Heels give soul to fall fashion
Wed, September 17 2008
But apart from higher heels, personal style rules supreme. The models on shoe shop shelves fit every occasion and taste.
“A one-and-only fashion trend hasn’t existed for a long time now,” noted Helga Cevey, who works for the Offenbach-based German Shoe Institute.
You can forget terms like “in” or “out” because mixing various styles is now in vogue, Cevey said. “So everyone can create a personal outfit.”
Boots grab the limelight in autumn and winter. They are simply indispensable, especially overknees, and in combination with ultra-tight drainpipe trousers or under skirts for a casual, bohemian look.
“Rustic, hiking-inspired details such as buckles, eyelets, and lacing, as well as removable cuffs and pelt or fur trim, play a complementary role” in the new boot collection, said Andreas Rose, who works as a personal shopper in Frankfurt.
Jelena Juric, with the Frankfurt-based rag trade magazine TextilWirtschaft, noted that half boots and ankle boots were stealing the show from classic boots this season. As Rose sees it, pumps with plateau heels and half boots with wedge soles also go extremely well with wide-cut, high-waist “Marlene-style” trousers, which are making a comeback.
Heels are a must in any case, even under ballerinas; no shoe should be too flat.
There is a wide variety of heel shapes, remarked Cevey: “Blocky, straight, curved ‘banana’ heels – the main thing is that it matches the shape of the last” (the form used in shoemaking).
Round, oval or square – toes come in many shapes, too. Women who are daring even go for peep-toe boots, the winter which leave the wearer’s toes exposed.
“A tip of red peeking out of a black boot can have quite an effect,” Cevey said.
Rose is a peep-toe fan too. “With opaque, coloured stockings, peep toes are a real eye-catcher,” he said. “And they’re a perfect match for the 1950s look.”
Colours are on the dark side, whether for classy pumps or delicate lace-up booties. Apart from black and brown, the so-called “winter darks” predominate, Juric said. Plum, blackberry, moss green, petrol blue, and dark blue subtly offset winter’s dreary grey. The heels, though, can be colourful eye-catchers.
A mixture of materials is part of the charm of fancier footwear models. The contrast between shiny and matte is crucial. “But it has to be tone on tone to look really classy,” said Cevey.
By Melanie Brandl
