After New York and London fashion week, you can start feeling a bit burned out. So many beautiful collections, so little time! You could spend your afternoon flipping through Style.com slideshows to keep caught up or you could come to Shoerazzi, where we offer a comprehensive look at the strongest collections of the fashion month with our eyes directed to the enviable footwear. This time around, we’re reviewing the always seductive, always gorgeous shoes of Milan fashion week.
Credit: ELLE
Stella Jean is an up-and-coming designer that has been curating a lot of buzz since her launch last season. So much buzz that she managed to pull major Milan fashion power hitters into the crowd! The pattern-on-pattern-on-pattern feel of the line is both earthy and fashion forward, bohemian while still being body-conscious. The footwear mimicked the phenomenal patterning throughout the collection, making the ankle booties and stilettos alike a feast for the eyes. Those amazing colorful tweeds and African wax prints were transformed into shoes that beg to be worn everywhere, regardless of season. It’s hard to say where a brand this young is going, but one thing is certain: if they keep having clever footwear collaborations – Christian Louboutin is no slouch – and enviable apparel, the future is bright.
Credit: ELLE
Like so many before it, Gucci’s Fall 2014 collection revisited the archives. Specifically? The sixties, emphasizing clean lines, precision, and snug tailoring done in a myriad of baby blues, mustard yellows, sage greens, dusty roses, and spliced with edge by animal print. The Mod appeal was complemented by the fabulous knee-high boots that pervaded the collection. The silhouette of the boots is classic, modernized by blending their iconic horsebit loafer with a Chelsea boot. In keeping with the palette of the apparel, the boots are pastel perfect.
Credit: ELLE
Fausto Puglisi’s mini-skirt obsessed line is always fantastically fabulous. This season, he punched up the collection with vibrant graphic prints and leather paneling. Now, where there’s an enviable leg-baring dress, there are killer shoes to follow. The pumps were as geometrically-themed as the collection, combining supple leather and smooth suede into intriguing color combinations that would make compiling an outfit a cinch. We love the contrasting hues of the color blocked pumps, however our hearts are set on the inexplicable Lady Liberty pump that gives The Statue of Liberty a very fashionable makeover!
Credit: ELLE
After last season’s spectacular collection, we were wondering how Karl Lagerfeld’s Fendi would hold up to the extremely high expectations he’s been setting these past couple years. The verdict? Karl Lagerfeld Voodoo Doll aside, it was a masterful collection inspired by continental travel and the morose romanticism of the thirties. Though the fur apparel is always the main attraction of a Fendi show, the footwear held its own. The mid-calf booties are the perfect blend of sophistication combining supple leather and silky hair calf variants propped up by a coordinated stacked heel. Although we don’t think they’re the edgiest boots of the season, they’re a great mix of attitude and practicality
Credit: ELLE
Just Cavalli, the younger sister of Roberto Cavalli, is a brand addicted to sass and vibrant colors. The collection was eclectic and funky, the shoes matching the theme to a T with their colorful, fringy goodness. Heeled, open-toe sandals were color blocked and tasseled, while the ankle boots took on a fierce life of their own. We love the plethora of on-trend colors and our heart is set firmly on a pair of those gorgeous green tassel suede booties. Seriously. Apologies in advance to our bank accounts.
Credit: ELLE
Alessandro Dell’Acqua’s designs for No° 21 always have the appeal of a tomboy schoolgirl gone sassy; this season that wayward bourgeois appeal was in full force with floral sequins, slouching blazers, and sheer one-shouldered dresses. The shoes themselves drifted between modest 50s-inspired flats, clunky boots, and shoes that carry a very peculiar arts and crafts appeal. The pumps have everything from fleece bows to glitter covered heels embellished on top of calf hair, making them an intriguing statement piece that we can all expect to see on Anna Dello Russo before long.
Credit: ELLE
After last season’s cacophony of colors, Prada’s latest offering seems almost dower by comparison. It was definitely as extravagant as we always expect (multi-colored shearling coats, layered sheer dresses that are the perfect kind of delicate), though at times felt disjointed. Luckily, the strangely bizarre and always modern shoes we await season after season reappeared with sky-high mechanical wedges embellished with industrial-looking rivets. Without a doubt, the footwear will appear on fashion It girls everywhere the millisecond they’re stocked on the shelves.
Credit: ELLE
Jeremy Scott’s premiere at Moschino was just as bizarre and weird as we all expected. Taking a cue from “fast fashion,” nods to candy wrappers, Spongebob Squarepants, Budweiser, and Ronald McDonald were standard. Colorful, kooky, and just shy of completely unwearable, it was one of the more memorable collections of the season. Luckily, the footwear felt more realistic for every day wear. Would we rock the riff on the McDonald’s M? We’re not so sure, but we do love the emblem-embellished Moschino ankle strap pumps.
Credit: ELLE
This season, Versace was decidedly more conservative than we’re used to seeing in recent years, shelving blatant sexuality for satin, asymmetrical hems, and military buttons. The footwear was just as vivacious as usual, however, and practically screamed “red carpet ready.” Suede over-the-knee boots were embellished with gold chain and ankle booties featured a dangerously pointed toe that would make the Wicked Witch of the West excited for fall shopping. That said, the stand-out shoe was easily the woven suede mule, where the military inspiration met seamlessly with sartorial sophistication.
Credit: ELLE/Style
Close your eyes and think of Roberto Cavalli, what do you picture? If we were to guess, you saw an explosion of fur, metallics, and snakeskin. You would be spot on! Cavalli is known for opulence and he very rarely disappoints. This season is no exception, especially where the phenomenal shoes are concerned. The ankle-strap sandals feature a classic silhouette drenched in luxuries such as beige python trimmed in metallic silver leather and a regal mirrored gold covered heel breast.
Credit: ELLE
Jil Sander’s label is currently in freefall after the namesake designer resigned from the position last year, leaving the remaining design team to pick up the design books and curate a collection that stuck to Jil Sander’s DNA – even if Jil Sander wasn’t there to oversee the designs herself. So. How’d they do? Well, where the apparel stayed to a relatively neutral palette that hinted at colors instead of embracing them, the footwear (wedge brogues and platform loafers) were punchy in their vibrancy. Electric yellow snake skin, deep green laces, and merlot wedges were all part of the strong footwear offering.
Credit: ELLE
Prints, studs, and fox fur – oh my! This latest collection from Peter Dundas for Emilio Pucci is one of the strongest he’s created for the legendary Italian house and that goes double for the footwear. Strappy, sexy & studded is our perfect recipe for a killer sandal. The braided leather and classic palette of the sandals make it infinitely wearable and ultimately racy. Of course, it wouldn’t be a fall line without boots and Pucci’s selection is decidedly crazier than his sandals. The cow-printed hair calf, sleek red leather, and burnished golden medallions boots are flamboyant enough to even make Tom Ford grin in appraisal.
Credit: ELLE
Salvatore Ferragamo’s Fall 2014 collection offered up classic looks that did not feel stuffy and dated; supple tartans piped with black leather, needle-punched jacquard, and metallic wool blends made the collection covetable. For the footwear, the brand offered exotic skin strappy sandals and heeled loafers embellished with grommets as well as over-the-knee leather boots done in a similar motif.
Credit: ELLE
Dean and Dan Catan are known for keeping kitsch and wackiness at the forefront of the Milanese runways, served with a massive helping of sass and panache. Sleek alligator leather paired with colorful jacquard in a Mod-style ensemble? Not every brand would show such a combination with a straight face, but we love DSquared2 for that reason. The footwear channeled the sixties vibe and then added the crazy. Embellished sandals walked the runway covered in elaborate gem stone vines and ankle straps were fastened with padlocks- bizarrely perfect in the DSquared2 way.
Written by Shannon Weston
