I am not usually a fan of logo shoes. They are not really my thing; too busy, too ‘advertisy’, among other reasons. I am one of those gals who doesn’t like paying $300 extra on a shoe simply to get a logo.

But, I openly admit that I am really fond of these.  They are a bit more subtle than most logo shoes I have seen.  All of the detail is in the heel, leaving the the classic peep-toe and slight platform in black leather to maintain a classic appeal and nice visual balance.  Of course, it doesn’t hurt that I love a beautiful stacked-wood heel. The addition of the logo in this case hints at leopard spotting from a distance, so the logo lettering seems more playful to me in this instance.

These would look fantastic peeking out under the right pair of black trousers or accompanying a sexy pencil skirt.

(Available at Saks for $640)

I’m growing very fond of the look of this particular shoe. What to you think?

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Oh, Phillip Lim, how I love thee! Your creations have structure in a trapeze dress and boho blouse-filled world. You make stunning silhouettes that make me feel beautiful and for that I adore you. This fashion week, however, your footwear might have outshone your Ready-to-Wear just a tad.

Lim’s Spanish-inspired collection was certainly beautiful. It had all the touches that his fans (me!) love. They looked easy to wear and had lovely embellishments that set them apart. But it was the shoes the really rocked the runway!

 Enter the master: Christian Louboutin.

Their were 32 pair of Louboutins in Lim’s show. Most were made from snakeskin, though there were a few metallics and some suede as well. The most dominant feature adorning these babies were the perfectly placed rosettes. Now, I don’t usually like rosettes; I find them fussy and far too girly for comfort. But somehow Louboutin’s magic touch transforms them into something romantic, modern, and utterly covetable. Furthermore, flats on the runway are not usually very successful in my book, but these are wonderful. I want one in every color and style. My favorites (below) are the black and white snakeskin flats and the gorgeous red platform heels!

 See for yourself:

Backstage:

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I had the luck to be working backstage at the Christian Siriano show at NY Fashion Week. What a madhouse! In addition to the regular melee of cameras, models, makeup/hair folk, and stylists, many of Christian’s friends and family were backstage helping the man himself prepare for the show. Among them were Jack Mackenroth and Sweet Pea (who seems to have picked up a gig reporting for MTV news) from Season 4 of Project Runway.

So let’s talk shoes:

Each of Christian’s models wore a pair of 4-inch stiletto heels in gray, acid green, or neon orange. Several had charming flower-like fabric appliques at the front or the back. These high fashion shoes bore no name, so this girl did a bit of detective work. Want to know how to make high fashion runway footwear?

Step 1: Go to Aldo. Purchase 30 pairs of Farivour heels in a light color.

Step 2: Go to an Art Supply store and purchase some heavy duty paint.

Step 3: Whip out the hot glue gun and some bits of leftover fabric.

Step 4: Mix well.

Here are the before pictures in Taupe ($69.98) and Black ($84.98):

And Voila! Here are the the end results:

Pretty cool, no? That right there is a true PR innovation challenge.

Here are some photos of the backstage ruckus just for fun:

Christian makes some adjustments

A Model waits to go on.

This Lucky Shoeblogger stands between two models. They are SO tall! But very sweet. Don’t they look fabulous?

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Calvin Klein’s Spring 2009 show at Fashion Week presented a chunky ’Block Heel’ style in the most literal sense possible. It is pleasing from some angles and visually jarring from others. This look is almost more successful as an artistic reference to the Cubist movement than as an actual functional wardrobe object.

These are slipper-like foot-cradles that are then placed, somewhat incongruously, atop very solid rectangular blocks.  I am having real difficulty seeing these as a unified and harmonious whole.  The transition from the more fluidly-shaped upper to the heel feels somewhat random in its placement; almost as if a child was playing with blocks to achieve this effect.  I find the look to be bold and intriguing; yet, on the whole, slightly unbalanced in execution.

At the very least, this is a decidedly artistic endeavor deserving of our attention. I can certainly see women having a visceral love or hate reaction to this silhouette.

Would you wear them? Or perhaps smile at them on a museum display?

[Photos Courtesy of Elle.com]

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Having just highlighted the Betsey Johnson Spring 2009 collection, now comes a perfectly timed sale on several of her current-season shoe styles.

Courtesy of Smartbargains.com, today you can receive up to an additional 25% off the site price on Betsey Johnson shoes and accessories. But, to make this even better, if you pay via Paypal, purchases over $75 receive an additional $20 off.

So, for example, if you just so happened to have been drooling over a shoe like the ‘Terra’ (retailing for $205-$211 at Endless.com, Piperlime.com, DJPremium.com, Zappos.com & Nordstrom.com), you can get it today for $59.98(Smartbargains price of: $99.99 -25% -$20 with Paypal). That’s just about 70% off retail on a current season shoe; a bargain indeed. (There is a similar style for $95.98 pre-Paypal in a straight loafer-style pump, the Tinsley.)

(And yes, I’ve ordered this shoe. It’s lovely and, style-wise, will get me close to the Valentino graphique pump that I so love; and all without breaking my budget. I’m loving the little ‘butterfly’ window cutouts; also loving that perforated leather trim at the end of the ombre ribbon-tie. I think it’s really a nice touch.)

A few other Betsey Johnson items where you might score a deal?

Well, there’s the Sassy leopard printed ‘Tobi’ ankle boot ($119.98 prior to Paypal discount) or ‘Tina‘ pump ($79.98 pre-Paypal discount):

Other styles include the more conservative ‘Teresa‘ back-bow pump and ‘Madeline‘ T-strap styles (both sale priced at $79.98 pre-Paypal promotion).

One last mention. If you were interested in either of the current Fringe or Zipper trends that have been written about previously on this blog, you might be interested in these:

The Taylor ($95.98 pre-Paypal) and Tisha ($143.98 pre-Paypal) will cover any Fringe needs.

While the Tayla ($95.98 pre-Paypal) and Tiana ($119.98) will cover the Zipper side of the equation. 

This is a one-day sale. After today, the base price on these items will return to the regular Smartbargains.com price.  The Paypal promotion is ongoing until September 20th, so you may be able to use it after today if something you like goes back on sale.

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