by shoelover on July 26, 2010
Shoecase Showcase: Spotlight on Tory Burch
The Tory Burch brand is designed with the classic American woman in mind. Often coined with the phrase “preppy-boho,” the brand includes chic and stylish versions of sandals, flip-flops, wedges, heels, flats, and boots. Tory Burch shoes are often described as comfortable, and have been endorsed by Oprah Winfrey and featured on the popular television show Gossip Girl.
Preppy-Boho Defined
Tory Burch began her self-named brand in 2004, designing not only chic shoes but also jewelry, handbags, children’s swimwear, and women’s cardigans. The versatility of Tory Burch’s footwear is definitely one of the biggest perks of buying within the brand; soccer moms and coy businesswomen alike can wear the line and look fabulously fashionable for a reasonable price. The typical style of the Tory Burch brand of shoes often pays homage to the styles popularized in the 1950’s and 1960’s for a sophisticatedly modern throw-back, and manages to create an elegant, classic, and yet not overstated look.
Booties are Back-and Tory Burch Knows
Booties are back in style for this Summer 2010. Booties are boots, often with a peep-toe, that come up only to the height of your ankle. This style of shoe gives the designer more of a canvas to work with to produce a unique and elaborate shoe. The Tory Burch brand has welcomed the revival of the bootie with a flourish, and has created unique fashion trends in booties. Take, for example, Tory Burch’s Oren bootie. Featuring the peep-toe that is so popular in today’s booties, as well as sporty canvas strap details, this shoe emanates a rugged chic style. Paired with cuffed cargos, this bootie will walk you confidently through a night on the town.
The Reva Ballerina Flat: A Pinnacle of Stylish Comfort
The Tory Burch brand definitely knows style…but sometimes, as women, we want more than style. We ache for comfort. Our poor little toes, trapped in pumps five days a week, need some relief on our nights out and on the weekends. Luckily, Tory Burch shoes combine practical comfort with elegance and style, creating shoes that you can wear tall with pride and without pain. Tory Burch’s line of Reva ballet flats represents the pinnacle of shoe comfort. For example, take the Sequin Reva flat by Tory Burch, which features brown, tan, and white sequins (following the current trend of earth-colored footwear) and the typical T-logo medallion on the vamp. By adding some sparkle to your step with the Sequin Reva flat, you can also provide comfort for your foot.
Bound to the Beach in Style this Summer!
The Tory Burch brand designs shoes that, because of their versatility, often do not fit into just one style category. Summer wedge sandals by Tory Burch are flirty, fabulous, and easy to walk in! The Diamond wedge sandal, featuring floral detail on the vamp and a leather upper with an ankle wrap, leaves you reminiscing about romantic midnight walks on the beach. With a 1 inch platform and a 4 inch heel, the Diamond wedge sandal, like all Tory Burch shoes, offer comfort and uniqueness to your shoe wardrobe.
Tory Burch: Pretty Preppy, Beautifully Boho
Tory Burch shoes, known mainly for their “preppy-boho” style, fill a much-needed niche in women’s footwear that combines comfort and sophistication. Styled as a revitalization of the popularized footwear of the 1950’s and 1960’s, Tory Burch shoes have been featured on the television hit Gossip Girl and have even been endorsed by Oprah Winfrey. For an elegant shoe that you will actually be able to walk in, look no further than the Tory Burch brand!
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by shoelover on July 26, 2010
Summer’s Here! Time to Slip on Slides!
If simple is your style, then slides are for you! The only real distinguishing feature of women’s slide shoes is that they lack a back. Other than that, slides can vary in both style and shape, from short to tall heel height or featuring an open- or closed-toe. Because of their great variety, women’s slides are a very versatile style of shoe; the slide style can range from casual and comfortable to spectacularly, dazzlingly formal. Check out this summer’s hottest styles of slides: mules, wedges, and flats!
The Mule, A Fancier Offspring of the Slide
Because of the diversity of slides, they can often be broken down and categorized. One sub-section of the slide family is the mule, which is a shoe with an open back and a closed toe. Mules, often called clogs, were popularized by Marilyn Monroe in the 1950’s, but don’t worry, mules have modernized with the times and today, models showcase mules such as Hale Bob’s Foxglove mule. The Foxglove slide shoe features a 4.5 inch seductive stiletto heel, as well as the flair of a velvet blossom, complete with glimmering black beads, on the vamp. Sexy and chic, wearing the Foxglove will definitely draw attention to your fashionable feet!
This Summer’s Sizzling Style: The Wedge Slide
One of the hottest trends this summer is the revival of the wedge, so prepare to see some sizzling wedge slides like the Anna by Charles David featured in shop windows and magazines! The Anna slide shoe, featuring a 4 inch wedge heel, an open toe, and stylish chocolate crossed elastic straps, is elegantly casual and will complement your summery outfit on a trip to the park for a picnic or a stroll around town on a hot summer’s day.
Slides Sans Heels
Though slides as shoes often provide ease and comfort to the wearer, on occasion, some women find slides with heels difficult to walk in because of a lack of support sans an ankle strap or a closed heel. For those who anticipate this being a problem, don’t give up on slides! There are certain slide styles sans heels that could be perfect for you: for example, flats. Jessica Simpson’s Jaysie heel is another trendy summer shoe perfect for lazy summer days by the beach or gnawing watermelon in the park. Featuring an extra toe strap and silver vintage metal hardware, the Jaysie flat combines trendy and comfortable into one affordable summer shoe!
Versatility Breeds Individuality
For the woman who loves simple, no-hassle shoes, women’s slides represent perfection. The only distinguishing characteristic of slides is an open back, but other than that, slides have no limitations on style, making slides versatile shoes that can range from the sophisticatedly fancy to the classically casual. From mules to wedges to flats, slide shoes cover all of the bases for each and every unique woman’s tastes.
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by shoelover on July 26, 2010
Everything You Didn’t Know You Wanted to Know About Mules: Flats, Wedges, and High Heels
Though not as popular as they were in the 1970’s and 1990’s, women’s mules are often praised for being both comfortable and unique. Mules, otherwise known as clogs (1970’s) or slides (1990’s) are shoes that are backless and have a closed toe. By the early twentieth century, mules were most commonly associated with prostitutes, but Marilyn Monroe gave the shoe a much more reputable name in the early 1950’s.
Much of the variety of the style of women’s mule shoe trends derives from the height of the heel; with no specified heel height necessary to be categorized as a mule, mules can come in the form of flats, wedges, and high heels. Choosing which mule to wear really just depends on personal taste and style preference.
The Flat Mule: Incomparable Comfort
One of the easiest and most comfortable shoes to walk in, the women’s flat mule encompasses a look that is both casual and classy. The Karelia mule by Naturalizer offers a sleek shape, cushioned insole, and a woven bow trim that adds a touch of feminine flair. If comfort is of utmost importance to you, flat mules will cushion your feet without a doubt.
The Modernized Mule, Otherwise Known as the Wedge Mule
Though typically more of a classical shoe, some women’s mule styles have been modified and modernized to match the styles of today. As wedges re-popularize, we can see an example of modernized mules with Alexander Wang’s Trish Loafer wedge mules. With 4.72 inch wedge heels and a leather front flap with fringes, this mule loafer makes an entrance and stuns fellow fashionistas with its simple statement of absolute originality.
Keep the Mule Style But Add More Height
Reminiscent of the growing style trend of booties is the high heel mule. Keeping the same shape as the traditional mule, the high heel mule often adds a slingback ankle strap in order to secure the foot in place while being held at an angle created by the stilleto. Dolce Vita’s Manny high heel mules also take a twist on the original mule shape, in addition to a 5 inch heel, by creating a peep-toe front, as opposed to the typical closed-toe women’s mule shoes. High heel mules, while less comfortable than flat mules, often feel heavenly when compared to pumps!
The Mule
Though, over the years, the popularity of the mule style of shoe has declined, women’s mules still offer a comfortable and unique alternative to many other shoes that exist today. Because mules are not defined by the height of their heel, mules, as long as they are closed-toe and backless, can have heels of any height and thus we can see mule-styled flats, wedges, and heels. With the diverse shapes and sizes of mules, the possibility of increased trendiness in the future is always a possibility!
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by shoelover on July 26, 2010
Everything You Didn’t Know You Wanted to Know About Boots: Platforms, Wedges, and Thigh Highs
If you’ve been to the mall lately, you’ve noticed that nearly every store is featuring some sort of boot. What’s up with that? Well, boots are back in style! Growing in popularity as a fashion trend rather than as a shoe to wear out of practical necessity, the boot now boasts a place on the runways for 2010.
Make Way for the Boot: Booting Out the Competition
Women’s boots originated as a more gender-neutral shoe that was worn primarily to protect the foot. The Egyptians, Etruscans, and Romans all wore boot-like sandals to shield their feet during war; the Etruscans also wore boots as protection from the harsher elements of nature.
In the 18th century, boots were popularized for both men and women as appropriate horseback-riding attire. The style caught on and evolved into what we now know as the cowboy boot, which is still a popular style both in the West and in Western-themed bars. Today, many different styles of boots grace the streets, including the distinctive trends of platform boots, wedge boots, and thigh-high boots.
Platform Boots: High Height and High-Class
Originally popularized through the Gothic style of fashion, major designer labels have now added the women’s platform boot to their collections, creating an edgy and sophisticated look. Platform boots offer additional height without forcing the foot into an awkward ninety-degree angle. The Gucci Velvet cuffed platform boot features a 4.5 inch heel and a .5 inch platform, reducing the strain on your foot while still giving you height. With its sleek shape and suede material, the Velvet is a shoe fit only for a fashion diva.
Wedge Boots for Natural-Looking Height
If your ideal shoe gives you both height and comfort, then women’s wedge boots were made for you! Wedges, though often 4-5 inches high, provide a flat surface for your foot to rest upon when walking, rather than the angle created by a stiletto. Wedges are often also accompanied by a platform underneath the toes of the feet, again to decrease the angle of the foot with the added height of the shoe. Robert Clergerie’s Cutout wedge boot offers not only height but a trendy modern play on the traditional boot style as well. With a 4.75 inch heel and a 2 inch platform, the Cutout also offers a round toe, a back zip, and a sleek suede upper that provides the canvas for funky cutouts that will make your feet the envy of your friends.
Want to be Noticed? Wear a Thigh-High Boot!
If you enjoy being a bold trendsetter, go for the chic new style of thigh-high boots. Thigh-high boots are most often paired with short skirts, and, though usually seen on the dance floor of clubs, women’s thigh-high boots are the cutting edge of fashion. Stuart Weitzman’s thigh-high boot is a chic example of this new trend. With a dramatic 5.25 inch stiletto and a flirty lace-up back (all the way up to the thigh!), you can’t go wrong with this thigh-high boot if you love being noticed.
Boots Can’t Get Booted Out: They’re Back in Style!
Women’s boots have returned as a fashion statement after a bit of a hiatus. Coming a long way from their original purpose of protecting the feet, both from the elements and during war, boots are now used to accessorize trendy outfits. Boots come in all shapes and sizes, from platforms to wedges to thigh-highs. With so many styles to choose from, finding the perfect women’s boot style for you should be a fun challenge!
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