What shoes are here to feel the natural inspiration? Well, there’s this Frye low wedge sandal (in a handful of pretty colors) and this Stella McCartney wedge (also note it covers you for the metallic and decorative heel trends, all in one fell swoop) and the Cole Haan Air Bria (in gold or silver and thereby also hitting the right metallic note), to name a few.

Gladiator Sandals

Nope, they’re not gone. They’ve been the ubiquitous trendy sandal for the past several years, but I’m not complaining. I always like a shoe that mixes elements. Refined and rough. Masculine and feminine. And the gladiator sandal does that, whether it’s a glamazon version by Stuart Weitzman, a buckled and studded strappy one by Claudia Ciuti, or a basic brown leather Dolce & Gabbana.

Safari

The final trend is the one you have to be most careful of. When you start getting anywhere near animal prints, you’ve got to be careful not too go too over the top. I’d recommend sticking with things that are a little more toned down like this Oscar de la Renta mini-wedge. Or get a safari-esque look by sidestepping animal prints in favor of wooden embellishments, like on this t-strap sandal by Shoesense’s guru, Robert Clergerie. Because, while I dearly love Taryn Rose shoes and all they stand for, their take on the safari style is WAY too much in my book.

So go, Shoeblog readers. Find your spring shoes armed with trend awareness. It’s a fine line between trendy for its own sake and trendy in a way that will last into future springs to come. But you can do it. You’re savvy people.

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Compared to the other offerings of this season (see the Prada and Gucci shoes, to name just the most recent ones), the Fendi shoes for this fall seem positively austere. Oh, sure, the height is still there–these look like at least 4 inches tall, without the benefit of a platform–but the rest is just tastefully understated. The proportions are beautiful, and the combination suede-patent and suede-metallic is worked in elegantly and not at all ostentatiously. Sobriety, these boots say, is your friend; especially if you happen to circulate in and out of highfalutin aristocratic circles–as these boots are no doubt predestined to.

(All photos courtesy of Style.com.)

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I’m opening up a question from one of our readers, who is desperate to find these boots:

(as seen in the original context here).

I’m afraid I couldn’t be of much help. The only thing I could do is go hunting for beautiful button-embellished shoes, and hope one of them will strike her fancy. Buttons are a wonderful embellishment on shoes if used wisely; here are some of my finds:

• Frye “Adrienne” boots, already a bestseller, and for a good reason–they’re beautiful, and they look comfy, too. $398 at Piperlime.

• Dolce & Gabbana dark brown button boots, $800 at Overstock.com (that’s 43% off, but sizes are limited):

• Gorgeous Fendi high-heel suede boots with patent trim and brass button details, in dark brown, $795 at Barney’s (the all-leather version is just $500 at eLuxury):

• Duo “Bordeaux” Boots (in black leather)–stylish and custom-made to fit your calves; £129 at Duo Boots:

• Gabriella Rocha “Romina” button boots, $150 at Zappos:

• Type Z “Merengue” button boots with metallic leather trim, $225 at Zappos:

• Cesare Paciotti military-inspired boots, $928 at Zappos:

• Marc Jacobs suede and leather knee-high boots with the famous conical heel, $1400 at Net-a-porter (also available in a mid-calf version for $1,135):

• Tory Burch patent button boots, $545 at Shopbop:

You can go vintage, in which case I particularly love these sexy velvet Victorian boots , ca. 1880(unworn, no less!):

It’s a shame that during this research I didn’t really find anything that looked like the boots that started all this, in order to answer our reader’s question. Perhaps one of our savvy readers can help?

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