When I stepped into Wittner today, I gasped. There in front of me was a shoe that said "hello, I have arrived".
It was an inspired shoe, but beautifully inspired. And I dont say that often!
The inspiration was the darling Alexander Wang, a 30 yr old Taiwanese American designer who dropped out of the Parsons School of Design but whose designs are now stocked by the likes of Browns, Barneys, Bergdorfs, Neimans and the list goes on.
His label embodies casually cool downtown mens inspired style,
drawing inspiration from the nineties, French chic, and rock
grunge—always finished off with a slouchy, rolled-out-of-bed edge. He also has a diffusion line, T by Alexander Wang and a line of footwear which usually produces towering platforms.
Did I hear someone say footwear?
Wittner certainly did......
Firstly, lets go back a few steps and check out a Wang loafer....
Oh, my - silver & metallic pink....its called Anais Tassel Pump & its gorg!
Look at the cute toes.....who would have thought a loafer would have cute toes....sigh....
For those of us with a slightly conservative
streak, try the black version.
And then I died when I saw this metallic burgendy version. Outstanding combination of modern and traditional.
There were around $460 AU on various sites like net-a-porter and shopbob, but given they are AW 2011, most have sold out by now. I'd suggest ebay if you really must have them.
The Wang Tassel loafer has been used as inspiration by a few designers -
Elizabeth & James - "Stela"
This brand is the younger label for the Olsen twins, named after their sister and brother.
It was $370 on shopbop. I think its a bit of a wannabe, frankly.
Here is the ASOS version.....not thrilled with this poor cousin.....
The Jeffrey Campbell "Zealous" wedge - similar feel but not the same.....
And the one you have been waiting for - the Australian Wittner version - Blaide.....ta da!!!!
Its $160, leather uppers, non leather sole and they have done a great job IMO.
The heel is a 10 cm black heel & the inner sole is padded.
Available online.
I am a very fussy shopper but this has my seal of approval. Do you like it?
Bought the silver foil pair today! I must admit that my heart did a bit of a flutter when I saw them in store. Can't wait to go out and wear them, but I'm not sure if I am brave enough to do them as day wear. I do know that I probably won't be able to walk too far in them, though.
ReplyDeleteI am thrilled that you bought these Anon! I'll be wearing them vicariously through you. These days anything goes for day wear, but I'd wear them with black pants & a crisp white shirt. Maybe my posts for Fashion Week on Facebook can inspire you - there were alot of stand out shoes there....The first few times u wear them, carry a pair of gel pad cushions in ur bag. When you feel like ur feet need a little rest, slip the pads under the balls of your feet (the leather would have stretched out a bit by then) & u'll breathe a little sigh of relief. The heel is reasonably solid too, hopefully it wont be a problem. Val
ReplyDelete