Last night I came home to a shiny new Nordstrom catalog, just waiting to seduce me with pretty things. Not surprisingly I was most tempted by their Spring shoe selection…lots of candy colored or chintzy patterned heels that would convince me to buy a tea-length wedding dress just to show them off.
The internet came along and stole my thunder. Not really, actually. I’m very thankful for the girls at Junebug for spreading the word about Polyvore, because it’s awesome. Basically it’s a mecca for all things fashion and design. Not only can you browse countless shoes, clothes, and accessories, but you can easily collage and publish them with pretty backgrounds. It’s totally user friendly and their selection is endless. As a test run I put together an artistic vision of my what my beautiful bridesmaids might wear on the big day.
If you haven’t already seen this hilarious and in some ways eerily prophetic video posted on YouTube, you should definitely check it out. Narrated by a sassy young man that we people of the future would definitely label metrosexual, the clip shows what different fashion designers of the 1930s predicted our clothes would look like in the year 2000. Some of their guesses are way off (I personally don’t own a climate controlled belt yet) but there is one designer in particular who seems to be oddly in synch with the couture world of today. That model is dressed in a chiffon jumpsuit and reverse heeled shoes, both of which were big looks on the runway this year.
As for the bride of the new millenium, the style is romantic, glamorous, and dramatic….ok really, its just twenty years off. This bride looks straight out of the ’80s but with better hair and an oddly plastic looking veil. And the groom? According to Mr. Saucy Narrator he wears nothing but a “worried look.” I would too if someone told me that in the future I would have to wear this hat.
Lord knows I don’t need an excuse to buy more pairs of shoes, but the people at Shoewawa seem to be bent on tempting me. I hadn’t heard of Schuh and am still guessing how to pronounce it, but what I do know is that their high heel selection is crazy eclectic. Some of their shoes are sweetly feminine like these:
And some of their shoes are frankly a little frightening, like these:
But hey, to each her own and I love that you can find all of these and more at the same place. And really, I have enormous respect for any woman who could pull off an outfit with any of the above shoes.
Rock ‘n Roll Bride’s post yesterday reminded me, as if I needed another reason, how much I love colored crinolines. There is a vintage store in Columbus where there is a whole wall full of fluffy petticoats in every imaginable color and it makes me feel like a kid in a candy store. This bride inspired me, because her overall look is glamorous and playful at the same time, which I think is a difficult balance to pull off.
I put together my own vintage version of her outfit. Its a little matchy-matchy, but I think the chicness of the dress with the nipped in waist and attached neck scarf would be a great contrast to the royal blue and purple crinoline just peeking out the bottom. I have to give Betsey Johnson props for the shoes too; her designs can sometimes be a little over the top but these are fantastic, mostly because of the floral patterned sole!
Anyone who knows me knows that I adore shoes, to the point where my mother observed that I would probably pick out my wedding shoes first and then choose my dress based on the shoes. I scoffed at the idea then, but I’m beginning to wonder…
I completely agree with Rhonda from Life.Love.Lipstick that these Christian Louboutin shoes are incredible. In fact, I even remember seeing them featured in a bridal magazine with a tea-length wedding dress. Needless to say the result was pretty fierce, and if I ever manage to find the spread in my massive pile of bridal magazines I will post it!
In general I love the idea of unusual bridal shoes, whether they double as your something blue, pick up your wedding color scheme, or just add an unexpected jolt of color. Here are some other options I love:
Kitty Cooper makes amazing handmade shoes out of vintage fabric, which is not only super cool but more environmentally friendly. I especially love these orange damask Laura pumps, which come in two other colors/fabrics as well.
These apple green D’orsays from Nine West are such a pretty color as well as relatively inexpensive. I think they would also look amazing with some shoe clips to add a little personal flair. Absolutely Audrey makes an awesome range of styles from bling to vintage.
If you do want to take advantage of “something blue” shoes, I think these Marc Jacobs peep toe pumps are adorable, and I bet the thicker heel would make them comfortable for maximum dancing!
