Chanel Shoes

Karl Lagerfeld’s mind must be a fascinating place to be. I’m not sure exactly how he comes up with all of the insane things that he does at Chanel, or how he finds the creative energy to make even a pre-collection like Chanel Paris-Byzance seem singular and exceedingly special. But he does it, and when he leaves Chanel eventually, the shoes his successor will have to fill will be gargantuan.

Speaking of shoes, though, let’s take a look at what Lagerfeld dreamed up for his Byzantine-themed Pre-Fall 2011 collection, which just recently hit Chanel.com. The shoes are a mixture of glitz and everyday wearability, which is in the tradition of pre-collections; these are the consumer-friendly pieces that fill the space between big, bombastic featured collections. I could see myself incorporating a number of these shoes into my closet, first and foremost the jeweled sandals you see above.

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If you see any end-of-season sales on Doc Martens floating around out there, you might want to go ahead and snatch yourself up a pair; yesterday at the Grand Palais in Paris, Karl Lagerfeld proclaimed that the trend toward punky, clunky leather boots isn’t going anywhere. Although if you’d rather wait until Chanel Fall 2011 hits stores to get a textured pair for the man himself, hey, it’s your money.

There were also a few relatively low-heeled pumps on display that make a fantastic argument for the adoption of kitten heels into almost anyone’s fashion lexicon. If you strip away the grunge dystopian styling and imagine the pointed-toe black pumps at the end of a pair of skinny jeans or leggings, it’s hard to argue with how utterly chic they would look. This collection may not hold palatable options for ever shopper, but as always, Lagerfeld’s focus is laser sharp.

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Chanel isn’t a brand that’s traditionally known as a foorwear powerhouse, but after convincing everyone on earth that clogs are a great idea for Spring 2010, it’s hard to deny that Karl Lagerfeld has massive influence on the shoes that all kinds of women have in their closets. If you weren’t a big fan of that collection, you may want to step away from Chanel Spring 2011 now, while you still have the opportunity.

On the other hand, if you like chunky heels and platforms, this might be just what the doctor ordered. The shoes mostly manifested in open-toe booties and strappy platforms, and other than a few exquisitely detailed specimens and some very wearable motorcycle boots, the footwear mostly fell flat. The show as a whole was great – inspired, even – but the the models’ feet were a low point, both literally and figuratively.

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Sometimes I get a sense that the Chanel schtick is wearing thin with some customers, but I still enjoy much of what the brand creates. Tweed, boucle, camellias and pearls may not be everyone’s proverbial cup of tea, but the adherence to iconic products and materials makes Chanel what it is today while still giving Kaiser Karl Lagerfeld ample opportunity to experiment on the runway (and sometimes with the runway – imported iceberg chunks, giant gilded lions, etc.).

These classic Chanel Tweed Pumps are absolutely the result of the brand’s idolatry of tradition. But what’s perhaps more important is that they’re really great, wearable shoes that don’t leach on youth and trends.

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