Brian Atwood Paramour High Heels Boots, $500 in red haircalf or $450 in burgundy suede. Both via ShopBop.

Diffusion lines are tricky. The price point has to be far enough away from the main line to draw two sets of different (but still similar) customers, but the look has to be luxurious enough to not cheap the mother brand by association. Somewhere in the middle, there’s a perfect balance, but few companies ever found it.

I’m not sure if Brian Atwood is quite there yet, but his B Brian Atwood line gets close. I’d knock the price point down just a tad, but shoes like the B Brian Atwood Paramour Booties, above in haircalf and suede, prove that the less expensive shoes don’t suffer for a lack of style. Just look how vibrant that red is!

In this case, Atwood has done a great job at incorporating his love for interesting materials and fabrications while still achieving a look that’s somewhat younger and more casual than his usual full-price shoes. The designs are clearly still special and luxurious, but the ideal customer has been recalibrated just enough to open Atwood’s aesthetic to a new audience. I’ll take the red calf hair in a size 9, please. Buy through ShopBop for $500, or $450 for the burgundy suede.

No related posts.