Theoretically, I should like everything that’s going on with the Miu Miu Two-Tone Leather Loafers. First, I like loafers. I generally wear flats, so the trend for loafers has greatly expanded my daily shoe choices, and for that, I am forever in their debt. Second, the return of pointy-toe pumps instead of almond-toe platforms has been a welcome change to anyone who appreciates a more minimal approach from time to time. Third, I personally love Miu Miu shoes. I own more of them than any other designer brand, and they’ve served me well time and again. When you combine all those elements together onto one shoe, though, I’m just not convinced.

My reluctance might be because of a personal hangup, though. My feet are a tad large. Not huge, but I’m a slightly wide 8.5, which usually pushes me into a 9 in European shoes. For some reason, I’m then pushed into a 39.5 or 40 in Miu Miu, despite the fact that they never seem especially narrow. I’ve already got a couple pairs of Miu Miu loafers that make my feet look a little longer than I’d like, and with the addition of a pointed toe, I can only imagine that these shoes would make my feet look like water skis. I generally avoid pointed-toe flats for that reason, but I can only predict that the high vamp on these would make the optical illusion even more pronounced.

The slick bicolor combination makes me think they might be at least worth a try-on, though. If you’re more confident in these shoes than I am, pick up a pair for $585 via Net-a-Porter.

The post I’m Not Sure If I’m Ready For a Pointed-Toe Loafer appeared first on TalkShoes.

First: I’ve never been so confused in my life, y’all.

Second: Let me be clear. I grew up outside of Atlanta and attended the University of Georgia, so this is not my first time at the theme-boot rodeo, so to speak. I’ve seen boots with my school’s logo on them before, and my thought has always been the same. Namely, that anyone buying a pair of those monstrosities isn’t doing much to battle southern stereotypes. Now I know that the problem is wider than that, and that Neiman Marcus is enabling those poor theme-shoe decisions by carrying literally dozens of Gameday Boot Company University Cowboy Boots.

This stock choice makes a little more sense when you remember that Neiman Marcus is based in Texas, but as much shoe ridiculousness as I’m willing to put up with, I cannot abide these things. I’m mostly fine with cowboy boots – after all, they’re some of the most detailed and finely constructed everyday shoes on the market, and they’re well worth the prices that most of us pay for less detailed, lower quality shoes – and I love school spirit. I flew back to Atlanta in April so that I could go watch a Georgia football scrimmage. Not even a real game! A scrimmage. But slapping a patch on a boot is a poor way to combine the two.

I’m interested in what kind of market research NM has on their online customers that would indicate their thirst for exactly this kind of product, and I’m even more interested to see when and if these boots (all 61 pairs of them) get marked down. In the meantime, you can shop the full selection via Neiman Marcus – both tall and short versions for a variety of colleges (including some outside of the South) retail for $399.

The post These Gameday Boots are the Last Thing I Ever Expected to Find at Neiman Marcus appeared first on TalkShoes.

I love shopping sites that feature a “best sellers” category. It’s like getting a peek inside the psyche of the average consumer; I know what my friends in the industry buy for themselves, but we’re only a tiny segment of the enormous customer base that companies like Gucci and Prada have worldwide. So what are they doing? Well, they’re buying $200 pairs of designer flip-flops, if the popular items at Saks.com are any indication. (NeimanMarcus.com also bears this out, although to a lesser extent that may reflect a more modest selection of said flip-flops.)

When we discussed Valentino’s $300 Rockstud Flip Flops a few months ago, most of you expressed confusion at what might motivate someone to spend so much money on what often amounts to collegiate shower shoes. The “best sellers” section doesn’t offer psychological profiles, unfortunately, but it does make it clear that designers know what they’re doing. Namely, they know that creating a low-entry point for new consumers to enter the brand gives aspirational customers a way to feel like they’ve bought in, potentially converting them into a more lucrative fan down the road. Even if that doesn’t happen, small items like these are generally very high-margin, which makes them something of an end unto themselves.

The materials used in these sandals varies widely – some boast full leather construction, others are entirely plastic and most are somewhere in between. Here are a few of the barest options – would you pay the price for any of these sandals?

The post Shocker: People Really Do Buy a Ton of Fancy Designer Flip Flops appeared first on TalkShoes.

Well, first of all, I don’t really buy the idea that the Givenchy PVC Band Cone-Heels Boots are actually boots at all. Why do designers and retailers want to call everything a boot these days, and what exactly are their criteria for making such a distinction? Sure, this shoe zips up the back, but so do my gladiator sandals, and other than the ankle strap, those are little more than glorified flip-flops. They’re certainly not boots, and neither are these Givenchy PVC Cone-Heel Boots, no matter how hard the name tries to fool you.

With little more than a strip of plastic and a strip of elastic holding the wearer’s foot in place, these shoes definitely venture far enough into “sandal” territory for me to feel comfortable disagreeing with Riccardo Tisci or whoever else is responsible for naming these heels. (At this point, you may be wondering – no, we’re not going to force you to look at the now-infamous pictures of Kim Kardashian’s pregnant, swollen feet in these particular shoes.)

What else are these sandals, you guys? Give us your best adjectives, from “edgy” to “heinous.” If you’re so inclined, you can pick up a pair of these shoes at Bergdorf Goodman for $837.

The post Fill in the Blank: “The Givenchy PVC Band Cone-Heels Boots are…” appeared first on TalkShoes.

A couple days ago, we talked about Christian Louboutin’s burgeoning heel-height diversity, and reactions were…mixed. Louboutin’s sky-high stilettos and platforms have a very ardent group of fans, and some of you were not amused by Louboutin’s attempts to venture beyond those aesthetic guidelines, mostly because the shoes just weren’t sexy. Is it utterly impossible for a mid-heel shoe to be sexy? I don’t think so. Neither does Hedi Slimane, apparently, because get a load of the Saint Laurent Optical Mid-Heel Zipper Pump.

Perhaps my definition of “sexy” is a bit wider, but I’ve never really associated it with immobility, or with shoes that a woman is only comfortable wearing while, er, on her back. To me, sexy doesn’t have to be for a special occasion or outfit – it can be something expressed in a demeanor, a texture or even a mid-heel shoe. Slimane, who’s so far carving out a particular rocker-chic look for himself at YSL (unsurprising, if you know his history), brings a little of that to this shoe, along with a serious dose of sexiness. Black leather and zippers fit both looks perfectly, and the illusion that the shoe is opening up to reveal something red and exciting beneath its tough exterior is exactly the sort of innuendo of which sensuality is made.

All of that is happening on this shoe, all while the heel sits at a modest three inches, low enough for most women to wear for a couple of hours without any painful regrets. If I had to write a manifesto on the topic of everyday sexiness, I’d start right here. Buy through Neiman Marcus for $844.

The post Saint Laurent Proves That a Mid-Heel Shoe Can Be Sexy appeared first on TalkShoes.

An interesting tidbit of information came to light in yesterday’s edition of the New York Post – according to the Britain’s College of Podiatry, the average woman can only stand her high-heeled shoes for a little over an hour before they become painful nuisances. For as many as 20% of women, the pain starts after only 10 minutes. The school surveyed more than 2,000 heel-wearers, and although the Post’s story doesn’t explain what constitutes a “heel,” the results seem about right, and it got us wondering about the habits of you guys, our readers. How long are you willing to suffer for your high heels?

On the rare occasion that I wear heels (I have a sports injury that generally prevents it), I’m part of that group that starts to regret my decision almost immediately. My feet are no longer used to it, although years ago, I could go a couple hours without too much cursing. I asked Bea, and she said that she can probably go two to three hours, on average, although some of her shoes are in the ten-minute category. After a couple years in New York, though, I know that my feet are tougher and more resilient to pain than they were when I moved here, though, so Bea may have also developed a competitive advantage.

So, tell us: what’s your usual heel height of preference, and when wearing them, how long do your feet stand a chance? What make a difference for you in the comfort (or lack thereof) of a pair of heels? Do you have any tricks to prevent shoe pain?

If you have resilient feet, the Jimmy Choo Anouk Degrade Leather and Suede Pumps above will set you back $750 via Net-a-Porter.

The post TalkShoes Asks: How Long Does It Take for Your Heels to Hurt? appeared first on TalkShoes.

When a designer who’s famous for a very specific look finds that look at odds with trends in his industry, there are really only two outcomes: the designer dodges the trend and keeps on making the shoes he loves, hoping that business will stay strong enough to support the company until the trend pendulum swings back, or the designer can try his hand at the putting his own spin on a new look and diversify his collection to move into a new era. When platforms came en vogue, Manolo Blahnik famously took the former route; it seems as though Christian Louboutin will take the latter.

Louboutin, who has talked at length in interviews about the importance of platforms and the overrated nature of the “comfortable” shoe, isn’t too proud to make fancy footwear for those who disagree with him, all with the signature Louboutin wit. As trends for enormous platforms and their attendant spindly stilettos have fallen away, Louboutin has chosen to work more extensively at the lower end of his registry, with both flats and heels under 100mm. He’s always made shoes in those heel heights, of course, but often they were only available in basic, office-appropriate colors and materials; now those shoes are getting the full CL treatment.

The company still designs as many stilettos as ever, but it’s nice to see some diversity and range in the lower heights as well. Below, our current favorites from Net-a-Porter.

The post With Changing Trends, Christian Louboutin Bets on Lower Heels appeared first on TalkShoes.

My least favorite shopping moment is when you realize that something you love doesn’t come in a color that you want, or the exact right heel height you want to wear, or maybe the color is great, but you’d prefer suede to leather or satin to suede. I can’t tell you how many more pairs of shoes I’d have in my closet if it were possible to tweak good shoes just a bit in order to make them great, or at least great to me. Now, Neiman Marcus is letting you do just that with the Made-to-Order Manolo Blahnik BB Boutique.

The BBs, which are a timeless, closet-staple shoe if ever there were one, are available in a choice of five heel heights, ranging from kitten to stiletto, and 20 color-material options, ranging from leopard suede to white satin. Once your selections have been made, the shoes are custom-made in Blahnik’s Italian factory and are shipped straight to your home; the manufacturing process takes about six weeks. The only downside is that customized products are final sale, so if you’re not a BB pro, you might want to try on a pair in store to find your size before you order.

Which combination is your perfect BB? Personally, I’d go for the 105mm heel height in rich purple suede. All heel heights and materials are $595 via Neiman Marcus, which means there’s no upcharge for designing your own pair – that’s a pretty sweet deal, if you ask me.

The post Design Your Own Manolo Blahnik BB Pumps at Neiman Marcus appeared first on TalkShoes.

When you consider how much succes Valentino and Christian Louboutin have both had with adding studs (or, as Louboutin would prefer to call them, “spikes”) to their shoes, something like this was bound to happen eventually. For Pre-Fall 2013, both brands have chosen to do red-on-red studded pumps for their respective collections, which sets up to a nice Shoe Battle for us to consider.

For shape, I think the Valentino shoe wins, hands-down. The low-heeled, pointed-toe look feels a lot more current, not to mention that you can wear these pumps all day without begging for mercy. With the sloped platform and exaggerated, round peep-toe, the Louboutins simply feel a little less of-the-moment, despite the uber-trendy embellishment. Speaking of which, that’s likely a place where the Louboutins come out ahead – the spikes look glossy and expensive, whereas the close-up on the Valentinos looks a tad plastic. Execution is essential when you’re going with a kitschy look like vampy, red-on-red studs, and the Louboutins feel more expensive on a micro level.

Ultimately, though, I can’t get past the shape, and I’m hoping that the Valentinos will look more expensive in person. For that reason, I’ve got to side with the Italians today. Which pair do you prefer? (Or no pairs – I suppose that’s an option as well.)

Christian Louboutin Yolanda Spikes Pump
$1,395 via Neiman Marcus

Valentino Rogue Rockstud Slingbacks
$1,195 via Neiman Marcus

The post Shoe Battles: Valentino vs. Christian Louboutin appeared first on TalkShoes.

Since naming Sandra Choi, longtime employee and niece of label namesake Jimmy to the creative helm of Jimmy Choo in February, I’ve been interested to see how the label’s sexy aesthetic would evolve. I’ve been a longtime critic of Choo under Tamara Mellon – the shoes often had too many embellishments for embellishments’ sake and little sense of aesthetic balance – and Choi’s message to Vogue UK back in April gave me hope. She spoke of the brand catching up to the modern Choo woman and evolving on its stable of sexy stilettos, which is likely the kind of message that shoe lovers want to hear. Now comes the news, also from Vogue UK, that the first thing to get a makeover will be the brand’s retail stores.

Choo has enlisted the help of architecture firm David Collins Studio to spearhead the redesign. Collins has also done retail flagships for Alexander McQueen and Amanda Wakeley, and if those stores are any indication, it should be a bit of a change from the gilt-and-lavender creations that proliferated under Mellon’s watch. Choo’s stores always felt a slightly dated to me – a bit mid-2000s, a bit unrefined – and cleaning up those problems perhaps indicates a willingness to clean up the same aesthetic issues in the line. If you’re a Jimmy Choo fan, are you excited about how the company’s creative evolution is going so far? Do you have high hopes for the shoes to come?

For now, you can shop Jimmy Choo’s current offerings via Net-a-Porter.

The post Jimmy Choo Hires New Creative Director, Plans Redesign of Stores – Are You Excited? appeared first on TalkShoes.