I’m not even sure where to start, except to say that if I were asked to participate in this week’s Fill in the Blank about the Casadei Architectural Crisscross Slides, my response would be “not a good look.”

Some of you may remember my positive review of a similar shoe from Casadei, an opinion behind which I firmly stand. Read More…

Casadei Cutout Platform Sandals, $1320 via Neiman Marcus

Every now and then, a shoe comes around that makes me bemoan the lack of cutouts in current footwear. Sometimes it’s because the shoe is dearly in need of one in order to provide any kind of visual interest, other times it’s because a shoe has them and reminds me of what an awesome design element a cutout can be. Read More…

You know that the popularity of platform stilettos is on the wane when even Casadei, one of the most platform-happy brands in fashion, starts to shy away from them and incorporate more shoes where your feet stay firmly planted on the ground. Well, the fronts of your feet, anyway. Casadei Fall 2011 is full of stilettos, just as expected.

None of these shoes are absolutely knocking me off my feet, but I do like almost all of them quite a bit, particularly the staid camel pump with a surprise detail on the metal heel. Read More…

As with many shoes that take on a silhouette similar to the Casadei T-Bar Sandals (that’s such an innocuous name, is it not?), I may not personally like them, but their existence certainly makes the footwear world a more interesting place. The Italian brand is known for its exuberant sexiness and in-your-face high heels adorned with patterns, rhinestones and everything else that you can think of, and as far as embellishments go, I guess that a heel that can double as an ice pick is pretty convenient. Read More…

As much as some people seemed to believe that leopard print would be nothing more than a flash in the trend pan, it looks as though the timeless print is indeed here to stay for quite some time. And with good reason; when worn correctly, animal prints can be used as a neutral that’s far more fun to wear than any actual neutral. Read More…

The phrase “one bad apple” spoils the bunch always struck me as needlessly lacking in nuance, but in the context of good design, it’s absolutely true. I was on board with the bicolor, grow-up sexiness of the Casadei Chain Platform Sandals until I got to the bottom. In the words of The Fug Girls, these shoes are a scroll-down fug.

That chain. Read More…

At first, I didn’t really understand Casadei Spring 2011. The collection features everything from leopard-print stilettos to peach suede 70s-style platforms to dainty lace kitten heels, not to mention denim-look knee boots that feature what can only be described as a tromp l’oeil fly. Where’s the common thread?

After some thought, though, I’m not sure that cohesion within a shoe collection really makes a lick of difference to consumers. Read More…

Sometimes, you look at a shoe and you just know. Usually, that sense of knowing is related to your intense personal need for whatever you’re looking at, but in this case, I looked at the Casadei Triple Platform Pumps and just knew that Victoria Beckham would look perfect in them.

I have yet to find any record of her actually owning or wearing these shoes, but they hit all the usual VB marks. Read More…