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. Accessories are often useful for distilling a brand’s look down into a single piece, and for a debut like this, there’s plenty to divine.

For fans of Simons, it was exactly the sort of retro-futuristic look that you’d expect (and hope for) from the Belgian minimalist. The shoes have the curves and angles that reference the New Look era, but the materials – holographic snakeskin, mirrored metal in gentle pastels – are anything but retro. The combination is a solid combination of where Dior’s been and where it’s going, which is the exact tone that Simons needed to strike for his first collection with the storied French house.

[Images via Vogue.com]

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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. These shoes may not be thought-provoking, but for a certain woman, they’re very wearable.

Which is not to say that they’re comfortable-looking; on the contrary, they look like Dior’s shoemakers are attempting to get the wearer as close to en pointe as possible. These designs have a classic style, though, and in the luxurious neutrals that we saw on the runway, they’ll undoubtedly sell well to people who aren’t particularly interested in the behind-the-scenes business machinations of the fashion industry. Luckily for Dior, that’s a sizable group of people.

Images via Vogue.com

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I wouldn’t be surprised to see these shoes retailing for $250 to $400, which is a problem for a brand that certainly plans to charge a much higher price. But when some of these flat sandals get marked down, I’ll be at Saks, ready and waiting. A few more pictures after the jump.

Photos via Women’s Wear Daily.

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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.

These shoes make me want to find a 1960s tiki hut and drink a rum cocktail from a hollowed-out pineapple, which is just about the strongest and most specific reaction a pair of shoes could even hope to engender. Perhaps it’s because it’s been unseasonably cold in New York for the past week, but these shoes struck me as the most welcome ray of sunshine I’ve seen in quite a while, just as they did when I first saw them on the runway. Sometimes the art is great even when the artist isn’t a great person. Buy through Nordstrom for $1550.

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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.

And in this case, the results are almost uniformly positive. Dior’s footwear designers decided to spur the trend toward thicker heels and lower platforms to create a collection full of utterly luxurious, crocodile-trimmed over-the-knee boots and pale platform sandals befitting a very chic bride. The lace-up booties that fell somewhere in the middle will probably be the collection’s most successful retail category, but I preferred the offerings at either end of the spectrum.

Photos via Vogue.com.

The post Fashion Week Shoes: Dior Fall 2011 appeared first on TalkShoes.

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.

The best of these styles are not what you’d call everyday wearable, but they are certainly a lush, vibrant, campy sight to behold. And really, that’s how I’d like to look back on this or any year – as something fantastical and alive instead of just another run-of-the-mill black pump.

Photos via Style.com.

The post To close out the year, let’s revisit Dior Spring 2011 appeared first on TalkShoes.

It would be inaccurate to refer to Dior as the new guy in shoe town, but this design and the rest of Cruise and Spring 2011 mark a bit of a return to form for Dior as a footwear leader. These shoes don’t reinvent the wheel, of course, but they do what they do very well.

These shoes perhaps don’t have anything new to say, stylistically speaking, but having a workhorse black bootie in your closet is not to be underestimated. The fact that this one straddles the line between bootie and sandal almost perfectly makes it even more versatile and wearable in all but the coldest of conditions, and the large snakeskin panel gives a great touch of texture. With a mid-February delivery date for these shoes, you’ll have them just in time for warmer weather to start peeking through the clouds. Buy through Nordstrom for $990.

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I’m not sure how else to describe these shoes other than wall-to-wall, brightly colored perfection. Shrinking violets and those who shy away from mixing bold colors need not apply, just as we’ve seen all over the runways of Milan and Paris. What these shoes manage to do, though, is take that idea to the next level – not only are they a mishmash of bright colors, but of textures, prints and materials. That they all manage to work so cohesively within the sailors-and-island-girls theme is nothing short of very impressive. Just when I thought Prada might have the prize for Spring 2011′s best shoes all wrapped up, Dior makes a bold claim for the title.

Photos via Style.com.

The post Fashion Week Shoes: Christian Dior Spring 2011 appeared first on TalkShoes.

Of the major labels, Dior is one of the only ones (save for perhaps Valentino) who would be producing the Dior Libertine Peep-Toe Sandal right now, while the rest of footwear is tending toward masculine workboots and thick heels. Dior knows its audience, and the people who patronize the brand will certainly adore this shoe.

Amid all the heavily platform’d lace-up boots and bright leopard haircalf pumps that we’ve seen so far for fall, this shoe is almost a bit of a high-glamour shock to the senses. The design is almost self-consciously antitrend, since it didn’t even go so far as to embrace the kitten heel, which is perhaps the only place that traditional adult femininity has cornered in this season’s footwear.

As much as I love the work boots and leopard for fall (and I really, really love them), alternatives are important and good for fashion. If you’re a woman who likes your femininity straight up and with no twist, these are the perfect adult-glamour shoes for you. The carved heel is a nice final touch. Buy through Saks for $780.

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I tend to rag on Dior handbags over at PurseBlog, but occasionally John Galliano has something so stunning up his sleeve that I can’t even think of something negative to say. The brand’s recent couture show was one such instance, and the Christian Dior Cavaliere Boots are yet another.

Military is huge for fall, as I’m sure we’re all aware, and these boots do the trend absolute justice down to the very last detail. The buckles, the leather, the tread on the bottom – it’s all pitch-perfect and beautiful, for lack of a more apt description. This shoe combines menswear and femininity seamlessly, and it’s the kind of final product to which all other designers should aspire. Buy through Neiman Marcus for $1250.

Image via Style.com.

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