What Do You Think of the Embellished Shoes Trend?

I just spent the past two weeks in Los Angeles, and while I was there, I very coincidentally spent a lot of time thinking about shoes. I’m friends with these guys—”dudes,” if you know what I mean—and they work out of a storefront in West Hollywood that has frosted glass windows facing the street. Bear with me here, this gets back to shoes. About a foot of said windows is not frosted, the foot closest to the ground, and my friends spend a decent amount of their downtime making snap judgments about the people who walk by, based entirely on their footwear. One day, I came to the door in stiletto-heel Givenchy cage shoes, and it was clear they were expecting someone else. A supermodel, presumably. Anyway, it’s an interesting exercise. Spot a woman in practical brogues, and immediately, you comprehend a businesslike sensibility at work. Vintage moccasins say: I’m a hipster. Low-heeled brown pumps: Lawyer. FitFlops: Sucker. And so on. With all due respect to the several brands I love that are bringing out super-adorned shoes for Fall and now for Resort, the reasonable assumption I would draw, upon subjecting their footwear to the frosted-glass window test, is: I am nuts. Studs, spikes, chain, giant crystals, pearls, and God knows what else have embellished shoes and boots the past few seasons. Now, Givenchy is throwing hair into the mix, new brand Omelle is going with fur, and Acne is coming out with heels that are covered with multicolored pompoms. I mean, what’s next? Dead bugs? Nail tips? Maybe designers should just cover the vamps of their shoes for Spring in Velcro and see what sticks. I’m all for an artfully embellished shoe, but I feel like some kind of trend tipping point has been reached. Do you agree? Comments, please.

By Maya Singer

Photo: Courtesy of Acne

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