Would Borat be welcome at a fashion show? What about Ali G? Or even Sacha Baron Cohen without the costumes and with charming girlfriend Isla Fisher in tow? None of these characters were present at the Agatha Ruiz de la Prada show in Milan, but Sacha certainly made an appearance. Bruno, Cohen’s fashion-crazed, alter, alter, alter ego literally stormed the runway. He not only managed to get backstage, but onto the runway where he stomped down with the best of them before security got involved. (Given the nature of the show in question, I suspect it took viewers a few seconds to realize that Baron Cohen was not actually part of the show.

Eventually the lights in the tent were turned off and as media and onlookers called “Luce! Luce!” security grabbed Bruno and hustled him out.

But this is shoeblog, so what does this have to do with shoes? Look closely at Bruno’s self-made runway get-up. In addition to a cape and practically every piece of clothing in his closet, Bruno has tied what looks like a Mukluk to his left leg. Apparently, even he cannot escape the lure of the furry bootie.

 To check out the looks of Spanish designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada for the Spring 2009 show, go here. De la Prada’s candy-colored surreal confections are worth looking at for the sheer weirdness of them. Envision a brighter, crazier Betsey Johnson. (Difficult, isn’t it?) I’m betting that the outlandish nature of this designer’s aesthetic may have figured in Baron Cohen’s choice of ambushee.

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Donatella Versace’s dedication of her Mens Spring/Summer 2009 Collection to Barack Obama combined with her much publicized desire to dress Hilary Clinton in more feminine pantsuits might have led excited fashionistas to think a politically-themed RTW line for Versace in Milan seemed imminent. Such was not to be the case. Donatella followed up her successful Mens show with a delicate collection where much of the beauty could be found in the details.

This was definitely one of Versace’s more subtle collections. That is said with some reservation since Versace is never really subtle. It started out with some very cool blacks and whites, then the brights came flooding in, the fabulous geometrics, the zippers. The final pieces had a huge POW! effect. They were gorgeous, multi-colored collage designs featuring the Versace medusa image.

 In the shoes, the shapes, and the accessories, hearts made a huge showing.

The heart zippers led into the zippered footwear:

And bejeweled heels:

There were three pairs of the following shoes in the show. They were unlike the others in that the were wedges with the Versace Medusa logo embedded. Here’s the thing (or things, in this case):

1. They were lucite. I don’t know what to think about think. Chris Rock advises parents to keep their daughters out of Lucite for a very good reason.

2. The front reminded me of a well-known, classic toy which is perfect for expanding dexterity and learning to piece things together (puzzles, life events, outfits, ect), but do they really work in footwear? Check these out and tell me if you note the similarity to the pieces of an erector set. I don’t know about you, but I think it’s uncanny.

So the question is, would you wear these?

Do you see the resemblance? It’s totally there!

And here is the fabled lucite heel:

One finally point. My favorite part of these shoes was….the sole! OK, maybe I am easily amused, but I thought that the yellow soles were awesome. Versace craftily used a mirrored runway to show them off. They perfectly complimented the electric blues and yellows in the show. So you can see now why I called it subtle, right?

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I had the luck to be working backstage at the Christian Siriano show at NY Fashion Week. What a madhouse! In addition to the regular melee of cameras, models, makeup/hair folk, and stylists, many of Christian’s friends and family were backstage helping the man himself prepare for the show. Among them were Jack Mackenroth and Sweet Pea (who seems to have picked up a gig reporting for MTV news) from Season 4 of Project Runway.

So let’s talk shoes:

Each of Christian’s models wore a pair of 4-inch stiletto heels in gray, acid green, or neon orange. Several had charming flower-like fabric appliques at the front or the back. These high fashion shoes bore no name, so this girl did a bit of detective work. Want to know how to make high fashion runway footwear?

Step 1: Go to Aldo. Purchase 30 pairs of  heels in a light color.

Step 2: Go to an Art Supply store and purchase some heavy duty paint.

Step 3: Whip out the hot glue gun and some bits of leftover fabric.

Step 4: Mix well.

Here are the before pictures in Taupe ($69.98) and Black ($84.98):

And Voila! Here are the the end results:

Pretty cool, no? That right there is a true PR innovation challenge.

Here are some photos of the backstage ruckus just for fun:

Christian makes some adjustments

A Model waits to go on.

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So, there I am, looking at various online thumbnails of Fashion Week’s Spring 2009 collections.  I am primarily looking for interesting color and style trends as well as any interesting or new silhouettes that might appeal to you, our readers.

Well, then, how surprising is it that this itty bitty little photo catches my attention?

Could this be some form of demi-wedge?

No, not so much.

Up close and personal, here is the instant replay:

OUCH!

Yes, boys and girls, that is a Heel gone Horribly Wrong.  I have read every review I can find for this particular show yet I have found no mention of Catwalk Catastrophe. I have to say that whichever unlucky model got this flawed footwear deserves a bonus for fancy footwork.

Now, if you were interested in what this looks like in more pristine condition, here is a much better specimen for your attentions.

I’ll admit to feeling justifiably leary  in regards to the stability of this painted cork heel; I would certainly recommend a quality control review on this design. However, I am rather fond of the powder grey color.  It’s actually a lovely neutral that works all-year-round and need not be limited to Spring 2009 (or any other particular year or season).

In this same neutral color scheme are a couple of other styles that I found much more attractive than the ill-fated caged-sandal above. 

This lace-up maryjane is a sweet Spring style; on-trend, though not exactly breaking new ground. 

I admit that I am still trying to work out my feelings toward the following corset-laced ankle boot.  Kudos are given for attempting a convertable boot style; I’m actually finding myself really attracted to the look of the folded-over cuffed sandal version. At the same time, I’m really not fond of the fully-laced, scrunched, ankle-boot version of this same style.  I am not convinced that both looks are truly successful.

[Photos courtesy of Elle.com, Style.com & Vogue UK]

Of course, as is true with all Fashion, this may be as much a matter of individual taste as anything else. What do you think?

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One of my favorite things about fashion week are the celebrity looks off the runway. For NY Fashion Week Spring 2009, we saw…

Jennifer Lopez at the Oscar de la Renta show. J Lo wore fall 2008 Alexander McQueen bejeweled pumps featuring a 4.5 inch heel and jeweled, silk vamp. The shoes are available at the Alexander McQueen online website for $995.

At Michael Kors Spring 2009, Blake Lively from Gossip Girls was decked in, what else, head to toe Michael Kors. The lattice A dress is available at Netaporter while Michael Kors’ patent ‘Candi’ double ankle strap pumps are at Zappos.

Lindsay Lohan arrived at the Samantha Ronson show in these hot blue Chloe peeptoes, which are selling at Saks (for forest green only) for $585.

Mary Kate Olsen loves the knee high, bondage, gladiator inspired look (seen in Chanel here). So it came as no surprise that Mary-Kate wore these Spring 2008 Givenchys at the DVF fashion show.

Finally, Nicole Richie was rocking these suede with zipper pull Pierre Hardy pumps. They are 675 euros at Luisaviaroma.

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