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Maybe you’ve seen them in the runway coverage, but I’m pretty sure it has not been announced as a trend by any major publication yet (correct me if I’m wrong, I’d love to congratulate them)… ready? (don’t peak at the pictures!!) boots with exaggerated “cuffs” that fold to the floor. Here’s the proof and the progression of the trend:
The first instance I noticed this boot style was when Tara Subkoff did her collection of shoes for Easy Spirit. She did these 3.5″-ish Elease wedge boots in leather and another version in suede (I was lucky enough to get the latter – soo comfy!). I’m pretty sure no retail store still has these for sale (they were new around 2005/06, I think) so I recommend doing whatever you can to get your hands on a pair if you ever see them at a flea market or thrift store. The cuff on the suede pair skims the floor and pools over the toes but I don’t know if that’s how they were intended to be folded or if it’s just because suede is less stiff than leather.
These Tara Subkoff boots remind me of a pair of Hidden Wedge Boots by 80%20. I wonder if the hidden wedge is the true pre-cursor to the long cuff idea: it seems to be all about hiding the heel in one way or another.
Second is an example available right now. These gorgeous boots are from Botkier’s fall collection (and Botkier, speaking of, has a collaboration line of bags for July/August with Target – I love her!). The long-cuffed Xenia boots (below) take the silhouette away from plain easy design with pencil skirt-like pleats at the back over the heel (not to mention that hot flash of fuchsia).
And last in this proving it to you session, we have boots from Givenchy’s recent Couture show which should be in stores soon (or by special order only, of course). Showing on the runway was a cowboy boot style (the dipped design at the top of the boot shaft) as well as a soft ombre stripe version, both below.
Awesome, right? Here’s some final advice though if you’re already ready to pull out that credit card: The simple fold, straight hem version of this style will be easier for other brands to make/knock-off. So, if you want the boots you’re most likely to NOT see on everyone else’s feet, look for details like the cowboy shaft or back pleats you saw above. I’ll keep you posted if I see any other cool versions.
Or, if you want to get a pair of these boots for less, just wait a bit and I’m sure you’ll see a similar styles all over the mall. If you’re crafty, you may even be able to use this idea to transform an old pair of boots you have into something that looks brand new – try sewing matching material to boots that already have a small cuff for the easiest way to elongate it.
UPDATE 9/14 – I just spotted these new boots by Theory at Neiman Marcus:
UPDATE 6/04/2009 – I love updates. Here’s a Givenchy example from the sale rack at eLuxury.com. They were $1,575 and now (only) $1,102.50.
We’re Working on a Great New Look For NYshoespy! Sorry For Any Craziness Until It’s Completed.
(don’t worry, there’ll be an announcement)
THE UPDATES KEEP COMING! 10/8/08- Lucky Magazine’s November issue (page 88) featured a section about heel hardware; they wrote: ”metal detailing gives even the simplest heels an unexpectedly glamorous spin”… exactly what I was talking about down below above the first set of pictures! (and yeah, they pictured a Tory Burch pair too). Remember you heard it here first back in July!
UPDATE 9/3/08 – My pick below of the Jessica Simpson “Fox” ankle boots was also just ranked as The #1 Top Bootie for Fall by About.com: Shoes!! I guess great minds think alike.
Harper’s BazaarInstant Chic section for July (which means fashion for Sept/Oct) highlighted two fall shoe trends that are worth stopping here to read about: ankle boots (in case you thought that trend was over, you were mistaken!) and gold wedge sandals, specifically when worn with dark, opaque tights! As you may know from past blogs, I fully support tights with open toes, so that this is being mentioned as a major trend I find super exciting.
You’ve probably seen all the look a-like booties by now (or shoeties – not a fan of that term), they’re solid black leather or suede with a sharp 4 inch heel and hit right below the ankle. I was crazy about them when they were fresh, but now? Yawn. Still, I want to wear booties (major trends are my playground) but it’s going to need a nice twist to snare me now. So in that vein, I have some less generic (but no less fabulous) ideas for you below.
This Coach version (my first pick below) may be an unexpected bootie style you never thought to try: faux fur trim and a lace-up front. The only lace-up’s I’ve seen recently are spectator, menswear-inspired styles, so an alternate lace-up style is fresh looking. Even better though, is the fact that these boots walk straight into winter equally as chic. Now my second choice may or may not be for you, but there have been a lot of designers dabbling in moccasins styles off and on the past few seasons (Marc by Marc Jacobs, for instance). So if you pick up on it now, once it becomes a full blown style, you’ll be ahead of the game! (Luckily, the shoes are fashion-forward now too).
I love the slouchy business on these Steve Madden booties in my third spot. They would look so “cool urban hippie” paired with a lightweight dress (maybe a solid color in silk with a knit cardigan thrown over the top?). And last, don’t those shiny buttons just pop?! But I especially love these patent Jessica Simpson booties because of the silver heel (Did you notice Anne Hathaway’s shiny gold heel tips flashing from below her pant hems in Get Smart? I think they might have been these Tory Burch heels). Shiny heel tips are popping up (or should I say popping out?) all over the city.
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Don’t worry, I’ve also got some cute picks for Bazaar’s second fall trend: gold wedges! And mine all have an interesting element – why go for basic? The Carlos Santana wedges below have a clear lucite heel that I am completely crazy for. I’ve been seeing clear lucite heels (or tinted lucite, like the Jimmy Choo heels here) more and more. The next pair I selected, by Betsey Johnson, have a fun cut out in the center of the wedge, not to mention the flash of silver snake-embossed leather on the heel surrounded by all that gold. It really draws attention to the hole and adds negative space, like the heel is somehow open there too (I mean it makes it look like a blocky “c” shaped heel, if that description only made sense to me).
Last, a tall faux wedge by DKNY. You can get a little confused with classifying these types of shoes: if you’re describing a wedge heel as being better to walk in because there’s more surface area touching the ground than something the size of a pencil eraser, then these aren’t wedges. But, if a wedge is just a heel connected to the opposite end of the shoe underneath the arch, then they are. I think both are correct so I call them faux wedges and they earn a spot here! And with that super bright gold color, these DKNY’s would look super hot with black footed tights.
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Interesting news from the shoe world to fill your 4th of July weekend. Be safe with your fireworks (if they’re legal in your state), be safe with your skin (meaning sunscreen!) and be safe with your shoes (securely fastened to your feet if you’re going on a roller-coaster or that they don’t mind water if you’ll be at the beach).
With offices stationed in Southern California for more than 30 years, Chinese Laundry recently announced that its first boutique ever will stay in the area. The store will sell Chinese Laundry footwear, bags, denim, belts, hosiery and sunglasses. With the brand having been around for so long, at first I couldn’t believe they’d never had a store. Chinese Laundry has long been a solution to the no cash but need a pair of heels right now rut I come upon fairly often. I actually had to trace sidewalk paths in my mind around the cities I’d lived in before I could really convince myself I’d never seen a store of their own! Give the brand some love!
The Louis Vuitton Group (LVMH) recently won a huge lawsuit against eBay. A court in France found eBay fully responsible for letting people sell counterfeit Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior goods on eBay.com as well for allowing the sale of 4 specific perfume brands (Kenzo, Guerlain, Givenchy and Christain Dior) which can be sold only by authorized distributors.
The actual terms of guilt from the ruling were “gross misconduct and detrimental breach.” And the court completely threw out eBay’s claim that their website users are themselves responsible for engaging in illegal activities such as (obviously) buying or selling counterfeit goods. Ebay has been told they must pay about $63 million in damages but do plan to appeal – partially because such a ruling is “anti-competitive” (per an eBay press release) and would hurt small businesses everywhere.
What if, like the perfumes in this case, other luxury items (shoes!!, handbags, sunglasses) begin to be restricted as well and brands start to withhold the sale of those items from everyone but a very select few authorized people? Can you imagine a world where you can only buy your Marc Jacobs shoes straight from the Marc Jacobs store? Good-bye super sale prices. I don’t support knock-offs, but I hope eBay wins their appeal at least partially. It seems too broad a ruling to be of any good to consumers.
Last but not least, I got married about 2 weeks ago (honeymoon last week and time off for planning/organizing before that – sorry for going missing for a while!). Anyway, these are the Calvin Klein heels I finally decided on and wore (thanks to Justin Tinapay for his excellent photos!):
Showing Some Love