Robert Clergerie clearance styles

I’m not certain exactly how I feel about Robert Clergerie’s shoe designs. Clergerie shoes tend to be playful -  with unusual sole designs and non-typical silhouettes.

They are interesting styles, but I’m not sure I would find myself actually wearing them very often. Let’s say that I like them, but that for whatever reason, they don’t  ‘feel like me’.

But, if you, unlike me, are wont to wear chunky, funky or mod-styled shoes that stand out from the crowd , some of these sale-priced Clergerie shoes might be your perfect match.

Robert Clergerie ‘Mannor’ $395 $118.30 at 6pm.com and $217.77 at Endless.com

Robert Clergerie ‘Monday’ $450 $135.10 at 6pm.com

Robert Clergerie ‘Houle’ $625 $241.20 at 6pm.com and $343.72 at Endless.com

Robert Clergerie ‘Diof’ $565 $339 at 6pm.com & $310.72 at Endless.com

Robert Clergerie ‘Dahra’ $684 $411 at 6pm.com

Robert Clergerie ‘Frofro’ $694.95 $333 at Zappos.com and Endless.com

I do appreciate designers who buck trends.  I suspect that in the case of Clergerie, I just haven’t found my own ideal shoe-match yet – Although, that  ‘Dahra’ d’orsay wedge does comes awfully close.

Georgina Goodman’s playful pop of retro-80′s color

If you are young enough to have missed the last round of neon and ultra-brights the last time they visited the fashion scene (not counting the rave/club scene) , you are probably the perfect age to enjoy Georgina Goodman’s colorful and funky shoes.

And, with the resurgence of,  guyliner, 80′s reminiscent fashions from leggings to lace & underwear-as-outerwear, puffer vests, and multicolored/new new wave/emo mullets that would do Flock of Seagulls proud, such brilliant, neon colors feel entirely at home added to the mix.

One caution: If you, like me, are old enough to have rocked any (or heaven help us, all) of the above fashions for any length of time during your personal high school or college jaunt through the  80′s, there is a good chance you should not attempt to do the same today.

But, if you must imbibe of the fountain of the 80′s, these Georgina Goodman’s are a low-risk way to, rather literally, dip your foot into the water of memory lane….How’s that for painfully mixed metaphors!?

Georgina Goodman ‘Harlow’ $289.98 $725

Georgina Goodman ‘Elisha’ $211.98 $530

Georgina Goodman ‘Inga’ $235.98 $590

Georgina Goodman  Rowan $309.98 $776

Georgina Goodman ‘Jackson’ $555 $740

Georgina Goodman ‘Leon’ $920

Georgina Goodman ‘Pierce’ $875

Georgina Goodman ‘Noah’ $581.25 $775

I have to tell you. Those sandals with the color blocks of black, pink, turquoise, and yellow up there? They bring back fond memories of my first real ‘teenager’ outfit. Oh yeah.  This was no hand-me-down -  a common occurrence in a family with 4 older sisters. This outfit had not a single touch of little-kid frou-frou detail on it anywhere; it was just super-cool 1980-something goodness: a black button-down top with a turquoise collar, a just-at-the-knee colorblocked black, pink, and turquoise skirt, a pair of shockingly vibrant turquoise tights, and my first pair of ‘adult’ patent kitten heels with a bow over the vamp. Oh, baby.

I had those pumps for years.

Oh, yeah, good times & good memories.

These Georgina Goodman’s are just waiting to be made into somebody’s current fashion love and future fashion memory.

Let the good times start for both young and young-at-heart shoe-lovers.

Sigerson Morrison reflects the evolution of the gladiator sandal

I’m not a fan of gladiator sandals and boots. I’ve tried to like them and just can’t seem to find any gladiator love in me. Something about the entire open, caged, flat-soles of the core gladiator sandal style just leaves me cold.

Sure, there are some super skinny, super tall, young ladies who can wear this style without looking stumpy.  I am currently none of these things, so perhaps that is part of my bias.Preview

Whatever the reason, I have no love for the basic, flat gladiator.

Over the last few years, as gladiator sandals have become a  spring and summer shoe-staple, the closest I have come to the gladiator styling are these Chie Mihara’s I picked up about 18 months ago:

And, honestly, these barely give nod to the whole gladiator trend.  Plus, they evidence what occurs when you add a heel to a strappy-styled flat. The original trend concept starts to change…which we have been seeing in action over the last year in the morphing of flat gladiator styles into caged sandals, openwork boot, sandal boots, hybrid boots, and an increased availability of open-front boots and lace-up styles at retailers.

To demonstrate how drastically heels affect gladiator styles, let’s look at Sigerson Morrison.

First, the basic gladiator:

Sigerson Morrison ’9879′ $499.

Now,  add a heel to that:

Sigerson Morrison ’9880′ $654

Look at how the whole silhouette changes. Yes, some people will like the first sandal better. But for me, the overall  lines of the second sandal are just more beautiful. Sure, it’s an individual aesthetic judgment, but there it is.

Another Sigerson Morrison example:

These:

Sigerson Morrison ’9829′ $485

Sigerson Morison ’9828′ $795 $556.50 at the Sigerson Morison website.

Vs. these:

Sigerson Morison ’9873′ $695

Sigerson Morrison ’9804′ $1204

I really, really, don’t like the  flat versions of this style.  The buckles feel incongruous and out of place on the more faithful, flat,  gladiator style. But, on the heeled version, the package as a whole works for me. Rather than feeling like an overworked gladiator, the heel takes this into the level of modernized granny boot with an attitude. The word ‘gladiator’ does not even come to mind when looking at them.  The only thing that I might have changed on these would be to have them on a slightly shorter, stacked heel. These are already channeling a retro-modern weird west vibe, why not go the whole way and keep them at an easy walkable height?

Maybe that’s not the only thing I’d change. I’d also want these to be in a price range that I could afford. Alas, such is not the case . And so, temptation is averted by cold, hard, economic realities.

Others will disagree with me and continue their flirtation with the classic gladiators that drive me nuts.

But, that doesn’t change the inevitable movement of fashion that, thankfully, constantly reinvents itself to help all of us find styles that we can love.

I see the gladiator-sandal trend in the process of merging into other silhouettes – from strappy sandals to ankle boots – and coming out on the other side as something a bit more classic and refined.  I suspect we will see a modern take on more conservative or classic boot styles in full force come fall; ranging from fairly faithful, granny-inspired boots to sleek, open, cut-work hybrids. True lace-up and button-detailed boots will easily blend in with these other silhouettes. I have to admit that after almost two years of studs, zippers, et. al. attached to every visible surface of a shoe, plain old leather with brass highlights seems positively retrained.

*Note: I chose Sigerson Morrison by way of illustration because they have so many excellent examples of what I wanted to talk about contained within one brand and season. Plus, I love the 9804 boot and would have found a way to share that with our readers one way or another. We generally do not receive compensation for our posts from any brands mentioned in the blog, and will specifically mention if such a relationship exists.

Dekkori accessories: Spats meet modern fashion.

I encountered the Dekkori brand a few weeks ago while surfing *playing* around the Endless website.

Here’s the deal.  At endless.com, these are referred to as ‘boots’.  That took me aback for more than a moment or two.  But, really, once you get into the product description you begin to realize that these are not meant to be boots; at least not in the classic sense.  If worn by themselves, I suppose these would be more of a pseudo-boot – a potential fashion statement for the bared-foot lovers out there.  I can even really see how these would fit right in onstage at a dance recital.  The reality of these ‘boots’ is more straightforward: These are  a wonderfully modern take on a much older shoe idea: Spats.

Spats (also sometimes called gaiters), in the classic sense, are not seen much in modern times outside of stage, film, and fringe-fashion scenes.  Originally meant as protective footwear extensions to basic shoes, they have, occasionally, taken on a more fashion-centric role (And yes, for good or ill, the occasional resurgence of leg warmers might be seen as part of this trending cycle).

It is the idea of having a detachable shoe upper that can instantly transform a basic or past-season shoe into a completely new silhouette that is still relevant today – particularly if you are a runway fashion lover living on a bargainista budget.

Classic spats have been out of mainstream fashion for decades.  Luckily, these shoe accessories from Dekkori are made with a eye to modern fashion sensibilities and with the current consumer market in mind. The result is silhouettes that  are anything but old-fashioned.  The transformative power of historical spats still remains present within these accessories. But, as you can see, Dekkori has moved far from the spats source ideas in bringing their accessories collection into reality.

So, these are the two ‘boots’ (from the SS ’10 collection) that originally grabbed my attention:

Dekkori ‘Devon’ Cutout lace-up boot $208

Dekkori ‘Riley’ eyelet pull-on boot $128

Dekkori ‘Rocco’ Gladiator boot $146

But these two (from the Fall ’09 collection) are my personal favorites:

Dekkori ‘Charm’ ankle piece $62

Dekkori ‘Innocence’ bow ankle piece $58

The one problem I see with these accessories is their relatively high price-tags. I understand that leather goods have become more expensive over the last 5 years. But, with prices ranging from $40 – $200+ per pair,   a lot of savvy shoppers will be able to find one or more reasonably-priced  ‘whole shoes’ for the cost of just one set of these quirky accessories.

Overall,  I find these to be an intriguing idea. They appeal to the portion of me that loves the idea of limiting production waste.  Interchangeable uppers have the potential to be a great way to ‘go green’ while still indulging your shoe-love.

The basic idea would seem to be a natural marriage to meet the needs of the budget fashion-shopper.  However, the cost on these may be too prohibitive for many consumers. I’m just not convinced that  these are adequately priced to gain the attention of the  ‘budget-based’ consumer.  Instead, these seem to be priced more toward the mid-range and luxury-aspirational consumers, a smaller market by far.  The consumer on a budget knows that  $50 for a pair of shoes was a lot of money 10 years ago – and it still is a lot of money for them today – but today it just doesn’t stretch as far. Will such shoppers be willing to spend this amount of money, or more,  on a partial shoe?

The one place where the Dekkori pieces have an identifiable advantage is for those women who have limited storage space. You can fit a whole lot of Dekkori accessory uppers into the space of just one boot box in your closet. For those shoe lovers with storage issues, Dekkori shoe accessories might be a viable solution to the inevitable storage space dilemma most shoe-collectors eventually face.

Opinions, thoughts?

8020NYC: Urban. Casual. Modern. Boho. Chic.

I showed you a pair of 80%20 wedges earlier this week. And, while I am still undecided on how I feel about that pair of shoes, the 80%20 brand deserves a closer look:

The 80%20 goal is clearly stated on their website:

The concept behind 80%20 came from Ce Ce Chin’s observation that we tend to wear our favorite 20% of our wardrobe 80% of the time. The smallest percent has the greatest impact. The ratio of knowing your life, your style and your aspirations.

80% life, 20% shoes=100% love.

It’s a lovely vision statement, you have to admit.  As for the shoes? The current line reminds me a little bit of Irregular Choice, when that brand actually manages to practice restraint – or even Marc Jacobs from last year’s runway.

Some examples:

80%20 Marlee Tea Party Floral Shoe $52

80%20 Ellorie Open Toe Bootie $69

80%20 Jordan Open Toe Wedge $135

80%20 Molly Open Toe Hidden Wedge (black) $165

80%20 Molly Tea Party Hidden Wedge (Floral) $116

80%20 Sadie Seersucker Cork Wedge $98

While some of these are outside my own particular fashion comfort zone, they are both quirky and unique. The gal who falls in love with these may indeed find herself adding them into her own 80/20 fashion rotation.