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A few weeks ago, Payless Shoes held a preview of their fall 2009 collection. At the showroom, one of our very own shoebloggers, TwinkleToes, had a chance to interview Project Runway 4 winner Christian Siriano (swoon) about his Payless shoe collection. We’re super excited to share the interview. Stay tuned…
Christian Siriano for Payless: Blue Bootie from upcoming Fall 2009 collection
My mama always told me trends come in threes. Didn’t yours?
No? Well, ok, my mama didn’t exactly say that either, but I think we can safely assume that three designers picking up a shoe trend means it’ll be making an appearance at the retail level for us plebs. And I can’t say as I’m unhappy about that when the shoe trend in question is the lacy details that showed up in the Marchesa and 3.1 Phillip Lim shows and then again yesterday at Rebecca Taylor.
Me, I wouldn’t pair these pumps with trouser socks, but you know… whatever floats your boat.
Zac Posen seems to be trying to send some business over to the folks who make the Bedazzler. Otherwise, how to explain the rhinestones on some of his shoes.
Also, no, your eyes are not deceiving you. That is a velvet and clear vinyl knee boot on the right there. *shudder* Not a Zac Posen fan, me. Very much not.
But the show I was most looking forward to, in news that should surprise none of you if you’re faithful Shoeblog readers, was Christian Siriano’s. Much as I may find the man incredibly annoying to listen to, I can’t argue that he has great conceptual clothing. And after Twinkletoes’s preview hinted at fabulous shoes to come, I was giddy with the anticipation.
And then came the show itself. And you know what? Christian Siriano’s shoes were the best part.
They’re edgy and cool and young and sleek, if not anything terribly far outside the box. They sure as hell outdo the clothing, if you ask me. Apart from two dresses, I found the whole thing to be a largely shapeless, unflattering collection of blah browns occasionally enlivened by a metallic texture or a teal tone. Dare I say it (and here’s something I never would have thought I’d say about Christian), a lot of the outfits looked cheap and poorly-made, and the shoes are what provided the style spark. Case in point:
That dress is a horror. I’m sorry to be blunt about it, but that looks like something I could pick up at Forever 21 for $19. The shoes, though? Well, the shoes are a very Christian-appropriate FIERCE (and look at the retreating model’s gorgeous footwear, too)!
For those of you who followed that particular Project Runway season (and you can check out our shoe coverage over this way), you’d certainly recognize the over-dependence on ruffles and giant shoulder-bulging sleeves. I’m disappointed in the line overall. Except for the shoes. And except for these two dresses, which are—to use another keyword of Christian’s—fabulous.
Want to check out the rest of Christian’s line? Elle has pics here. Agree with my assessment? Disagree? Comment your little hearts out.
So, everyone knows about Simply Vera by Vera Wang at Kohl’s. I’m not a huge fan of the clothes, as I don’t know if the goth meets boho meets Transylvanian count thing really works for me, and I don’t think much of the shoes either.
But recently, on a somewhat scary outlet-plagued suburban family trip to pick up household goods, we stopped at a Kohl’s near my parents’ house in Southern California. It was the first time I’d been inside a Kohl’s since I was 12 and living in suburban Illinois.
That’s where I came across the ELLE line. I was tickled to see that some of the design was quite good, and would expect no less from a line that the magazine stamps its label on. I got a cute little purple cropped sweater with rolled sleeves that doesn’t seem to be on the website, this demure little cropped white jacket and this adorable pintucked faux silk shirt and got loads of compliments on them and looks of disbelief when I revealed their store of origin.
But I didn’t notice the shoes because we didn’t go to the shoe section. Then I looked online on a whim after a cross-continental fashion phone conference with one of my dearest friends today about how we were trying to incorporate looks we weren’t used to, that were edgy and smart and urban, but still thriftily stretched our dollar.
So I was pleased as punch to make the acquaintance of these Ultra Dress Heels, on sale for the price of a pair of Payless heels at $24!!!:
These stylish Vivas look pretty much exactly like a bunch of other current shoes that cost a lot more from other retailers. They are on sale for $39!
And cute! These royal purple Necole flats will have people thinking you paid much more than $19.99 until you tell them how you got a total steal (or don’t):
Bet you ShoeBlog readers can’t wait till Christian Siriano’s line comes out for Payless! What does the man-child adored by Victoria Beckham and well known for accusing people of venturing into Hot Tranny Messdom know about designing shoes? Who knows! But we will all cross our fingers and hope for edgy, fun shoes priced between $25 and $45 from the man best known for being fierce! We’ll preview them next month, but I just wish we didn’t have to wait until this fall to buy them!
Payless Shoesource is one of those guilty pleasures I occasionally just must indulge. Today I popped in to see what had trickled down into the land of affordable winter fashion and was pleasantly surprised at the number of lined winter boots options that are available. An in-store Buy One Get One 1/2 off is just a nice bonus. While the BOGO is not currently showing online, there are also several styles that are still on sale at the Payless website.
There were also a few styles that I saw in-store that would definitely be appropriate for the bargain shopper looking for cozy winter footwear:
First, the cute and casual Airwalk Tabitha Flat Sweater Boot $39.99. It’s just plush enough inside to make that cold winter wind seem less intimidating.
Next, the Funky bejewelled American Eagle Beaded Wedge Boot $49.99. Definitely a boot for when you want to feel both cozy and still dressed-up.
For those of you who are already into toe-freezing weather and snowy days, a more serious cold-temperature snow boot is the Nora Weather Boot $34.99. Good to -20 Farenheit, it’s also got a nice practical sole meant to provide traction in slippery areas.
Finally, we come to my favorite, a quick side zip pull-on ankle boot with a cozy lined interior, the Marcia Fur Boot $34.99 is a perfect choice for the cold and rainy season when your unlined fall boots are just not up to the job of keeping your toes warm but you do not really need a full snow-boot.
I do find it refreshing when a boot is not automatically $150 and above - yet can still get the job done; Payless has stepped in with some reasonable winter values.
For those of you in the United States, Labor day is one of those three-day weekends that is synonymous with shopping (although for plenty of men it is synonymous with grilling). For many of the younger set, it is the last big holiday weekend before school resumes. What is interesting to me is that a holiday that originated with the intent to give a day of rest and appreciation to the working citizens has morphed into a day where those folks working in service industries (particularly retail and food service) continue to work during the holiday to serve the rest of us who are lucky enough to have 9-5 employment.
If you happen to work in a government or white collar job, enjoy your day off. For those of you in the service industry, been there, done that; I do hope you’re eligible for overtime.
To all of those working through the holiday, THANK YOU for your commitment and work ethic. This is my cheerleader moment: Our people are what keep our nation strong.
And, to those in a shopping frame of mind, there are a few sales. Unfortunately, there are not as many as I might have hoped:
1.) Asos has a shopping discount code good until Sunday, Sept 7th; Enter “ASOSGLAMOUR” at checkout for 20% off (I do not know if there is a price floor on this discount):
(Lotus Long Vintage Panelled Boots £190.00 before ASOS discount)
2. Bloomingdales is having a “Big Brown Bag Sale” through today [Extra 30-50% off Select Sale Items valid thru September 1st, 2008 on Bloomingdales.com only. Sale Items as marked. Discount Automatically Taken at Checkout. Offer is not valid in conjunction with any other offer. Delivery charges and applicable sales taxes are additional. No adjustments to prior purchases. Offer excludes Electronic Gift Cards Beauty, Gifts, and Home (Including Furniture & Mattresses). Online Offer differs in Bloomingdale's store locations and is not valid on bloomingdales.weddingchannel.com]:
3. Bluefly has select shoes at and additional 25% off through today. I don’t know about you, but in my book extra discounts at Bluefly are always a good idea:
4. Eluxury is giving an additional 30% off sale items:
How about these D&G patchwork sandals for an additional discount off the $539 sale price (Originally $895). That puts these under $400:
5. Nieman Marcus has free shipping for orders over $200 and for any shoe or handbag purchase over $350, a gift set of 12 designer notecards will be sent as a gift with purchase.
I don’t happen to have any $350 shoes that I can’t live without. However, the notecards are darned cute.
6. Payless Shoe Source is having an online and in-store BOGO: Buy one; Get one for 1/2 Price. Always a crowd pleaser:
7. Shoebuy has a 20% off discount code; Enter “LD2008″ during checkout. This is a great time to purchase a last-season clearance boot for fall. With few exceptions, boots are a classic, trend-proof fall staple. Don’t forget that if you are registered with Shoebuy, you normally receive an additional 10% discount above any current sales promotions.
Bronx ‘Zari’ on sale for $194 -20% -additional 10% = $139.68; 35% off the original $215. Gotta love them stacked discounts. I know I already said it, but the extra discounts make this a great time to browse; great time to buy.
As always, happy browsing!
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