Harajuku Lovers: All Grown Up
Posted on July 11th, 2009 by galligator under Focus on the Shoe Brand, Harajuku Lovers, High heels, L.A.M.B., Oxfords, Platforms, Sandals, Spring 2009 Shoes, ZapposI just ran into some of the newer styles of Harajuku Lovers shoes. Up until recently, the Harajuku Lovers shoe line has been filled with casual sneakers and slip-on flats. Not so this season.
Harajuku Lovers has apparently taken a page from Betsey Johnson and Beverly Feldman and gone from cute and casual to feminine and fabulous.
Perhaps, with LAMB shoes following the trend of increased prices that we have seen in more established luxury brands (Last spring, LAMB shoes were around $400, this spring some styles were near the $700 mark), Gwen’s Harajuku Lovers brand is expanding to include club-worthy shoe styles at college-friendly prices? After all, it makes sense to establish a recession-resistant middle ground when the pricing on your flagship brand starts outrunning the budgets of your primary customer base.
Here are several favorites from Harajuku Lover’s new look:
Harajuku Lovers ‘Laila’ $80 at Zappos
Too bad I can’t successfully wear yellow.
This is a wonderfully vibrant spring style. And those heart details at the vamp and buckle are all girl!
Harajuku Lovers ‘Liberty’ $90 $73 at Zappos.com
With top canvas and rope details, these just might have fellow blogger trainingheels cringing in horror. But, I’m pretty sure these are perfect for gals that love a casual sandal that can successfully dress up a pair of jeans as wekk as a fun and flirty summer sun-dress.
Harajuku Lovers ‘Paley’ $100 at Zappos.com
These red-hot penny-loafers are my absolute favorite - conservative, but not at all stodgy or demure. I love a classic style with a sexy twist.
And look at this, much like Betsey Johnson, the soles are also part of the whole playful package:
Super Cute! How’s that for ‘secret soles‘.
There are several more Harajuku Lovers styles available that I haven’t shown here. And, while I might miss the cute canvas casuals that were available last year, I love that some of the LAMB attitude is now available at Harajuku prices.
Because, however much I love shoes, I love not going into debt for them even more. With prices ranging from $70-$100, these fun heels are accessible on most shoe-maven’s budgets. Plus, imagine the prices if you run across them on sale. Now that’s something to get excited over.
- Biviel Shoes
- And they were all yellow
- Matiko Patchwork Monday
- Amazon.com Super Sale on Designer Shoes
- Steve Madden Polka Dot ‘Bunni’
- Delman “Sahara” platform shoes
Piperlime
July 11th, 2009 at 8:20 am
I am going to have to let these styles grow on me. While I don’t immediately dislike them, I don’t have the urge to buy a pair tomorrow.
Poor Trainingheels. We are forever going to be teasing her about cork and rope.
July 11th, 2009 at 8:29 am
Oh, the soles are cute! I love the red pair.
July 11th, 2009 at 9:17 am
OMG!!! They are so cute. Want them all. Perfect for a cute summer look.
July 11th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
R5 - These may be a little bit too cutesy/young for some tastes… I have a weakness for oxfords & maryjanes, so a sub-$300 option is nice to see on the penny-loafer…they also have some colorful flat slingbacks, but I decided against listing the entire Zappos catalog here at shoeblog. LOL.
But, I think this is a good decision as a sister-line to LAMB. (Akin to MBMJ/Marc Jacobs; Just Cavalli/Cavalli) I like many LAMB styles, but they have hit DIOR prices this year & that is just too much, IMHO. I do think this makes HL shoes a better ‘introductory’ brand for younger women who will not be able to afford LAMB for several years. They definitely seem to fit in with the vibe of the younger Gwen Stefani fans.
July 11th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
Gal I am old…so my tastes naturally are old (laughing). Boutique 9 also gives those who want more designer fit and look from Nine West.
You are right about it being good business offering an introductory shoe. I am suspicious that Choo will be doing the same think after seeing how well the H & M offer will do.
July 12th, 2009 at 2:34 am
very nice shoes
July 12th, 2009 at 9:22 am
8-10 years ago, $300-$500 was about average price for a quality designer pump. Now, that has become ‘mid-range’. Some houses may find themselves forced to add mid-lines as they have priced themselves out of the non-rich yet still successful upper middle class shoe & fashion lovers…I wonder if this year’s uber-high prices are an attempt to ‘re-shine & repackage luxury’ after last year’s freeze on business credit forced businesses such as Saks into extreme sales just to get the needed cash flow to survive until commercial lending opened up again. It will all depend on each company’s design model and whether they can be ‘profitable enough’ with uber-luxury clients only. The fact is, the overall consumer base will never be ultra rich. So, It really depends on the individual design houses & how they consider expanding; if they do it correctly, they can expand their exposure without necessarily diluting and damaging their luxury brands. The recession may have been a wake up call to businesses that courting the upper middle class can be a recession-resistant strategy if there is a middle ‘greater value’ line in place. Certain brands like CL will not ever go this route; Louboutin is handcrafted, limited in manufacture & in-demand. That has pushed prices on that brand through the roof …basic economics 101, limited supply+high demand = higher prices. But, I am not sure that less in-demand shoes really justify the recent prices we’ve been seeing on almost all designer shoes - particularly since many are not 100% hand-made.
The more I am around shoes & retail, the more I think you could write a thesis on them & the people who buy them (several, actually)
July 14th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
lol. I love the ones with the leaves. These are all adorable!
July 14th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
lol. I love the ones with the leaves. These are all adorable!
I’d definitely pay 100 for them. I love how original they are.
July 15th, 2009 at 7:31 am
I love cool soles on shoes. It sounds silly, but I love when they make fun prints in the snow or mud. Check out chickdowntown.com for some great fashion!
July 15th, 2009 at 8:45 am
i would love to see a review on the libertas shoe line. i have the vixen sandal from artfulwears and srsly, they are about the most comfy and sexy sandals i’ve ever owned.
July 15th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
The designer for both Harajuku Lovers and LAMB has her own blog: http://theshoegirl.blogspot.com/. I just sent her a note with your post, she will sure enjoy it ;o)
Best and Long Live The Shoe Fashionista!
The Fashion Perpetrator
July 16th, 2009 at 6:49 am
I actually purchased them on Monday from Zappos, they arrived on Tuesday. They are beautiful!
July 16th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Lea - which pair? If you take modeling pics, post them in the forums….
August 6th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
see more on official website: http://www.loutouyin.ru
August 22nd, 2009 at 11:11 am
Thank you so much for the kind words!
xox
August 22nd, 2009 at 6:17 pm
So nice to see you drop by. We’re pretty friendly here.