Feeling a little blah?
You must have been perusing shoe departments. This summer, it can feel like making a date with a dream boy who never shows up.
Last summer, our feet were swaddled in brilliant hues and ferocious skins. We towered in new-again platforms. We teetered in strappy stilettos.
What a difference a year can make. Shoe designers seem to have found their summertime inspiration in mud. Or maybe dead leaves.
Most pervasive color? Call it tawny, bronze or cappuccino. It’s brown, people.
Most pervasive shape? Maybe the clodhopper.
There are a few bright spots on the otherwise somber landscape. But generally you’ll have to dig out last year’s lighthearted, color-blasted styles if you want your soles to match the whimsy of summer fashions.
Here are the trends. Just don’t do anything crazy. Fall isn’t far off.
Brown, brown, brown
Natural, unadorned leather is the material of choice for many designers this summer. Never mind that consumers have grown accustomed to explosive color, embellishments and lovably mixed-up prints. Swinging from one extreme to another each year is what sells shoes or we’ll just drag out last year’s pairs.
Roman sandals
Are you feeling like an extra in the HBO series “Rome”? Made of–you guessed it–natural, unadorned leather, these sandals partially cover the arch and have a look reminiscent of, oh, 23 B.C. Some come with heels, others come flat. A few are pinched with small studs. All lack a sense of humor.
Chunky heels
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Like those extra 6 pounds we haven’t, um, had time to shed, heels have grown in girth since last summer. Lithe stilettos have largely gone underground. At least these thickies–unlike us–are unapologetic about their size.
Ballet flats
In the event you’re suddenly called upon to pirouette. Some of these sparkle while others pucker. The only way to deal with them effectively is to pair them with jeans, and probably skinny ones at that.
Wood, rope, cork
Plenty of summer shoes are made from real wood, which can make you feel like you’re jackhammering your legs should you step onto pavement. Others come in faux wood and are meant to look “stacked,” like a bisected tree trunk. There also are plenty of cork heels out there and others with rope glued to their sides.
Orange anything
After neutral leather, orange is the color of choice. Nothing more on this point.
Platforms, wedges
Kork-Ease, the original cork platform sandal introduced in the 1950s, has been re-released and is available at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue stores. Everyone else is reissuing platforms and wedges too. Clearly, there’s only so much you can do to hike up a heel.
Four hot styles
Here are some summertime shoes that make the style cut:
– Xhilaration Calista Sling with bow in brown has a faux stacked heel and trendy peep toe for a sophisticated look; $18.99 at target.com.
– BCBG Max Azria Tua flat with fat rhinestone-y rocks across the toe band; $204.95 on sale at zappos.com. (below)
– Marc Fisher Goldie ankle strap sandals in white with metallic geometric designs; $40 on sale at macys.com.
– KORS Michael Kors Newton Black Sport Suede wedge with rubber soles and suede uppers (below); $185 at jildorshoes.com.
[THE MIAMI HERALD].