As the fall 08 ready to wear shows come to a close, Miuccia Prada’s not letting us down easy.  If ever there’s someone to be counted on for interesting shoes, it’s Miu Miu (and Prada, too, but Miu Miu’s got a more eclectic, funky style going on).  Remember the spring 08 gardening shoes?

Well, fall 08’s answer is here, and it’s fun and fresh, and I love it.

There are pumps that look demure from the front and hyper-architectural from the side.

There are playful peep-toes and pseudo-loafers with metallics and sequins and bright, fun colors that look like they could have come straight out of Candyland.

And, most delightfully to my mind, there are these GORGEOUS boots that were paired up with my favorite outfit of the entire collection.

Now, if only my wallet and body would let me get away with these without screaming in protest.

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Jean Paul Gaultier created the beautiful gown worn by Marion Cotillard at the Oscars, taking his inspiration from the natural world, more specifically from fish scales. This past week in Paris, however, he might have overdone a little the animal-inspiration. For once, I can’t decide whether these boots are overkill (as some fashion critics labeled his show) or… roadkill:

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Thank goodness for Givenchy, who rescues the wedge from the wave of oblivion it faced from most of the other designers this past week in Paris, and restores it to its shiny, implacable height. Patents, golds, straps, and an inward-turning angle is what makes the Givenchy footwear collection for Fall 2008, with mixed results, in my opinion (for example I believe that the first one shown here, a black patent ankle peep-toe bootie with  superfluous straps, is downright ugly, whereas the last gold strappy wedge is rather cool).

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Only in the fabulously over the top world of John Galliano would outfits accessorized with things like GIANT Regency-reminiscent bonnets and Napoleon hats that look like they’ve come off a child’s pot holder loom be part of a ready-to-wear show and not a couture one.

But yes, the clothes of Galliano’s Fall 08 collection are indeed wearable (it’s all relative, of course–don’t expect these styles to be showing up in a Banana Republic near you). The audience was treated to a Pasha-like experience complete with models in harem pants and a runway decorated like a gold lame pleasure palace.

And oh, the shoes were gorgeous.

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The thing that’s great about watching all the various Fashion Week shows is that we get to see the viewpoints of the individual designers.

This may sound self-evident, sure, but think about it.  When you go to a non-designer shoe store (in person or online), you can pretty much count on seeing repetition of the same trends for that season.  Ballet flats galore.  Oxford booties coming out the wazoo.  More strappy gladiator sandals than you can shake a stick at.

But when you watch several Fashion Weeks’ worth of shoes parade down the catwalk, you can see individual style coming through instead of just the trends.

A current example?

Look at these Stella McCartney platforms.

They’re fantastic.  Chunky and super stylized with the shaping and the mixed textures and the metallic accents on the sole and heel.  And, of course, containing no animal products.

And then look at Sophia Kokosalaki’s dainty footwear.

Ladylike and refined with a hint of an insectile webbed feel to it with all those knots and twists and curls.

You just never know what those fashion designers will come up with next.  And don’t we all just love to wait and see what it’ll be.

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