2011′s Feminine Oxford Flats

I was a big fan of cute Oxford jazz shoes waayyy back in the 90′s; the combo of cute with dressy works for me.  So, with current trends starting to allow for shorter heels and sassy flats…let’s just say that  I’m not hating  fashion’s recent obsession for Oxfords with a more traditional, low-heeled silhouette.

My own closet is inordinately over-stocked with menswear-inspired heels and uber-impractical platforms. It’s definitely time for me to concentrate on acquiring more practical shoes for everyday wear and general errand running. Plus, flats, while not my faves aesthetically, are so much more practical for summertime outings to the park than my usual stiletto-sandal crushes tend to allow.

Here is what I am currently mooning over:

Betsey Johnson ‘Drrew’ $67.46 $89.95 at Zappos.com & Endless.com

Lusting after: (more…)

The Mojito Shoe by Julian Hakes

Uhhhhh…. this is a shoe.

Yes, I know what you’re thinking. That squiggly green caterpillar thing, a shoe???

Yes, a shoe. You know, a thing you’re supposed to be able to walk on that your foot goes in.

Designed by Julian Hakes, the idea behind it is that he was in the design studio one night and realised you don’t need a sole, as long as you have the heel and toe support.

Kind of admire him, kind of think he’s crazy. Now people are clamoring to buy them, but can’t find them for sale anywhere.

It’s supposed to be springy, even though it looks like something I’d hang my jewelry on.

“The material choice is simple: The shoe is a laminate with Carbon fibre for the core which gives the shoe its spring and strength, leather on the foot side and rubber on the walking wearing side. 3 materials, each doing a specific job.

We are now in talks with specalist shoe fabricators in for the inital prototypes, a firm in Italy would be able to make the inner carbon fibre core and then I would love to get some fabulous furniture makers in High Wycombe to ‘skin’ the shoe in leather as their stitching detailing is second to none.”

Why do I not believe that this shoe would last very long, considering the fact that carbon, once damaged on a bike, renders the bike sometimes unusable?

Would you wear it, aesthetically speaking? Is the deconstructed un-shoe the future of shoes?

Super Sneaker Trends for Spring/Summer 2011

Christian Louboutin Rantus Orlato Sneakers

You don’t have to wear heels to like designer shoes; the two are by no means mutually exclusive. The lineup of sneaker trends for Spring/Summer 2011 are so hot, they’re practically dressy anyway – but then, this is coming from the kind of girl who will wear Converse hightops with pinstripes and Doc Martens with a dress. What?

Speaking of which, as you can see in the featured shot, hightops are hot in the coming season. Christian Louboutin is actually working several different trends with his Rantus Orlato Trainer Suede and Metallic Lace-Up Sneakers ($645 at Saks). As stated, hightops are in, the funkier the better. Sneakers in Spring are celebrating colorful, funky ’80s and ’90s fashion – for better or for worse. Louboutin is also paying homage to the metallic madness that’ll be taking everyone by storm. (more…)

Anastasia Radevich: High Heels & Ice Dancing

Anastasia Radevich High Heeled Booties

I don’t think it’s too much for me to say that I am honored to be the one to introduce y’all to Anastasia Radevich’s Kinetik 2011 Collection.  I don’t think I’ve ever fallen in love with an entire collection before, but I can safely say that there is not a single shoe in this one that I do not love.  And if I wax a little poetic because of that infatuation, I hope you’ll forgive me — and maybe come along with me for the ride as well.

The shoes in the Kinetik are not just shoes.  They are many things, but they are not just shoes.  They are, in the first place, like ice skates for every day. (more…)

Lanvin Python & Mongolian Fur Pumps

No surprise to any of our regular readers is the rather obvious fact that I like shoes.  This is beyond the actual ‘shoes I’d like to wear’ and into the land of ‘If I had an unlimited budget I’d consider opening a shoe-museum’.  There are simply too many love-them or hate-them… yet always interesting-to-look-at shoes being made for me to own (let alone wear) even a fraction of the styles that pique my interest.

On a more serious note, on researching the source of the Mongolian fur trim of these shoes (most likely lambswool from nomadic Mongolian flocks) I encountered several articles devoted to  last year’s tragic Mongolian winter; a winter so severe that close to 8 million herd animals died. This has left many nomadic herders struggling to survive with those few herd animals that remain.  Selling their goat cashmere, lambswool and other herd skins is especially important to those now barely surviving this devastating event.  This is a case where designer items are

Lanvin python and Mongolian fur pumps $1990 via Net-a-porter

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