LAMB vs. Dollhouse & Type Z

Sometimes it’s difficult to tell when a style is simply inspired by recent trends rather than a knockoff of a specific designer’s shoe.

Not so in this case.

Behold spring’s ‘Joelle’ from the LAMB shoe line.

LAMB ‘Joelle’ $383 $251.99 via Heels.com , $208.45 via Endless.com & $195 via Zappos.com

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Dsquared2 Shoes for Canada Day

Happy Canada Day!

Holiday wishes from all of us at Shoeblog  to our readers living ‘next door’ .

And, as usual, your clever Canadian twins Dan & Dean Caten have your patriotic soles covered (gratuitous pun is wholly intentional) with a maple-leaf Maryjane-esque appliquéd sandal.

Dsquared2 Maple sandal (was 584.95) now $321.72  via  Endless.com

Designer Shoe Deja Vu: Giuseppi Zanotti vs. Vince Camuto

Sometimes you encounter a style and just know you’ve seen it before.

Compare this:

Vince Camuto ‘Wendy’ Sandal $118.95 at Endless.com & $120 at Zappos.com

To this:

Giuseppe Zanotti I90265 $750 $357 at Zappos.com & $412.50 at Endless.com

The differences between these are minor, but noticeable when comparing them side by side.  Which ones do you prefer: the originals from Zanotti, or the near-copies from Camuto?

Also, how do you feel about designer inspired styles that are near-knockoffs of higher-end designers?  Such styles are legal at this time as long as no trademarks from the original design are copied onto the lower-end style – but should we demand more creativity from mid-end brands who can probably afford to invest in more original design talent rather than resorting to being runway copyists?

*I should note that a lot of Camuto designs are not so imitative. I love the brand, in fact, because they have been some of the best-fitting heels I have found for my arch height and shape.

Giuseppe Zanotti’s Strappy Floral Sandals

Rain, rain, go away.

Is anybody else having weird spring weather? Rain one day, clear the next, then right on back to more rain?

This is not the weather one expects when living proximate to an area nicknamed, ‘The Palm Springs of Washington’.

Madame Nature needs to tell Old Man Winter to back off, already. After all, summer starts in less than a week. Most of the flowers I’ve seen are – sadly – attached to fast-growing weeds that have been thriving in this rapidly shifting weather.

So, here are  my consolation flowers for today:

Giuseppi Zanotti E90042 sandals $875 $411 at Zappos.com . . .  for one lucky size-10 foot out there &

$481.22 (size 8 ) at endless.com

Now, message to whoever is in charge of summer, ‘Hi. It’s  mid-way through June,and I’d like my flowers already.  Peep-toe appropriate weather would also be greatly appreciated. -G. ‘

Runway to Retail: Ruthie Davis does hardware right.

Ruthie Davis’ spring/summer 2010 shoe collections are drool-worthy additions to the ongoing hardware trends in shoe adornment.

But, unless you were at the Dennis Basso show in person, the runway coverage of the Ruthie Davis shoes matched with the Basso fashions were a disappointment at best.

Looking at this:

(Runway photos via Ruthie Davis website)

Would you suspect that shoes were showstoppingly detailed as well?

Can I get an Ooh La La?

That, boys and girls, is what happens when you take lowly cap nuts (screw-back fasteners) from the local hardware store and elevate them into the realm of art.

Shoes ase wearable art  is one of the reasons I find shoes to be so irresistible.  I love the emotional reaction that I get when a shoe is both wearable and artistic.

And, Ruthie Davis is always looking for a way too bring color, art, and drama to her shoes while never forgetting the wearable aspect of the wearable art/art-to-wear equation.

Back to the shoes. Or more precisely, these shoes. The nuts are a lovely alternative to the more common round or pyramid studs that are saturating the market right now…as seen on sandals, boots, and even flip-flops just about everywhere we turn.

These are  just original enough that you will want to make occasions to wear them long after the current studded-everything trend has finally decided to die down.

Here are the versions I have been able find available for purchase online.

Ruthie Davis ‘Palmer’ in Blue or Brown $807.74 – $895 at Endless.com

Ruthie Davis ‘Stanley’ (Size 10 only) $775 $426.22 at Endless.com

Ruthie Davis ‘Pluto’ $895 $807.74 – $872.62 at Endless.com

Ruthie Davis ‘Odyssey’ peep-toe pump $1095 $988.24 at Endless.com

The gold-toned  ‘Odyssey’ might be a little over the top unless you are a stage performer or are starring in a glam-punk or elegant-steampunk inspired wedding. But the others I could find occasions to wear. Especially the variegated blue ‘Palmer’ sandals. Those are some stunning shoes from any angle.