Inspiration = Flattery? Prada Fall 2011 Mary Jane vs ModCloth Girl of my Dreams Heel

I don't typically do two posts on knock-offs in a row but today has been a day filled with them.

 From Jeffrey Campbell (right) straight up thievery from Simone Rocha (left) with their lucite heeled oxford wedges...

 and now this...

I was looking for neon heels when I came upon these Girl of my Dream heels via ModCloth.  And I was stopped in my tracks.  Not because of the bright neon orange color.

But because they are a straight lift from the Fall 2011 Prada RTW runway mary janes.

These mary janes were done as pumps and boots and sandals.  What made them distinctive was the wide strap, that large button and the curvy heel.  All combined to exaggerate the mary jane style and create a new design.  A design created by Prada and "leveraged" by Jeffrey Campbell.

I don't know why I'm surprised by Jeffrey Campbell or Steve Madden and their stealing of designs.  I scrolled through a page of JC's on Shopbop and it was nearly every shoe or boot.  They were almost all a lift from a more innovative talented company, just taken and tweaked ever so slightly.

I've said it before and I will continue to do so... this is intellectual property theft.  If you admire a designer and their work but you can't get it or can't afford it, do you really think it's better to dilute their work so they, eventually, can't continue to create or are you fine with someone coming along, dumbing their work down and mass producing it.

Do you support the artists or the thieves

Imitation = Flattery?

It's been a while since I've done an Inspiration = Flattery post.  Sadly for me, I just haven't had the time to browse so I'm probably woefully out of touch with the latest designs, designer or mass.

But when I was excitedly checking out the new Rachel Antonoff x Bass collection, I stopped dead at the multi-color Maebird clear oxfords.  And not just because of their colorful style.

Nope, it was because they totally looked like the Ground Zero x Alex & Rose clear brogues I almost bought last year.

The colors on the RAxB ones are a bit toned down and simplified but the inspiration is there, I think.  I love the sweetly quirky pieces in the Bass/Antonoff collection but now they're a bit sullied for me.

What do you think?

Ensemble du Jour - Rainy Day New York

Whoops!  A missing New York visit outfit post. 

This day it was rainy and I was walking so I did milkmaid braids.  I wore my vintage red trench over one of the Target floral dresses and black cardigan.  I walked down to Union Square and then the Chelsea Market so I went practical in black patent oxfords and creme ankle socks.

I always walk for miles when I'm in New York and I really feel that oxfords, Converse and wellies are better shoes to pack than heels... but somehow I still end up packing too many heels too!

Patchwork Desires

What would you do?  I have this pair of interesting (amazing?!?) Vivienne Westwood oxfords sitting by my desk right now.  But I'm trying to be frugal and am considering sending them back.  They fit perfectly but I can't say that I need them.

But they are so unique and so sold out that I know if I change my mind there would be no going back.

Plus, how cool are they? One shoe is a deep periwinkle patent with the coraly-red cap toe while the other is tan buff with a swooping cap in the coral.

I guess I should be good and send them back, but oh the temptation......

Jolt of Neon

Really, Jil Sander? Is this even necessary?  Take my obsession for white oxfords and THEN ADD NEON PINK! 

OMG!

It's all too much!

Jil Sander Two-Tone Brogues at Net-a-Porter - $695

UPDATED - Clarification: I LOVE THEM.

Back to Brogues

Thanks to some of my lovely readers, I've been actually able to track down my dream white oxfords.

But now I face another dilemma... do I get them?

I can get these very shoes but they are 496GPB (approx $740) with the commando soles.  I could get them with flat soles for 305GPB (approx $450).  Pricey.  Which I knew they would be. 

So should I be more frugal? I did order the Steve Madden Milites but they ran very very small. So I sent them back. I could order up and have a frugal option.

Today I got an email about these Robert Clergerie trompe l'oeil Jili wingtips which are interesting but still not cheap at $495 at Barneys.

My newest, and least expensive, option are these Markey oxfords from ASOS.  They're only $63 have a good look but a dark sole.

So, more options.  What do you think?

UPDATED:

Here's another witty option.  Not really a serious contender but unusual... What-A-Cut-Up Brogues from Anthropologie - $238

Multi-color Madness

These shoes are making me (almost) wish I wore a size 9!

They're golf shoes but you could take off the cleats and be good to go.

And only $26 on Etsy!  Someone get them and then tell me how you wear them

Blinded by the White

Again, a photo of shoes has ignited a shoe search.  I now need and will not be complete without a pair of white wingtip oxfords.

I saw this image and was instantly smitten.  I love the classic oxford detailing paired with the chunkier sole.  I'm trying to be frugal so I don't want to pay a fortune for them, ideally. If I could find these exact ones, I might cave to a higher price tag but for a stand-in I'm looking at $100 or less.

Except I have no idea who makes them or if they are for men or women.  I'd never fit into a men's size but trust me, I searched. Every site I could think of and even a Google image search.  Heck, I searched the kids' departments too. I didn't find the pair above, but I did come up with a few options.

1. Crown Vintage Jazzy Oxford flat at DSW.com - $39.95

They're not bad but they don't look bright white and they do seem more jazz shoe than oxford.

2. Comme des Garcons oxfords on YOOX.com - $365

Oh, I love these.  They're not wingtip but their simplicity is stunning. The shape is perfect.  If these came in gold they would be my dream oxford.  But the price tag is putting me off for the white pair I'm settling for.

3. Rocco P. oxfords on YOOX.com - $250

These are great as well.  What I love is the whimsical nature of the wingtip design.  Instead of the traditional pattern, the perforations are in fleur-de-lys/butterfly/floral scroll. So charming.  The toe is a bit more pointed than I want and they are also a bit more than I want to spend... but I'm tempted.

4. Steve Madden Miltie on SteveMadden.com - $69.95

These are pretty cute and very close to my inspiration shoe.  They don't have the cool sole but they do have the fun kiltie detail and the price is well in range.  

Lots of options, with some compromises. Which ones would you get?

Charming!

Freddy's do make you want to kick up your feet!

Ensemble du Jour: 1-20-11

I've come to the point where I'm just blocking out the reality of the cold weather and wearing what I want to wear.  Sure, it's January and cold as all get out but I want to wear my new copper oxfords with a sweet pink top. I don't want to wear heavy boots or a long coat.

So instead I word my brown corduroy blazer from Target, the rose top from Anthropologie, paired with these awesome Marc by Marc Jacobs copper patent oxfords I got on sale from Saks.

I love the pairing of the copper/brown with the blush pink.  I added a sparkly pink pin bought at a random gift shop for some extra shine.

Oxfords are definitely my new favorite thing.  I've bought more oxfords, flats and sneakers in the past few months than anything else.  Who am I?!?!?

Aren't these stunning? I first saw them at Bergdorfs when I did my Shoe Picks for Fashion Week review.  I may have to run back and get silver or purple as well.  I don't have oxfords in those colors yet!

One thing to note is these babies run on the narrow side.  They may stretch out as I wear them in but wear them with some socks around the house first if you get a pair.

Marc by Marc Jacobs oxfords -

at Bergdorf Goodman - you may need to call at this time - Shoe Salon 212.872.2750

at Saks Fifth Avenue

I'm a Danger

These are my spiked Freddy oxfords.  I love them.  They made a splash last Fashion Week as I wore oxfords all over town, much more than heels.

What was funny was the husband said that I probably shouldn't wear them on the plane, just in case. I pooh-poohed that and wore them any ways. Yes, I did get a side-eye from the screener but come on, they aren't very sharp or anything.  So silly!

But I guess not. Nice Kicks just shared a story about how ti$a's Rollerboy spiked loafers were almost confiscated by TSA!

What the heck??? I could do more damange with the heel of some of my shoes than with these.

Come on people.  Between taking a friend's 2 year-old's apple juice to threatening fabulous footwear, it's getting a bit ridiculous, don't you think?

Still Going for the Gold

Even though I did do a fun shoe customization project with vintage oxfords, I'm still searching for the perfect muted gold oxfords a la Kelly Wearstler on the Domino cover. 

I keep my eyes peeled all the time, and so do my friends it seems.  MilkGlassHeart spotted these babies in the September issue of Lucky and sent them my way.  And these look pretty close to what I want. A muted burnished gold, not too pointy, thicker sole.  All in all pretty spot on.  And from Banana Republic for less than $100.   I was excited.

They FINALLY made it to the BR site and I quickly went there to order them. But then I saw them like this...

They call the color New Bronze, and while it does have a metallic sheen, they look much darker than I expected.   Now I'm not sure if I should risk it. And they're $20 more.

Another option are the Marc by Marc Jacobs oxfords on Shopbop.  They are gold, that's for sure, but are they too shiny and too gold????  The husband says they look like C-3PO's tap shoes. Is that good or bad?

I'm thinking he doesn't mean that as a compliment.   Hmmm...

Haunting My Dreams

I have a new batch of shoes that are haunting my dreams. The worst part is, for different reasons, I know I may never ever attain them.

The first are these adorable boyish gold oxfords that Kelly Wearstler is wearing. Apparently they are no where to be found, made some where in Italy and possibly vintage.

Bah!

I even called her offices to try and track these down since Domino had no information. At this point it looks like I'm out of luck but I'm searching for substitutes. If I find a shoe in the right shape, I'm even considering gold-leafing it to get the proper sheen.



From the boyish and somewhat more practical to the ridiculously high-concept. I am in love love love with these illusion pointe wedges by Junko Shimada from his Spring/Summer 2009 runway collection.

I don't know if these will be made, if they will come in my size, how much they are or if I can even wear them. But I don't care, I want them.



Absolutely insane, yes, but I adore them.

You can see more images at The Coveted and Style Bubble, who were also intrigued.

The hardest part is waiting for months, not knowing if these will ever become a reality.



The other pair I am coveting are these spat boots from Chanel. They're so amazing and cheeky. I want to wear them with skirts, tights, and with jeans or leggings tucked in.

Okay, I'd probably wear them around the house in my pj's. I adore them that much.

These are Fall 2008 shoes. I could probably track them down. Why haven't I? I'm afraid. Afraid that I'll find them and then find out that they don't have my size, or they just sold out or something. If that were true, what would I do? I'd cry, that's what I'd do.

So maybe ignorance is bliss.



Oh yeah... I want Claudia Schiffer's hair (wig, I know) from the Fall campaign.