Ladies, let's talk shoes.Specifically, let's talk Fall '09 shoes. Far more experienced fashion scholars than ourselves could probably spin out theories having to do with the economy or the Presidential election or any of a number of politico-socio-econo-cultural events as to why this is the case, but has anyone noticed how complicated shoes are getting? Where are the simple pumps, mules and slingbacks? Half of these shoes look like they require an engineering degree just to get them on. Walking in them is, of course, a secondary consideration. That's not actually anything new. Fashion has been dictating that woman walk slowly and carefully for centuries now. It's all about the design, not the practicality. Which is fine, we'd rather talk about how they look rather than the inevitable surgical interventions they will induce. By all means, point out that they're hard or nearly impossible to walk in, but that tends to make for a somewhat limited conversation. It's the look that inspires; not whether or not one can catch a bus in them. Because let's face it, no woman wearing any of the following shoes is going to be riding public transportation any time soon.
One thing that's notable about shoe fashion (if not fashion in general) in recent years is that there is no longer one type of heel or one type of sole or one shape of toe box that's in vogue. It's all up in the air. About the only thing you definitely won't see in the following examples is a low heel. It's all about height, baby.
Shall we begin? Yes. Let's.
Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Calvin Klein, Carolina Herrera
That McQueen is perhaps a bit too BDSM for most, but we like the rest of them. The Herrera is especially pretty.
Chanel, Chloe, Christian Dior, Christian Lacroix
Love the Chloe and Dior; the Chanel's kind of cool; not all that crazy about the Lacroix.
Derek Lam, Donna Karan, Dries van Noten, Emilio Pucci
Love, hate, love, love.
Fendi, Givenchy, Hermes, Jil Sander
Pretty much love them all except for that sole on the the Jil Sander.
John Galliano, Jean Paul Gaultier, Lanvin, Louis Vuitton
Love the Lanvin but the rest range from silly to just plain ugly.
Marni, Matthew Williamson, Michael Kors, Miu Miu
Yes, no, yes, and ...hmmm. It's kind of strange.
Narciso Rodriguez, Oscar de la Renta, Prada, Stella McCartney
Like, LOVE, HATE, like.
Versace, Viktor & Rolf, Yves Saint Laurent, Zac Posen
Love, like, like, and would love them more if they weren't paired with those hose.
Et vous, darlings? What do you think?
[Photos: Style.com]
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