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.

Martinez Valero: Carla

Speaking of Turquoise…..

Have you see these Martinez Valero dark turquoise, peacock-feather, fringed sandals?

Martinez Valero ‘Carla’ $174.95 at Endless & $179 at Zappos

Glamorous!

….or is my Over-the-Top radar misbehaving?

There’s something about peacock details that, when done correctly, adds an immediate fashion wow-factor.

These are working for me.

(Yeah, I know, they also come in black. Pshaw! It’s just not the same.)

Anyway, I originally saw these on an endless.com banner back in December:

But, ba-bing, clicking through the banner and eventually through the main website, they were nowhere to be found  by either color or keyword as I tried to find out the maker – so I that I could (naturally) share these babies with all of you.

However, that has recently changed, and these luxe sandals are now (back?) in stock at endless – allowing me to get a style name and then proceed to compare prices at both Zappos and Martinez Valero.

I am loving these. But, I can see that these might be one of those love ‘em or hate ‘em statement shoes.

So, how about you – Love or Hate?

ETA: Since the publishing of this post, both Zappos & Endless have sold out of this shoe, but it looks like it has since become available at Heels.com and DNA Footwear, but sizes may be limited.

Pantone’s Color of the Year: Turquoise

I’m not one for following every color trend that comes along.

As I push on closer and closer to (age) 40, I tend to stick with those colors that have proved to be complimentary to me over the years. Luckily, pretty much anything in the blue color family works for me.

Plus, with something close to an even zillion re-tweets last week of Pantone’s Color of 2010, this particular color trend seemed worth mentioning.

It will certainly be interesting to see if fashion and shoe trends fall in line with this prediction. It makes sense given the current resurgence of 80′s-inspired fashion that several of the staple colors from that decade, including turquoise and fuschia, would make an appearance. I also recall seeing a significant increase in both turqoise and fuschia sandals last spring and summer, so maybe this is less of a prediction than an acknowledgement of an emerging trend.

So, here it is:

15-5519 Turquoise, an inviting, luminous hue, as the color of the year for 2010. Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise evokes thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a languorous, effective escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing.

Luckily for me, I already have my turquoise for the year – care of a few great sales last spring:

Guess ‘Chiquita” & LAMB watch

Sandals by ‘Hot in Hollywood’

Report Signature’s ‘Dita’

Okay, I’ll admit, the last is more of a faboulous sky blue, but what’s the point if all of my shoes are the exact same shade?

Anyway, while I doubt any of these shoes from my collection are still available anywhere but the retail aftermarket, there are still a huge number of fantastic turquoise options for you to choose from right now.

Among them:

Christian Louboutin Double Platform Knotted Mule $895 at Nieman Marcus

Christian Louboutin Glitter Peep Toe Pumps $725 at Nieman Marcus

Stuart Weitzman Turquoise Embellished Strappy Sandals $395 at Saks.com

And, for the slightly more budget-conscious:

Jeffrey Campbell ‘Downtown’ Bootie $139.95

Poetic License ‘Kiss and Tell’ $94.95 at Nordstrom.com

Tory Burch Reva Jelly Flats $95 at Saks.com

Steve Madden ‘Saahara’ $49.95 at Nordstrom

And, for the extreme frugalista:

Montege Bay ‘Oscar Bow’ $16.99 $12.99 at Payless.com

Montego Bay ‘Marissa’ sandal $19.99 at Payless.com

So, will you be on the hunt for the perfect turquoise footwear this year?

Worldwide Fashion Week Wrap Up

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!

NY Fashion Week: Mulberry SS 2010

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.