What did Fall 2010 Fashion Month tell us?

With the three major fall 2010 fashion events, New York, Milan and Paris,  concluding, there were a few shoe trends that recurred in several collections.  This is what we saw.  Mad Men curves are in.  Fur is in. Many of the big name fashion houses went with classic investment pieces that were timeless looking.  Several of the lesser known houses had some beautiful and interesting  pieces.  Let’s look at some shoes – that’s why we are all here.

Pointy toe shoes are returning, so dust off your Guess “Carrie” shoes because we will be seeing more pointy toes in the future.

Prada

Valentino.  There was a flat and a kitten heel also presented in this collection.

Louis Vuitton

While stilettoes were seen, typically  if the heel was high - especially boots -then it was a chunky heel.  I love the stability chunky heels offer.  Can you imagine tottering around in the above Vuitton shoes if  the heel was pencil thin?

Alexander Wang

Fendi

Erdem – love the print on these boots.

Not many wedges were seen, so I am guessing we will be seeing those phased out over the next couple of years.

Kenzo

Bottega Veneta featured this wedge on all the shoes.

Dries Van Noten.  I LOVE this half wedge.

With the retro girly-fication of the styles  no tough girl platforms were necessary.

Marc Jacobs

Dolce Gabbana

Carolina Herrera

Lanvin (Arguably the best line of the season.)

But lots of platforms were presented.

Christian Louboutin for Phillip Lim

Michael Kors

Burberry Prorsum

Brian Atwood for Victoria Beckham.

There must have been 10 different colors of this shoe because Mrs. Beckham likes to match her shoes to her dress.  These shoes are nice but nothing to hyper-ventilate over.  Her dresses were nice, wearable, and pretty.

Over the knee boots will be around for a while.  We saw over the knee boots in several presentations.  Since this is the fall season, we should not be surprised.

Burberry Prorsum presented some of the season’s favorite boots.

Roberto Cavalli

Statement shoes were everywhere.

If you are a chiropractor, you NEED these shoes.

Dsquared

Nicholas Kirkwood for Rodarte

Louise Goldin

Chanel.  Notice the ice heel.

Chanel’s show, in my opinion was one of the goofiest ideas I think I have ever seen.  Uncle Karl shipped a glacier from Sweden to Paris, had it sculpted it for the runway, put it on a swimming pool type platform,  then the models walked through about an inch of melting glacier water.  He presented some beautiful suits, IF you could see past the heinous fake fur that accompanied these outfits.  Global warming, glaciers melting, save the furry animals was the message of this show.  Here’s the thing. 1) Lagerfield  used more fur in Fendi than virtually any other collection, so why use cheap looking fake fur with Chanel.  2) The carbon footprint of this show was massive and the power it took to present this show could have powered a small country.  (Here is where I usually go off on my global-warming-leadership-hypocrasy tirade, but I won’t because you came here to see shoes.)

OK,  I rarely look at purses, but I WANT THIS PURSE.

Forgive me for this long post, but there were so many beautiful shoes, and even more beautiful outfits.  I wanted to show them all to you but that isn’t possible.

Spot the Shoe on Sale: Marc by Marc Jacobs Part 2

Seriously, this must be Marc by Marc Jacobs sale week.  Yesterday we reported on MBMJ flats on sale for $59 at Yoox.  Today, we are presented with even more lovely Marc by Marc Jacobs shoes for 85% off – some are now priced starting at $40! Yippee, it is definitely time to start building up that summer wardrobe with these season appropriate sale shoes.

Silver Marc by Marc Jacobs flats for $48.

Slingback Marc by Marc Jacobs espadrilles for $48.

Camel tone sandals from Marc by Marc Jacobs for $40!

None of these strike your fancy?  Well, I don’t know why they wouldn’t but here’s the link to the MBMJ footwear sale at 6pm.com, sorted by price.

Spot the Shoe on Sale: MBMJ Flats for $59

Today’s spot the shoe on sale is brought to us courtesy of  Yoox.  This  Marc by Marc Jacobs flats
is on sale for only $59 and is available in sizes 5,6, 6.5, 7, 8.   Cute, inexpensive, wearable and fun footwear by Marc Jacobs – what more can you ask for?

Marc by Marc Jacobs flats

YOOX Valentine’s Day Shoes

I know, I know.  Most of the men-folk who would actually benefit from a not-so-subtle guide to Valentine’s Day gifts for their shoe-loving sweeties are likely preoccupied by today’s big game. And yes, I know many women will be watching, too (the Superbowl, for those truly unaware few out there today).

But, I am making the effort nonetheless. Call it a public service. If the half-time ads are particularly unimpressive, at least you’ll have today’s online shoe-break covered. And, if you can get your sweetie to take a peek and perhaps start thinking shoes rather than roses and chocolate, I call that situation a shoe-diva win.

Luckily, the staff over at YOOX have gone out of their way to find every red, pink, purple, or heart-themed shoe currently offered at the site.

The majority of these, whether the subtle, heart-shaped peep-toe, or the not-so-subtle heart appliques, come to us from the creative mind of Marc Jacobs. However, please notice that both Gucci & Prada have at least one entry into this whole ‘Heart and Sole’ fantasy.

Is a statement shoe announcing “Happy Valentine’s Day” to the world with every flashy step the shoe for you?

Inspired by Marc Jacobs: Lace-up openwork boots

Some of you may remember that back during the Spring 2009 runway shows I developed a bit of a crush on these Marc by Marc Jacobs openwork granny boots. Something about them just clicked for me.

Marc by Marc Jacobs ’693556′ lace-up sandal $384.97 at Amazon, $412.46 $549.95 at Endless.

Marc by Marc Jacobs ’693185′ lace-up bootie $197.98-$495 at Amazon & Endless (depending on size/color combo)

Now, I have theoretically had time to gain some little bit of emotional distance from these shoes. After all, the Spring 2009 MBMJ runway show was over a year ago.  Alas, granny-boot lover that I am, these have not lost any of their hold on me.  Unfortunately, finding a way to actually purchase a pair of these will involve the moon and stars coming into the correct alignment along with positive shopping signs and portents evidencing themselves in my favor ….. or perhaps just continued careful budgeting, having good luck hold out on issues like car and home maintenance expenses, and a hoping that a size 7 1/2 will remain in stock until I can honestly say ‘this is the pay period it can happen’.

However, if my budget remains tight enough that the MBMJ’s remain an impractical splurge, I will keep the following shoes in mind as acceptable, affordable alternatives.

First we have these hardcore knock-offs from Type Z:

Type Z ‘Ritchie’ pump $81.50 $95 at Zappos.

No challenge figuring out where the inspiration for these came from…….

There are also some less literal (copied) interpretations of the openwork style that are also very cute. And, if they go on super-sale, they could become near-irresistible.

These ones are my favorite of the bunch…they are seriously vying to knock my MBMJ crush down to a number two slot. How fickle is my shoe love now?

Linea Paolo ‘Vie’ $86.90 $129.95 at Nordstrom.

I am totally digging on these and they are on equal crush footing for me on a strictly visual basis. They do have the MBMJ’s totally whipped on price, though, to this involuntary penny-pincher.

(If you like these but are not on a budget like me, you might also like these Cynthia Vincent ‘Maddox‘ sandals over at Endless.)

Other contenders for my attention are styles by Stuart Weitzman, Pour La Victoire, Dolce Vita, Type Z, and Elizabeth & James. But, I’m still liking the Nordies and original MBMJ’s the best … so, I will probably not be bookmarking these others.

Anyway, I suppose I will just have watch the sales – and also my budget…nothing new there.