Orange Sandals

Orange Sandals
Glass in the garden, fire in the snow
Two weeks ago, Craig Mitchell Smith was doing 12-hour shifts in the workshop of his west Lansing house, putting together his latest exhibition of undulating glass sculpture, showing at Dow Gardens in Midland through Feb. 26.
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One thing is clear - this year the promise of spring time renewal doesn't just stop with Mother Nature as 2009's footwear trends top the charts in explosions of color and expressions of individuality. If fashion follows a circle, then it must streak along more like a corkscrew roller coaster. This is a great time to jump on board. We're excited to report that the styles and colors this time around are hot, and who knows when it will come around like this again?

Colors

Bold, bright and beautiful, we will see purple (a carryover from fall and winter), lavender, grays, pinks from blush to fuchsia, metallic, red and orange. Neons, all the rage last spring, are reduced to accent colors this season. The first great thing about shoes is color. Color which typically doesn't flatter you can do very well on your feet, especially by allowing you to play with color complements. For example, if orange doesn't enhance your complexion try coordinating pair of juicy orange shoes with a navy blue ensemble.

The Basics

Each year a core set of basic women's shoe styles seem to reincarnate into some higher form from the year before. This time around we'll see enhanced flats, wedges, gladiators/huaraches, high heels and platforms, all favorites from a year ago.

• Yes, you heard right, ballet flats...again! This spring we'll see them sporting slightly pointer toes, mini-wedge heels, and in different colors and fabrics, breaking out of plain old black satin. Look for more bows on the vamp too, as well as other embellishments that one can tastefully place anywhere on this small shoe. Flats look best with pencil skirts, skinny cropped pants or straight boot-cut slacks. These clothing choices tend to lengthen the body, which you'll need when forgoing the heel.

• Wedges remain more popular than ever. This year they'll be reaching for even higher heights in hot, elongating hyper-cosmopolitan styles. You can wear wedges with virtually anything and look twice as good (one exception to avoid...mini-skirts).

• Gladiator sandals, buoyed by the moment of their huge splash on the fashion world last year, are back strong. Gladiators will continue to stun us with an array of sexy designs to choose from, made even spicier in this year's bold colors. This year designers will go a step further by blurring the line between a gladiator and a huarache, combining elements of both in one shoe. The resulting hybrids sizzle, elevating their status to permanent wardrobe staple. What looks best with a pair of gladiators depends on the color and style you choose. For example, brown leather gladiator sandals look best against white jeans or with a white dress. The more feminine variety are perfect for cocktail parties at the pool and look great in togas, smocks, shorts, and jeans. Embellished or metallic gladiators are great for indoor events like the theatre, dinner or the club. Dolce Vita, Marc Jacobs, Nine West, and Ralph Lauren are just some of the popular shoe designers coming out with hot gladiator sandals this season.

• Sky high heels are back. Where do you wear them? Wear them out to dinner and a movie or other event where you are sitting most of the evening.

Klink, Clang, Bling!

A walk on the highly ornate side occurred last year and the momentum is still going strong in 2009. New materials, boldly colored skins, unusual details in unusual places - you'll be surprised at what designers are sticking on shoes and how it all will keep you a fashion step ahead of the crowd.

• Chains, buckles, studs, zippers, eye catching grommets, spikes, and more will continue to embellish spring styles in 2009 continuing the influence of gothic, fetish look popular on models last summer. Shoes not truly classified as fetish will even lean toward a more fetish look by sporting thick wrap- around ankle straps, large ties, and ankle bands that look more like dog collars. Notable brands in this category include Barret, A. Wang, Rodarte (a favorite of Rihanna's) and Kenzo.

• A strong carry over from fall and winter boots is fringe. Spring and summer will see lighter versions of fringe from high heeled stilettos to sandals and flats. Hottest will be authentic leather fringe in beige, tan or camel colors, like those available from Gucci, Balmain, Dolce Vita, and Sergio Rossi. This season, think Wild, Wild West.

• Designers are able to achieve a rich multitude of sexy designs by zapping away entire sections of the shoes and shoe-booties we enjoyed so much this past fall and winter. Laser cutout shoes and booties caught on last summer and will continue strong into spring and summer this year to be seen on pumps, sandals, shoe-boots, stilettos, peep toes and more. See a sampling of the array of designs possible at All Women Talk.

• Reptilian leather skins are coming back as strong as ever, this time in new contortions, rainbow colors, and 3D effects so startling you'll do a double take. At this rate it won't be long before you carry snake antidote just to be safe! Real or not, stick with designer quality and avoid cheap imitations. Look to Michael Kors, Guess's Carrieann style, Edelman, Dior, Via Spiga, and Tuleh for inspiration.

• If the devil is in the details, then our shoes are about get smokin' hot. Adorned with detailing like braids, beading, rhinestones, gems, piping, elaborate stitching, rhinestones, die-cuts, and gems, this season's shoes will be sassy and pleasing to the eye. Donna Karan, Laundry, Baby Phat, Carlos Santana's Roulette have what we're talking about here.

• Feature heels deserve a category all their own. No more simply a supporting structure, heels are suddenly a fashion statement all on their own. Sassy and eye catching, these have to be seen to be believed. Check them out at fashionising.com.

The author is F Kapri of Venus Shoe, a unique online store specializing in sexy and exotic designer shoes and boots, and Fifi's Lingerie [http://www.fifislingerie.com], a sexy leather lingerie store for sexy men and women.

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