What’s its name? It was just on the tip of my tongue. I guest the gods of onomastics must not be with me today.

You know what I’m talking about:

They’re these new hybrids that fuse approximately 51 trends into one, which could be practical, you know: in one shoe, you hit all the new spring trends! Clockwise from the top:

- Christian Louboutin “Sometimes Lace-up Sandals”–4 1/2 inch heel, platform, and tassels, $860 at Saks;

- Jimmy Choo “Evita” sandal, $1000+ (see their website for more details);

- Manolo Blahnik heels-$900+–call their NY Store for availability;

- Nine West “Heathers”–which I’ve already blogged about–for a fraction of the price of any of the above (about $90).

I have the suspicion that none of these styles would look that good in a low/flat heel, and since wearing the 4″+ heels is out of the question for me, I’m afraid I’ll have to pass on this trend. Not without a pang of jealousy, though, for those of you who can trot merrily in these styles.

(Via NYT T-Magazine.)

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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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According to an study done by Footwear News:

37 percent of luxe shoppers reported that they would bungee jump off the Golden Gate Bridge for a lifetime supply of shoes by Manolo Blahnik. A third of women polled added that they would also walk 10 miles in order to find the perfect pair of jeans.

Would I bungee jump for lifetime supply of shoes? Heck yeah!

This got me thinking. What would be my lower limit be to entice me to jump? For me, I think that I wouldn’t do it less than 10 pairs of shoes. Why ten? I figure I need 5 pairs of shoes for the spring/summer and 5 for fall/winter to give me an adequate range of Manolos. Any less, this scaredy cat values her life a bit more than those Manolos.

Update: Nevermind, I’d do it for a pair of any of these Manolos. Apparently, I’m easily bought. Sigh.

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I had high hopes for the Met’s current Costume Institute show, blog.mode. I always have high hopes for Costume Institute shows. They’ve got such a great collection, and sometimes they group things in very interesting ways. However, this show, which I thought was going to be about how blog culture and technology have influenced/are influenced by fashion, turned out to be a disappointment. It didn’t have anything to hold it together. It was merely a random assortment of the Costume Institute’s collection, and it was accompanied by the standard overly wordy and pretentious wall text labels.

Even the shoes they had on display weren’t all that special for the most part. There were a few noteworthy footwear items, though, and those I’ll certainly share with you all.

These European court shoes from the mid 18th century were beautiful, and in very good shape. The embroidery was gorgeous.

These Victorian era fetish boots were my favorite shoe in the show.

The label made a snide comment about how these were included even though they don’t really belong in a fashion collection, which I think is complete crap, because look at these boots and tell me future fashions didn’t stem from this look. High spike heels? Thigh high boots? Buttons running all the way up? Since when does the fashion world not look to sub/counter culture for inspiration? In fact, there were a number of Vivienne Westwood pieces included in the show, including these pink platforms.

These (along with much of Westwood’s other design work) owe a cheeky debt to the underworld of prostitution and club-going. If I had my druthers, I’d take those Victorian boots, but the relationship is pretty clear.

And the final word in fetishizing women’s footwear (and thereby women’s feet and women themselves) in this show is this Manolo Blahnik Bhutan heel-less shoe from spring/summer 2006.

We’ve talked a bit about the heel-less shoe phenomenon that never seems to die completely. This Manolo, in particular, is rather reminiscent of the tiny tiny lotus shoes for women with bound feet.

I know shoes weren’t the sole focus (pun intended… heh) of this show, but the conclusions drawn about the shoes that were on display seemed very scattered and contradictory, much like the show overall.

Thankfully, part of this show is a blog where anyone is invited to chime in with their own thoughts about the show and about specific items in it. I went to town on the pretentiousness of the presentation, and felt quite vindicated upon leaving the museum.

In conclusion: If you’re looking for a good museum exhibition involving shoes and you’re near the Northeast, check out the Boston MFA’s Walk this Way show, and skip the Met’s blog.mode.

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Or is it Shoe-Santa? I can’t tell. But I would like to figure out a way to drop subtle hints to my significant other as to what my heart really wants this coming gift season.

So, should I leave my computer open for him to see these UGGs?

Hey, they’re practical, comfortable, and perfect for that vacation in Aspen I’ve been planning. The Ugg Rina Ribbon Boot is $225 at Neiman Marcus. Ok, I lied–I haven’t been planning a vacation in Aspen, but if I have these boots, I might!

Or maybe he’s going to figure out a certain designer is on my mind because of my numerous Freudian slips? (”Mmm, these pradines are delicious!”). And maybe this will come to mind:

Prada suede riding boots, just a tad under $1000 at Neiman’s.

Or maybe…I should keep complaining I got nothing festive to wear for when we go over to his parents for Christmas? Something nice and cute and…red? Like these unusually low Louboutins:

The Christian Louboutin “Tirelire” red patent ballerinas are $685 at Saks.

Or maybe I should just be upfront and say, “Honey, all I want for Christmas is a pair of Manolos?”

I’m sure he’ll understand!

How do you manage to drop those shoe-hints to your significant other?

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