I confess I am not a huge fan of Louis Vuitton, nor do I like a monotone style of an electric color for an outfit, but somehow this all together just works (including that 3 legged chair the model is leaning on). I wonder what he would look like walking down the streets of New York….hmmmmm, in my visualization it doesn’t work as well.

How about the streets of Sao Paulo Brazil? That works. Probably works in Europe too, but I’d like to see it with either a white blazer or a grey one? You think?

The great touch on this? the blue sandals.

But my final word, it explains the blue hair Marc Jacobs was donning for awhile.

Image from Surface Magazine’s “Getting Mono” by photographer Paul Cruz, styling by Bernardo Siaotong.
Chair is molded aluminum tripod by Poul Kjaerholm; part of a limited edition of 25 in blue for R20th Century and Sean Kelly Gallery.

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So, we were just talking about the great blue shoes Katie Holmes wore with her red Armani gown to the Met’s Superheroes Fashion and Fantasy exhibit at the Costume Institute and I couldn’t get over the color….of blue, then along comes Oscar De La Renta’s resort 09 collection suggesting he’s taken a fancy to that color too….yes, and yummy!

Mind you, he had lots of other color options and styles to choose from (like this great print…he’s so on with his ethnic prints right now), but his solo blue confections or blue mixed with red just seemed really masterful to me, and so well accessorized.

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Other items of interest regarding shoes came to light during the opening of the Metropolitan Costume Institute’s exhibit, “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy,” and I really must share.

Cathy Horyn, the New York Times Fashion critic and of On the Runway blog fame, wore the perfect shoes to the opening party. What she wore and how well it came off indicates or should anyway how important it is to think these details through. The shoes were the perfect compliment to her outfit, the trends, and the length of her skirt. It all came together to make her look quite leggy….something one may only expect of fashion models, but not true. We can all look like that if we put on the right shoe with our outfit. (for more on what all the style mavens wore for the gala, see style.com)

A strappy heel is what I called it. Then about the same time, Bill Cunningham, the New York Times on the street fashion photog and documentarian, photographed a lovely segment on hats and shoes and among other things also noted the strappiness of the heels but also the uniqueness of the shoes. Take a look.

But then, there were Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise perfectly captured going up the stairs to the Met’s entrance for the exhibit…she looking like the superheroe Cinderella that she is in a red sequined Armani and these daring do “Blue” shoes and he, Tom, looking like the perfect prince pulling her up the stairs (also dressed in Armani). The best shot of the evening came from Reuter’s photog, Lucas Jackson, shown alongside Eric Wilson’s funny and quippy first impression article for the New York Times of the evenings happenings, “Stars and Superheroes Sparkle at Museum Gala.”

Nonetheless, it was the blue shoes that really made the impression……hmmmm, I wondered aloud to myself, could this have more meaning than for creating a fun yet beautifully themed ensemble for the evening? Then I spied with my little eye the cornflower blue Puma First Round Hi-tops at Urban Outfitters and knew instantly, yes, that blue has life well beyond the Superheroe exhibit and Katie Holmes’ outfit for the evening.
(okay, it’s a little lighter shade, but nonetheless has superpower written all over it)

In fact, I am hoping I can score some great same color blue sandals and/or flip flops for this summer somewhere….Mary Hart of Entertainment Tonight has been wearing these fantastic cobalt blue dresses and suits on the show and while interviewing (image from January 2008 SAG awards). I think she knows something too about this color of blue besides that it looks good on her.

So, KERPLOW! and, and, PLUNK! that.

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A personal favorite of mine, Ed Hardy laceless oxfords at Bakers.

Yesterday was a market day for me….it was time to spend some time in the stores just to see what has come in for Spring/Summer 08 while looking for harbingers of 2010. I was disappointed. Inventory was light in many places and not much in the way of excitement; then again, there weren’t that many shoppers out there either.

Crate & Barrel was interesting; nice round up of colors–lots of orange but there were great navy blues or cobalt, and greens too.

Coach was the most fun when it came to color. They just can’t get enough of it.

Anthropologie was fun, as always, and they have one very colorful spread this year that just outdoes anyone’s version of colorful spread yet. There was more crochet and needlepoint, even in lamp shades, with appliques and embroidery…Coach has appliques on some of their wallets and purses also (if you haven’t seen it yet).

Urban Outfitters has these great flocked lampshades (my personal favorites).

Baker’s killer boots, possibly their answer to the Balenciaga hard to come by, too expensive boots, also, girls just like boots.

But truthfully, the shoes have it. Shoe designers seemed to have gone all out this year to impress. Baker’s took the cake there, what a round-up….not the least of which are the Ed Hardy sneakers and head scarves. But in fact and in deed Bakers has something for everyone and every occasion with a variety of price points, and the customers to boot (no pun intended, though they had those too!).

Urban Outfitters is doing such a great job in home furnishings these days I sometimes forget to check out their clothes…and shoes. They’ve got a great selection of shoes. Gladiator sandals are big this year and they had some cool variations on that theme, I thought, as well as some unique sneakers…and the neatest yellow jellies I’ve seen yet–and they’ve got great bootie looks that go wonderfully with their tights, or bare legs and minis (I love to take my daughter shopping at Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie, while I look for myself at the same time).

As long as I’m at it, I have to give a shout out to Journey’s who does a pretty good job with shoes too….they’ve got a great round-up of sneakers, vans and hi tops, and Smets does their own variation on the laceless tattoed oxfords but theirs have rhinestone eyelets. And I really dug these too cute Bento plaid flip flops.

And finally, you can take Fido out in style too…

from Poochey Shoes.

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Austin Kleon, an Austin Tx. writer/cartoonist/designer, has developed a new art form: Newspaper Blackout Poetry. It’s more than just the design or layout of his poetry that is so fascinating, but the fact that he can look at a paragraph (or two) from an article in a newspaper and find such profound meaning. For more, go here. And, Happy Mother’s Day.

Thank you to How Magazine’s blog for the heads up on this one.

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