Pattern Among Pattern Among Pattern...

A trend for this Spring deals with wearing pattern on pattern. Doesn't matter what print you are wearing with whatever pattern. For example, this Spring you will be able to wear stripes with florals. So why not incorporate that within footwear? Exactly what I was thinking! Here are some new shoes offered in radical prints!
Here are some Moroccan, geometric printed kicks by Keds! They are sold for about $60 and can be found at any Ked retailer like Nordstrom or even Macy's!




Here are some other fun flats that can eb worn dressed up or even dressed down. They are simple, but include a crazy print. They are Bandolino flats that can be purchased for $59 at Zappos.com
OHHH!! Now we got some gladiator sandals that have passed through the stage of being a fad and have become a long lasting trend. The even better part about these ones is they are patterned and only $48. This would be a great cost per wear item since they can be worn at least through fall in warm weather states and will most likely be able to be brought back out next Spring 2012!



AND now here are florals!!! My Favorite and the other reason they could be your favorite is they are only $16 at Wet Seal!!

Now that I have given you examples of footwear in every form in different patterns and exactly where you can get them, you better buy some! Either find some more based off the examples I have given or take the easy way out. Hope you enjoy, and keep on patterning!

BNF

New Spring Collabs !

April is full of surprises and wonderful showers of love! and by this i mean.. designers are collaborating with others to complete their lines with more products and for new target markets. 

One that I am particularly happy about it Alice and Olivia's Collaboration for the amazing online shopping website Shopbop. It seems as if Alice + Olivia has finally found its home after a long and tired journey. The brand based out of New York City and whose designer is Stacey Bendet..

has partnered up with Shopbop with a footwear collection for spring 2011. They also made a a short film to illustrate what the collection will be all about. The short film features pretty models playing around in a fantasy land with decadent deserts and candy. 


Here is the video for all of you to drool over :)

The two most popular styles are the Juliet wedge in black, white and leopard and the Dahlia sequin flat in black, silver and gold. The styles, are priced at a mediocre price of $195 for the flats and $245 for the wedge and re exclusively sold at Shopbop.com. 

They had previously partnered with Payless Shoe Source with a line of shoes, but it is very apparent that this collaboration is much more fitting for the brand and the target market.

The next collaboration, is both shocking and super exciting.. Paige from Paige Premium Denim and Terry de Havilland have decided to launch and exclusive shoe collection for spring 2011. The two designers are both experts and innovators in the fashion world.The collection is very small but they consist of four must have shoes! Here is a little sneak peak.. 

hope you enjoy these new and exciting collections. CDJ :)

Fergie Footwear

Stacy Ferguson a.k.a. "Fergie" has joined the club of designing shoes. FergieShoes.com is just one brand of the Brown Shoe Company. The Brown Shoe company has been in the shoe business for 125 years and some of their brands include Famous Footwear, Naturalizer, Via Spiga, Carlos by Carlos Santana and many more. And although her shoe line has been out since Spring 2009, I hadn't heard much about it and it is a very cute line so I thought it was worth mentioning.

Fergie is a So Cal native who continues to have great success. She is a Grammy Award winner and an actress. Fergie Footwear offers a variety of cute styles like pumps, strappy sandals, clogs, boots, and even gladiator sandals. her prices range from about $80 to $120 for shoes and up to $170 for boots. Her shoes can be ordered online at Fergieshoes.com or at retailers like Nordstrom.

I'm surprised that i don't see more girls wear her shoes, i think they are super cute and trendy. When i think of Fergie, i think she has style and she rocks whatever she wears. I wonder if there is just too much competition for her shoe collection. after all, there is Jessica Simpson and now Ivana Trump that seem to cater to the same target market.

-ggg

MARCH MADNESS !

+Ms. Sarah Riley, is New Zealand’s first high-fashion shoe designer. From the time Riley was a little girl she always knew shoes made her happy but did not seriously consider being a shoe designer until she was twenty-five years old. Sarah believes in creating exquisite footwear that enables women to “feel like a million dollars and to unleash the goddess within”. According to Ms. Riley each heel is a work of art brought about by her influences from fashion, art and life.
   
- this is her new collection:

          : going to back to an earlier blog post, this new designer has touched on the new spring trend, ANIMAL PRINTS and SKINS! All of her new collection incorporate the finest leathers and some sort of animal skim. All of these have snakeskin on them. It is very exciting that New Zealand's first high fashion shoe designer is getting a lot of press and buzz!

+ as i am scanning paris fashion week for fall trends, i notice the tall and beautiful boots are all the rage for fall here are some of my favorites!

      

: viktor & rolf fall 2011

     

: mcQueen fall 2011

        

: valentino fall 2011

Brown fur with red python trim military boot

GREEN WELLINGTON PLATFORM BOOTS

Black alligator boots with corset lacing      

: louis vuitton fall 2011

     

: jean charles de castelbajac fall 2011.


+ my favorites have to be the McQueens and all of Louis Vuitton's collection by Marc Jacobs. they are so interesting and detail oriented you can not help to stare! I feel like the lace up boots are going to be huge for spring!


+ Shoe designer Chrissie Morris has been getting a lot of praise for her new collection, for the past couple of seasons Mrs. Morris has found inspiration in the Art Deco movement, Cubism, Sports and Science. 
     
-This season Chrissie was inspired by the posters created by Hapshash & the Colored Coat and the artwork of Alphonse Mucha.  The perfect blend of colors in the psychedelic posters created by Hapshash and the Coloured Coat show their influence throughout this Spring collection. please visit www.chrissiemorris.com for more info.

- The patterns used for the heels were inspired by the stained glasses designed by Mucha.

CDJ ;)

Toms vs. BOBS??

Toms came out with the men's and women's footwear craze of super casual, flat, canvas, slip-on shoes. Whenever there is a craze, there will always be followers, as we have seen before. The only thing with these Toms shoes is, they aren't just shoes; for every pair bought, they guarantee to give another pair of shoes to a child in need. A new trend and a philanthropic event all mixed in one is a hard obstacle to beat. But again, Sketchers has tried to become a fashion leader. Sketchers came out with shoes looking identical to Toms, but instead with the name Bobs on them. In order to top off Toms, they made their styles around $5 cheaper and slightly changed their motto to say: "Grab a pair of Skechers Bobs for cool and casual comfort for yourself and Skechers will give two pairs of these slip ons to a child in need!" So now sketchers are making this classic trend look identical and selling it at a cheaper price with even more donation made! Well what is the difference then? Well let's check out the product description in terms of quality:
For Sketchers Bobs:

• Printed canvas upper
• Elastic insert for easy slip on
• Cushioned footbed
• Synthetic sole
• Imported

For Toms:

• TOMS classic suede insole with rubber cushion for comfort
• Latex sponge arch insert for added support
• One-piece outsole made with a mixture of rubbers for resilience, flexibility and durability

Well even though we don't know exactly what Sketchers is using, how Toms website writes out the quality of the footwear it just sounds better and more technical. They actually give you every detail of what they use, which shows you they are proud of and fully back their product. I'm a good ol' original girl! So I usually will always pick the original copy. For this one I got to go with Toms all the way for their good quality and reassurance of a good product, even though it is a little more money. And I still have to say they don't look exactly the same to me, but I can be high maintenance like that. I mean it is great that Sketchers is being even more compassionate than Toms, but c'mon it's a complete copy!

BNF

IVANKA TRUMP "Steps" into Nordstrom

Adding to her jewelry collection and handbag line, Ivanka Trump is “stepping” into the show business. Although her shoe line was announced last year, her first collection has just hit stores and starts off with a wide variety of spring looks. Her collection ranges with looks including pumps, sandals, flats, even sneakers. The collection is supposed to have over 75 different models with prices from $80- $200 a pair. Her collection is being sold at Nordstrom.

IVANKA TRUMP shoes are very cut and stylish; the variety of styles or models may catch the attention of many consumers. Some of her styles include more formal looks and even come in white which are perfect for weddings. Ivanka Trump has shown some of her looks on the show The Apprentice, and now everyone can look like a millionaire.

I personally like her collection, all her shoes seem very stylish and I like that she designed shoes with different height of heels because lets be honest, not all of us can wear 4” heals for an entire day. She carries more elegant styles for special occasions but also regular pumps for a normal day to the office. Her sandals are great to wear with a spring romper or even sneakers to wear while walking the dogs.


-ggg

W.W.K.D? What Would Kim Kardashian Do?

Okay so what is the deal with all the shoes that claim to make you more fit? Consumers feed on this trend right when they hear a simple weight loss solution that virtually requires you to do nothing! Every top action sportswear brand has caught on the band wagon and made their own version of a body shaping athletic shoe, even to mention, Sketchers, who surprisingly was quick to follow the money making scheme. This market has obviously strayed far away from being a monopoly, since these sneakers can be bought in any size, shape, and form, and even price with Payless's introduction of their version. Right when Sketcher's catches a glimpse of this they take the dollar sucking market to the next level: adding Kim Kardashian. What even compares to having the top watched reality star advertise your product? If Kim has it, the consumer wants it. The Sketcher's site includes a special section labeled "The Kardashian Collection," that narrows down their absurd amount of "tone-up" shoes selected by the Kardashian family. I am just surprised they didn't spell collection with a "k!" Whether you believe the claims made by these footwear devices or not, the market for these body shaping shoes has gone to the next level. Now that Sketcher's has Kim, what's next? Reebok has Lady Gaga with even more higher, bulkier, out-of-the ordinary-looking shoes that claim to drop you 2 lbs. a week?!
BNF

Animalistic Tendencies !

- so as i am browsing fashion week reviews and people watching at my favorite coffee shop.. i am spotting more and more footwear not only inspired by animal prints, but by anything having to do with them: whether it is the shape or by incorporating actual horns, feathers, and skins. 
   + these shoes become instantly one of a kind and more conceptual. 


- the first topic I want to touch on is the fact that AOI KOTSUHIROI unveiled an exotic regrets shoe collection, typically a jewelry designer this was unexpected and highly and widely accepted. 


   + here are a couple pictures of the first model made by the designer:

   + the shoes are made of urushi lacquered horns, urushi lacquered cherry tree and leather. The  shoes are black, 7.7” high and one-of-a-kind.

- the next shoe is by DSquared, the are inspired by animal vertebrae, at first they are quite scary, but once they are one they look amazing!

- the next pair of shoes is from Louis Vuitton Spring 2011 collection: These actually have different animals on them. They are super fun and instantly add a pop of color to any outfit.

- for the next trend, i have been seeing a lot of twists on classic, everyone knows that a leopard heel is not only a classy statement piece but that it never goes out of style. 

   + Taylor Reeve a designer for Men's Quiksilver has created a couple of shoes with a twist that i absolutely love!

- lastly using different textures, like feathers can really add interest to a basic black pair of stilettos.

  

   + these black feather pumps with a gold brocade heel were made by A La Femme as a tribute to Alexander McQueen.

- i hope this inspires you to tap into your animal instincts and spice up your wardrobe with some wild and fierce pair of shoes. RAWR !

   + CDJ ;)