Beyond Words

Words, Wit and Wisdom for Today's Style and Decision Makers

A Spring in Your Step March 25, 2014

Filed under: Uncategorized — carlawordsmithblog @ 1:27 am

XMarilyn on shoes

 

Now that I got my spring fashion blog out of the way and off into cyberspace, it’s on to something equally if not more exciting: spring shoes!

“You can never take too much care over the choice of shoes. Too many women think they’re unimportant but the real proof of an elegant woman is what’s on her feet.” Christian Dior

closet

I love shoes. Unlike clothes, they always fit! As the saying goes, Cinderella is proof that a good pair of shoes can change your life! This year’s spring offerings offer new trends and new takes on old styles and, although I’m not a huge fan of all of them, here are this year’s hottest footwear finds:

Chunky heels. Chunky heels, strappy, two-toned, and often low-heeled sandals are all the rage and I am obsessed!  The thick straps are flattering on any figure and the multi-color schemes mean one shoe goes with multiple outfits. What’s not to love?! Buy them sparingly though, as they may scream “so 2014” in years to come.

Chas David2

Charles David

 

green-valentino-dress

Valentino

 

Kat Maconie2

Kat Maconie

 

 

 

fa670e9e9dae2f31ce45aac66a7cf7f6

Pointy flats. I am so happy to see that these long-time favorites of mine are on trend this spring. Audrey Hepburn would be proud!

TBurch two-tone pointy flat

Tory Burch

 

Oscar pointy flat

Oscar de la Renta

 

Two-piece flats. Perhaps THE flat of the season, these fashionable finds can be worn with everything from minis to maxis and come in colors to die for.

 

Sigerson Morison two-piece flat

Sigerson-Morison

 

d'Orsay two piece ankle strap flat

Dorsay

 

Sling-back flats. I’ve never had success with sling-backs of any kind as they always tend to slip off my heels, but these are all over the place. Maybe you’ll have better luck with them than I have.

 

Dolce-Gabbana-sling back flat

Dolce-Gabbana

 

TBurch slingback2

Tory Burch

 

Espadrilles. Relaxing and sweet, the Euro-favorites make any outfit fun and colorful.

 

Nautica espadrilles

Nautica

 

Carolina Herrera RTW Spring Summer 2014 New York Fashion Week September 2013

Carolina Herrera

 

Fisherman sandals.   When I see these I think of Mexican huaraches and the 70’s. I won’t be wearing them but I’m sure countless women will.

DV by Dolce Vita fisherman

dv by Dolce Vita

 

K. Jacques for Opening Ceremony

K. Jacques

 

Cage sandals. Straps of all kinds crisscross on these popular heels and flats. Take your pick and take to the streets!

Gucci strappy heel

Gucci

 

Giannico cage sandal

Giannico

 

Brian Atwood cage sandal

Brian Atwood

 

Mules. They’re baaaack and I love them!!!!!  These also go to show that if you buy quality traditional shoes they will more than likely come back in style, allowing you to pull your “old” ones out and not have to purchase new ones.  I know that’s exactly what I’ll be doing!

Victoria Beckham mules

Victoria Beckham

 

Monique Lhullier mule2

Monique Lhuillier

 

Altuzarra-mules-700x555

Altuzarra

 

Natural. Think Kate Middleton’s famous L.K. Benett nude pumps and you’ve got it…in heels, sandals, flats and whatever style your little shoe-loving heart desires.

Zara chunky heel   Vince two pice flat  Steve Madden neutral   Sole Society nude  Rachel Roy perforated   Sam Edelman chunky gold heel

“A woman can carry a bag, but it is the shoes that carries the woman.”

Christian Louboutin

Perforated. Much like the clothing trend I wrote about, perforated shoes (and bags) are way current and oh-so popular. I love the look and have already purchased this pair of colorful loafers!

DV by Dloce Vita mesh loafer

dv by Dolce Vita

 

Nordstrom peforated wedge

Nordstrom

 

Nicle Miller perforated wedge

Nicole Miller

 

Oxfords. They were a hit in the fall and are here to stay but are now boasting colorful spring colors. Nude ones are also “must haves.” Consider them the new ballet flats.

Clarks oxford

Clarks

 

Karen Walker metallic oxfords

Karen Walker

 

Metallic. Glittery accents ranging from sparkly gold to more subdued bronze are lighting up shoe departments coast-to-coast. What I especially love about this style is that sometimes just one part of the shoe – like the heel – is metallic. I’m a lover of all things glittery (as long as it’s not too Vegasy!) and am the proud owner of several sparkle Toms, sparkly pumps, and glittery flats. Let the twinkling begin!

TBurch metallic chunky pointy pump

Tory Burch

 

Rodarte metallic loafer

Rodarte

 

Oscar metallic heel

Oscar de la Renta

 

Dressed-up flip-flops and sporty sandals. Not your run-of-the-mill flip-flops, this year’s beach and pool styles are ladylike and embellished.  These plastic Kors jellies can actually double as patent leather with the right outfit!

Michael Kors flip flop2

Michael Kors

 

Sam Edelman sport sandal2

Sam Edelman

 

Slip-on sneakers. Vans has been making them for years, but 2014 is seeing a wave of these comfy sneakers from the likes of Chanel to Sanuk.  I’m also throwing in these adorable glittery Keds just because they’re so darn cute!

Steve Madden sneaker

Steve Madden

 

Chanel espadrille

Chanel

 

Sanuk2

Sanuk

 

KSpade Keds

Kate Spade for Keds

 

I know many of these shown here are high-end, but no worries.  That’s how it works.  Top designers come up with their creations and everyone else follows suit.  You are sure to find similar styles at your favorite department and discount stores!  Happy shoe shopping!

 

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s