It’s been an exciting season hasn’t it? From Christian Siriano’s claws to Vuitton’s tassels and McQueen’s futuristic snake shoes, we have seen quite an array of fascinating footwear. But wait! I think we’ve missed an entire demographic. Why that’s right, it’s time for Fashion Week footwear OFF the runway. The editors, buyers, and general fashion public really bring out the big guns when they do the Spring fashion season. It’s as if the entire year is just a lead up to these weeks when they can bust out their arsenal of couture footwear. Are you ready to see some candid photos of what illustrious industry members around the world wore as they took in the Spring collections. Yes, I think you are.

To get started, let’s go ahead and just do away with a common fashion myth. Who says you can only wear shoes on your feet?

Just kidding, but I love the photo!

There were several through-lines at the collections this year. Unsurprisingly, spangles, studs and spikes were all the rage. Several of these shoes can doubles as weapon. And why not? James Bond often carried weapons in his shoes. These just take it to the next level.

Level 1: Add a few studs to your heels or loafers. Look slightly dangerous.

Level 2: Have Maison Martin Margiela get out the hammer. “People will say you’re crazy. You’ve got nails in the soles of your shoes.”

Level 3: Take it up a notch with ankle weapons.

Level 4: Break out the steel-toed boots. Look angry.

Level 5: Get your shitkickers on. Take no prisoners.

Another popular trend was to add a splash of color or pattern through the footwear to make the whole outfit pop as demonstrated in the following exhibits:

Exhibit A: A gorgeous teal YSL Trip Too Platform heels makes this very on-trend bnw graphic combo pop!

…or you could go the other way and add a Black and White combo to an more understated look with the babies:

Exhibit B: Amerie slips into some leopard print heels to add another element to her gorgeous red/black/white dress:

Exhibit C: LOVE the dress, LOVE the bead, LOVE LOVE LOVE the amazing colorblock heels.

Hey and speaking of colorblocking, check these out. This woman was a model-wrangler. She had to physically move the models from one place to another for 2 consecutive hours. SHe was on her feet and in motion contiuously. She looked amazing and not once did I see her wince. She looked a bit like she might hurt you if you got in her way but…:

Color also showed up in girlier forms:

“Look, bitches, it’s SPRING. I will wear FLOWERS. Yes, I am aware that it is September outside, but inside this tent it’s APRIL! Ya get me?”

“So yesterday, I was trying to figure out what I should wear to Fashion Week. I got out all my old mags and brainstormed and though, ya know Miu Miu did some awesome stuff with sequins, so one if I did them one better and rocked out the rhinestones. So I got out my trusty Bedazzler and handy dandy glu gun (the thing is my BFF) and I WENT. TO. TOWN. Now who’s gonna rock tis town tonight? ME!!!”

In other news, leggings continue to reign in the fashion world and every season I like them better. Now they’re bejeweled, bespanglds, bedazzled, bestriped, beseamed, bespandexed, and bepatterned, (and beworn by, like, be-everyone):

Beseamed:

Bepatterned:

Bedazzled:

Be-everythinged:

Pretty cool, no? Wait a second there, you DID look at the shoes that are connected to those leggings, correct? Didn’t you? You didn’t? Well then REVIEW! They are most excellent.

Moving on, I’d like to open a category I’d like to call CRAMAZING  (crazy and amazing) footwear…

Actually, no, I have way too any photos. You’ll just have to come back tomorrow to check out the next installment of our Worldwide Fashion Week Wrap Up!

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When I think of Mulberry, I immediately think of roomy leather handbags. But, after this season’s Mulberry showing at NY Fashion week, I may find myself unconsciously humming my favorite high-school 80’s tunes.

Playfully set against a gumdrop-bright background of painted carousel horses, Mulberry’s spring/summer 2010 collection was an 80’s-inspired flashback complete with:

Short sets:

Short skirts:

Animal Prints:

Big hair:

(Photo c/o Style.com)

Big bags (even the clutches):

Alexa Chung carrying the 2010 ‘Alexa’ bag.

And even bigger fringe:

I don’t know about you, but these fringed loafers could almost convince a rampantly anti-fringe gal like myself to come over to the dark side.

Almost*

*If I could be  certain that they wouldn’t just wind up in my personal shoe museum.

There’s something appealingly unapologetic about these these ankle boots. The only problem is that any ready-to-wear version needs to have the fringe shortened just a touch; perhaps a half-inch trim to make these practical to wear without sacrificing their dramatic appeal?  Yes, the floor-sweeping fringe makes great runway theater; but, ultimately, who wants a soft and luxurious suede to be ruined through normal wear?

Except where otherwise noted, photos are c/o Mulberry. Special thanks to Jeremy for providing us with detail and close-up accessory photos.

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It was grey and raining outside Band of Outsiders Spring 2010 presentation. No one was please that it was going to start 15 minutes late and that we wouldn’t even be allowed inside the main building to escape from the rain before it began. That is, we were annoyed until we walked in and saw that Scott Sternberg and team had taken a bare NY studio and transformed it into Los Angeles, beachside. Models stood in the sand, wearing the fun English childhood collection that Sternberg put together. It was awesome! There were huge sand dunes with grasses “growing” out of them. A pond with model-controlled electronic boats was next to an abandoned sailboat. One model stood above the rest, atop a huge rock, while another scanned the sand with a metal detector. A clever scene from a man who took the time to thank both Snuffaluffagus and the Cookie Monster in his show notes.

And as for the shoes, they were clever too. The men wore Band of Outsiders for Sperry custom designed boat shoes in that particularly soft nubbly grey that you find in your favorite sweatpants, though I couldn’t quite see if it was, in fact, sweatpant material. Sternberg collaborated with Manolo Blahnik on the women’s footwear making some incredibly cute suspender sandals. Straps were wrapped around the model’s feet and hooked to the other side with a suspender clip. The same patter was used in some very cool miniskirts as well.

Take a look at this merry Band of Outsiders.

The guy on the left is my favorite male model of Fashion Week: Thiago.

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Yesterday, r5bales showed you Christian Siriano’s new shoe collection, which will eventually be reimagined for Payless. His last collection was toned-down considerably for sale to the general public, so it remains to be seen what will happen to his newest heel innovation: The Claw.

To recap:

But it seems that Siriano is not the only designer to have decided that The Claw is the way to go for Spring 2010. Tomy Cohen, who showed his deconstructed collection at Bryant Park yesterday, seems to have embraced a similar aesthetic. Check it out:

Admittedly, Cohen’s Claw is not nearly as pronounced as Siriano’s (we are talking about CHRISTIAN SIRIANO here), but it still doesn’t look that stable to me.

So tell me, what do you think of The Claw? And while you’re thinking about it, check out more of Tony Cohen’s collection as well as the Larare for Tony Cohen footwear collection.

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Today I just wanted to give our readers some happy Saturday eye-candy.

So, I went straight to Louboutin in search of some drool-worthy choices. What I found were variations on timeless lace.

This first one is my favorite, even if the shape is all wrong for my particular feet. The all-over lace and that peek of red sole are superbly matched.

Christian Louboutin ‘Ronda Dina’ 140 mm platform pumps; $1025 at Net-a-porter.

But, if you are more of an ankle-boot gal, this next style may be more your speed.  Cute horizontal lace patterns make this a nice update on a classic allover lace boot.

Christian Louboutin ‘Paola’ 100mm ankle boots; $1155 at Net-a-porter.

(The Paola is also available on pre-order at Saks)

For a more conservative take (using the same lace as the Paola), is this classic pump designed with a lower, sturdy heel. This is a great look that is not likely to go out of style.

Christian Louboutin ‘Ambro’ lace peep-toe pump; $825 at Nieman Marcus.

Finally, for you gals that like to show off a bit of bad-girl vibe, check out this shoe-confection made with lace, studs, and a zipper bow. This is glam-rock for a new generation.

Christian Louboutin ‘Candy Stud’ pumps $965 at Saks.com.

So, this is just one designer’s take on lace. Are you anticipating more fabulous lace creations from other designers this fall?

I know I am.

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