Everything you need to know about what Raf Simons has in store for Dior, you can tell from the shoes. They were a big element of Dior Spring 2013 for many reasons, and luckily the New Look and Ligne-A silhouettes left plenty of room to admire the shoes, whether it was a result of skinny, ankle-length tuxedo pants or short jacket-dresses. Read More…

At this juncture, I don’t think it will strike anyone as surprising to call Bill Gaytten’s collections for Dior “safe.” After all, just look at Dior Fall 2012, specifically its shoes: What’s more unoffensive than a literal take on ballerina chic? While the critics among as might use words like “safe” and “unoffensive” as backhanded insults, though, those descriptors often turn into profits when a brand has a customer base as dedicated as Dior’s. Read More…

When I say “pedestrian,” I mean it in both literally and figuratively. So far, the most covetable Dior Resort 2012 shoes are the ones with low wedges or flat heels; you could walk all day on them while on vacation, a nod to the inspiration of the season. But they also look like the work of a brand with a different price point than that normally associated with the storied French design house. Read More…

Dior Tahiti Platform Pumps, $1550 via Nordstrom.

We all know the disaster that beset Dior when John Galliano decided to be a drunken racist a few months back, and it’s unfortunate that his bad behavior has overshadowed the retail debut of one of his finest collections in recent memory. Whether or not I’m willing to buy any of his work is a bit of a secondary issue at this point; from an aesthetic perspective, I’m head over heels for the Dior Tahiti Platform Pumps and the rest of the over-the-top, kitschy-cool accessories from Dior Spring 2011. Read More…

As I mentioned today over at PurseBlog, the task of reviewing Dior Fall 2011 seems rather precarious, in light of the house’s recent turmoil and John Galliano’s very public and very offensive meltdown. But shoe lovers know that a brand’s footwear and accessories are often largely the product of a group of people who toil in obscurity (and for far more modest remuneration than the Gallianos of the world, it must be mentioned), and their work for fall deserves the same eye that we would have given it if the whole Dior debacle hadn’t happened. Read More…

Spring 2011 collections saw some truly fantastic shoes (I’m looking at you, Prada), but of all of them, I loved the Dior Spring 2011 footwear the most. We’ve already had a chance to see many of the collection’s pieces in action on the runway, but still close-ups are always a great way to appreciate the fine detail, particularly when dealing with shoes this intricate. Read More…

Over the past few seasons, the best of Jimmy Choo’s offerings have often been intricately strappy sandal-booties of various textures and materials. Often, those shoes were also black. If you had shown me a picture of the Dior Temptation Booties without any kind of identifying text to go with it, I would have absolutely assumed that they were a Choo product, and I would have felt confident in my assumption. Read More…

Just when I dared to wonder whether or not John Galliano had lost his way just a bit at Christian Dior, he came through with a breathtaking Fall 2010 Haute Couture collection and now, even more to my delight, amazing shoes and bags for Christian Dior Spring 2011. If only every designer had the ability to respond in such a striking, creative way after losing a bit of momentum. Read More…