Shoe blog

Fashion Week Recap: Shoes from Paris

Now that the biggest mama of Fashion Weeks, Paris, is over, I thought I’d review some of the Parisian footcandy.

The shoes in Paris seemed to fall into one of two categories: boring boots or impossibly weird abstraction/comical portrayals. These photos are via nymag.com since I was sadly not there to witness Paris.

What is up with Jean-Charles de Castelbajac’s critter kookers?

Hussein Chalayan, meanwhile, gave us grandma-on-acid legwear with men’s shoes. Etrange!

The legwear matched the neckwear. Do you remember ER, Endoplasmic Reticulum, from freshman biology? That’s what this stuff looks like to me. Where are the ribosomes? Is this organelle going to swallow us whole?

At Givenchy, red, black and laceups with hexagonal buttons were the rage. Some of these boots were pretty but with so much red? Red pants and red tights with red shoes seems a bit much, especially in this shade.

At Gaultier, weird, gauche Asian-influenced style ruled. Sure, the Chinese slipper with ballet lacings inside the platform is innovative, but the colors are so outlandish and the shapes are such an eyesore, I cringed all the way through looking at these. And what modern woman really wants to look like a raver candy-colored geisha/elf on acid?

We see what you are going for here, Gaultier, and we just want to let you know that you need to go back to the drawing board and erase some of the cheese. It looks like you stole your fabric from the discount bin at Chinatown’s worst shop and threw some sweatpants made from dishtowels on over dollar store tights.

Some of the others at Gaultier weren’t QUITE as appalling but were still generally a tad bit frightening, especially when combined with horridly ugly pants meant to show off the socks and shoes.

Have we noticed that every single model’s feet are too big for the shoes? Inside the closed-toe shoes, the models’ toes must be aching! I heard that a lot of these ubertall models wear size 10 or 11 shoes! No wonder they can’t find shoes their size!

Chloe didn’t show us any love with weird bootie boots emblazoned with their name. Nothing to be proud about, these horsey moonboots.

Miu Miu did something playful but doubtful in its show. It looks like Minnie Mouse’s ears and bow have been folded over this foot! This is too hot for summer and will get wet in winter. Perhaps with a different fabric like leather?

Sonia Rykiel to the rescue. She had at least one lovely pair of shoes, though they weren’t avant-garde in any way and should’ve been a larger size for this model, whose heel sticks out awkwardly. Why can’t her Target collection have shoes like this instead of just weird stripey clown sweaters no fashion-loving Frenchwoman would ever wear?

She also had some kooky jewels on some ugly shoes (which, although they were the same shape as the above beauties, seem to be horribly and quickly made, with wrinkles and uneven stitches).

Maybe next time we’ll see some things that strike wonder and fancy with their innovation instead of just strangeness and confusion. Until the spring shows!