OverU Boots

Overview of Fall 2010 Bootwear Trends: Part 2 of ---

Fur Boots are the last thing on anyone's mind here in NYC this September. We still have heat waves, hurricanes, and the beach to think about.

But the trendsetters have their sights set on fur. Fashion-conscious New Yorkers are already browsing and saving for, or splurging on their All-fur Boots. Endless.com has a few pages of boots for sale on their website labeled "Shearling and Fur-trimmed".  

But nothing compares to this season's jaw-dropper: It's Alexander Wang's Goat Hair Polina boot. 

This is a bit extreme, even for me. And at $925 from Net-a-porter.com the price is no joke either (or maybe it's hilarious--I'm on the fence about it). 

If you want to view another cutting-edge designer's use of fur this season we can look to Christian Louboutin's Toundra Boot. It's much more toned-down and that red sole never hurts. 

For most of us, these boots are not only hard to afford but also hard to pull off -- and then there are those who cringe at the idea of killing animals needlessly for fashion.

Thankfully, there are plenty of designers who create faux-fur footwear. Nextag.com has a database of online stores selling faux-fur boots.

Manolo Blahnik created this white faux-fur boot to satisfy these needs. It's sold on Nordstrom.com, but at $1,695 it doesn't satisfy me!  And I'm not even sure it's animal friendly because that honestly looks exactly like a Pomeranian with a shoe up its arse.

These faux-fur Marc by Marc Jacobs are selling on Endless.com for $181 but... I don't see how anyone could think they're flattering. I did see a thumbnail image of them in black and it wasn't as bad but I think the overall look could have been improved had the laces been thinner and dyed the same color as the fur....or just--no, maybe it's the shape??

Moving on... 

Even if you don't think that you can fully commit to the all-fur trend there are plenty of designs that allow you to partake in the fun without going "all the way".

We've got Roberto Cavalli, comin' through for us on Net-a-porter($1,650). 

I love these!!!  See....now THIS is the ribbon-look that Marc Jacobs was going for in the last one done right. The ribbon-wrap detailed is used in many of these designs. Did anyone else notice that?

And then there's See by Chloe on Net-a-porter for $450, which look odd on white space but look really chic when paired right with an extra long plaid button-down.

I'm still on the MOU Cowboy Goatskin Boot...

Or Muks Rabbit and Suede...

Gotta love that wedge, ladies. 

 

An OverU-view of Fall 2010 Bootwear Trends: Part 1 of ---

I want to share some Bootwear trends that I predict will become popular this Fall/Winter 10-11. I'm leaving this series open-ended with a goal in mind of 5 trends/posts.

PART 1 of -- : The Fabric Calf (adapted from the Thong Sandal-Boot and Hybrid Sandal-Boot)

3 Designers: 3 Very Different Boots...

Following the popularity of Fabric Ankles that we have seen this summer on Thong Sandal-Boots and Hybrid Sandal-Boots--

Designers are taking this trend and adapting it for colder seasons and inclement weather.

The fabric is attached to the top of the ankle of the boot. Sometimes the seam is hidden inside of the boot and other times it's visibly sewn with the upper material.

Let's start with a Marc by Marc Jacobs design, only because... my favorite boots EVER were a Marc design.

Part-Duck Boot, part-Rain boot, part Cinch-sak.

These Marc Jacobs add a special twist to an old staple.

Anything looks good on a Net-a-porter model...

But if you're a 9-to-5, maybe the Givenchy Stocking-detailed Ankle Boot is more your style....A classier look.

Before you decide, check em out on the model...

What looked silly a moment ago looks appealing now...

Also check out how wide the opening of the shaft is at her ankle. That's another thing I've been noticing about boots these days - the popularity of the wide fitting calf. Maybe it's meant to offset the skinniness of the jeans?

And last but definitely not least -- The Olivia Boot from 7 for All Mankind. Perfect Blend of Work Boot and the Fabric Ankle.  LOVE THESE!

They remind me of a Timberland work boot, but fancy!

Timberland, you clearly are not listening to me but I think you should make a Wedge Work Boot and a Fabric Ankle boot.

Instead you're making boat shoes and wannabe-UGGS.

I want to cry every time I look at my old Tim boots. How can I possibly wear them another season?

 

Alexander Wang Goat Hair Polina Boots 2010

This boot is provoking more fashion bloggers than any other for FW 2010. 

With Six Inches of heel and a Two and a Half Inch platform, these boots would have caused a ruckus even without the goat hair. 

According to Elizabeth Semmelhack, author of "Heights of Fashion: A History of the Elevated Shoe", "We have entered a moment of heightened impracticality in footwear. Heel heights noticeably grew during the Great Depression of the 1930s, the oil crisis in the 1970s, and when the dotcom bubble burst in the 2000s." 

Semmelhack believes the height increase demonstrates a need for escapism in hard economic times. If the height is hard to swallow, what about the long, shaggy goat hair???

Most bloggers are baffled and question the public, "What do you think?"

Take it from me - someone who is only sure in this life of what she feels about boots - and only boots.

It doesn't matter.

That's right. It doesn't matter how we feel or what we think of these boots. The collective conscience of today has designed them and the fashion of our times is really not up to us as individuals. Although Alexander Wang is the designer and takes full responsibility for their creation, it is us as a community of free-thinkers who have made these boots a possibility.

Even in my Footwear Design class at FIT in 2009, a woman made an oxford style platformed shoe that was covered in black goat hair. (Where is she now??...What was her name again??)

As dramatic as they seem to us today, it might be a few years until the general public are wearing boots like this too.

 

Check out the model from Net-a-Porter.com ($925).   
In our competitive society she gets Brownie points for individuality and confidence. She stands out and isn't that what all of us are striving for in NYC?

Stylesight's FW2011 Accessories Workbook documents "All-fur" boots as one of the upcoming trends to watch for on the streets.

And right here - in Stylesight's Evolution Lookbook for 2011, it basically details the Polina Boot to the tee.

NOMADIC HUNTER: Create a post-apocalyptic aesthetic with shaggy sheepskin fur on animalistic boots.

That coincides perfectly with the native culture promoted in John Cameron's movie, "Avatar" this past year. As influential as that movie was on the public's collective conscience, I'm thrilled we're not all doning tails and painting our bodies blue.

Golden Goose Cowboy Boots

I was immediately drawn to Andy and her Destructed Toe Ankle Cowboy Boots. I liked the studded detail of the boot and the contrast stitching but I loved how the leather of the pointed toe was worn down to reveal signs of wear and aging. After drawing some similarities to a previous boot I saw and a short conversation with Andy about the quality of the leather and the manufacturing process, I came to the realization that I had solved the mystery of the Riding Boot from this past spring.

Turns out I had the country of origin wrong; I was searching for boots made in Spain but these boots are actually made in Italy. After I made it home, a quick google search produced these results:

That's right, ladies and gents, I've unearthed the designer responsible for the riding boot in the previous post -- Y'all remember the one...

 Golden Goose.  A brand in Italy. Designers are Francesca and Alessandro Gallo. Their fashion line was started in 2000 and brought to America by none other than --- THEIR TEXAN BOOT!  Coined, "The Golden Boot" it was launched in 2004 and was a runaway success.  Sold at Barney's, but also found online on Yoox, Shopbop, and Bergdorf Goodman, the Boot Line is famous among the well-to-do for their "style which wisely mixes rules of Italian tailoring tradition and research of fabrics with their passion for the elegance of British style".

Andy tells me that the designers bury the leather to age it and I remember the woman from the original post telling me that she went through a hell of a time finding these exact boots.

Thank you so much, Andy!

 You're a Boot-Savor!

Daddy, give me money!

Who remembers my obsession with the Hardrige-Colette collaboration boot? Anyone? Anyone? It wasn't made in women's sizes...Remember? 

 

Yeah, well.  Daddy didn't give me money...SO...

This -- from the Phi FW2010 collection.  

"Formed in October 2003 by Susan Dell (wife of computer magnate Michael Dell), Phi (pronounced “fee”) began life with many advantages—a 10,000-square-foot showroom in New York, its own store after one season, and Norwegian designer Andreas Melbostad at the helm. Melbostad’s previous experience includes working at heavy hitters such as Guy Laroche, Yves Saint Laurent, and Donna Karan. At Phi, he favors reinvented eighties silhouettes and masculine tailoring" (NY Mag.com ).

It's nice...But not nice enough to warrant a trilogy of posts from the BOE.