Recently in Fashion Trends Category

This Summer has seen an interesting fusion of new, old, and completely different. I think many of you will agree, some of the sensibility of shoe design has gone out of the window (see our post tomorrow on "Trends We Loathe"), but for the most part, this Summer's collections provided a breath of fresh air to a few tried and true designs.

Here are a few of the new trends we liked over the past few months:

• Cage Heels: Our favorite trend from this Summer. We love the way these look with a pair of tights or scoop.
• Super High Heels: Some may disagree with us on this trend, but we think the Super-high trend was dead-on. What a better way to show-off your summer tan and the hours spent in the gym!
• Gladiator Sandals: Probably one of the trends that was close to being over-done...seems like everyone was "modding" existing sandals with straps and ties to achieve the look. With that said, the range of options well suited the bargain shopper to the distinctive diva's with deep pockets.
• Pointy Toe Heels: Yes, this trend made the list...just as we were about to add it to the "loathe" list, we remembered how extremely versatile this style is (we still have a pair of Prada pumps for back in the day). Over the years, it seems like the pointy-toe remains just on the fringe of high-fashion acceptability.

After recovering from our recent exploits wearing the latest skyscraper heels, we like to ease into a comfy pair of flats that still retain a little flair for our diva-like-tastes.

We hit the local boutiques and found the Ferragamo Varina, Car Shoe Shantung, and Kate Spade Pebbles were top of our list.

• Salvatore Ferragamo Varina ($430); www.neimanmarcus.com
• Kate Spade Pebble Flats ($328); www.katespade.com
• Car Shoe Shantung ($375); www.nordstrom.com

Boots, boots, boots...it must be that time of year again! From peep toes to leather-trimmed cutouts to slingback styling, this year's ankle boot collection dare to be a little different from years past. Wear them with an opaque tight or under slacks for an instantly updated look.

We love these three stylish choices from Manolo Blahnik, Sigerson Morrison and Tory Burch:

• Manolo Blahnik Cutout Bootie ($785); www.bergdorfgoodman.com
• Sigerson Morrison Belle ($345); www.piperlime.com
• Tory Burch Lucille ($450); www.toryburch.com

With all the talk about Spring Styles, we decided to depart from talking about sandals and flats and...get zippy with it! Yes, zippers have started to make their way into designers pallets as accents - departing from the functional aspects of zippers as we know it. Many of these designs made their way into Spring collections, but look for zippers to be a hot accent for the upcoming Fall collections.

We have highlighted a few of our favorites:

• Christian Louboutin Rodita Zip Plaforms: ($835.00) Via Net-A-Porter
• Sergio Rossi Zipper Sandals: ($744.00) Via Zappos
• Tania Spinelli Cage Heels(Summer Collection): Via Tania Spinelli

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Wedge heels made a statement for the fall/winter collections last year. This Spring, many designers introduced fantastic variations with cork, cutout heels and the ever popular "gladiator". We have put together a quick sampling of Wedge Sandals and Mary Jane's from last year and this year.

• Prada Black Patent Platform Wedge Sandals  ($199.00)
• Christian Louboutin Platform Wedge Mary Jane's  ($199.00)
• Michael Kors Santorini Platform Wedge Sandals  ($69.99)
• Marc Jacobs Platform Wedge Sandals  ($99.99)

You can find the entire Wedge Collection at Downtowngal Shoes.

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We are all about versatility these days... nothing says versatile more than snakeskin. Take these two examples: 1. The Dolce & Gabbana Patchwork Snakeskin Pumps combine snakeskin with Spring's boho trend (these will go nicely with a cute, carefree dress); 2. These Manolo Blahnik Snakeskin Slides are the perfect balance between casual and dressy and go with everything.

(Via Neiman Marcus Insite.)

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All pointers are hinting that this is the first season in which accessories aren't just key; they are the key. We aren't going to argue...after seeing this Spring's shoe intro's from every designer on the planet, who could disagree.

Jimmy Choo's, Tamara Mellon had this to say about the trend in accessory dominance, "When we started, there was no hardware on accessories. There wasn't even much color. But look what's happened to fashion in the last decade; it's become so much more casual. The average woman's default item is jeans. How does she set herself apart? By having the incredible statement of bags and shoes. She might buy one pretty dress that's well within her comfort zone, but then she can push it by wearing it with a heavy shoe to make it look modern." The latest techniques mean an exotic skin can be so soft that a future heirloom made from crocodile doesn't have to be stiff and formal; it can be a hobo-style sack. "So in that sense, yes" says Mellon, "crocodile is the new cashmere."

As Rachel Zoe writes in her manual, Style A to Zoe, "Accessories are everything. To me, they're more important than the clothes....Accessories are the antidote to the blahs...Slip into a pair of supersexy red patent stilettos and tell me otherwise."

So, buckle up your knee-high gladiators and grab your bigger-than-a-bread-box Baguette---extras are effectively excessive!

Story courtesy of Lisa Armstrong; Fashion Editor of Times in London

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While certain footwear designs are embraced by the market, others simply remain a creative expression for designers, existing as a moment-in-time example of experimentation.

"I've been playing around with the idea of [heel-less shoes] since the 1970's, and I always find it intriguing," said designer Manolo Blahnik. "It's not something that I do thinking of sales, it's actually quite the opposite - it offers me the chance to move away from what people expect from me."

Blahnik has created several heel-less shoes, including the Bhutan (pictured above) from his spring '06 collection, which is currently on display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the Costume Institute exhibit.

"The fact that you don't really see that many people walking around the streets in heel-less shoes proves that [while] many might connect to them, they are not exactly rushing out to buy them," said Blahnik. "But when we did Arunium [another heel-less shoe] a few years ago, it sold quite well in Europe, though some [customers] were buying them as objects."

So, what do you think? Is this the year that the heel-less shoe becomes more than just a "dustable" and is actually worn? Several designers like Marc Jacobs have launched a slew of heel-less designs this Spring awaiting the "pent-up-demand" for such designs. I guess time will tell!

Story courtesy of Clair Windsor andFootwear News

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