Elizabeth and James Shoes

Designing a printed shoe is always tricky. Unless the designer chooses a knee-high boot, shoe real estate is limited and making sure that a pattern is fully realized and visually intact in such a limited amount of space usually makes the whole endeavor too annoying to undertake, to say nothing of the fact that patterned shoes can be a little wardrobe-challenging.

The Elizabeth & James Rinna Booties pull off the patterned look with considerable aplomb, though, and thereby manage to make a very normal bootie shape into something tactile and interesting with the addition of draped leopard print. Animal print functions as something of a neutral, as we all know so well, and these booties are a bit different than most of the leopard shoes we’ve seen over the past several months.

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I came to see the Elizabeth and James E-Moxy Booties for the first time because one of my friends on Twitter sent me a link to them, professing her dislike. The link was actually to the brown suede version of the design, which I tend to agree are not the most attractive shoes I’ve ever seen. Redone in black leather, they’re not half bad.

What this design does really well is take fall’s trends for black leather booties and platform work boots, combine the two, and strip them down to their most essential elements. In doing so, some of the faddish qualities are eliminated from both and the shoe turns out to be a simple, very sexy, somewhat affordable fall option.

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Reading through your comments on our asking which shoe designers you want to see, I realized many of you asked to see Elizabeth and James to be featured. Ask and ye shall receive.

Who would have thought that the Olsen twins would become the little petite moguls they are today? All I still think of when I see them is Full House, a personal favorite childhood tv show of mine filled with silly plots and Michelle Tanner. But now Michelle Tanner is a distant past for this style mavens who collaborated to create Elizabeth and James. Their clothing is very downtown chic with a vibe perfectly suited for all ages but I always imagine them working best on 20 and 30 somethings.

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