Green Shoes to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

I love St Patrick’s Day because nobody wears green, except on March 17, and it is such a wonderful color.  Everyone assumes I have an Irish ancestor, because of the red hair thing, but the red hair comes from a Scottsman.  Anyways, I have been planning my Irish meal for a week, and have been planning my green outfit for a couple of days.  It’s true, I have no life.  I have no green shoes, either. 

I would LOVE the Gaultier shoes from his Fall Couture line, but that isn’t going to happen.

So I decided to see what endless had for a substitute.

Miss Mooz Full House Sandals $95 at endless.com 

Moda Spana Pamper $75 

Moda also had a green platform pump that was made of the same green leather.  They are really cute.

Harajuku Lovers Avallon $100 

Isn’t the little heart on the heel adorable?

John Fluevog Pearl Hart $208

Fluevog always offers a funky taste to his high quality shoes.  I love them.

For those who just can’t bring themselves to wear a REALLY green shoe, here is an olive green boot that is nice. 

Eric Michael Soho $130

The following is what I ordered.  I hope they fit properly because I really need a green shoe for next year.

Miz Mooz Waverly $95 at endless 

So if you are going out, have a pint of green beer.  I am staying home and will be serving a Guinness Beef Stew and Irish Soda Bread. (We had corned and cabbage last year.)   Dinner is at 6:30, so come by.

Christian Siriano: Spring 2010 Runway to Retail

Just in case your memory needed a little push…here’s a quick reminder of the Christian Siriano claw-heeled shoes from his Spring 2010 Runway Collection:

And now, a big thanks to Racked NY, who noticed that the Ready-to-Wear versions of these ‘magically popped up’ online yesterday. If you are interested a review, Racked NY also hunted them down in-store and took them for a  trial run to test for comfort and walk-ability.

So, if you loved the Christian Siriano spring 2010 runway looks, now is your chance to own a pair.

At $80 each, they are a bit pricier than your average Payless offerings. But then again, I fondly remember being a much younger me and grabbing a pair of cute black pumps at Payless for $6.99 after I had finally worn my last pair into the ground.  The most expensive items in the store in those days topped out at $21.99.  So, I may be a little bit skewed in my price comparisons.

In this case, it’s probably better to go with my husband who has paid enough attention to price increases  over the last decade to be more realistic about these things. He understands and occasionally notes, ‘That’s not a bad price these days’ on anything under $150.

Anyway, you might want to hurry if any of these styles have you crushing hard. You never know whether they will sell out;  leaving you desperately trolling the online auction scene for a pair in your size – at painful and ridiculous markups,  to boot.

Christian Siriano for Payless ‘Cut it Out Ankle Cuff Pump’ $79.99.

Christian Siriano for Payless ‘To The Point’ printed platform pump $79.99.

Christian Siriano for Payless ‘All Done Up’ Maryjane pump $79.99.

Oh, and if you like a retro-accessories shoe-purse match, there’s always this (previously available) Siriano for Payless handbag for your consideration. (It also matches the previously available & less expensive  ‘coast printed satin pumps’ which have a more traditional heel style if ‘the claw’ is not for you.)

Siriano for Payless Large Shopper handbag $39.99.

I would have liked to have seen the paper-bag, bloused, booties show up at retail, but at $79.99 I can see why that may not have been possible to achieve.

It remains to be seen if the Payless budget-shopper demographic will accept higher-than-normal (at least for this retailer) prices for such designer exclusives. I wonder if even these under $100 offerings may be a big gamble for Payless  and their traditional family-on-a-budget audience.

Which brings me to more questions:

Are you happy with the often pared-down  translation of shoes from fashion week to Ready-to-wear? Or do you feel that too much is lost in bringing original runway styles to a widely affordable price point?

Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2010

We have seen the designers in today’s recession trying to woo their customers by presenting classic design and focusing on quality.  Dolce and Gabbana’s show started with images of the designers showing their craft, then they went on to give spotlight to their employees  – showing them hone their craft to create wonderful pieces that will last for generations.  Apparently, it was quite a moving presentation that made a huge emotional connection.

Here is what they presented. 

Love the velvet.   Years ago there was a Seinfeld episode where George Castanza tells how much he loves velvet.  He describes wanting a suit of velvet.  My sentiments exactly. 

I love the women’s classic make up. 

The above boots look like a lace version of the boots below.  I am not sure about these shoes. 

I lied.  I don’t like them, I am sure of it.

My Grandpa’s dress socks with pumps.  I am still not understanding this trend, but we saw it everywhere on the runways. 

Beaded pumps.  Pretty.

My favorites are below.  They had a couple of versions of this shoes.  The  t-strap is shown in the first photo.  There was also a maryjane.  I like this shoe a lot.  They are reminiscent of the  pumps that Phillip Treacy did for Valentino. 

Pretty shoes.   Pretty outfits.  Pretty models.  I am enjoying the resurgence of the classics.

Louboutin for the Spring Bride

I’ve been married for almost 20 years. So, I am not currently in the market for anything resembling a pair of spring bridal shoes.

But for our readers, I expect that at least some of you are in wedding planning mode. So why not add one of these spectacular wedding-worthy shoes to your bridal wish list?

Christian Louboutin Studio 120 Peep Toe Pumps $1895 at Net-a-porter.com

Christian Louboutin Fetilo Peep Toe Pumps $995 at Saks.com

Christian Louboutin Miss Cha Cha $945 at Barneys.com

Christian Louboutin Fetilo Mesh and Patent Leather Pumps $945 at Saks.com

Christian Louboutin Knotted Leather Pumps $875 at Saks.com

Christian Louboutin Maryjane Platform Pump $995 at Niemanmarcus.com

Christian Louboutin Lady Bow $735 at Barneys.com

Oh, and just in case you are looking for a ‘something blue’ pop of color to go with the old rhyme, how about one of these jewel-toned beauties?

Christian Louboutin Glitter Peep Toe Pumps $725 at Niemanmarcus.com

Christian Louboutin Double Platform Knotted Mule $895 at Niemanmarcus.com

Neutral shoes don’t have to be boring.

We all love neutral shoes. Black, brown, tan, white…after all, these basics pretty much match everything in your closet.

But, do the true neutrals (notice I am not including red here), really need to fade into the background?  Chanel, with their contrasting cap toes and color-blocked shoes obviously doesn’t believe this is the case. They understand that understated colors are made fabulous by their details. And it looks like other shoe designers are getting in on the action with some show-stopping neutral-toned shoes of their own.

So far, these are my favorites so far for 2010; Neutral in color , perhaps, but not in style or attitude:

Maison Martin Margiela two-tone leather sandals $695 at Net-a-porter.com

Tabitha Simmons Bunty suede wedge pumps $1210 at Net-a-porter.com

Max Kibardian Dragonfly T-strap sandals $650 at Saks.com

Jimmy Choo Embellished ankle wrap sandals $1395 at Saks.com

Alexander McQueen cutout leather ankle boots $995 at Saks.com & Net-a-porter.com

Prada Multi-strap pumps $850 at Saks.com

I love each and every pair of these. They all have such individual personality and character – or is that too much meaning to invest into a simple shoe?

Nonetheless, swoon-worthy they remain, so there.

So, how do you feel about neutrals stepping into the role of statement shoe? Because these are so-called neutral shoes that will not allow you to stand in the background acting as a wallflower.