New Shoe Wardrobe Mind Game: Zappos

I was browsing the shoe stores these days and was dazed with the possibilities and styles, and it got me thinking: what if I had to rebuild my shoe wardrobe from scratch? What if I had nothing, absolutely nothing to wear, and I would be forced to order shoes from one place and one place only to save me from this disgrace? (In this fantasy of mine, I don’t have shoes but I have plenty of money left to buy whatever I want. Ahem. Work with me here.). So I decided to create this little mind experiment and rebuild my wardrobe from scratch using one shoe store at a time. I need to cover my bases–I need dress shoes, warm-weather shoes, casual shoes, dog-walking shoes, career shoes, evening shoes, sensible shoes. Right? Right.

The first obvious place is, of course, Zappos. Here’s what I would pick up there, for starters, for the spring-summer season:

1. A. Testoni Giancarla red patent loafers, $376.

2. Michael Kors Palm Springs yellow patent flats, $400.  

3. Sigerson Morrison gold kitten-heeled sandals, $443.

4. Sergio Rossi Origami kitten heel pumps, $500.

5. Helle Comfort Ollie wedge, $160.

6. Ecco Performance Yarrah, $104.

7. Marc Jacobs color-block flat sandals, $353.

8. Delman Crest-V bejeweled velvet flat, $354.

9. Kate Spade Juliette open-toe slingbacks, $274.

10. Cole Haan Air Gabi boat shoe, $158.

11. Taryn Rose Daelyn gunmetal metallic wedges, $495.

 12. Christian Lacroix bejeweled kitten heels, $717.

13. Adidas by Stella McCartney sport flats, $100.

14. Tapeet by Vicini silver and gold flats, $400.

15. Dolce & Gabbana floral canvas flats, $330.

16. Juicy Coutoure Lillian espadrilles, $230.

17. Giuseppe Zanotti Mirror Lilia open-toe flats, $454.

18. Paul Green ‘Soul’ in leopard, $237 (although, shame on you, Zappos: the same shoe is half off at Piperlime! I guess it would be a good time to call them on it and get that 10% off the lowest price you can find on the Internet, right?)

19. Paul Smith Laney floral espadrille, $178.

Mmmmm….I’m drunk with shoes right now… I think I’m going to lie down, or I’ll buy all of them right now! Wait, I won’t: the grand total for this “starter” wardrobe is (drum roll): $6263. Over six thousand dollars. I probably went all crazy in the Couture section of Zappos, but I couldn’t help myself!

Later this week I’ll explore more eye-candy at other stores, and what it would take to get a “starter” spring-summer shoe wardrobe there. Stay tuned!

Spring 2008 Trend Alert: Mesh and Openwork Shoes

Yes, I know we’re in the full swing of fall 2007 shoe trends (studs, ankle booties, oxfords, gray, etc), but it’s never too early to start looking toward the warmer weather, right?

Well, here’s a quick trend alert to watch out for come Spring 2008: mesh and openwork shoes.

When we Shoebloggers hit Las Vegas this past summer for the WSA show, these shoes were everywhere.  Everything from sporty mesh to fishnet to elaborate cut-outs.  Everything from casual to elegant, chunky to feminine.  Now, these puppies aren’t much on display yet, since it’s still early, but if you want to be a trend-adopter on the starting line of next season, then snap up a pair of these pretty pumps from Stella McCartney (which you can get now for $315 on Bluefly).

And watch this space (as always) for more trend reporting in the months to come.

Stelllllllllaaaaaaaaa!!!!

I can’t decide which I find more unappealing to look at in this picture, the clunky, style-less monstrosity that is the wood (or possibly just wood-patterned) mule clog wedge THING from Stella McCartney’s Spring 2008 show or the model’s foot that looks like it was taken out to the back alley and beaten to within an inch of its life about two days before this show.

New adidas by Stella McCartney

Hello there, Shoeblog readers.  I’m mostly recovered from the whirlwind trip to Vegas and all the gorgeous shoes we saw and touched and tried on.  Now it’s just a matter of controlling my impatience until they come out next spring.  And of course, we’ll be posting over the next few weeks about the companies we loved, and the fall shoes that are hitting stores right now, ready to be snapped up into our shoe loving hands.

But in the meantime, I figured I’d let you all know that the new season’s shoes from adidas by Stella McCartney are available to buy online.  I’ve posted about this line before, but we’re dealing with brand new shoes here, so it’s time to share again.

As before, they’re dance inspired, and they’re fun and stylish.  I particularly like the Daha silver sneaker ($180).  it’s so sleek and streamlined and starting to show the upcoming trend away from ballet-inspired shoes towards more jazz-shoe type styles (think slick oxfords and you’ve got the right idea).

Plus, if you shop the collection (which also includes apparel) before August 10, you get free shipping. 

Stella McCartney for Adidas

As part of a long and revered tradition of designers creating lines for non-designer brands (think Karl Lagerfeld or Viktor & Rolf for H & M), Stella McCartney has teamed up with adidas to offer some sleek-looking clothing, footwear, and accessories.  The Fall/Winter 07 line is going to be released for sale in August, but in the meantime, Spring/Summer stuff is on sale at the adidas web site.  In particular, the sleek shoes can be had for some easy-on-the-wallet prices.

My favorite of these footwear offerings?  Hands down the Amyrina ballet-inspired ankle-tie slipper.  It comes in three adorable color combinations–black and gold, white and gold , and (my favorite) sea foam green with coral pink striped ribbons.

The black and white versions are down to $45 from their original $60, but the blue/pink one is only $36.  That’s like spending a couple weeks’ allowance money to get an adorable designer shoe.  Plus, it looks like there’s a pretty thorough size selection still available.  Go forth and score, my shoe-loving friends!