Shoe blog

Paris Fashion Week: Lessons learned

The most notable shows and the most notable shoes at the Paris Fashion Week were exciting and full of life; they remind us that ars sutoria is an art of extreme elegance, extravagance, and ingenuity, one that, without taking itself too seriously, is capable of going to great lengths to provide us with that adrenaline rush that we usually experience in the presence of true beauty.

In general, the shoes were powerful and meant to be seen; more significantly, they were meant for women who have something to say–something bold, provocative, but also very playful and extremely sexy. To quote NYT’s Guy Trebay from his recap of the Paris clothes, “Clothes …  are only as chic as the urge they excite in others to uncover what awaits beneath.” The shoes were made to match the clothes–and to provoke such urges.

Here’s what seem to be the emerging shoe trends of these past week:

• patents and in general shiny materials–think silks, brocades, satins, metallics, and the like-are simply a must on the feet of any stylish girl.
• peep-toes ain’t going nowhere, and straps are hotttt!
• the more you can mix shoe genres, so to speak (sandal and bootie, boot and gladiator sandal, slingback and boot, oh you name it)–the better;
• you ain’t wrong going with the basic black or white (or both), but you’re also free to mix just about any vivid colors you want, sometimes the more the merrier; oh, and don’t forget the colorful, graphic patterns, either;
• while wedges seem to be mostly out (sadly), even more regrettably, astronomically high heels seem to be very in–with or without the platform;
• go find right now some good lace or fishnet socklets, and make the lace very intricate or the fishnet very glittery; wear them with sandals or some sort of cutout shoe, so their beauty can be appreciated;
• details, details, details; your shoes cannot have enough add-ons–think ribbons, butterflies, buckles, laces, cutouts, tassels, trinkets, lace inserts, buttons, appliques, beads, and in general, a wide variety of ornaments that express your inner playful persona; and yes, your shoes, far from being simple accessories, COME WITH THEIR OWN ACCESSORIES (how ironic, how very pomo!);
• it’s all in the heel: the heel (and occasionally the toe) has gotta to be funky–in shape, ornament, detail, position, etc.
• finally: every shoe must embody at least three out of the eight trends above (any less and it’s no longer remarkable, n’est ce pas?).

To wit: here are some of the more memorable shoes we’ve seen this past week:

- Chloe:

- Miu Miu cut-out dragonfly boots:

- Louis Vuitton (Marc Jacobs for ~):

- Hermes:

- John Galliano:

- 3.1 Phillip Lim:

- Alexander McQueen:

- Balenciaga:

- Chanel:

(the “rehab” shoe–so named after the attached purse)

- Christian Lacroix:

- Dries van Noten:

- Jean Paul Gaultier:

- Givenchy:

- Marni:

- Nina Ricci:

- Valentino:

- Yves Saint Laurent:

All photos courtesy of Style.com.