SS12 Fashion Week Footwear Trend Alert: Transparency

The manic Fashion Week energy has moved on away from New York City, but that only means it’s off across the Pond from Big Apple to Big Smoke.  London Fashion Week is well under way, and we’re seeing some of the same trends at Somerset House that New York brought us at Lincoln Center.

For example, that transparency thing that I mentioned with the uber uncomfy Carolina Herrera’s posted here or the Marchesa and Narciso Rodriguez shoes over here?

Well, I’m calling it.  Add it to the list of trends to keep an eye out for come Spring.

See-through footwear showed up through the rest of NYFW in shows like 3.1 Phillip Lim (left and center) and Chado Ralph Rucci (right).

Now, if you ask me, those are all three of them painful looking.  Talk about edges of straps digging into your foot.  And despite that last show being an awfully good attempt at a modern day Cinderella slipper, it’s nothing I’d want to be wearing to the ball to meet Prince Charming.  Hell, after a night of dancing in those, I’d be ripping ‘em both off and tossing ‘em at Prince-y, just to get them off my feet.

To round out the New York’s see-through bounty, the Marc Jacobs show flirted with transparent shoes, including these booties, which fill me, realist that I am, with dreadful imaginings of how rank and sweaty and stinky they would be after a day of wearing them.

And then we went to London!

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Spring 2012 Runway: Alexander Wang Shoes

I know that Jitterbugbaby has been doing most of the Spring 2012 runway overviews thus far. And I also realize that Shomore already gave us a peak at Alexander Wang’s spring shoes when she highlighted the white-on-white trend for Spring 2012. But, I felt it was my duty to single out Alexander Wang’s 2012 spring runway for a second peek.

Why?

Simply put, I must have share these shoes:

Holy aquamarine, Batman!

Alexander Wang certainly knows more than a thing or two about what makes shoes (and the gals who wear them) tick.

I am officially crushing on the stunning color of these. That, added to the texture and unexpected-yet-wildly-sexy pointed-toe has me in a state of near-swoon.  Oh and that little loop on the back – love it.  This whole shoe is crying out to me.

Please, please, please …. let these appear for online purchase come spring of 2012.  This gal who lives 3 hours from the closest Saks or Nordstrom will be eternally grateful.

That is all.

Note: Runway photos via Style.com

SS Fashion Week Footwear: Runway Drive-by

OK, friends, I have lots of interesting shoes to share from the NYC runways, so here goes.

We start before the jump with this one from Preen, which I put here, not because I like it or want to wear it or think it would be comfortable, but because it answers the question What would it look like if LEGOs and doilies and bikers had a baby and it took the form of footwear? And since that’s a question I just know you were all asking yourselves, I didn’t want to keep the answer from you one second longer.

And I will give you this one, too, from the Carolina Herrera show, because rarely have I seen a shoe that looks THIS painful to wear.

Now follow along after the cut for many more.

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SS12 Shoe Trend Alert: Ankle Straps

The trend alerts continue, and they’re comin’ on strong.

We’ve covered some of the patterns already, but if I had to predict one thing that’ll show up most come next spring, it’s not white or buckles or shiny shiny gold (though here are drive-by pics to show that Zac Posen has also jumped on the C3PO train, as has Thakoon… love those gilded toe caps!).

It’s ankle straps.

Yep.  Some are thin, like these Zac Posen’s or the Derek Lam ones I posted about earlier.  But mostly, we’re getting thick ankle straps that fasten in all kinds of interesting ways.

There are zips, like at the Custo Barcelona show:

There are ties, like these at the Timo Weiland show:

And, of course, there are buckles (buckles!), like that last Timo Weiland shoe above, like the ones at Christian Siriano a few days ago or like the show to which I will dedicate the rest of this post, because the shoes were gorgeous and spring-like and made me want to get all flirty in the sunshine: DKNY.  So feast your eyes on these pretty pretty puppies, and let the Fashion Week shoe parade march on.

SS12 Fashion Week Footwear: Derek Lam and Tommy Hilfiger

You know those multiple choice “Determine Your Style” quizzes you always find in fashion magazines and websites where they ask you a bunch of questions like “What essentials do have with you at all times?” and then they give you choices that run all the way from a) Wallet, phone, keys, and I’m good through to d) An extra pair of shoes, a change of earrings, 3 lipsticks, a rainproof trench, an Hermes scarf, the hottest smartphone of the moment, 12 credit cards, my e-reader, and the duffel-bag-sized purse to hold it all.

Yeah, those.

Anyway, I always come out of those being the girl who’s based in the classics and jazzes things up with accessories and mixtures of color and material.  So it should come as no surprise that as SS12 Fashion Week continues, my two favorite footwear collections so far have been Derek Lam and Tommy Hilfiger, both designers whose visions are based in the classics (of American sportswear) and jazzed up with mixtures of color and material.

Derek Lam took some simple silhouettes and combined texture and detail in playful ways, seen up at the top of this post.  And Tommy Hilfiger did this collection of loafers and boat shoes gone upscale in bright bold colors.  The mix of fabrics and patterns and patent leather and gold (love those stripes on the heels) have just about made me swoon.