Pulling from the archives - Miu Miu Spring 2016

I was flipping through the Spring 2016 issue of Barney's The Window last night and chuckled when I saw the following feature of Miu Miu wedge sandals...

Why did I laugh?

Because I know that fabric.   It's from one of my favorite Miu Miu collections - Spring 2010.

I loved so many pieces from this collection, but especially my cat printed mary janes that I wear all the time...

I mean, hell, it's my site banner image!

But I recognized the prints used immediately.  Here they are in the original show from six years ago.

 Amazing.  But in a good way?  I'm not sure.

I love the threads of theme that carry through over the seasons for Miu Miu and Prada but I do find it surprising this reuse of fairly iconic patterns.  Six years isn't that long ago.  And frankly, the new shoe design has none of the girlish whimsy that paired so well with the fabric patterns.

I loved these designs but seeing them again now, well, this seems like a rehash.

Two Years, Too Late?

Two years later, after Wendy Brandes has been extolling the virtues of her Ash Thelma wedge sneakers, I'm on the bandwagon.

These just arrived and I'm curiously excited to try them out.

I don't think these are the exact same shoes but I did love the variety of outfits paired with wedge sneakers in the Pitch Perfect finale (not my typical movie choice - so blame my Pop-loving friend).




Now I want them in white too! Gah!

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

Inspiration = Flattery? Prada Flame Wedge vs ModCloth All Fired Up Wedge

I was not surprised when I saw a flame related accessory on ModCloth today. I mean, with Hunger Games and Katniss as "The Girl on Fire" it's bound to happen.

But I was surprised to see a wedge with obvious (although poorly executed IMO) knocked off elements.

The Prada Spring/Summer 2012 collection was filled with fiery heels, especially the blazing wedge.  Sure the pair from ModCloth are chunkier and simpler but the shape of the straps and flames at the ankle are identical. 

Haven't we been here before ModCloth?  Ignorance of your buyers is not an excuse.  I mean, this is a major shoe for the S/S 2012 season.  Do your buyers just not follow the fashion news and world or are they actively looking for "inspired by" pieces?

I know some will argue that it's making a style available to more people, with just enough distance to not be a true knockoff. And that's probably true.  I still think it's too close.

Thoughts?



Flame on cobblestone image via Elle.

Sweetie Pies

I don't need any new sandals or wedges or pink shoes for summer but how sweet are these cuties from Old Navy???

I love the 1970s styling and pink and red combo.  I also love the knot details.  These are perfect for jeans and dress.  And for $28, I could get the black and white version too!

Faerie Feet

Hello Strangers!

 Sorry I've been away so long. I've been (and still am) traveling around for work which requires me to sit in dark rooms for 9 hours a day. I'm in these great cities but I see them from the window or walking back to my hotel late at night ready to collapse into bed.

So instead of spending time in the spring weather in San Francisco and Seattle, I'm just longingly staring at the sun from the cracks of the backroom blinds. I would love to be out in a dress and these beautiful Louboutin Everesta Toile wedges.  The black and white print is whimsical and delicate.  A great pairing with the sturdier wedge.

My favorite part of the print... this little faerie!  How wonderfully whimsical for spring and summer!

The Christian Louboutin Everesta Toile wedge espadrille - $625.

Mile High Glitter - bebe Ophelia

Since we're in a glitter state of mind over here, I had to make sure you were aware of the be be Ophelia glitter wedges by our friend, The Shoe Girl.

Sizes are selling out fast (they're out of 5s already *sad face*) so make sure to nab yours!

be be Ophelia platform wedge in silver or fuchsia - $120.

Eeewwww!!!!

I probably shouldn't be so harsh.

I'm sure there's a dress or some cropped pants that these would look great with.

But for me, it's a big "Eeeeeewwwww!!!!"

I'm sorry, Prada. I'll love you anyways.

Prada Perforated Raffia Wedge - on sale for $275 (from $690)

SD Review: Tsubo Asmik Wedge

Recently a representative from Tsubo offered to send me a few of their shoes to test out and, as I love learning about new brands, I was excited to accept.

They very kindly sent me two pairs and the first one I tried out was the Asmik mary-jane wedge in black. I don't wear a lot of wedges so it was great to give this a shot.



Tsubo is all about combining comfort and style. I rarely get both in the shoes I wear!



The Asmiks were fun to kick around in. I wore them for a full day of errands and can assure you that they were very comfortable. They have a cushiony insole and the adjustable strap ensures you find your perfect level of tightness. I have pretty high arches so having a strap across the top of my foot can be painful unless it is adjustable.

I did have to adjust my walking style a bit. Wearing a wedge compared to a heel is like driving an SUV vs a car, ya know.

I love the grippy sole too. It really ensures your stability.

My favorite way to wear these is paired with some bright tights. They have such a cute shape!

You can buy the Tsubo shoes via their website and they have men's shoes as well. I'll be sharing the other style with you soon!

Lela Rose for Payless - Spring 2010

As we've seen, the designer & mass merchandiser collaborations have been kind of sucking lately. Which is really disappointing because there is great opportunity to do cute design at a mass-retail level.

And we know it's doable. The Mizrahi collection did it well for a number of years at Target. Heck, Merona and Mossimo have done well there for ages too. I've bought tons of clothes and shoes from there.

But it's really changed lately. Either they've had to cut back on design & quality due to economic conditions or they really don't think we'll notice.

Well, people are noticing. I'm sure that's why they've changed the whole Go International program. Of course, it becomes a vicious cycle - we don't buy it, they cheapen it up to cut costs, so we don't buy it, etc.

Luckily there is one collaboration that seems to at least be making an effort and that I still think is doing a good job - Lela Rose for Payless.

I often get the snob label placed on me, especially when it comes to shoes. That I only like or buy expensive stuff. And frankly, that's not true at all. I totally judge each shoe individually. If I like (or don't like) the looks of a shoe, I don't care who makes it. And I have to say, most of the time, I'm a fan of this line.

And the Spring 2010 collection seems like it will have several pieces that I will want to get. My favorite is this style called Bently in a really pretty citrine fabric and twist bow.



The other colors are really pretty too... fuchsia, stone, taupe...

I really hope they keep the height they were shown in. Payless does tend to "tone down" the designs between runway and store and I really wish they wouldn't.

I also really like the casual and sort of preppy wedge sandal Ashland which comes in cute combos like the black and white gingham with green accents, the cross-hatched circles with taupe and the modern geometric pattern with black.

The Zephyr cross-strap sandal is cute too, especially the delicate ankle straps.

I like the citrine pattern again but also the solids in the fuchsia and navy.

There are a few other styles that are cute too, including a multi-strap wedge and a elegant heeled sandal, so check them out here.

I'm really looking forward to trying them on. The styles will be available in February per the site.

Eeeewwww!!!!

I didn't like the moldy wedge look the first time around, even when it was done my YSL.



I certainly don't like it any better done in cheaper materials by BCBG.



But, oddly, I do kind of like the look of black on the toe cap over the cork. Is it because the shoe is a more elegant shape? Not sure.




Not that I'm getting any of them....Blah!

No Easter Bunny

When you're in the dead of winter you have dreams of spring to tide you over.

Well, my dreams were for these quirky ballet-style wedges from Junko Shimada. Back in October, when I first saw them, I hoped that they would be made. I even spoke with the designer's representative in Paris. They were not sure if they would even be made but the possibility was there.

Sadly, I just found out they will not be making them.

I’m really sorry but these shoes are not available anywhere. They were too expensive to produce so we decided not to do it. We tried but we didn’t have enough orders.
Maybe next collection shoes will be produced, we don’t know for the moment.

Well, I guess I'll just have to be sad and disappointed. I think these were the one pair of shoes I really really wanted to get from this spring's lines.

*sniffle sniffle*

Clear as Day

I just realized that I have a new love in shoes... the clear wedge. Clear heels were in last season but I only bought one pair and ended up not even really liking them. But the clear wedge... now that's a whole different matter. Much more sculptural and graphic than trashy, they look iconic.

Of course, you remember these Junko Shimadas that I MUST have.



I WILL have!



But I'm also very much interested in these bold hot pink, orange and black slingbacks from the Louis Vuitton Resort 2009 collection.



This whole collection is filled with great bursts of color and I think these heels are very pop art yet classic. (Thanks to nitrolicious for the images.)



But the one that got away were these Maison Martin Margielas. Ohhh... I cried when I waited too long to get them when they were on sale on YOOX. Silly silly girl.

They could be yours if you wear a 10.



I haven't seen a lot of this style yet but I think it could be very interesting for Spring. It's light and airy and brings a freshness to the wedge style.