The Toe Zone Shoe Blog on Fantastic Toe

It’s almost fall, are you ready for fringe shoes and boots?

I may not be. I think this fringe thing is tricky to pull off — there is plenty of opportunity for mishap, including the very real possibility of resembling Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. Plus, I keep flashing on a trip I took with my family in 1973, to Estes Park, Colorado. I bought my first pair of moccasins, in one of those fake-old-timey trading posts. And they were the grooviest, you’ve got to believe me on that, I literally wore those shoes OUT. But, it’s now 35 years later, and I’m just not sure I’m ready to look like my 6th-grade self again.

On the other hand, maybe I am: Fringe is fun! It’s hip (not hippie)! It’s also undeniably of-the-moment. Celebrities are wearing it. Blogs are blogging it. And, of course, most importantly: All the top designers have created gorgeous footwear decorated - to varying degrees - with it.

For example:
Christian Lacroix’s pink-heeled beauties and Stuart Weitzman’s Feline include whimsical touches of fringe, to create gorgeous heels that are surprisingly versatile. Meanwhile, Christian Louboutin’s Forever Tina Fringe Boots take an in-your-face approach, combining skyscraper heels with more fringe than you were likely to see in Haight-Ashbury in 1968: this boot is indeed for the bold fashionista. In the middle ground lies Gucci: both its Iggy Fringe Boot and Cambridge High-Heel Moccasin have enough fringe to allow their wearers to participate in the trend, without its taking over their look completely.

Bottom line: There are plenty of options for fringe shoes and boots, even for the fringe-nervous. Let’s take a look at some of your shopping options:

FRINGE BOOTS

Perhaps the most traditional vehicle for fringe, these newly-popular tiered boots have actually been around forever. They’re great for bopping around town on weekends, and look funky with skinny jeans or a short skirt and tights. The newly resurgent Minnetonka makes a classic calf-high boot with 3 layers of fringe. If you seriously love fringe, this is a great choice. If that’s a little too classic for you, check out
these boots by Joie - Deja Vu with 5 tiers of fringe - I love the cognac color and the more delicate fringe. If you’re a one-tier woman, these Dollhouse Loomy boots might be just the ticket. They’re not quite as fringe-y, but are still fun and of-the-moment.

FRINGE SHOES

Fringe is not just for boots! Fringe on high heels amps up their sexyiness and playfulness, no doubt. Speaking of No Doubt, check out these fabulously sexy sandals from L.A.M.B. (Gwen Stefani’s line) – sort of make you want to go dancing, don’t they? Another sexy option is this pair of Marciano heels: the black patent leather is great, and they have kind of a gladiator thing going on too! If you’re looking for a dynamite daytime shoe, these
Moschino oxfords would be great paired with a more conservative outfit. While they have just a touch of fringe, it’s enough to really punch up your look. The same is true for these fun and funky pumps by Juicy Couture, what a great antidote to a boring work outfit.

FRINGE FLATS

Fringe on flats is adorable! Don’t you love these orange fabric/white patent leather confections by Oh…Deer! – they would be absolutely smashing paired with denim. These ballet flats from Juicy Couture
are incredibly versatile, the fringe is very subtle, but they are a great fall shoe. Finally, wouldn’t you feel gorgeous in these Alexander McQueen sandals on your island vacation this winter?

Be bold and embrace this trend, and enjoy your shopping!

“The trends I am really feeling for the moment are color and the gladiator sandal. For Fall, I am loving fringe.” (Fred Allard, Nine West Creative Director)

Are you as conflicted about gladiator sandals as I am? On the one hand, gladiators are undeniably the It shoes this season. Celebrities are wearing them; reporters are writing articles on them; I reluctantly point out that there was even a Cathy cartoon about them.

On the other hand, I am not alone in thinking that gladiators may not be the most flattering shoes ever to touch pavement. And, let’s not forget: There was a Cathy cartoon about them. How can we ignore that?

My mind aswirl with this conflict, I set out with a single objective in mind: Create a short list of flattering and comfortable gladiators, that don’t cost a fortune (in case-gasp-they go out of style), and that actually could be working pieces of a non-celebrity wardrobe. Let’s answer once and for all if this is a trend worth embracing.

My first step was to check out the designer scene, to see what the big boys were up to. And, boy, are they making some gorgeous glads! Not surprising, of course; this is what they do. Dior’s now-famous Extreme Gladiator is fantastic, as are the sandals from Stuart Weitzman, Jimmy Choo, and Manolo Blahnik. Of course, for one reason or another - too expensive, too high, too unavailable - these shoes are not right for us. However, they can at least inform our choices: Perhaps we can find the designer touches we like - the metallic finish, the delicate straps - in a more downscale version.

With this in mind, I visited a few of my favorite online shoe stores, intent on building our short list:

• Zappos.com: A search for “gladiator” returned 3 pairs of gladiator sandals and 1 men’s thermal top. Hmm, perhaps they are not keeping up with the blogs - someone needs to alert them to the gladiator trend! Like the LA Lakers, this is not their finest hour. Of my 3 choices, I opted for the gladiator from Matiko ($95).
• Heels.com carries a respectable 17 picks, mostly flats, overall a nice selection. Our candidate from this site is the “Tells” from Enzo Angiolini, in yellow ($89.99):
• Piperlime.com offers a manageable 61 choices. Of all the sites, piperlime.com seems the most attuned to the trend: “gladiator” actually made it to the site’s left-side navigation, making it easy as pie to find what you’re looking for. Our candidate from this site is the “Hottie” from Charles by Charles David ($65).
• Shoes.com offers a whopping 79 pairs. I cannot resist passing along the fact that they carry Paris Hilton’s entries in the market: the “Women’s Goddess” and (in what I can only assume is a reference to the 1966 movie One Million Years B.C., which was set approximately one million years before the Romans were wearing gladiator sandals) the “Women’s Raquel”! As wonderful as I’m sure these shoes are, they are not my pick. Instead, I’m going with the Women’s Bitten from Via Spiga ($198).
• Nordstrom.com, as usual, carries the biggest selection, an impressive 142 pairs of gladiators. Hard to choose, so I’m going with a standard, the “Gladio” from Stuart Weitzman ($265).

With our short-list in hand, I tackled the hardest part of our mission: What in the world do you wear with gladiator sandals? None of us wants to suffer the ridicule that rained down on Gwyneth Paltrow this spring, when she paired her gladiators with a toga dress.

Luckily, the web being the web, I found lots of good advice. The blog Thumbelina Fashionista offers concrete suggestions (with pictures) of what to pair with gladiators - among them a pencil skirt with leather jacket, a pretty floral dress, and flowy and simple dresses. And, more kudos for piperlime.com: Their resident stylist Rachel Zoe offers a short blurb on this very topic. She suggests pairing glads with cool summer dresses, daring denim shorts, and chic oversized sweaters. Finally, according to Ed Burstell, senior vice president and general merchandise manager of accessories and footwear at Bergdorf Goodman, quoted in this article from the NY Observer, “[gladiators] go with casual, they go with denim, they go with summer dresses at all lengths.”

So, are we convinced yet? I am! I say, embrace the gladiator! (But fringe for fall? I’m not so sure I’m ready for that. )

There are, of course, a million ways to experience the beautiful city of Paris: You can seek out amazing food and wine; take in the unsurpassed art and architecture; or just luxuriate in the cafe lifestylye. On my recent trip, I chose to see the city through the lens of a shoe lover who was unfortunately saddled with an underperforming currency. In other words, I window shopped. Herewith, using our new ShoeShopper feature, is a pictorial survey of the fantastic shoes I saw on my shoe lover’s tour of Paris.

I started in Le Marais, a charming district replete with one-of-a-kind boutiques showcasing lots of fun and funky footwear. From the newsprint ankle boots to the chunky snakeskin platforms (at left), the shoes here felt younger and more edgy, with a distinct “downtown” feel.

Next stop was Rue de Grenelle in Saint Germain des Pres, an area that one could credibly classify as ground-zero for couture shoes. From the Christian Louboutin store — a wonderful little confection of a place — to the Prada boutique with its amazing spider-encrusted boots (detail at right), shoe gawking along this street is a great way to spend a couple of hours.

My final stop was the famous shopping street, Avenue George V (near Avenue des Champs Elysees). Hermes was here — showcasing sky-high, jewel-toned platforms — as was Kenzo, which had gorgeous stripey slingbacks on display (at left).

So, without further ado, have a look at the whole series of pictures. It’s almost as fun as being there.

What a great piece of advice (given by Vogue UK), and what a great way to frame this quick round-up of spring 2008 shoes. Shoes this season are, if nothing else, fanciful. Also bold. Sculptural. And sometimes a little crazy! Let’s take a look.

If you’re a collector who follows the trends, here’s what you’ll need to be truly of-the-moment this season: Gladiators. They are everywhere, and come in every form from flats to wedges to boots. They look adorable with this season’s longer dresses and slightly baggy cropped pants…Wedges. “Everybody should have a wedge,” opines celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe on piperlime.com. They’re so great with jeans or sundresses or any of your other summer staples…Patents. Ubiquitous (and really fun and fresh), patent leather is showing up across the spectrum, from a casual flat you can buy at Target to some very pricey Guccis…Metallics. Choose sandals, in gold or silver depending on your skin tone… Raffia. Shoedish (one of my favorite blogs) points to raffia as one of the emerging trends this year…Sex and The City. No round-up published two weeks before opening day would be complete without the “It” shoes from SATC. You probably can’t buy them any more (they’re mostly sold out), but nonetheless you need to see them…Fantastic. Check out this short International Herald Tribune video for a look at some really fantastic shoes.

There’s still time to add – and enjoy – a few or many of these pieces to your collection. Even better, they may be on sale by now (Stuart Weitzman is for sure). Happy shopping!