Shoe blog

Spring 2011 Runway: Jen Kao’s Ethereal Barefoot Styles

I am not terribly familiar with designer Jen Kao.  There are so many fashion designers, both new and old these days, that it just seems like it’s getting harder & harder to keep track of them all.  But here’s one I will definitely keep my eye on.

….Starting with the footwear.   Unlike so many other designers who are still creating skyscraper heels that put fear into the hearts of professional runway models, the ‘shoes’ paired with Jen Kao’s light, flowing outfits were breathtaking without adding even an inch of height to the models lucky enough to be wearing them. (And, yes, that is a hint of jealousy you are getting from me.)

(Photos cropped to show detail, originals via style.com)

I love this barefoot-sandal concept. Can you imagine being one of the models for this show – realizing that you were going to walk the runway, literally, on your own two feet rather than on typical pair of beautiful-yet-precarious stilettos?  It makes for a great mental image.

Oh, and the actual fashions were soft, dreamy, and romantic. For me, they instantly conjured images of fairy courts à la Brian and Wendy Froud.

Photos via Style.com

Apparently much of Jen Kao’s past shows have been all about  body-con styles; which even when I was super thin did not work for the hip-endowed skeletal structure with which I have been blessed. I much prefer flowing styles to skin-hugging body-con fashions.

Here is  my personal, favorite  dress from the Jen Kao SS2011 runway:

I would wear this in a heartbeat.

Oh, and barefoot sandals are not new to Jen Kao.  If you can’t wait until spring and would like to indulge in this casual but fun footwear style, here are a handful of  my favorites via etsy sellers (although, if you go to esty & search ‘barefoot sandals’, you will get hundreds of unique results):

Mystical Lovely’s Red and Gold Barefoot Sandals

Totus Mel’s ‘The Spine’ hand-tatted barefoot sandals

Totus Mel’s ‘The Queen’s Feet’ hand-tatted barefoot sandals