What Would (A Broke, Mod) Audrey Wear?

[Shomore]

Demure. Coquettish. Words that have never been in my shoe vocabulary. In New York, maximum city that it is, more is more. But of course, there is a limit. I am getting a little tired (gasp!) of all the metallics and all the summer flashiness of neon. I love new shoes that invoke a classic, vintage image, and I think we could all use classic for years in this economy.

I saw a woman yesterday on Grand Central's 4/5/6 platform wearing a pair of sky high hot pink patent stilettos with gold tipped heels that were straight out of the Playboy Mansion and screamed "LOOK AT ME!" She was also wearing a hot pink top to match.

Picture this...

<a href="http://www.shoeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/picture-9.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8267" src="http://www.shoeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/picture-9.png" alt="" width="266" height="266" /></a>

Except with a gold heel and in combination with a blouse similar to <a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_9g1xXeNqBDQ/SGweM0EUq_I/AAAAAAAAFk8/Sn8f8c6lxF4/s1600-h/YSL+HOT+PINK+CHIFFON+DRESS+MARKED+SIZE+44+C+80S.JP G+(1).JPG">this dress</a>. I &lt;3 you to pieces, Decades, but I wouldn't wear your dress with hot pink heels, and I don't think you would either.

<strong>Ladies, is this really what we've come to to attract attention in a crazy city, neon AND stilettos AND shoulderpads?</strong> I like the strong shoulders, but I am not going to do those three things at the same time, for god's sake.

<a href="http://www.shoeblog.com/blog/this-week-in-shoes-82/">Shomore quoted Andre Leon Talley being ready for women's sky high shoes to come down a few notches</a>, and even <a href="http://www.wwd.com/footwear-news/ceo-summit-pat-field-on-style-2138496">Patricia Field has been quoted in WWD</a> as being ready for a return to what's "refined" and to "simplicity."

Who's more classic an icon in New York than Audrey Hepburn? I would wear almost every single one of her outfits from her films and most of the ones she wore in her real life too. So I went searching uptown for the kind of shoes (a young, modern discount diva version of) Audrey would wear, and snapped a few window photos in the 50s and 60s that would give me inspiration for cheaper shoes to look for online.

<a href="http://www.shoeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/picture-5.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8258" src="http://www.shoeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/picture-5.png" alt="" width="466" height="346" /></a>

<a href="http://www.shoeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/picture-6.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8259" src="http://www.shoeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/picture-6.png" alt="" width="348" height="335" /></a>

<a href="http://www.shoeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/picture-7.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8260" src="http://www.shoeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/picture-7.png" alt="" width="466" height="349" /></a>

<a href="http://www.frenchsole.com/">French Sole</a> and <a href="http://www.londonsole.com">London Sole</a> are great places to get a little bit of your Audrey style on in a young-ish, daytime, flat heel style.

Apparently, for some, looking like Audrey from the head down to the toes isn't enough. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hippyofdoom/2061065826/">This shoe</a> has Audrey hand-painted onto it.

Here's one of my favorite designers, Signore Ferragamo himself, with a lovely pixie Audrey.

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