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.

Paris Fashion Week: Louis Vuitton SS 2010 RTW

Is it just me, or have many designers forgotten the meaning of the phrase ‘Ready to wear’ during the Spring-Summer 2010 runway shows?  I know the runway is about drama, but more actual wear-ability in RTW lines would be nice to see.

Am I being too judgmental?

Perhaps I am in the minority here, but, I am willing to take the risk of being called  ‘unfashionable’ (or worse) when discussing the footwear that made it’s appearance at this week’s Louis Vuitton RTW runway show.

(Photos c/o style.com & nymag.com)

Called “terrific—modified clogs, moccasins and penny loafers, with kitten heels and feathery tufts” by Cathy Horyn at the New York times – I must, respectfully and vociferously, disagree!

We are, after all, speaking of these shoes:

And, painfully, all of these:

About the only thing I liked on the runway was the playful beaded take on the classic LV monogrammed bags (Which, if you take off that over-sized, fringe tassel, is kind of adorable):

Let me be clear on this.

I love that Marc Jacobs is unpretentious and playful with fashion.  Really, I do.

And, the idea of LV embracing MJ and adding a bit of play into their line is a nice idea – in theory.

But, please……..Let’s hope designers and fashion houses remember that we regular people need to do more than look at our fashion. We need to be able to wear it, too.

Maison Martin Margiela SS2010 RTW

(All photos c/o Style.com & Vogue.uk)

Maison Martin Margiela’s spring 2010 Ready-to-wear runway show struck me primarily as experiential performance art. The idea of fashion itself felt at though it was more of an afterthought to the main artistic performance; a convenient subject matter and the runway an under-utilized performance venue. Judging from some of the reviews out there, response has been mixed at best.

Is it art? Assuredly.

Is it wearable…the truest test of a consumable such as fashion?  Perhaps.

The number of women who will actually spend money on such experimental fashions – particularly since they seem to be composed of papery fabrics and blocky styles is very limited.

The phrase that came to mind while I was browsing these images was ‘Retro-futuristic‘.  These styles are incredibly reminiscent of the various space-costumes seen in The Jetsons, 1950′s-60′s B-movies,  and the old Buck Rogers television show (Colonel Deering, anyone?).

As to the footwear, it was an attention-getting mix of baggy boots, the occasional basic pump, and legwarmers-cum-gaiters-cum-hip wader/chaps.  I have to wonder, where is our attention supposed to be here?  There is so much going on visually with each model; each look seems to have it’s own competition going on between outfit and accessories; only a few looks managed to succeed in being both interesting and balanced.

So, is this intriguing? Yes.

Wearable? Maybe, if some of it is scaled down a bit. Right now these are so conceptual and over-proportioned that most wearers will get completely lost among the garments & shoes. I’m a big believer that you should wear your clothing, your clothing shouldn’t ‘wear’ you.

Plus, I’ve done the baggy slouched boot before.  Boots that slouch past a certain point simply become physically irritating as they move around the leg and foot with a life of their own. There really is a point where a boot gets too baggy to practically wear.

Would you wear these Prada Lug-sole boots?

I have to admit, I was intrigued by the new Prada Lug-sole boots with the separate buckled strap that I just ran across over at the Saks website:

Prada Lug-Sole Boots $1350 at Saks.com

Even more, I am confused on how I managed to miss seeing these before now. Must be that darned real-life getting in the way of my shoe time again.

Ah, well. If you, like me, were having trouble visualizing how these would look on the body, here are some shots from the Prada RTW 2009 show (c/o style.com):

I have to admit, I liked these better before I saw the runway shots. On the body, they’re just not working for me. I can actually feel myself beginning to like them less and less even as I write this.

And, my husband’s comment of “What’s with the crotch-strap?” when he saw these on my computer screen certainly gives me another mental association that I really don’t need when looking at any pair of boots.

So, now it’s your turn.

Would you wear these…and if so, with what?

Marcell Chunky Heels

I’m sorry, I love a chunky heel because it is easier to walk in.   However, I am simply not feeling any love towards these Marcell Lace up sandals ($512 at Luisaviaroma).  The chunky heel looks as if it broke off and someone clumsily attempted to glue it back together.

Maybe someone agreed with me, because they decided to cover up the broken heel over Marcell’s peep toe bootie version ($538 at Luisaviaroma) buckle strap.

What do you think – walking disaster or great design?