Bottega Veneta Shoes

Images via Vogue.com

Now that the frenzied rush of all of the Fashion Weeks are over, we can go back and hit a few of the collections that we meant to mention along the way. Bottega Veneta is one such collection that got pushed to the side in the endless onslaught of runway images, but I really wish I had posted it sooner – these shoes are good. They’re a little edgier than you expect for the staid brand, and most of the designs look really wearable.

More and more brands seem willing to work within the negative space that’s created by a high heel, and Bottega’s triangular extrusions create both an interesting silhouette and an interesting surface for adornment, in the case of the collection’s python slingbacks. I see nothing in this collection that would stop most shoe lovers from laying down considerable coin on it.

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I rarely find myself embarrassed. That’s not because I don’t do any embarrassing things; in fact, I do plenty of them. I’m just not a person who’s easily lead to feel bad about myself or my actions, so normally I avoid the feeling even if it’s appropriate by most measures.

Last week in Neiman Marcus, though, I wasn’t so lucky. Because my work schedule allows me a bit of flexibility, I tend to go to the mall when things are quiet and crowds are at a minimum – weekday mornings. Unfortunately, that also means that if you make a scene of some sort, every last eye will be on you. A word to the wise: Dropping the Bottega Veneta Platform Wooden Wedge Sandals on a glass table makes a very loud noise.

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Perhaps I’m jumping the gun a little bit, but I sincerely hope that Fall 2011 shapes up to be the season of the patterned shoe. Erdem already showed a collection full of subtle and simple printed pumps, and now Valentino Fall 2011 has shown us similar footwear, but in a sandal shape alongside perfectly tailored lace t-strap pumps.

Bottega tends not to reach too far toward the edge with its footwear, and Tomas Maier played it relatively safe again with straightforward, wearable heels for which most women could find some sort of purpose. The use of lace was less interesting than how Maier incorporated the same material in the collection’s ready-to-wear, but the ladylike end result will give Valentino a run for its footwear money.
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Bottega Veneta‘s shoes tend to skew more conservative and staid than those of many other manufacturers at a similar price point, but the brand is doing something I like very much for Fall 2010: the curvy wedge.

That more designers haven’t seized on the wedge as a virtually blank canvas for creativity and adornment is somewhat baffling – we’ve seen embellished heels for a few seasons, but relatively few brands have chosen to tinker with the structure and appearance of the traditional wedge. With the shape becoming more popular year-round, it’s high time that someone like Bottega Veneta stepped up to the plate.

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Let me be honest with you all, I do not like wedges. I never have. I can’t even attach a specific reason why I don’t like them. And truthfully I have not given wedges a proper chance. Maybe I will reconsider wedges and in doing so I would like to start with the Bottega Veneta Ankle-Tie Wedge Sandals.

Right after that last statement I got a little confused with my own self. Raffia on shoes? It seems like that could be painful rubbing against your skin. I think I am speaking in circles. Let me just get down to talking about the shoes.

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