Giambattista Valli’s Mixed Neutral Floral Fancies

I don’t know about you, but all of this snow, ice, rain, ice……blah, blah, blah ….  I am so incredibly tired of boots & thick winter socks, I could scream!

Enough of all this snowpocalypse nonsense, bring us some spring already.

/end rant/

Luckily, just as my sanity is ready to snap, along comes Giambattista Valli with a set of cute floral sandals that I could wear with *almost* anything.

Giambattista Valli flower detail ankle wrap D’orsays $762 @ Nieman Marcus.

Sigh, just in time for Valentine’s Day, these are giving me little heart-flips. Floral heels for those flirty gals who, like me, are normally more than a little bit pink-and-pastel averse.

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Jessica Simpson Shoes: Fun Shoes at a Great Price

Footwear News recognized The Jones Group as the company of the year. One of their licensed lines is Jessica Simpson (through Camuto).   Her line which includes not only shoes but jeans wear, jewelry, fragrance and so much more,  just reached the $750 million sales mark this year.   This is a line that is only 5 years old, but has paced so many other “celebrity” shoe lines.  When Jessica made a personal appearance 600 people were standing in line to meet her.

Another thing I like about JS shoes is that they have extended sizes.  They start at size 5 and go up to size 11.  I appreciate that since I am at the top of that range.

I wanted to focus on some Jessica Simpson shoes because they are affordable, stylish, a lot of fun for a medium price.  When I want to wear something fairly trendy, I often look at JS shoes.    Let’s look at some Jessica Simpson shoes.

The mary jane platforms are Cheetah $98 at Nordstroms The more I look at these the more I like them.

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Spring 2011 Runway: Jean Paul Gaultier

It’s Jean Paul Gaultier….where do I begin? How about these traffic-stopping, patent-red, spatted knee-boots?

Who knew sexing up your granny boots was as simple as adding a front-laced spat to a perfect pair of red-patent pumps?  Retro details are rarely so devilishly modern.

Oh, and adding florals generally results in a sweetly romantic shoe.  Not so with Gaultier…..add a patent-flower ankle corsage to a thick, bondage-strap pump (One side only please,  we want to keep things a little unexpected.)….Et Voilà: (more…)

Spring 2011 Runway: Chanel Shoes

I’ve been trying to find a way to comment diplomatically about the shoes and  fashions at the SS2011 Chanel show but  find that words fail me. I am trying very hard to politely express my disappointment in both the shoes and fashion that were shown.

First, the shoes:

(Article photos via Style.com; collages are arranged by Shoeblog.)

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Spring 2011 Runway: Jen Kao’s Ethereal Barefoot Styles

I am not terribly familiar with designer Jen Kao.  There are so many fashion designers, both new and old these days, that it just seems like it’s getting harder & harder to keep track of them all.  But here’s one I will definitely keep my eye on.

….Starting with the footwear.   Unlike so many other designers who are still creating skyscraper heels that put fear into the hearts of professional runway models, the ‘shoes’ paired with Jen Kao’s light, flowing outfits were breathtaking without adding even an inch of height to the models lucky enough to be wearing them. (And, yes, that is a hint of jealousy you are getting from me.)

(Photos cropped to show detail, originals via style.com) (more…)