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Groundhog Day is February 2 and you know what that means? The Groundhog Day movie marathon! 24 hours of Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. yay! This, of course, leads me to wonder if I was in the same situation, what shoes would I wish I had put on the morning before to wear for the rest of my life (the same day over and over… remember)? I do love heels, but for the rest of my life… well, I’m thinking sneakers with a bouncy rubber sole.
As always, I’ve got some good picks for you below (I’m sure you’ll notice from the red-ish colors that I was also thinking about another special February event when I selected these sneakers!).
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Left to Right: Coach Mable lace up sneakers, Keds Champion S/O plaid slip ons, Dolce & Gabanna IC5AJL suede trainers, and Nike Blazer Mid Shearling high tops (lined with shearling! Good-bye Uggs!).
People magazine and Mary-Kate Olsen agree that gladiator sandals are definitely one of the major ”it”s for spring. If you already have some of the flat gladiators that were around last spring and summer, here are some new styles moving the trend forward.
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Left to right: Steve Madden Kia wedges in rust, Via Spiga Tonn sandals, Nine West Heech wedges
But as some of the magazine sources from our previous blog (Putting Trend Tellers to the Test) state, gladiators of the flat variety are definitely not out of the picture. Here are some picks and ideas to fill up your closet. Don’t you love the green jelly style by Melissa? I’ve seen some adorable Fendi jelly flats on the spring pre-order lists so watch for more jelly styles. I think they’ll be a nice surprise trend (Remember all the jelly shoes Marc Jacobs put out last year? Like those perforated peep-toe mini wedges? yum).
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Left to Right: Melissa Gloria mini wedges, Steve Madden Spirro flats, Steve Madden Trinnity sandals, and Fornarina Pefam metallic thongs.
I always wondered how some people make their season predictions. Sure I expect people from Vogue to be at the catwalks, but The Wall Street Journal? How about writers of the millions of blogs around today? They can’t all have been at the tents. Anyway, enjoy everyone’s Spring 08 predictions below! (I’ll re-post this in the summer so we can see who got it right). And, I’ll add more sources to the list as I read through them. Please feel free to add your finds to the list by commenting.
The Wall Street Journal (Dec 27) said: keep dressy suits and polished looks, ballerina flats, bold colors and eco-friendly clothing. WSJ’s lose ‘em items are: giant handbags, trapeze dresses, puffy sleeves and flashy daytime pieces (sequins, metallics, etc).
Marie Claire (Feb) is going for: natural fibers, patent, colorful exotic skins, gladiator flats, architectural heels, tribal detail and neon colors.
Vogue (Feb) showed: mostly pictures of pointy or open-toe pumps with very sculptural heels and lots of toe decorations. Below are some of the same shoes from the magazine (but in different colors! Thanks style.com). And they highlighted “technicolor exotics” for bags and shoes (all the shoes were open-toe sandals – special note to Manolo Blahnik’s bright yellow python gladiator boot heels).
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Left to right (all styles featured in Voguebut these are different colors): Louis Vuitton, Prada, Prada (imagine without the checkered tights and it’ll seem much more wearable), Marc Jacobs (look closely at the heel, it’s a kitten heel and a wedge!).
People, Style Watch edition (Feb 2008 – page 54) chose tall gladiator sandals (wedges or heels) and extreme fantasy style with fancy heels. Other clothing trends they mentioned (which could make their way to shoes too, sure) were: bright colors, 70s Ikat prints, ombre prints, large flower patterns and warm white to beige handbags. Going one step further, People also advised the fashion savvy to keep: yellow, sequins, snake skin and prints, ballet flats and platform heels. They did not tell of any shoes to lose for the spring transition.
Elle (Feb 08 – page 95) started with sheer shoes in transparent tulle and mesh (especially those by Christian Louboutin, see below). They also talked about the increasing use of feathers, bright to pale petal pinks, lingerie or plain old pajama inspired designs (corset lacing, lace or satin heels, velvet slippers) and platform mary-janes for a bit of a Lolita edge.
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Left to right: Christian Louboutin pink chiffon peep-toes, Key Te brown mary-jane wedges, Nina bright pink satin heels.
She She Me (Sassy Fashionista online newsletter sent 1/25) predicts platforms, earthy wedges, gladiator flats (we have a slight difference of option here with People magazine) and basic thong flats, but she does mention that height and color will also be key elements.
Lucky (March 08 – page 189) listed wooden heels, t-strap heels, sophisticated woven wedges, satin platform heels, mary jane flats, peep-toe slingback heels, and bohemian-inspired metallic sandals (the strappier the better) in their Spring Shoe Guide.
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Left to Right: C Label‘s Lady Licorice champagne and gold sequin mary janes, BCBG Max Azria‘s Naola brown satin platform heels, Unisa‘s Kohana tan woven wedges, and Mia‘s Greenwich wooden heels.
If the buzz from news sources going around today is true, we’re all going to be seeing larger tax rebates this year (yay!). Now maybe you have other things to do with that money than spend it all but I feel we really should all do our part, even if it’s just the tiniest bit, to stimulate the economy (that’s my excuse and I’m stickin to it). So in the spirit of tiny contributions, some excellent shoe options are below. You may notice they’re all cozy slippers… well, until I actually get that refund (which I hear may take until June), I may have to lay off some of the non-essential luxuries for a while… like the heat. You know how it is, right? 
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Left to right: Steve Madden Flicker, The North Face Tent Bootie, Steve Madden Vellvet, and Steve Madden Knit slippers.
So many hollywood stars and starlets are having babies lately: Christina Aguilera (boy- Max Liron), Nicole Richie and Joel Madden (girl – Harlow Winter Kate Madden), Toni Collette (girl). Jessica Alba, Hallie Berry, Jennifer Lopez, Jamie Lynn Spears, Lily Allen, all pregnant. Matthew McConaughey’s girlfriend Camila Alves is pregnant, Jack Black and wife are expecting… And before that, of course, Katie Holmes, Britney Spears, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt, Kate Hudson, etc.
Anyway. Lots of babies around equals a booming baby industry of cute baby things. And, if you look at Katie Holmes and her baby’s identical haircuts as any indication, we’ll probably also see people looking for cute adult stuff (I think I even saw a picture of Heidi Klum wearing matching antler hats with her kids).
Bringing it around to the conclusion: I predict society as a whole will start allowing fun, colorful, cute things for the “older” crowd more and more as the babies keep coming. Almost everybody allows themselves to be silly when a baby is around (one word: babytalk – the consciously imperfect or altered speech used by adults in speaking to small children). With that in mind, what better buy for the winter than a bright pair of rubber rainboots?! Embrace your inner child and go splash in a puddle.
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Left to right: Sigerson Morrison Kelly boot with spectator details, Steve Madden skull print (!) Flood boots, Coach pink, red and purple Paisley boots, and Stuart Weitzman dalmation print Drizzle wedge boots.
Natalie Portman has collaborated with Te Casan to design a collection of limited edition vegan heels and flats. Since only 100 will be sold in each style and color and they’re pretty well priced for being limited edition ($185 to $275) and the website’s allowing a pre-order… well, my size was already sold out. So, to make myself feel better, I searched for some man-made shoe alternatives (I’m not vegan, but I totally support the lifestyle). Save the leather supplying cows! Ok, all the cows. I mean, all animals everywhere!
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Left to Right: Rampage metallic brown Juicy pumps, Style&Co teal Eliza satin heels, Steve Madden bone white Pleatt flat boots, Calvin Klein silver Ella espadrilles.
Today Apple announced the new MacBook Air. For $1800 (the projected initial cost of said Air book before upgrades and add-ons) you could get 20, 30, even 40 pairs of shoes! Ok, I’m getting a bit carried away. But seriously check out the deals below. And for the tech savvy fashionistas out there, I’ve got a great place for laptop deals! The average price for laptops from these guys is a mere $677. Think about it, you can satisfy your technological needs and still get a couple of hot heels for less than the airy Mac.
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Magazines and runways alike have been displaying exotic skins pretty significantly for 2008′s shoes. The February issue of InStyle Magazine says you should jump on snakeskin and snake embossed shoes right now! Think pump or sandal styles with skinny jeans. And if you want to go an InStyle-ish step further, opt for studs or a fierce shiny color for a bit of rockstar vibe.
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Above (left to right) we have: DKNY, Carlos by Carlos Santana, Farylrobin, and Enzo Angiolini
I saw these great Christian Louboutin booties online. But at $1,040, mama almost had a heart attack!! So I searched high and low and came across these frugalistic alternatives for $59.97! And in a more conservative black…mama likes!
Although I have been hearing from all over about the return of pointy toes for coming seasons, Lucky Magazine remembers that many of us still have a bunch of winter trends to wear out (and I don’t think round-toes will be pushed out the door too quickly). They suggest pairing round-toe pumps with wide-leg pants or tights and a snug skirt (I’d imagine a mini or pencil skirt would look equally appealing, especially with tights). And, if you want to snag two trends at once in order to carry your shoes gracefully into the Spring, opt for a punchy color. Checkout these great picks below.
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Remember your lesson from last year: you can wear peep-toe shoes in the winter with your tights peeking out. Just make sure the tights are in good condition please.
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