FALL 2008
Feet first into fall fashion
Whether you’re into the menswear look or ’40s glamour, fall’s fashionable footwear will take you anywhere
This fall, fashion is at your feet. From metallic moccasins to purple ankle boots, great shoes really make an outfit. Platform pumps are perfect with the season’s popular high-waisted pants (be sure to add that all- important bow blouse.)
Peep-toe pumps pair nicely with pencil skirts. And boots? Where to begin? “Boots are huge for fall,” said Tricia Kelly, owner of Tricia’s Shoes in the Walker Center in Amherst.
For one thing, some styles reflect the equestrian trend in clothing that turned up on New York runways in recent seasons.
“There’s a definite riding boot influence,” Kelly said.
And other boot styles reign as well.
Ankle boots are shown with skinny jeans and leggings (advice from In Style: If you wear them with knee-length skirts or dresses, be sure to wear opaque tights that match).
And slouch boots – both high and low –return as well. Fashion designers such as Carolina Herrera showed them with knee-length dresses or pulled them on over narrow-leg pants.
And there’s more.
“What we are seeing is a lot of the menswear look. The look is very hot right now, and it’s catching on in Buffalo,” said Deborah Tangelder, owner of Get Heeled, a women’s shoe boutique, and the Perfect Gift on Goodrich Road, Clarence Center.
“We’re seeing the lace-up Oxford with the pump heel and also a lot of the menswear-inspired Mary Jane styles with the chunky high heel and thick crossover strap with an oversized buckle as an accent,” she said.
These shoes, she said, can be worn with a very crisply pressed, classic charcoal trouser as well as a pair of wide-leg black pants a woman may already have in her closet.
There’s great versatility in fall’s shoes, Tangelder said.
“You can have some fun with these looks. You can use them with some of the basics you already have,” she said.
But they also work with the new menswear look, as well as with skinny-leg jeans or pants and leggings worn with oversized tunics.
As for color, black and brown always are popular but this fall gray, especially charcoal gray, is hot — in leather, suede, animal prints and textured materials.
Picture a peep-toe heel in charcoal gray suede with a hint of patent leather trim and a crossover front with a small button.
“This is a very sexy shoe,” Tangelder said.
Higher heels are very strong for fall, but a lot of them have a subtle platform base — for everyday and special occasion, she added.
Look, too, for classic satin shoes with bows for evening; lace highlights on shoes for both daytime and evening (very exciting, Tangelder said), and jazzed-up animal prints (a zebra print in black and off-white with a deep-red buckle with silver detailing, for example).
And boots, again, come in a wide range of styles.
One of Tangelder’s favorites: a moccasin-style boot with fringe.
In addition to the season’s ever-popular boots and menswear looks, Amy Cafazzo, Marshalls Style Expert, notes several other shoe trends:
• Sexy stilettos: The news is in the bright colors and bold prints. In Marshalls Fall 2008 Shoe Trend Report, Cafazzo recommends wearing a pair of the Mary Jane-styles with a black dress for a night on the town.
• Classic pumps: What looks new for fall are the cap-toe and peep-toe styles, as well as textured wools, mock-croc and patent leather.
Try wearing them with a long sweater and thick tights, Cafazzo advises.
• Moccasins: What's not to love? Mocs for fall come in exotic prints and metallic shades. Some are punctuated with a buckle or other hardware.
Women who couldn't resist spring's bright yellow pumps will be glad to hear that color isn't going away anytime soon in the shoe department.
Shoe designers definitely take a whirl on the color wheel for fall.
There's the cuffed, purple suede slouch boot from Bakers, for example. Or the red suede peep-toe pump with ankle tie and 4-inch heel coming from Nine West.
And fuchsia for fall? Why not?
The September issue of Marie Claire magazine devotes 10 pages to shoes and handbags in high-voltage colors, including shades of berry, red, yellow, orange, green, violet, electric blue, teal and — indeed — fuchsia.
New season. New shoes. It's as simple as that.
