Yves Saint Laurent’s Palais

This shoe has been around for quite a while.  There are several colors and versions;  peep toe,  sling back, booties, suede, 80 mm  and 105 mm high, and a zillion colors.  I had one version of this shoe in my Saks Shopping Cart, waited too long and now it is gone.

After Kate Winslet wore the black suede version with a Stella McCartney dress, I wanted you to see them again.  I love the curve in the platform, the heel has a pretty, pretty curve and is a little thicker than a lot of designer shoes. I tend towards a thicker heel for stability, because, quite frankly,  falling down is a little embarrassing.

This silver shoe is new for this season available for $750 at Nordstrom’s.   Wonderful shoe for Holiday time.  Can’t you just see yourself wearing something this pretty?

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SS12 Fashion Week Footwear: OMG YSL

Shoe lovers, we’ve been together long enough that I feel I can confide my deepest-felt emotions to you, and it’s with that security and knowledge that I make this confession.

I am in love.

I am in love with a platform.

I am in love with a beautifully fastened slingback.

I am in love with an etched instep shield.

I am in love with texture combinations that are simultaneously creative and restrained.

I am in love with the continuation of the SS12 trend for shiny shiny metallic gold.

I am in love with footwear that requires a polishing cloth.

I am in love with heels that are actually a wearable height.

I am in love with a neutral color palette highlighted by jewel tones in suede.

I am in love with reflective surfaces in unexpected places.

I am in love with shoes that can somehow be business-like and sexy as all get out.

I am in love with the kind of glitz that belongs on Audrey Hepburn’s stylish feet.

I am in love with dainty, on-trend ankle straps.

I am in love with toes that are just the right rounded square shape.

I am in love with shoes that are classic enough to last season after season.

I am in love with a sprinkling of sparkly crystals.

I am in love with the way the light shines off all those matte and semi-lustrous surfaces.

I am in love with shoes that seem to be from a whole bunch of 20th century decades all at once.

I am in love with elegant hardware details.

I am in love with a play of hard and soft.

Yes, Shoeblog fans, it’s true.  I am in love with Stefano Pilati’s Spring/Summer 2012 shoe collection for Yves Saint Laurent.

Shoe News You Can Use (To Buy Some Awesome Stuff)

Everyone knows by now that Louboutin lost the lawsuit trying to prevent YSL from making shoes with red soles, right? I mean, most ladies buying that level of footwear can tell a Loubie from a YSL from a mile away, and wouldn’t buy a red-soled shoe from Payless anyways.  From the NYT.com article: 

“But recognition aside, the court ruled that allowing Louboutin to claim that scarlet sole as its own would have been like forbidding Monet from using a specific shade of blue in his Water Lilies series because Picasso had been there first with paintings from his Blue Period.”

Great, so we can move on.

Specifically, to the IT SHOE OF THE MOMENT, YSL’s Robyn, at left. No red sole needed. NYMag.com named it the Best Bet for today. Click for purchasing details and cost.

In other news, Fashions Night Out has just launched its website! Where will you go? What will you do? The possibilities will be endless, from hot DJ’s to celebrity sightings to free manicures to shoes galore (on models, on celebs, on mannequins, in your hands and on their way home to your closet!).  Check out FNO here. (More event deets will be added as the date gets closer).

Lastly, check out some looks for spring in Footwear News, with a slideshow on vintage-inspired wooden heels with 1970′s silhouettes, woven uppers and natural colors. Surely Bottega Veneta will be at the forefront of this look come spring, knowing how well it does neutrals and woven shoes!

Happy Shopping!

YSL Tribute in Patent Green

Swooning women all over the world, UNITE!

The YSL Trib in Patent Green is totally what the gross-spring-weather-doctor ordered. As soon as this rain stops, we can start wearing them.

How cool and unique is this color! We haven’t seen that many shoes in this unique shade. This shoe is sure to turn others metallic celery-green with envy.

And the pebble effect in the platform and heel is totally cool, both hard-edged and glam.

5.5 inches with a 1.25 inch platform. Soooooo… essentially, a 4.25 inch shoe. Ok, we’ll take it. Potential tripping and all.

YSL Tribute Patent Sandal, £710.00 at Harrods

Spring 2011 Shoe Trends: Statement Wedges

Wedges are a seasonal favorite each spring.  Your typical cork or  rope-espadrille styles bring a casual, effortless, feel to almost any summer outfit.  But, while classic, your basic chunky, neutral-toned, wedges are not really bringing anything new to your outfit. Luckily, we have started to see shoe designers embrace varied wedge widths, swept-forward angles, layering, and more when it comes to adding fantastic and feminine details on their wedge-heeled offerings.  I am loving this.  After all, think of all of the potential artistic  real estate the wedge surface offers; why pass up the opportunity to take advantage of this oft-ignored area of the shoe’s design canvas?

So, while we have already shown you the season’s statement-wedge to beat all  statement wedges, there are still plenty of other fun, flirty, or outright glamorous options available to spice up either your weekend-casual or elegant-evening summer wardrobe (most of which will, incedentally, run you a whole lot less green than the oh-so-over-the-top McQueens at the above link).

These first wedges are these Lanvin Puzzle wedges. The neutral pump, in particular, can easily be dressed up or down for daytime or evening occasions. (Lanvin* puzzle wedges available at Nordstrom.com for $1120 (snake print) to $1280 (black or beige).

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